Thanks for the kind words Chug, but for me Arc nailed it at post #1981 with
"No greater satisfaction than Cadets talking loudly, exchanging experiences and finally the descending silence as they fall asleep in the minibus on the way home from a day out at the Viking VGS!" As the B word says, its the going solo that's the real deal. C4 - I think you're on the same page as most of us, but my point (irrespective of the soaring, which was a very nice bonus) is that that girl has been in the ATC for more than two years, and had never been in a glider. She visits the BGC for two hours, and goes flying. That may say something about the BGC, but it says a great deal more about the ATC.