Experiencing gliding for the 1st time 

19:15 you never wanna wish a glider pilot blue skies 😂

I always loved the winch launches in the glider. Closest thing civilians can do to a fighter jet catapult launch off a carrier. Such an instant rush of adrenaline

I used to fly from a club in the southeast for many years, and I can confirm the problem of power aircraft overflying on operational days. Part of the standard launch procedure is for the signaller to indicate "all clear above and behind" (ie no conflicting traffic) immediately prior to the launch. But with GA aircraft closing at potentially high speed, it is possible for a conflicting aircraft to cross our immediate airspace in a very short time. The increase in the amount of electronic navigation aids has, I suspect, not helped, as it can lead to spending more of the time with the pilots head stuck firmly inside the cockpit. Always handy to remember, whatever other devices you may have, there is nothing to beat the mark 1 eyeball.

I’ve heard that learning to fly gliders makes you a much better pilot because you’re always thinking about where you could land, and being highly conscious of momentum and weather

Never wish a glider pilot blue skyes 😂 maybe you shoud have changed your outro to 5/8 cumulus everyone.

Yes it would be a good idea for all pilots to try gliding. I have flown sail planes and still fly paragliders as well as power fixed wing. We have had a few light aircraft fly low over our paragliding tow field in Norfolk (not understanding the foot launch mark on the map possible and that we go up to 2000ft on tow), also that we are likely to be gliding around down wind of the field. I have had to pleasure of looking down into the cockpit of a light aircraft while on tow (not something I would like to see again) and several times while on a glide, which has cost me hight as I have done a tight 360 to flash my wing to be seen. The problem with gliders is they are very hard to see from the front and rear, so glider pilots have to keep an eye out for powered aircraft to avoid / flash wings. As a powered pilot, talking to other GA & microlight pilots, I am suprised at how many rely on electronic conpicuity systems like pilot aware and not the mark one eye ball and how they don't think about possible glider activity areas (so don't plan for it in their flight planning). This video is great to help raise the subject.

I fly paragliders and have moved near to a gliding club, well two actually, I'm amazed how much more flying they get compared to paragliders, I must learn.

I am also a glider and power A/C owner and couldn’t agree more with the sentiment from the back seat of the Duo Discus. Gliding is my sport, GA flying is a different discipline that enables you to go somewhere, land and get a cup of tea. I tend to focus on GA flying in the Winter when there’s little or no opportunity to glide and the opposite in the Summer. It’s a way to enjoy different aspects of flying throughout the year. Doing it also gives me a better understanding of where gliders are likely to be on certain days and where GA aircraft are likely to be every day I fly. It’s also useful to know where and when the gliding competitions take place, know the daily tasks set and be better aware where gliders are likely to be concentrated.

Years later this is a great video, Thanks for making these- enjoying them during lockdown.

Gliding is the poetry of flight. It may not take you anywhere fast but It takes you to wonderful places in your mind. It makes you appreciate the awesome forces of nature and the beauty of our world like nothing else.

Wow! What fun!!!! Sorry to hear about the Club's loss 😪 Can't believe I'm still catching up on all your videos, you could clearly tell you enjoyed that experience. Amazing editing, once again! 👍👍👍

I can recommend Cambridge Gliding Centre, if you're ever out that way... Also an excellent, well-run, and friendly club

Impressive work John, it felt like watching a documentary on TV. Extremely good quality video, audio and edition. Congratulations for this and keep it up. Great channel, you are helping me loads as I have just started my PPL in Sheburn in Elmet. Take care !

Excellent video. As a member of another Gliding club, I am shocked at the number of aircraft which fly straight over us seemingly oblivious of the danger from winch cables.

once again an absolutely stunning video production, thank you so much.

This is a great video, especially the chance for Mark's detailed explanation from the front seat of the tug aircraft. Thanks for taking the time to put the film together.

Fascinating to see the complexities that go into towing gliders. Great video!

What a brilliant episode this is! Good work!

Very nice film, very nice flight & very well done.

Great video, thank you. So nice to see DH Chipmunks still flying and working. I was an air cadet a few decades ago (well 1970) and did about 20 hours in Chippies then a gliding course at West Malling, Kent. It's now a housing estate with an ATC building.

Excellent film there Jon, looks like you had tremendous fun! I've been gliding at HusBos a handful of times and been behind the tug, but seeing the tug operation from their perspective was eye opening. Thanks for sharing :)

A great piece Jon. I learned a lot from it and it was great to see the tug pilot at work too. You managed to fit so much into and it resulted in a very professional production. Well done, and I'm looking forward to viewing all your productions.

Very well done and a very interesting insight into gliding,well organised little aerodrome.

Wonderful video and intro to the sport.

What a great idea and very well put together. Thank you.

Absolutely fantastic!

Fantastic video.

Excellent film.

Another great video, Jon.

Superb Video. They just get better and better.

It's a small world - I know Simon Smith from when I used to live in the UK! Lovely guy, hope you had a great time flying with him. Awesome video Jon, cheers, Stef.

I used to keep my ASW20 at Husbands Bosworth in the summer months & commute from Dublin, wonderful club, great people. Look up Steve Fossets sailplane records to see what can be done. To match many long distance glider flights in a light aircraft you would need to refuel 3 or more times!

Fantastic Video John. At Wycombe we have Intense Gliding (which are non-radio!) as well as Student Fixed Wing and Heli ops on the tower. I've always seen them as a bit of a pain and hazard but now i think i have a bit more respect for when they just bomb in un-announced! Might go and pay the boys in the next hanger a visit and see if they'll take me up! Please keep up the information videos like this one and the LARS. Its such an insight to our world even though we fly in it regularly and it sets your videos apart from everyone else on the net. Blue skies, Safe landings!

I love your films. I have been lucky enough to experience gliding and powered flying on and off throughout my life and enjoy them both. I have to admit I hate winch launching as my poor old bod has never coped with rapid Acceleration, (!!!) but tug launches are fab. Gliding makes for excellent pilots and true airmen. You have such a deep understanding of the element you fly in as well as the obsessive need to keep a very good lookout. Plus, every landing you attempt will always be a full stop, so planning and judgment are honed very early on. So good to see this film, thanks.

What a great video John, very informative and made me smile throughout!. Im a PPL pilot myself out of Wellesbourne and this has made me want to give gliding a go now! keep up the good videos

Glad you finally desided to give it a try, it can teach you so much about flying

Very very good indeed well worth waiting for.

Another great video. The quality of the filming and commentary was top notch. Does make me want to try gliding, looks really good fun. Thanks Jon. Don't forget there is still the offer of a dodgy brew next time you visit Headcorn.

As a glider pilot myself, you certainly touched on all the key points of gliding. Happy soaring!

Very nice video Jon. Thank you!

That was fascinating, especially how much work goes into the tug.

Brilliant production, clips like this are why i use RU-vid. I am so torn as to what kind of flying to consider. I've spent time spectating and talking to people at Sherburn In Elmet and visited Burn Gliding club many times. Both are in Yorkshire and also considering microlights. I've no idea what to try as my last GA flight was about 15 years ago. Safe flying everyone.

Really interesting Jon, I was hoping to fly over this area and visit some family, It's so important to be aware of the 3.6 overflying minimum altitudes. I'll more than likely have a visit and go for a glide now thanks to your video. :)

Great video John. If you get a chance to try it again, see if you sample a winch launch - that’s a real white knuckle ride!

Excellent video, Iv been gliding with the air cadets and it’s definitely something to experience :)

Excellent Video!

Jon - just watched the video and absolutely brilliant! Your face in landing was cracking. I'm fascinated by that little piece of string and quite how an air brake feels. It's on my bucket list, but it's just moved up an item or two! Keep up the good work, your videos are excellent. Andy T

One can only imagine how serene it is gliding at that altitude.

Another excellent piece of work Jon. Looks very different to the PA28 or even the Eurostar but great fun! Keep up the good work. Rory

Fantastic John. The cost factor is a big plus and has been my route route into power flying with concessions available to qualified glider pilots and a potential hour building route towing gliders for free! Perhaps you should try a motor glider sometime too! We have had a similar day at Lasham recently getting pilots from Brimpton and Popham to see our operation. With airfields closing and risk of more controlled airspace the GA community needs to work as one. And efforts like yours and husbands bosworth are just what is needed!

Fastatic Video Jon - Great work.

Im going gliding tomorrow with explorers im so excited

Cracking video - flew near Husbands Bosworth on my QXC on the way into Sywell. I'd already avoided it, but my instructor was very keen to make sure I went nowhere near - can absolutely see why now!

Looks like you enjoyed it Jon, Nice video, ty

Very well made film. I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience immensely - but I'm sticking with my Lycoming!

Great stuff John ;)

My only foray into gliding was in a Blanik in the Black mountains. It was a tough old metal aircraft, with just one drawback -on landing it sounded like a high speed steam roller hitting a dustbin factory.

Great video. Flew the Grob 109 from Halton with Alan, lovely chap.

Nice work; an excellent short view of gliding and a great idea from the club to break down the silos between different groups using the same sky, albeit instigated by tragedy. I own a Discus b, the single seat version of the glider in this film. While the absence of an engine may seem daunting, I've just started competition and found myself tackling courses of 100 miles and more. Once you're able to use the sky to stay aloft, where you are in relation to your home field is almost irrelevant. I had the fear of landing out (i.e. needing to find a suitable field & land in it), which I overcame simply by picking suitable fields from higher up, at 2,500', so that I could concentrate on flying. In the last outlanding which I did, I came across the fence at ~7' with half airbrake, then rapidly pulled full brake and full back stick. The higher angle of attack produced more lift, which balanced the increased drag and descent rate of full spoiler so that the glider settled firmly (but not so hard as to rattle my teeth). I was stopped 100 paces from the fence; only 30 paces of that left a mark on the ground. Gliders are very slippery beasts. Do try gliding: it'll give you a different perspective on flying, you'll learn more accurate flying (from aerotow and landings) as well as more about meteorology.

Jon has done a good job to explain what we are all about. You will be welcome.GA Pilots are welcome to visit The Gliding Centre. ALL INFO on web site and phone for update. If you are thinking of flying in Call first with ETA AND YOUR CALL SIGN. The field is 27/09 ALL GRASS with winching up to 3000 ASL do not join over head.www.theglidingcentre.co.uk Fly safe and enjoy the sky

😢One of my Neighbours was an ex P51 pilot ... he was an instructor and he really enjoyed his Gliding he would enjoyed flying yo days high tech gliders ....

i realy enjopyede this vid .. thank you

All those landout options. I'm soooo jealous.

Excellent video, iv just learnt an awful lot from it.

Great video Jon, good content and well filmed and nicely edited. I have done some gliding and do operate the Jodel alongside gliding operations but for some people I am sure the points that are made will serve a good purpose.

Another excellent video! You are definitely the best aviation channel on the internet!

Another great video Jon. I would encourage all power pilots to have some gliding experience or even do a short course prior to starting PPL or NPL training. It teaches flight principles and awareness. If you can find a glider site that does tug launches all the better. Check out the British Gliding Association (BGA) for details. Unfortunately I too see power aircraft still over-flying glider sites below 2,000 ft without advisory or notice - perhaps they ought to put down Sky Demon and use a little more paper planning. Sad day for gliding on December 4 2016, lost Matt Wright (Balleka) also on the same day due to a winch launch accident.

Really interesting film. Gliding really wasn't on my list of things to do, but it is now :)

"conditions weren't great" Vario averaging 4.8kts: "I think not" Really good work though this video describes gliding brilliantly

1:02 It was a great experience this engine-less flying malarkey 1:25

Nice video from you, as always. Should've done a winch launch as its a lot more exciting for a beginner!

Wow, an active air field with monster trucks. I've got to this place.

I am currently learning to fly a glider!

Always amazing a great production ... wlnder if you take it up winks

Great views of Minnesota. Was it you or Gred piloting? Very brave

I too was a glider beginner after I earned my wings at Blackbushe. It was a huge contrast and I have to admit that it feels closer to being a bird in a glider than in a PA28. What bugs me was that gliding clubs are usually much busier than flying clubs and you have to wait for hours before flying the glider, which might last less than 10 minutes if there is no rising air.

Just remember, a glider is meant to stay up there without an engine, whereas a powered plane isn't!

Fab video John! Really informative and interesting. Given that we all operate a see & avoid policy, I can't help wondering why all aircraft aren't painted in high contrast colours to aid visibility. A white glider against a white cloud must be really difficult to spot, as is any GA aircraft in a similar situation. I think I'd like to have a go at gliding someday.

Surrey Hills GC , currently doing an on line frtol course ... enjoy and learning your radio procedure, useful to help getting the 'ear in'. Often soar down to the the M25 J6 - 7 and see GA beneath , look up & give us a wave.

Great video Jon (top class production values as ever). I agree with Simon Smith in that I don't know why we GA pilots tend to become a bit tribal and develop what can only be an unhealthy 'us' and 'them' attitude.

Impressive video John!!! May I know the GoPro mount that you used in this video? Much appreciate!!

I love gliding, now you've had a taste... Go solo! It will be like the first time you went solo powered.

How often is a bailout required? Have personal chutes saved many/any lives?

Power pilots are usually dumbfounded when they hear we often climb at 1,000 ft a minute, (in excellent conditions), or travel cross country at 90 - 135 knots. My highest altitude reached (legally) was 21,200 ft. at Minden, Nevada USA.

You mentioned that gliders could go as high as 10,000 feet . In the UK 30,000 is not uncommon in wave and in South America over 40 , 000 feet

i dont know but the teacher is more nervous than the student xD

Superb video. Always want to try gliding and the costs are attractive, especially with the student and junior rates however just haven't got round to it. Does the tug go higher than the winch or is that choice purely up to personal preference?

Fly back to the airport is not a really gliding. Only after thying some soaring in thermals you really catch how beautiful glider is.

The gliding centre welcomes all visitors, come and have a coffee have a look around and maybe HAVE A GO. Suggest you look at the web site www.theglidingcentre.co.uk

Gliding is one of the (almost) best kept secrets.

Looks fantastic! Near the start, you say if a glider's wings touch the ground whilst taking off, the wire has to be released, is that because of the sudden breaking caused by friction?

When are you going to get a commission from the BBC, Jon? Great video very professional, thank you.

Sounds like it could all be potential carnage..

You should try a winch launch

I'm a glider pilot but i prefer powerd. More freedom to go where you want

4:19 is that tug a stuka??

I am a student glider pilot and have been for about 15 months. Please can someone tell me what the name of this aircraft is? Thank you

50 shades of grey brought me here😂😂

Did anybody see any crop circles?

You should absolutely try gliding with a tow launch! Up to 2000ft in seconds!