What is Gliding?
Gliding is flying a plane without an engine, using the same air currents as birds to stay airborne. Gliding is an ideal sport for all; it can be as exciting or peaceful as you want it to be - floating around silently admiring the view, racing across the country or turning your world upside with aerobatics.
Using the rising air currents gliders have covered distances of over 600 miles in the UK and heights of almost 40,000 feet abroad. The aerodynamic efficiency of modern gliders means that they can reach speeds of well over 100 mph. Pretty impressive when you think about it.
Once you’ve learnt the basics of how to fly you will learn how to soar these raising air currents known as Lift that make gliding so fascinating.
Launching
There are two main methods of launching a Glider.
Aero-towing - The glider is towed up into the sky by a plane. The pilot has the choice to release the tow rope at any height and place desired.
Winching Launching - A cable is attached to the glider and pulled in very fast by a winch placed at the opposite end of the runway. It works a bit like flying a kite, the glider climbs steeply to gain height. The height gained is dependent on the wind strength, direction and length of the run. The glider is then released at the opposite end of the runway above the winch.
Winching is much cheaper than aero-towing, but the advantage of aero-towing is that you can choose the height and location you wish to go to.
