Experience An Exhilarating Sport
From a casual hobby, to an inexpensive way to fly, gliding is an exhilarating sport offering people of all ages, except the very young, the chance to experience silent, powerless flight with a British Gliding Association instructor, seeing the world from a bird’s point of view.
We fly and soar using the same air currents that birds use to fly, with planes that have been designed with excellent aerodynamic efficiency. At Surrey Hills Gliding Club we launch the gliders by means of a winch, which requires several people, thereby leading to great camaraderie.
From Your First Trial Flight to Going Solo
The time taken to go from your first ever flight to your first solo flight varies from person to person and the more often you can fly, the quicker you will be able to fly solo. From solo, the fun really starts! You will rapidly hone the skills you learnt during your training and there are a number of different “badges” to be earned, for distances flown and heights gained, but for many, the thrill of being able to go across country from one gliding site to another, or just the achievement of being able to say “today I flew to xxx and back” is enough.
Your first flight will be a Trial Lesson, during which you will be shown how to control the glider and given the chance to try the controls yourself. From this point you will learn more about flying, airmanship, the theory of flight and skills such as navigation, weather forecasting and the laws and rules of the air. Most people take between 80 and 120 flights before being sent solo for the first time – one of the most memorable experiences of your life!
You will need to have a medical before flying solo. The standards for these are the same as those used by the DVLA for driving.