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No!At a basic level, it requires a similar skill
level to driving a car. Many would even say that it's easier. |
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Q |
How old must
I be? |
A |
You must be at least 15 years of age to fly aglider solo, but
training can start before then.There is no upper age limit. |
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Q |
Is there a
medical examination? |
A |
Not normally, although you should be physically fit, and have
good eyesight (wearing glasses is no problem!)
Some gliders have been modified for people with physical disabilities. |
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Q |
How do you get a licence
to fly a sailplane? |
A |
There are no licences in gliding. As you progress you will receive
a rating for each major achievement you make, such as when you first
fly solo. The ratings are recorded in your log book, which becomes
proof of your gliding achievements no matter where you go. |
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Q |
Are there any
examinations? |
| A |
No, but you will be tested by club instructors on the "Rules
of the Air" before you fly by yourself. |
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Q |
What qualifications
do I need? |
| A |
None - the sport is for anyone from any walk of life. A good measure
of common- sense is needed to apply the Rules of the Air to your
flying. |
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Q |
How is training organised? |
| A |
All your training will take place in a two-seater dual controlled
sailplane, with an instructor registered with the GFA. The initial
part of the training takes you to a stage where you can fly solo
in a glider. Everyone follows a set training syllabus, which is
common throughout Australia. Training is done on the basis of
'learn at your own pace'.
Obviously you can tailor your training to your own preferences
and your budget. |
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Q |
How often should
I train? |
| A |
To ensure progress, once a fortnights is a minimum; once a week
is preferable, at least in the initial stages. |
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Q |
How long does
it take to go solo? |
| A |
This will vary, depending on ability and how regularly you
train. An average time to solo would be 6 to 15 hours of flying
time. |
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Q |
Who decides
when I can fly solo? |
| A |
Your instructor. After completion of training and check flights,
you will be able to fly solo only when the instructor is satisfied
that your flying is safe and competent. |
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Q |
Do you fly in winter? |
| A |
Gliding is an all-year-round sport in Australia. Strong winds
will hamper gliding because of ground-handling problems. Too much
rain makes it difficult for the ground crews but occasional showers
won't stop operations. Bad weather often means a chance to catch
up on maintenance problems. |
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Q |
Will gliding count
if I take up power flying? |
| A |
Yes. Soaring pilots can have their power licence training hours
reduced in line with their gliding experience. Each individual is
assessed by the flying school. |
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Q |
Once I am solo,
what can I aim for? |
| A |
Going solo is just the start! As you progress, you'll graduate
to flying single-seater sailplanes and will be encouraged to undertake
cross-country flying.
You will also aim for recognised gliding certificates - one of
the first is the 'C' certificate. The main requirement for this
is two soaring flights, each of one hour's duration. Then comes
the Silver badge, which requires a five hour duration flight,
a 50km cross-country, and a height gain of 1,000 metres.
The Gold badge calls for a cross-country flight of 300km, and
a gain in height of 3,000m. 'Diamonds' are then added for a 300km
flight to a nominated destination, for a 500km flight, and for
a height gain of 5,000m. Certificates are issued for flights of
750km, 800km and 1,000km. |
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Q |
And what after
that? |
| A |
Gliding competitions are held at club, regional, national and
international level. There are records to be aimed for, again at
all these levels, in any number of categories. Records are set
in single or two-place sailplanes, and self-launchers, for men
and women, and can be for distance achieved, or more commonly
for speed around a triangular course of from 100km to over 1,000km.
And of course you can always race yourself around a course, against
the clock, to improve your personal best time.
But if you prefer not to bother with competitions, there is a
lot of pleasure to be had from soaring the local skies, watching
the ever-changing scenery, free from the worries of earth-bound
life! |
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As a rough quide, it would cost the average member who trains
regularly, around $600 to $1300 to the solo stage.See the
cost page |
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Do
I have to join a club to try it? |
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When you get a trial lesson, you will get temporary membership
of the club. Whether you join the club as a full member depends
on how much you enjoyed your flight! |
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Can
I buy a flight as a gift? |
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Yes, trial lessons as a gift voucher - you need
to contact the club directly on 0409 683 159 See Contact
page |
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Q |
What
weather can you fly in? |
A |
There are really only three things that will
stop flying - rain (although, often if it's just showers you can
fly between them), low cloud and strong winds (more than 60kph!). |
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Q |
How
safe is it? |
| A |
Gliders are also very safe. They have been designed and built
to the same standards as normal passenger aircraft, and undergo
regular maintenance according to the requirements of the Civil Aviation
Safety Authority and the Gliding Federation of Australia. The person
who takes you for a flight is fully trained and approved according
to rigorous standards, this person will be an instructor with the
Gliding Federation of Australia. All aviation sports have some risks,
but the training and procedures that are used are designed to minimize
these risks. |
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Q |
How
does a silplane stay up? |
A |
They use gravity and the flow of air over the wings to advantage,
to overcome their own weight. The wings are designed to generate
lift at very low speeds. When the lift equals the weight, the glider
becomes airborne. It does this by moving through the air at various
angles to the airflow, which allow it to climb or cruise.
Modern sailplanes have a top speed of up to 300km/h. When thermalling
they will fly as slowly as possible, around 70 to 90km/h. When
cruising between thermals they will fly between 100 and 200km/h.
On a day with very strong up-currents, gliders on cross-country
tasks will carry perhaps 100 litres of water in tanks within the
wings. This ballast improves performance in a glide, and will
be jettisoned if conditions weaken, or prior to landing.
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Q |
How
high can you go? |
A |
On a typical flight, you may get a launch to
2000 feet, and may get as high as 10,000 feet. However, the world
height record (done in the USA) is as high as 50,000 feet! |
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Q |
|
A |
This depends very much on weather and the glider
performance. If the weather is not favorable, you won't go anywhere
- you are restricted to the performance of the glider. A typical
"glide ratio" of a glider is about 35:1 which means
that for every foot of height they have, they can glide in a straight
line for 35 feet. From 2000 feet, if you were to go in a straight
line, you could go a little over 25 km's! If the weather is good,
then you can use forms of "lift" (see soaring section)
to gain more height so that you can go further. The record in
Australia is just over 1,100 kilometers. |
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Q |
How
fast do you fly? |
A |
Typically you fly around between 50 and 70 knots
but gliders can go up to about 150 knots (173mph). On a cross
country flight, where you have to stop and circle in thermals
to gain height and glide between, average speeds of 70-90kph are
normal. |
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Q |
How
many can fit in a glider? |
A |
There are two-seat gliders (which are used for instruction) and
there are single-seat gliders (which you only move onto once you
are good enough to fly solo!). |
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Q |
Can
you take them apart? |
A |
Yes. Many gliders live in trailers, and are very simply put together
- often in only 10-15 minutes. The wings are normally held together
by a very strong "main pin", and can be taken off by two
people. |
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