Gliding is brilliant!
 

On the suggestion of a fellow Bristol Uni Aero Eng coursemate, I accompanied him to the Bristol and Gloucs Gliding Club today. Though he has been going a while, its the first time I've ever aviated in something smaller than a 737 and by god was it a fantastic experience!

Having been strapped to a parachute and shoehorned into a DG505 2-seat glider, we winch-launched from 0-55kts in 2 seconds on the ground followed by 0-1300ft in 10 seconds. Once I'd retrieved my internal organs from behind my spine, and after trimming the glider, the instructor let me take control for some banking turns and a circuit. He was impressed at how I managed to keep the horizon constant in turns - apparently most first-timers oscillate up and down like a yo-yo. I'm obviously a natural born pilot http://www.pistonheads.com/inc/images/biggrin.gif

Being old fashioned I reckon every power pilot should solo on a glider first. You have chanced upon the purest form of flight, other than the guys who wear those body bags, sorry wing suits. Enjoy.

Oh, you lucky person: you can still look forward to various fun activities for the first time. Foe example, deliberately entering a spin at 1000ft, finding a buzzard that means you don't have to visit a farmer, seeing raptors get their talons out when they think you are too close, burbling serenely near teh wispies, thermalling upwards at >1000ft/min with a 70 degree bank and another plane at the same altitude (keep an eye on them by looking upwards and watching the top of their head). Just remember, every flight is different and unpredictable, and fun.

Wot he said from me toooo!!!

Glad you enjoyed the trip.

Trev

Benefits of gliding.
 

I agree.

I started by gliding and I think it does benefit you later because first of all you develop a fine understanding of how air masses move and secondly because you cease to be afraid of forced landings without power, because in a glider all landings are forced landings without power.

BP.

Second and third those statements - Throw in low level ridge soaring and high level wave flying too

The modern glider is a pretty awesome aerodynamic device and optimised for gliding.

A modern powered aircraft (or flying machine) is a compromise between aerodynamic efficiency and getting a particular job done with cost also in the mix.

So if you are interested in experiencing the pure and simple pleasure of flight then a modern glider – well sailplane really – cannot be beaten in my view.

In a similar way should you feel you have the best hands the world has yet seen for controlling a powered aircraft then go and try to hover an R22. That experience is as purely about control as the glider is about flying.

Re-posted from gliderpilot.net

Congratulations to Ed Downham for his 823km triangle on Saturday 12th May
(subject to ratification, etc, etc)

Flight Details


A truely inspirational and epic flight. Well done Ed!

Pete Harvey
Chairman BGA

I looked at the sky on the 12th and said to myself 'It's a 500k day today.' Wasn't expecting to underestimate it by over 300k so well done that man. Bet the 'relief' bottle was full...:)

Gosh - think the mods have been busy!

Ed flies an amazing glider, an EB28, and is a very experienced and skilled pilots. There are plenty of us with experience but fewer with the skill!

BTW they might have a relief tube in the glider...

He's probably got a minibar in there somewhere too. ;) It's certainly one of the most impressive gliders I've ever seen.

Ciao,

DG800

I've been given a gliding experience for my birthday, I can't wait!!! :D Your experience sounds great!

Crikey, that route somewhat puts my two 9-minute circuits to shame!

average-punter, if there you have any remote glimmer of aviation enthusiasm then you will love it! It's just such a serene experience to be right at the pointy end with the huge canopy giving unimpeded visibility, watching the world sail by underneath with only the faint whistle of the airflow breaking the eerie silence.
By the time of my second flight we were pushing the limits of the daylight, meaning I got to watch a beautiful sunset in the over the Bristol Channel, casting a deep orange glow over the water as we sailed along from our unique vantage point http://www.pistonheads.com/inc/images/cloud9.gif

My hasty iPhone shot earlier in the flight before it set doesnt come close to doing it justice:


https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...80134315_o.jpg

I've only flown in a glider once, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was pure coincidence, I was waiting around for an aircraft at a field in Germany and was offered the chance.

I'd like to do it again, but the real problem for me is time, and gliding seems to be a real commitment with a team effort. If you work 9-5 and have the weekends off, I'm sure it works out great.

If you're near the Essex/Suffolk border, Essex GC is offering special deals for PPLs - see my last post on this thread: http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...lk-border.html

Gliding is how I started in this business and I get to revisit it once in a while, I while and enjoy it a lot but there are aspects of gliding that I don't like and these revolve around the politics that are found in all the gliding clubs I have visited.

As usual the pathetic bickering of a small minority spoils the fun for all the others and makes the job of volunteer management committee's a lot harder and unpleasant.

A and C, I have to agree, every club I have ever been a member of, or just had dealings with, was riddled with politics. Awful.

For me the solution to this problem was to find two or three owners willing to charter their machines to me on a regular basis for a week at a time. Makes financial sense, this way even a gorgeous modern 18m self-launcher becomes very cheap per hour, relative to owning it outright. This also takes care of the other issue that aircrew have, namely that of not being able to visit a club every weekend.

Soaring is sublime, by far the most rewarding form of, as well as the best-kept secret within, aviation.

I've known powered clubs like that. Not mine I hasten to add which is mercifully free of unnecessary bollox.

I must say, the BGGC seemed very free of politics, just being a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers. Their terms were that any new members are welcome as long as they helped out between flights (eg retrieving landed gliders back to launch, rigging winch cables, and driving the winch recovery truck - all of which I gladly did as it meant driving a variety of interesting stuff!). The closest thing I heard to politics or sniping all day was a brief mention about one of the daytime members leaving single-seater club gliders out expecting the evening crew (flying only 2-seaters) to put them away - which seems a reasonable complaint to me!

As long as you don't mind if others aren't...:).

One thing that ground me down were the people, and I'm sure that every gliding club has them, that turned up at 11pm, expected to fly by 2pm, got the best part of the day and left at 5pm; leaving muggins on the winch/retrieval/duty piloting who'd been there since 7am to scrape a couple of five minute circuits at the end of the day. I can't do that, I'm just not thick skinned enough. Some people are. I know glider flights can be short but in my first year as a powered pilot I racked up more hours than I did in five as a glider pilot.

It's sheer luxury, and I mean it, to turn up at my flying club, get into the a/c, go somewhere, come back, refuel it and go home. No one takes advantage of your good nature.

Don't misunderstand me, gliding is the best thing you can do outside of the bedroom IMO. I love it, but you need an understanding nature, let's put it that way!:)