Of the 115 or so pilots taking part in the 2017 World Gliding Championships, there is one who really stands out.
Women’s World champion Anne Ducarouge is the only female competing at Benalla in 2017.
Women’s World champion Anne Ducarouge is the only female competing at Benalla in 2017.
She said she had been able to continue in the sport thanks to great family support, including the “best husband in the world”.
The couple are kept busy with two children, aged three and five, sharing the childcare responsibilities equally.
“In France we are lucky, there are many structures to keep the young children and more and more women work, so it can be equal in the couple,” Ms Ducarouge said.
“For me at least it played a big part in the fact I could take part in this championship.”
Ms Ducarouge’s husband, Yann Forestier, is also a glider pilot. His passion started with flying model aircraft, but high costs prevented him from going into power flying so he took up gliding instead, and never looked back.
“We met in a glider. Literally,” said Mr Forestier, of how he met his now wife.
“Anne was just new in the club and it was a weak day, we didn’t know whether we were flying or not, and we eventually decided to fly two seater gliders,” Mr Forestier said.
“I just had my passenger licence and she was my first passenger.
“We literally met in the glider, and talked for two or three hours. That was the beginning.”
Ms Ducarouge said she wished there were more women in the sport, and there was no physical reason why there shouldn’t be.
“It’s more or less cultural,” she said.
“But I think it’s evolving quite a lot and in France we’re seeing more young women come into the sport, competing and performing.”
Ms Ducarouge is an engineer in the military and a Colonel, currently managing a design office in the French Air Force.
She previously worked as a flight test engineer, planning the missions and sometimes flying them.
“I’ve got a pilot’s licence in the military but it is an occasional occupation,” Ms Ducarouge said.
Contrary to popular rumours, Ms Ducarouge doesn’t hold a helicopter licence, although she can fly them.
Asked why she loved gliding she said it was a “real sport” and quite different to flying powered aircraft.
“I like both and I fly both, but gliding is a real sport and it requires much more piloting skill than flying an aircraft, which is closer to driving a car,” she said.
“Also the challenge. You never know where you’re going to end up in the day, which is very interesting, even if you don’t get home very early!”
The couple are kept busy with two children, aged three and five, sharing the childcare responsibilities equally.
“In France we are lucky, there are many structures to keep the young children and more and more women work, so it can be equal in the couple,” Ms Ducarouge said.
“For me at least it played a big part in the fact I could take part in this championship.”
Ms Ducarouge’s husband, Yann Forestier, is also a glider pilot. His passion started with flying model aircraft, but high costs prevented him from going into power flying so he took up gliding instead, and never looked back.
“We met in a glider. Literally,” said Mr Forestier, of how he met his now wife.
“Anne was just new in the club and it was a weak day, we didn’t know whether we were flying or not, and we eventually decided to fly two seater gliders,” Mr Forestier said.
“I just had my passenger licence and she was my first passenger.
“We literally met in the glider, and talked for two or three hours. That was the beginning.”
Ms Ducarouge said she wished there were more women in the sport, and there was no physical reason why there shouldn’t be.
“It’s more or less cultural,” she said.
“But I think it’s evolving quite a lot and in France we’re seeing more young women come into the sport, competing and performing.”
Ms Ducarouge is an engineer in the military and a Colonel, currently managing a design office in the French Air Force.
She previously worked as a flight test engineer, planning the missions and sometimes flying them.
“I’ve got a pilot’s licence in the military but it is an occasional occupation,” Ms Ducarouge said.
Contrary to popular rumours, Ms Ducarouge doesn’t hold a helicopter licence, although she can fly them.
Asked why she loved gliding she said it was a “real sport” and quite different to flying powered aircraft.
“I like both and I fly both, but gliding is a real sport and it requires much more piloting skill than flying an aircraft, which is closer to driving a car,” she said.
“Also the challenge. You never know where you’re going to end up in the day, which is very interesting, even if you don’t get home very early!”
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