Reading this post thread, I've begun to wonder how it is that gliders actually fly. Seems impossible, them having no power and all.
I agree.
This thread suggests - once again - that the best way to train a pilot is to start him or her in gliders. Only when the basic aeronautic principles have become ingrained though practical experience in sailplanes is it likely that a pilot is truly ready to 'move on' to powered flight (inverted commas because I appreciate that powered flying is not really a step forward, it's just different).
MLS
P.S. to anyone who may be offended by the above: please note that I said "the best way to train a pilot is to start him or her in gliders",
not "the best pilots invariably learned to fly in gliders". It is not my intention to denigrate anyone's background or skills. It is quite possible to become an extremely proficient and knowledgeable pilot without having any gliding experience, although that is not the most efficient way.