See what gliding is like in a location in Oxfordshire. Some flying and some talking about a very different sort of activity. Look out for the aerobatic sequence as a pilot sees it.
My personal opinion: If you want to start flying at all, start flying gliders. Full stop. It will teach you all the basics you need, and even more. People choosing to start flying with engines skip a lot of opportunties to feel the air around them. Michael.
It's interesting that you would say that, because the Royal Canadian Air Cadets do exactly that with young cadets who want to fly. They don't use modern gliders like these ones, but gliders nonetheless - the Schweizer 2-33 in particular. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer_SGS_2-33
Yup flying a glider normally is similar to being in the dire situation of a failed engine in a powered plane all the time.....something every powered pilot should master ....which would reduce the occurrence of power failure fatal crashes...
I really like everything about this video-introduction to soaring. The pace, the sounds, the relaxed descriptions by the various pilots - nicely done! Soaring, by the way, is m-a-g-i-c.
I spent years working with the courses at Kent and we never thought to put a kitchen in the bus!!!... mind you, it was only a very short walk to the clubhouse! One advantage of a triangular 900m field.... Great video, thank you Bicester!
I flew hang gliders back in the late seventies and always wanted to progress to sailplanes. Never did though. Shame. I'll have to put it on my bucket list!
I really enjoyed your video as I can absolutely reproduce the fun some of you described. I'm a student in a bavarian glider club in Erlangen and I'm just about to get my first solo. I quiet like the instructors statment when he was like the hobby becomes addiction ;) Cheers
I learned to fly a glider in USA, PA. All of my training was with being towed by a plane to 10,000feet. When I was learning it was 100 dollars per flight. Ground School was just as much as Flight school. I soloed in 3 months. Flight time was 45mins to 1hr.15mins depending on the wind. My first flight I asked the instructor if we could fly upside down. He said that would require a parachute. I said good I had my rig in my car. Needless to say I was hooked. I even flew for 15minutes. When we landed my instructor asked me how much flight instructions I had. Well my cousin was a pilot n a para trooper sniper in WW2. The first time I took the controls of a jump plane I was 8yrs old. My instructor for the glider was a pilot in the Vietnam war. A car accident grounded me 20 yrs ago. I still believe the most dangerous thing about skydiving or flying is the ride in the car to the airport.
What a great idea; using a bus modified into a clubhouse/restaurant. Serve breakfast, do your waiting for the winch, and no need for a building of any kind. Brilliant.
Beautifully done video and audio. As a U.S. glider pilot where we only do aero tow, the winch launches look like fun. I hope to get a chance to try that method some day.
This is a really great video. Nicely explained, very understandable. I am in South Florida and I am so extremely excited for my first glider ride which I will be taking very soon! I will be going up by airplane and not wench, but wow the wench idea is really cool! I love how happy the young lady looks while flying. So free...so beautiful
They have some very good deals to get you interested - rather than having to decide, after the first having flight , that you want to shell-out for an entire years subs. But, the clincher is the fry-up out on the field! I hope to be going their way fairly soon...
I did a lot of gliding at Bicester back in the 1980s when it was RAF . I stopped when I left the service in 1996, but recently resumed my hobby at the age of 60 at Cosford and hope to resolo soon.
I'm sure you will find a gliding club near you - check out the Soaring Society of America. There is great soaring available within the US in all corners of the country.
Love gliding, but it’s not for everyone. I got sick many times going up and I’ve always loved flying and roller coasters and never got motion or air sickness in my life. Also, it’s not as easy as they say, though to me much easier than powered planes. But there’s still loads to know and learn and grasp just like any piloting.
There was one thing in this video that, right off the bat, solidified the difference between soaring/gliding's popularity in Europe vs U.S.A. They have a bus for taking you to the airport/aerodrome. I am not aware of anywhere in the U.S. where you can get a bus to take you to a soaring club.
On the other side of the coin, there is a grill in this video, and the "restaurant" seems to be contained within this very bus. I didn't see any other kind of cafe. Nevertheless, I envy gliding's popularity in Europe. If I ever start a flying school in the U.S., I will include gliders as an optional part of the curriculum.
Shmey The advantage of the bus "restaurant" (we have one at our glider field too) is that it can be parked right next to the launch point, whatever the wind direction, so it's perfect for a quick cup of tea or bacon sandwich between flights or other airfield duties.
I'm pretty sure the bus belongs to the airfield operators, and only drives on the field. We have a small, old bus too, which has storage place and also all the radio is on it, so you basically drive to one end of the runway with it, while the winch is on the other end, and that's your "control tower", where you manage everything. Since they have a bigger bus, they seem to have also put a grill or something like that inside or at least with it. I live in Germany, and the next bus stop to the airfield is like 2km, and there's no shuttle or bus service to or from the airfield either. And that's one of the best locations to glide in Germany, it isn't just a random, small airfield.
lol, thanks for not get mad with my comment, i wanna lear to fly a glider one day, my dad was a captan and he broke some world records, i need fly something after this lol
After receiving instruction and demonstrating that you have mastered the skills necessary to keep both you and the aircraft safe, sure. Give it a try, it's a great way to fly. Having a funny looking hat helps as well.
It’s called SOARING. I took lessons in Calistoga ( Napa Valley) in the early 70’s post 149 missions as an observer in 1st Air Cav. My $900/month salary did not support my interest.
seems so cool, but extremely dangerous every time I consider something in aviation I just get the thought of what if everything goes wrong. I'm just chicken I guess. mad respect for those who stick with it.
Too often we suffer most sorely and thereby feel most poorly from dreaded aches and pains. Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770) You're creating your own hurdle in your mind to do anything. Go out and test if your theories are true or die wondering if aviation could have been something wonderfull in your life.
Reed Carter To be fair, there's less to go wrong in a glider than a regular powered plane! No engine to worry about cutting out, and very very low stall speeds.
Nene Vally, between Peterborough & Cambridge. I have only just joined myself but those are the standard rates. The chairman took great pride in telling me they are probably the cheapest club in the country
Many years ago..after my now ex-wife left me for a currently married guy... I figured.. either spend money on therapy, or Sailplane lessons. I made the right choice. Nothing quite like Soaring at 21,200 feet over Minden Nevada..(legally). She wanted me back 10 years later, but was already married to "Niner Four", a H-301 Libelle.
+winterscaleb It is not. In about 50% of the cases when you need to leave your plane in the air, the parachute can save your life. That isn't a very high number but still 50% higher than the chance you would have without parachute. By the way, most parachutes weight less than 10kg and to add weight you would use small metal blocks or fill water into the wings. Parachutes are also mandatory, which wouldn't make sense for weight reasons.
hang gliding is blue collar, sail planes are white collar...don't let anyone tell you different, just compare the prices and the BS you have to go through to get a sail plane license compared to hang gliding.
The cost of flying a glider is much cheaper. As they mentioned 7.50 for a winch launch, maybe 18 for a aerotow plus glider rental per minute. The glider is much simpler since you only need the basic instruments. But if your intention is to fly cross country and money/time isn't an issue then ultralight or PPL are a better option.
