Learning to glide in the UK

[Confabulous]

Guys,

I'm interested in learn to glide (as opposed to practicing PFLs :ooh: ) and am wondering where to do an intensive one or two week course (in the UK or NI, since there's no gliding clubs to speak of in Ireland, where I live). I've Googled and Pprunesearched but nary an impartial opinion has arisen.

I'm aware we're coming to the end of the main gliding season, but would like some info for next year.

Helpfulness will be rewarded with alcohol!

Con

PS: Any comments along the line of 'using an engine is the only way to REALLY fly!' will find a gaggle of gliders dumping ballast on their house (from beyond air rifle range) :E :p

[Gertrude the Wombat]

intensive one or two week course Is there such a thing? - I visited a gliding club once, to find out what it was all about, and got the very distinct impression that the culture was that you spent an entire weekend at the airfield, helping move machines around and suchlike, during which you'd get a few minutes' flying if you were lucky with the weather. If that culture is common you won't get very much flying done in one or two weeks.

[robin]

Try the BGA website

http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm

There are intensive courses, but like everywhere in the UK, the weather isn't always helpful. Given decent weather and suitable ability it is just about possible to solo by the end of the second week - but don't count on it.

I'd recommend London Gliding Club at Dunstable, Lasham, Booker, Yorkshire Gliding Club, Husband's Bosworth, Bristol & Glos, Black Mountains and the Bidford Gliding Centre

My old instructor used to say, if getting solo is important to you, go to a flat site, like Lasham. If you want good skills, on the other hand, go to a hill site...

Whatever you do - do try it.

[MLS-12D]

Gertrude's impression is consistant with the usual method of training (and my own experience); but certainly there are intensive courses available.

To the best of my knowledge, the Ulster Gliding Club (http://www.gliding.utvinternet.com/) is the only club in Northen Ireland. They don't offer a week-long course, but I suppose that you could book two or three of their two-day courses consecutively.

The Lasham Gliding Society (which actually is an association of several smaller clubs) offers five-day courses (http://www.lasham.org.uk/learning/initial_training/flyer/flyer.html), including "solo in a week" (http://www.lasham.org.uk/learning/advanced/solo/soloinaweek.html). On-site accomodation is also available.

there's no gliding clubs to speak of in Ireland, where I liveUmmm ... do you have some reason not to patronize the Dublin Gliding Club (http://www.dublinglidingclub.ie/)? This article (http://acro.harvard.edu/SSA/articles/soaring_ireland.html) mentions that they offer two-week intensive courses. Or you could try Kilkenny (the website (http://www.kilkennyflying-glidingclub.com/) seems to be down, but telephone 056-772-1427 or 056-772- 1483 for more information).

I hope that this helps. You can make mine a virtual G&T! ;)

MLS-12D :cool:

P.S. If time is more important than money, you might be well advised to look beyond the British Isles for your training, and go where suitable weather is more certain. Australia (http://www.soarnarromine.com.au/) has outstanding soaring conditions, and would be a wonderful vacation.

[Confabulous]

Thanks guys, much appreciated!


MLS, thanks for the info on the various sites, the main reason I didn't consider Dublin Gliding Club is because it's easier to go to the UK then get to the airfield every day :(

Australia is a very good idea, sun and heat is a strange fantasy in this country. The US might be an option as well... I doubt a visa would be required - any opinions on that?

By the way Robin thanks for the good selection of sites :ok:

Con

[sywell-flyer]

I did a 5 day intensive course a few years back at Husbands Bosworth (http://www.thesoaringcentre.co.uk).

The instruction was excellent (Hissing Sid is definately recommended), the facilities very good and you can hire a caravan or stay in a bunk room for the duration of your course very cheaply I believe.

It's true that you are meant to help out with ground handling and other tasks but that's all part of the culture. It's very different from doing a PPL where you turn up for your lesson and leave once it is finished. Gliding is more sociable and you tend to make friends very quickly. There are days when you turn up for 5 hours and maybe get a 15 minute flight but you tend to find yourself kept busy driving tractors, launching gliders etc. and the whole gliding experience far outweighs any negative aspects.

It's also very cheap once you have gained experience which is an obvious bonus!

Cheers,

Sywell-Flyer

I should have said, take a look at the gliding club in Fayence in the South of France (http://www.aapca.net/Welcome1/Home1/home.htm). I took a flight there earlier this year which was absolutely fantastic. You have mountains on one side and views of Nice, Cannes and St Tropez on the other all at the same time.

Mountain flying is out of this world and something that you will struggle to get in England. Flying with the end of your wing 50-100ft from the mountainside knowing that you are a few miles from the airfield gives you a feeling that you just can\'t describe!

Cheers,

Sywell-Flyer

[Stress Relief]

would have to agree that Husbands Bosworth is excellent. The accommodation is very reasonable , and they have a good fleet of gliders.

I've done two courses there in which I did my 5hrs, and cross country endorsement.

Midland Gliding Club at Church Stretton is also good. My weeks course there was spoiled by poor wx for some of the time, but when it was fine , it was excellent.

[MLS-12D]

It's true that you are meant to help out with ground handling and other tasks but that's all part of the culture. It's very different from doing a PPL where you turn up for your lesson and leave once it is finished. Gliding is more sociable and you tend to make friends very quickly. There are days when you turn up for 5 hours and maybe get a 15 minute flight but you tend to find yourself kept busy driving tractors, launching gliders etc. and the whole gliding experience far outweighs any negative aspects.Yes, this certainly describes my experience.:ok:

[Fordhom]

As someone with reasonable experience of both powered and unpowered flight (Silver C gliding / PPL (pending CAA approval - thanks BEags!) and RAF EFT powered) I would agree with the previous postings that gliding tends to be much, much much more sociable.

Some UK gliding clubs are weekend only affairs, some are 7 day a week operations. For winter flying I would definately recomend a ridge site, as this will allow longer flights. I can recomend Bristol and Gloucester (Nympsfield, near Stroud), Yorkshire (Sutton Bank, north-east of York), Midland (Long Mynd, near Church Stretton) and Scottish Gliding Union (Portmoak, near Perth) as excellent from my personal experience, although I'm sure there are many more. These sites all offer good winter soaring conditions amid awe-inspiring, beautiful country surroundings. Most of these will have instructors available throughout the week, although courses may be restricted to the summer months.

While Lasham does have a good reputation, I have to admit being fairly unimpressed by my experiences there personally. Costs are very high comparitively, and the massive membership may actually be a disadvantage. As previously mentioned, it's flatness may make winter flying somewhat dull. Be prepared to pay dearly for their "aerotow to solo in a week" course, which also deprives you of the buzz of winch launching.

Any questions do please feel free to PM me.

[Skylark4]

get yourself a copy of S&G, Sailplane & Gliding, and look at the ads in the back.
WWW.Gliding.co.uk is the British Gliding Association website and should give you more leads.
You CAN solo in a fortnight but you will need to consolidate with a year or two of 'normal' club instruction/supervised flying. It's just the same as a concentrated driving course, you will have been trained to pass a test, not be a driver. A lot of experience is gained second hand by talking in the bus(launch point control vehicle) and by watching others make mistakes on your behalf so don't try to be too quick. I would personally reccommend learning at a winch launch site. Previous experience on a normal powered aircraft, as opposed to a Motorglider, is a mixed blessing. If you have done no flying at all, learn to glide first. You will be a better pilot for it.
the D.I.Y. clubs which have no paid staff will be cheaper but you are the staff so expect to be on sit at least half a day for a 'set' of flights. Trainees are often given two or even three trips at a time but we at Oxford expect you to be there to get stuff out in the morning or to put it away at night. Professional clubs with paid staff may be more receptive to 'turn up and fly' operation but there is still plenty of work to be done. They will also probably be aerotow only and WILL be expensive, very expensive. You will also not get the 'learn by osmosis' bit.
The initial learning is the difficult bit. It takes a couple of years of committment but you will make great friends and learn a lot, not nesessarily about gliding/flying. After this time, you will be a competent glider pilot and a much better man than you were when you started. At this point you can go and buy a share in a syndicate and start really gliding. You do not have to wait your turn and you do not have to land after one hour. You can hook the trailer to the back of your car and go anywhere you can get a launch to fly.
Gliding is a great sport. You don't have to go anywhere. If you can just keep flying for an hour or six, you have been successful. If you do want to go places, there have been recent flights in the UK of 750 Kilometers. Go for it.

Mike W

[TheBeeKeeper]

Started gliding about 8 years ago, and recently moved across to powered flying too. My gliding had lapsed for a few years but recently went for another try and fell in love with the sport once again. Got roped into crewing at the 15m National Championships down at Lasham recently, great fun, even though I wasn't flying myself. Seeing those gliders 'smokin' the finish line was something else! Hope to fly my first comp next year.

Truly believe that being a glider pilot makes you a better power pilot, and being a power pilot makes you a better glider pilot! As you suggest, every landing in a glider has to be a good one, and eventually you will find that you can do a glide approach in a powered aircraft and still put it on the keys every time, nice to know if you ever have to approach a field for real!

BK


http://www.dorrie.de/images/biene4.gif

[sywell-flyer]

I've generally found that apart from air experience flights, unless you are prepared to lend a hand you aren't looked upon very favourably by other club users. If you're keen and go out of your way to help you will find you tend to get more flying and get on better with the instructors and other pilots. I've had a day when I've turned up, had an early flight and gone home and it doesn't go down well. I didn't do it again! If you're going to take it seriously then expect to muck in and spend the day, flying or not. Teamwork counts!

Cheers,

Sywell-Flyer

[MLS-12D]

Generally speaking, I don't believe that it is necessary to spend an entire day helping out at the glider field; but anyone who arrives after the sailplanes have already been assembled and moved to the launch point should expect to remain until the end of the day, so that he or she can put everything away.

Previous experience on a normal powered aircraft, as opposed to a Motorglider, is a mixed blessing. It depends very much upon the individual. In my own club, we have had difficulty converting relatively low time (< 1,000 hrs) PPLs and CPLs, who often have bad habits such as fixating on the instruments, and are sometimes incredibly sensitive to negative G (see further Derek Piggott's Gliding Safety). On the other hand, we have had high time professional pilots (retired airline captains, production test pilots) who have proven to be 'natural' flyers, requiring very little dual instruction.

If you have done no flying at all, learn to glide first. You will be a better pilot for it.I agree with this, although I'm biased. One benefit about this route is that it tends to make one naturally weather-sensitive. Today I fly power rather more often than I do sailplanes, but I always look at conditions from a glider pilot's perspective; I am never tempted to go 'scud-running', because it would seem so unnatural. As so many GA accidents relate to poor weather, I believe that my background provides an unconscious but important safety feature in my flying.

[robin]

... the other thing you learn, is that there is no shame in not completing a task, if the conditions are wrong for you.

What surprises me with some power pilots is their willingness to press on in worsening conditions. Most glider pilots would have changed route or turned back. They also read a morning wx and assume it will stay that way........ wrong!!