Philip Wills Enterprise National Trophy - Past Winners
1985 Chris Rollings – triangular flight Petersfield Welshpool York 1st 25% 750km triangle in UK
1986 Justin Wills – 835km cross channel flight from Rufforth to near Dijon, breaking the straight distance record by 123km at a speed of 104kph
1987 Chris Garton – 670k O & R Lasham/York
1988 John Jeffries/Ron Parsons - 300k O & R Dunstable/Monmouth
1989 Mike Brook – 500k SHK Sutton Bank/Lasham/North Hill 3rd attempt in 5 days!
1990 Norman James – flight in tutor 300km
1991 Alan Purnell – 951k Portmoak various TPs. Also in recognition of his life-time achievements – over 760 x 300k’s, 160 x 500k’s, 16 x 700k+ and a 750k diploma, plus first to get all three diamonds in the UK
1992 Mike Cumming – 1000km attempt using various sea breezes and/or a cross channel attempt being converting into a circumnavigation of the London TMA
1993 John Jeffries – 170k triangle & 345k O & R both using wave from Dunstable in February
1994 Ian Beckett– 300km flight in a Duster he built himself
1995 Chris Rollings – for his contribution to Enterprising gliding in the spirit of Philip Wills and the sponsorship from Mobil for young people in gliding
1996 Mike Oliver – 2 x 500k in consecutive days in a SHK
1997 Peter Redshaw - 1st 503k O & R from Barrow on Furness LS6c 17.5m
1998 Neville and Richard Allcott – 750km wave flight in a DG500
1999 Charlton – 65k in a K8 Kenley to Challock under controlled airspace
2000 –Aerotow 2000. A K21’s epic journey around the UK 1,550nm in 13 days
2001 Jack Stevens – 750km flight out through Lockinordie (Lock Kinnord near Aboyne) Ros Dubh House, Roseneath, and Huntly.
2002 Robert Tait – 500k flight from Easterton in an Astir CS77 in thermals from a winch launch. At the time it was thought to be only the 4th Diamond distance flown within Scotland and the first flown from Easterton.
2003 Not awarded
2004 Afandi Darlington/Gordon MacDonald –665k Aboyne to Lasham 710k/ Chris Garton. O &R Lasham/Lands End
2005 Roy Wilson - 766k from Aboyne via various TPs
2006 Phil King – 600km flight from Carlisle to Plymouth, via Eden Valley, Wensleydale, east of the Leeds and East Midlands zones
2007 John Williams – in a month flew 528km, 1312km (double 656km), 1536km (double 768km), finishing with a coast to coast 1,016km between a remote TP in the North Sea and 2 west coast TPs!
2008 Trevor Stuart – 602 km circumnavigating the London TMA from Nympsfield, via Arundel Castle, Ashford and Bury St Edmonds
2009 Desmond Pearce – 195k O & R in an Oly 463 from Skelling Farm to various TPs into the Lake District using ridge, thermal and wave. Highlighting an example of the enterprising flying carried out by Edensoaring.
2010 Bill Payton – The first 750k FAI triangle to be flown from Sutton Bank (and indeed the north of England) via Talgarth and Cambridge
2011 Matt Wright – 75k O & R task totally over the sea using the south coast cliffs of Devon and Dorset in an ASW 20. The flight evoked memories of bygone days when intrepid pilots bungied off cliffs sometimes landing on the beach below.
2012 Ed Downham - Flying from Bicester on an uninspiring day, with an inversion and an easterly wind of up to 40 knots, Ed elected to declare a 500km flight over Wales with a remote start at Cinderford (on the River Severn) and a finish back at Bicester. Completed 475km.
2013 – Rob Lockett – 496km in an Oly from Tibenham to Truro
2014 – Phil King – 500km declared flight entirely within Wales in March. Achieved 491km
2015 – Roy Garden and Jack Stephen - Two bold, declared flights in an ASH 25 in which the pilots attempted to complete an FAI 1000 km flight from Aboyne on an east – west route.
2016 –Christof Maul and Thomas Seiler – epic out and return flight to the Hebrides from Aboyne with over 90km of flight over the sea.
2017 Dominic Haughton - First declared FAI 500 km triangle with all three corners in Wales
2018 John Williams – Declared 722km flight from Scotland to Northern Ireland and back , completing an OLC distance of 1225km.
2019 David Masson and Ed Foxon – Declared 815km flight from Lasham to North Wales and Dartmoor including flying 35km over the Bristol Channel. Completed 614km.
2020 David Masson and Nigel Mallender – Declared 520 km in a K13. Four Marks, Eastbourne North West Bullington, Hembury Hill in Devon and back to Lasham (They almost got back with 493km achieved)
2021 Chris Gill – Declared 778km flight taking in Wales, Scotland and England exploiting wave and thermal lift. 100km of flight over the Irish sea. 620km achieved.
2022 Anne Soltow - A newly qualified Silver pilot in the true spirit of Enterprise went to retrieve the inter-club plate for the Nympsfield Club from Lasham, 104 km away in a Ka8. Having arrived at Lasham she flew back with the trophy the next day.
2023 Chris Gill – 620 OLC distance from North Wales over the sea to the Lake District and Scotland on the 16th December.
2024 Edward Oliver 19 year old pilot who had only been gliding for 3 years attempted a 500 in a Standard Libelle. Achieved 482km after 7 hours 40 mins in the air
1985 Chris Rollings – triangular flight Petersfield Welshpool York 1st 25% 750km triangle in UK
1986 Justin Wills – 835km cross channel flight from Rufforth to near Dijon, breaking the straight distance record by 123km at a speed of 104kph
1987 Chris Garton – 670k O & R Lasham/York
1988 John Jeffries/Ron Parsons - 300k O & R Dunstable/Monmouth
1989 Mike Brook – 500k SHK Sutton Bank/Lasham/North Hill 3rd attempt in 5 days!
1990 Norman James – flight in tutor 300km
1991 Alan Purnell – 951k Portmoak various TPs. Also in recognition of his life-time achievements – over 760 x 300k’s, 160 x 500k’s, 16 x 700k+ and a 750k diploma, plus first to get all three diamonds in the UK
1992 Mike Cumming – 1000km attempt using various sea breezes and/or a cross channel attempt being converting into a circumnavigation of the London TMA
1993 John Jeffries – 170k triangle & 345k O & R both using wave from Dunstable in February
1994 Ian Beckett– 300km flight in a Duster he built himself
1995 Chris Rollings – for his contribution to Enterprising gliding in the spirit of Philip Wills and the sponsorship from Mobil for young people in gliding
1996 Mike Oliver – 2 x 500k in consecutive days in a SHK
1997 Peter Redshaw - 1st 503k O & R from Barrow on Furness LS6c 17.5m
1998 Neville and Richard Allcott – 750km wave flight in a DG500
1999 Charlton – 65k in a K8 Kenley to Challock under controlled airspace
2000 –Aerotow 2000. A K21’s epic journey around the UK 1,550nm in 13 days
2001 Jack Stevens – 750km flight out through Lockinordie (Lock Kinnord near Aboyne) Ros Dubh House, Roseneath, and Huntly.
2002 Robert Tait – 500k flight from Easterton in an Astir CS77 in thermals from a winch launch. At the time it was thought to be only the 4th Diamond distance flown within Scotland and the first flown from Easterton.
2003 Not awarded
2004 Afandi Darlington/Gordon MacDonald –665k Aboyne to Lasham 710k/ Chris Garton. O &R Lasham/Lands End
2005 Roy Wilson - 766k from Aboyne via various TPs
2006 Phil King – 600km flight from Carlisle to Plymouth, via Eden Valley, Wensleydale, east of the Leeds and East Midlands zones
2007 John Williams – in a month flew 528km, 1312km (double 656km), 1536km (double 768km), finishing with a coast to coast 1,016km between a remote TP in the North Sea and 2 west coast TPs!
2008 Trevor Stuart – 602 km circumnavigating the London TMA from Nympsfield, via Arundel Castle, Ashford and Bury St Edmonds
2009 Desmond Pearce – 195k O & R in an Oly 463 from Skelling Farm to various TPs into the Lake District using ridge, thermal and wave. Highlighting an example of the enterprising flying carried out by Edensoaring.
2010 Bill Payton – The first 750k FAI triangle to be flown from Sutton Bank (and indeed the north of England) via Talgarth and Cambridge
2011 Matt Wright – 75k O & R task totally over the sea using the south coast cliffs of Devon and Dorset in an ASW 20. The flight evoked memories of bygone days when intrepid pilots bungied off cliffs sometimes landing on the beach below.
2012 Ed Downham - Flying from Bicester on an uninspiring day, with an inversion and an easterly wind of up to 40 knots, Ed elected to declare a 500km flight over Wales with a remote start at Cinderford (on the River Severn) and a finish back at Bicester. Completed 475km.
2013 – Rob Lockett – 496km in an Oly from Tibenham to Truro
2014 – Phil King – 500km declared flight entirely within Wales in March. Achieved 491km
2015 – Roy Garden and Jack Stephen - Two bold, declared flights in an ASH 25 in which the pilots attempted to complete an FAI 1000 km flight from Aboyne on an east – west route.
2016 –Christof Maul and Thomas Seiler – epic out and return flight to the Hebrides from Aboyne with over 90km of flight over the sea.
2017 Dominic Haughton - First declared FAI 500 km triangle with all three corners in Wales
2018 John Williams – Declared 722km flight from Scotland to Northern Ireland and back , completing an OLC distance of 1225km.
2019 David Masson and Ed Foxon – Declared 815km flight from Lasham to North Wales and Dartmoor including flying 35km over the Bristol Channel. Completed 614km.
2020 David Masson and Nigel Mallender – Declared 520 km in a K13. Four Marks, Eastbourne North West Bullington, Hembury Hill in Devon and back to Lasham (They almost got back with 493km achieved)
2021 Chris Gill – Declared 778km flight taking in Wales, Scotland and England exploiting wave and thermal lift. 100km of flight over the Irish sea. 620km achieved.
2022 Anne Soltow - A newly qualified Silver pilot in the true spirit of Enterprise went to retrieve the inter-club plate for the Nympsfield Club from Lasham, 104 km away in a Ka8. Having arrived at Lasham she flew back with the trophy the next day.
2023 Chris Gill – 620 OLC distance from North Wales over the sea to the Lake District and Scotland on the 16th December.
2024 Edward Oliver 19 year old pilot who had only been gliding for 3 years attempted a 500 in a Standard Libelle. Achieved 482km after 7 hours 40 mins in the air
