250km per hour - <5m off the ground
Soar through the sky like an eagle free in flight, no worries, surrounded only by natures beauty.
As a young girl I always admired the grace and ease in which gliders moved through the sky and often wondered what it must feel like enjoying the freedom of the limitless sky. Later on in life staying on a farm my children and I was fortunate enough to continue admiring them gliding nearly every day - The question still remaining on my lips: “What does it feel like?”
("250km per hour - <5m off the ground - This is what living is all about!! " Theses were the words by Clinton Birch after taking this photo of a friend flying low).
Until I have met up with my friend, a few years ago on Facebook, who just happened to be a gliding instructor (part time) I never knew exactly how gliding worked. He often mesmerizes me with his stories and breath taking photos. All the photos in this article have been taken by Clinton as he is also a passionate photographer.
Gliding:
It is a diverse sport which can be enjoyed at all levels, by both genders and all ages from 14-90 years old. You can take it up for leisure, if you are more competitive by nature then join the international racing championships and for those dare devils out there, you can get your Adrenalin fix by getting involved with the aerobatics side of it.
The Glider:
This gracious man made bird can have a wingspan of anything up to 18m and can reach a speed of over 300mph. The thickness, material and length of each wing depends on the purpose of the glider. If you are into aerobatics, the wingspan of the glider will be much shorter to increase the manoeuvrability.
There are different ways to launch your glider: Most commonly used are by aerotow. When aerotowed the glider gets towed behind an aircraft using a 60m rope. As soon as the desired altitude is reached the pilot releases the rope and the glider takes flight. A very strong stationary engine on the ground at the end of the launch area is used for winch launching using a cable of 800-1200m attached to the one end of the glider. They also use elastic ropes for bungee launching from slopes if there is enough wind blowing up the hill.
Once the glider is launched it gains height by using thermals, ridge lift, lee waves or convergence zones and can stay in flight for hours (soaring). The glider is equipped with different instruments to assist the pilot.
For landing the glider needs a clean strip of about 250meters long. They usually land back at the airfield they have taken off from.
History:
Gliding started already in 1849 with George Cayleys wing-borne hops. Otto Lilienthal built gliders in the 1890”s using weight shift control. The Wright Brothers gliders used movable surfaces for control in their gliders in the 1900s.
Gliders got more popular for sporting purposes in Germany and the United states after World War 1, when construction of motorised planes were forbidden.
As the gliders evolved in the 1930s, materials continuously improving and becoming lighter, they started using it for cross-country flying. Today you can find The ASG29 a modern flapped 18-meter glider with a glide ratio of over 50:1, and the ETA open-class glider is the largest with a span of 30.9 meters and a glide ratio of over 70:1.
Most gliders are built in Europe and are designed to EASA Certification Specification CS-22. These minimum standards for safety in a wide range of characteristics such as controllability and strength.
What makes gliding so wonderful?
You can fly high, fast and far at minimal expenses as there are no fuel costs involved. The only costs are rental for a glider and the towing. You can appreciate the different aspects of the sky, the amazing birds in flight and the serene views from up above. You will experience freedom as you've never had before.
Hope you are inspired to add gliding to your hobby list.
Enjoy gliding and keep smiling, reading, writing and voting.
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