JP1 makes a good point that it all comes down to WHY you want to do it. Although I would like to offer a different perspective on gliding than the somewhat jaundiced view that he portrays:
- There are two-seat gliders, so if you don't want to fly solo, you can fly with somebody else
- The larger/more professional gliding clubs have moved away from the old model of spending a day helping out on the airfield in return for doing one or two short flights
- The emphasis is on developing handling and soaring skills rather than boring circuit bashing
Have to say that I don't generally have time to have a conversation when I'm gliding but that's because I'm quite busy:
- Racing other glider pilots around the country (yes, we can fly at 100kts+ with a zero fuel burn!)
- keeping a good lookout for other traffic (yes, a second pair of eyes would be useful!)
- Improving my aerobatic skills
- Constantly re-evaluating the conditions (is the day improving, has the wind changed, should I track East or West) and changing my flight accordingly
- Searching for lift, or if low down, selecting a good field to land in (let's face it, in a glider you're pretty much permanently in EFATO/forced landing mode!
- Navigating
- Cloud flying with minimal instrumentation
- Evaluating whether I have sufficient height to make it home or whether I need to search out another thermal
I think if you find yourself getting bored when you're gliding then it means your not developing your skills enough. I suspect the same goes with powered flying too - OK, I don't understand why people spend £100+ to fly to another airfield to have a cuppa and then fly back home. Equally I can appreciate power pilots being bemused by the idea that glider pilots may not actually make it to their destination. All part of the challenge!
It all comes down to what YOU want to achieve and I wish you well with being able to satiate the need to aviate!