Any sailplane pilots out there? Thinking of getting started in sailplanes, took a demo many years ago and throughly enjoyed it. Any and all comments / suggestions / advice welcome. Thanks, Jon
By all means! Jump on it! The most enjoyable flying I have ever done was 2.5 hours in a sailplane. Real flying in the purest sense.
Much depends on where you live. The ideal spot would have more than one commercial operator or big club equipped with multiple tow planes. Often that means a place near large population centers so that there are enough customers. In good times sailplane operators are always hanging by a financial thread. With tough economic times, it's even worse. Naturally, it's best to have a place to soar, not just tow up and glide down. So you would prefer a place with thermals and it should be relatively dry so the cloud bases are high. But some good soaring can be done with ridge lift and, depending on the location (Colorado Springs) you might be able to enjoy high altitude wave flying. Southern California is a good area, but soaring can be done in many places in the U.S. So, assuming you have the infrastructure, terrain, and weather to enjoy the sport, there is no better form of recreational flying. If you're a amateur power plane pilot, once you get your power rating and do a few cross country flights, then what do you do? Go after an instrument rating? Why would you do that? Instrument flying is challenging but it's also rather dangerous when done as a part time hobby. These days, it's expensive to operate a light airplane and you quickly run out of interesting stuff to do unless you specialize in aerobatics or something like that. But in a sailplane you always have the challenge of staying up. With experience, you can try cross country flying, altitude gain, duration flying, and other challenges which are invariably more interesting than doing the same thing in an airplane with an engine. Plus, sailplane flying is a social event as well. Search for a club or operator in your area and give it a try.
When I was racing in SCCA the route to the track took me right past the airstrip owned by the local glider club. I used to see the sailplanes soaring, taking off and landing as I drove by and was fascinated by them. One day, after a knuckhead punted me off the track and ruined my race day, I left the track early and decided to stop by the airstrip on the way home. What a gas. Picture a grass airstrip on a quiet country road with one small hanger and a Cessna towplane parked out front. Down the side of the runway were all these beautiful sailplanes tied down and waiting. Two older gentlemen were sitting in chairs in front of the hanger shooting the breeze as I walked in. We chatted a while and one of them asked, "Wanna go up?" We spent 45 minutes going up and down to the cloud base and I was hooked. Especially since I found out that for the cost of one set of tires for my race car I could have a one year membership in the club, which includes free use of any of the clubs six sailplanes, and have enough left over to pay for quite a few airtow fees. Put another way, a whole day of soaring costs less than a single round of golf. Plus, if you want to own your own plane you can buy a beautiful glass ship for not much money. I think next spring I'll be joining up and starting my lessons.
Jon- It is a whole bunch of fun. What you will notice first is how quiet it is, with the only sound the air rushing by. A piece of yarn taped in front of the cockpit makes a great turn and slip indicator. Hawks and other raptors are fascinated by sailplanes and will play around the aircraft while you soar. Any thermal activity can max out the climb indicator, which is great fun. No radio often means not having to listen to all kinds of chatter. Approaches and landings are like dive bomb passes and great fun. With no engine out front, the view is spectacular and makes the approach phase very scenic. Highly recommend sailplaning.
Many years ago, I went down to Black Forest Gliderport (SE of Denver) and went up. Just incredible... quiet, exhillerating... Released from the tow and felt like we went straight up in a thermal. A Frontier Airlines Twin Otter (Old Frontier - flew from DEN to Colorado Springs) came by and we flew side-by-side for a bit. The passengers kept waving to us. Just a great day.
I have a Sailplane Licence. Wonderful experiences. The key is being close to good lift terrain. I flew out of Wurtsboro,NY which is about 1.5 hours from NYC. Great ridge lift and with a tow to 3K I could stay up for over an hour sometime more. There were good thermals there and I often circled with Hawks. Like any flying you have to stay current and fly regularly. You also HAVE to remember once you get to 800 feet you HAVE to stop looking for thermals and land. You also have to have warm clothing and oxygen if you chase big thermals. I once hit massive lift and stayed up for hours. It was so strong that to get down I had to go into a full forward slip with full dive brakes for a while.
Eastern side of the Sierras is one of the best places in the world for glider flying. It's possible to routinely fly from Reno to Death Valley and back due to the ridge lift. Plenty of thermals too.
I just found this thread. Sailplanes sound really, really interesting. What's the normal road to piloting one? From what Mozella said above, you want to be power rated and have some long-distance experience. I currently have no pilot experience. Any thoughts on sailplanes or new piloting would be appreciated. Matt
Starting on sailplanes is a good way to do it, it was done for many years in Germany in the 20's and early 30's to train pilots for the Luftwaffe and it is a marvelous way to understand the environment in which you fly. You will also understand flight from a most basic point. If you have the funds, the time, and the desire, I would go for it. It is the best flying that you can do.
No, it's much easier and better to start in sailplanes and move to powered aircraft later. Just find a local soaring club and go for a demo ride. The internet is your friend...
Ive been a semi permanent sailplane student for last 10 years, I try to go up with an instructor at least one or two times a year. Its really so relaxing and here in NM there are often great thermals. I have been up two and a half hours, seen raptors flying nearby. I really got the bug from my dad, who flew fighters for 20 some years. Even at 78 he makes up in a sailplane now and then. Try it.
Check this out. https://vimeo.com/35481882 We were at Spartanburg SC at a show, and heard the loud roar of a straight exhaust V8, kind of like the flat bottom VDrive Sanger drag boat of my younger days and the reason for my tinnitus. Suddenly we saw at our end of the airport a glider go straight up! I was told it was a 10,000 foot per minute climb rate at it's peak (surly an exaggeration) and that even here, were there are not real mountains that close to us, pilots have traveled over 400 miles on the best days. My comment make me wonder..is gliding best over or near mountains? http://www.carolinasoaring.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uUL5SSZhWzA
