Yeah, sailplanes are something I'd like to try sometime. I've never had any desire to jump out of an airplane (though it might be a valuable experience and useful skill to have), but soaring quietly up with the clouds looks really appealing.
I recall some years ago, an experienced European airline captain wrote in to Aviation Week, arguing that in some respects European-trained folks were better pilots, because they often had glider training and so better understood the natural flow of air currents.
That was an intriguing argument that just stimulated my interest more. Maybe sometime I'll get around to trying gliders. There's actually a gliderport just 25 miles away from me now, but I figure even if it's cheaper it's probably the kind of thing that would take up most of your Saturday, not just a couple of hours.
Still, I'm thinking that sometime maybe they'll have an introductory flight day or something, some opportunity to check it out. The canopy and controls would also give a very different experience from a Cessna.
P.S. - Free instruction from retired RAF pilots? That must have been interesting in itself!
I recall some years ago, an experienced European airline captain wrote in to Aviation Week, arguing that in some respects European-trained folks were better pilots, because they often had glider training and so better understood the natural flow of air currents.
That was an intriguing argument that just stimulated my interest more. Maybe sometime I'll get around to trying gliders. There's actually a gliderport just 25 miles away from me now, but I figure even if it's cheaper it's probably the kind of thing that would take up most of your Saturday, not just a couple of hours.
Still, I'm thinking that sometime maybe they'll have an introductory flight day or something, some opportunity to check it out. The canopy and controls would also give a very different experience from a Cessna.
P.S. - Free instruction from retired RAF pilots? That must have been interesting in itself!
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