OP
OP
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
That's mighty impressive. I'm not too far from High Wycombe so I think Booker Gliding Club would suit me best.
Gliding
- Thread starter slowmotion
- Start date
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So here it is: You take to the air in something with the structural integrity, strength and comfort of a bath tub. You rely on trying to find invisible vertical conveyor belts to keep you going and you only have one chance to get it back on the ground right side up. But, a winch launch is 0-60 in three seconds, pull back on the stick and you are at 1000ft 5 seconds later, sneeze and let it roll off and you are eating mud - best roller coaster ever!
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
Don't think you can flap your arms and make a glider fly.
swansonj
Guru
Gliding and cycling are for people who want to accept the reality of Mother Nature and get their pleasures from using their own puny abilities as best they can to make progress in harmony with nature. Powered flight and motor bikes (and cars) are for people who want to use brute mechanical power to make the progress they want regardless of nature,
(These are of course grossly unfair mischaracterisations and slurs)
(These are of course grossly unfair mischaracterisations and slurs)
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
One of our Consultants has one, & flies it out of the club at the top of Sutton Bank (east of Thirsk, North Yorkshire)
I believe he's also got a private pilots licence, & it's all a break from the stress of a busy A&E department, and arranging teaching sessions for junior Doctors
Every so often, he arranges sessions up at the Club, for our staff , but sadly, l've always being working on the days in question, or otherwise engaged
I believe he's also got a private pilots licence, & it's all a break from the stress of a busy A&E department, and arranging teaching sessions for junior Doctors
Every so often, he arranges sessions up at the Club, for our staff , but sadly, l've always being working on the days in question, or otherwise engaged
F70100
Who, me ?
Would I be right in saying that most clubs are largely part-time (flying maybe one weekday and both days weekends) and rely on volunteer members to instruct but a larger club like the one at Wycombe operates 7 days per week with full time instructors. Do students still have to help at launches at Booker or do they have staff for that?
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F70100
Who, me ?
Depends on what you use a powered aircraft for. In the dim and distant, I had a PPL and a share in a light aircraft. I used it for trips to the Channel Islands, France, Netherlands for holidays. Not something you could easily do with a glider.
Custom24
Über Member
- Location
- Oxfordshire
I tried gliding a few years ago - I had a trial session and then went a few times to three different clubs. I never managed to devote sufficient time to it to go solo, maybe I will return to it when I am older/retired, hopefully.
OP - definitely have a trial session at a local club. If you like it, consider the following if you have a choice of local-ish clubs. Don't necessarily sign up with the nearest one. If you need to drive (or cycle!) an extra hour to get to a better one, it can be worth it.
1. Do they have a winch? You really need a winch as a beginner, as it's the best and cheapest way to practice circuits and landing. Aerotow is good later on, I believe.
2. What's their launch rate? If they share the airfield with something else (e.g. parachuting), their launch rate will be lower and you'll spend more time sitting around. Also, if they only have a small number of aircraft, the launch rate and your learning progress will be lower.
3. What are the people like and the facilities like? This is hard to gauge from a trial, but you can get some idea. If they are mostly unfriendly and/or cliqueish, the time you inevitably spend sitting around will be extremely boring. If they are friendly and involving, you will be more likely to partake in and enjoy the activites on the airfield apart from the actual flying (e.g. getting aircraft ready, helping in various ways, classroom sessions...)
4. Are they well organised? Do you get the feeling that if you wandered off for a few minutes, your turn would be missed? Or do they have a blackboard system and good marshalling. That sort of thing.
5. What are the costs per launch and the cost while in the air? How much is membership? Gliding costs are pretty low, but that's relative
6. Is the instruction free? (it normally is, I believe).
7. Obviously check out their website, if they have one.
I'm speaking from limited experience, so someone else may add more things to look for.
Depending on where you are and your disposable income, there are other options than a voluntarily run club, such as http://www.lashamgliding.com/. I've never been there, by the way.
OP - definitely have a trial session at a local club. If you like it, consider the following if you have a choice of local-ish clubs. Don't necessarily sign up with the nearest one. If you need to drive (or cycle!) an extra hour to get to a better one, it can be worth it.
1. Do they have a winch? You really need a winch as a beginner, as it's the best and cheapest way to practice circuits and landing. Aerotow is good later on, I believe.
2. What's their launch rate? If they share the airfield with something else (e.g. parachuting), their launch rate will be lower and you'll spend more time sitting around. Also, if they only have a small number of aircraft, the launch rate and your learning progress will be lower.
3. What are the people like and the facilities like? This is hard to gauge from a trial, but you can get some idea. If they are mostly unfriendly and/or cliqueish, the time you inevitably spend sitting around will be extremely boring. If they are friendly and involving, you will be more likely to partake in and enjoy the activites on the airfield apart from the actual flying (e.g. getting aircraft ready, helping in various ways, classroom sessions...)
4. Are they well organised? Do you get the feeling that if you wandered off for a few minutes, your turn would be missed? Or do they have a blackboard system and good marshalling. That sort of thing.
5. What are the costs per launch and the cost while in the air? How much is membership? Gliding costs are pretty low, but that's relative
6. Is the instruction free? (it normally is, I believe).
7. Obviously check out their website, if they have one.
I'm speaking from limited experience, so someone else may add more things to look for.
Depending on where you are and your disposable income, there are other options than a voluntarily run club, such as http://www.lashamgliding.com/. I've never been there, by the way.
OP
OP
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Thank you for that advice Custom24.
Custom24
Über Member
- Location
- Oxfordshire
No problem. Definitely have a trial lesson, though. It's a wonderful feeling, gliding. The first time I went up, I ended up thermalling (well, the instructor did), and I looked across to the right. On the other side of the thermal, there was a buzzard thermalling with us. He looked over at me as if to say "How's it going?". I was hooked.
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
I was taking break at work yesterday and was watching 3 buzzards circle above me. One was very high, the other two were each spaced about the same distance below each other. I guessed it was some sort of tiered search formation or something. I watched for probably 10 minutes and never saw one of them flap their wings. I am pretty sure I would like gliding.
OP
OP
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Amazing take-off down a short ramp.
[media]
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RjNNz4mrDI
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[media]
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RjNNz4mrDI
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Creamcrackered
Über Member
- Location
- 2,000' above Gloucestershire
That's really good advice from Custom24. Some clubs now have internet bookable training instead of just turn up and put your name on the list. If you have the choice I look for the larger clubs. It's quite a capital intensive sport, i.e. land, equipment buildings - long-term the smaller clubs are going to struggle.
Re. buzzards. On more than one occasion I have been saved from ending up in a field, miles from home, by spotting a buzzard circling.
Re. buzzards. On more than one occasion I have been saved from ending up in a field, miles from home, by spotting a buzzard circling.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
We phoned up Booker (which is also our local club) to try and book for a weekday and were told not to bother. They do a much cheaper standby arrangement for novices - phone on the morning and if they've got space they'll fit you in.
As it turned out the day in question was grey with very low cloud, so we didn't go. Which suited me just fine, but @rvw was disappointed.