Flying high

Searching for something small with a story to tell for todays challenge I found this badge at the bottom of a drawer. 
 
I had almost forgotten about its existence though it was something that I was inordinately proud of at the time -  a Silver C badge for gliding.
 
Its given to pilots who have completed three flying tasks: - a duration flight of 5 hours, a cross country flight of at least 50kilometres and a gain of height of more than 1,000 metres (3,281 feet).  In my case I got up to 8,700ft, or twice the height of Ben Nevis, in wave conditions*.  Scotland is famous for these conditions among the gliding community because of the mountains. See extra of the barograph tracings confirming the flights.
 
Well, those were the days. 
Many thanks to Cathy1947 for hosting Tiny Tuesday which allowed me to wallow in some very pleasant memories of my days gliding at Portmoak- the Scottish Gliding Union in Fife.
 
* Wave soaring is made possible by the strong winds coming off the mountains.  Riding such waves allows extreme altitude to be gained rapidly. It also means you drop like a brick if you get it wrong.