rnzoli, motorglider flying next to a glider an awesome sight?
Wannabe, if you get your wish and become a glider pilot, awesome sights await. I trust you will be trained to KEEP A GOOD LOOKOUT!
Because the most awesome sight in aviation you will ever see is sharing a thermal with fifteen or twenty other gliders....above you, below you, and one or two at your level, all turning the same way. And this takes place every summer over the UK, in competition flying. Which is why we wear parachutes.
My first competition was at Lasham, the biggest club in the UK. There were a hundred gliders on the runway, a national competition of 50 gliders flying the standard class, and two regional handicapped classes of 25 gliders each.
Each class must be launched in an hours time. So about 8 or 10 tug planes, in orderly sequence. The safe way the PPL flying light power can avoid this traffic, is to fly above cloud, say 8,000 to 10,000 feet. Usually smoother air, as thermals are associated with the cumulus clouds. Airline pilots often fly gliders, for fun.
NOTAMS advise about these events, but they are weather dependent, and the tasks for the day may cover 300 to 500 kilometers. This to my mind is the most fun in aviation, I just loved flying in competition. Especially if I was still flying and half the guys have landed out!!!!!