Glider Rider

"Cinders and ashes! It's a giant kite!"

- Percy

Glider Rider is a magazine story.

Plot
The engines decide to play a game while they work. The game involves keeping an eye on the sky and watch for things flying by. Salty sees lots of noisy seagulls down near the coast, Daisy spots lots of fluffy clouds and Toby spies Harold. Percy is so keen to spot something for himself that he almost runs straight through a signal. As he stands at the signal, Percy spots a big, odd shape gliding silently through the sky. Percy thinks it is a giant kite and races back to the main station to tell the other engines, only for them to laugh at him.

The next day, Percy sees the large flying object again. This time, it is much closer and Percy can see a man hanging underneath. His driver explains it is a hang-glider. Percy eagerly follows the glider and can see it is coming in to land. Sure enough, the glider dips down to the track, but a gust of wind sweeps it into a shallow pond. Percy stops while his crew help to pull the man out of the water. The man is soaking wet so Percy kindly offers him a ride home. The hang-glider is loaded into Percy's empty mail van. That night, the other engines still do not believe Percy's tale.

The next morning, the man with the hang-glider rings Sir Topham Hatt to arrange a special train. Later, there is a splendid hang-glider display and Percy is given the job of fetching people to watch the glider-covered sky. Percy is presented with a pair of flags by the hang-glider club and he is very happy to be flying something, too.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Salty
 * Daisy
 * Harold
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * James
 * Diesel

Trivia

 * This magazine story was adapted into a story puzzle in 2005.