‘Chipping Base’
118.685 MHz
Where’s the Fun in Soaring?
After all, what can you DO in a glider?
People who don’t know much about gliding may be puzzled about what the fascination can be. After all, surely, once you’ve learnt to launch, land and fly straight, all you can do then is repeat the experience. You launch to 1,000 feet and then glide back to earth 5 or 6 minutes later. Don’t you?
Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth and this page will hopefully give you some insight into the many ways in which glider pilots can pursue their sport and find new and interesting aspects of flying.
Modern sailplanes are beautiful, precision craft that have been perfected over many years of painstaking research and development to be as efficient in the air as they are beautiful to look at. Modern craft are capable of flying at high speeds and for long distances. Many are fitted with oxygen systems to allow pilots to fly to great heights and they are light on the controls and extremely responsive to their pilots’ hand and feet movements, making them a joy to fly.
Gliding is dependent on the elements in a way that isn’t true for power flying. Every flight is different, because of ever-changing weather conditions and it’s never certain when you launch whether you will be back on the ground in minutes, or hours. As a result, learning about the weather, winds, air conditions and clouds becomes a challenge that underpins your chances of good flights and enormous pleasure can be gained by making the most of the conditions on any particular day.
There are also many different types of gliding experience for pilots to choose from and this page will help you find out more about them.
Click on the picture links on this index page to find out more about the fascinating world of soaring flight!
