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Thread: Learn to glide?
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Old 2nd Nov 2018, 11:22
  #66 (permalink)  
planesandthings
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Wandsworth
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Originally Posted by TelsBoy
Cons - Very time consuming (not family-friendly if you have young kids), even more Wx-dependant than VFR GA (perfectly good flying Wx can be crap Wx for gliding), some odd characters around & politics/arguments in clubs, can be cliquey.
I'm sorry to hear of that bad experience, in every area of Aviation there are odd characters and it's a shame you found that part in Gliding. Politics you'll find in any club environment, it's a given.

Just to put some points aside, Gliding in itself is not more weather dependant than VFR GA, thermal soaring may be, but that's not a huge problem for someone learning the basics. In fact for basic training, quite often poorer weather during the winter (strong winds, cloud below 1500ft) is made advantage of, and hence the recent publications by the Airprox board pointing this fact out of the wrong assumption of gliding only being a fair weather sport.

The issue of time comes up a lot, I'm not sure when you left the sport but many clubs (especially the larger ones) operate booking systems now similar to schools so you only have to be around for a morning or an afternoon, much less of this "hang around all day for 2 flights business", sure it's not a precise 1-2 hour slot, but you're not paying anywhere near the amount, so there has to be a compromise.

Looking forwards to hearing more from the OP.
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