The Flight

After the launch the glider is now a free aircraft and can start searching for lift. It will look for thermals, ridge lift or wave lift to increase its flying time. It is during this stage of the flight that most trainee pilots learn to start flying. The instructor will say “You have contol” and whenever you reply “I have control” he will let you fly the aircraft. This is not as dangerous as it may sound. The instructor will have “trimmed” the aircraft for proper flight and in this state it should fly normally even if no one held the controls. Furthermore, training gliders are stable, placid and very forgiving. The first thing you will learn is to fly straight and level and perhaps to do gentle turns. At some point the glider will reach a certain altitude and will have to return to the airfield. Click here to see video of a glider thermalling. (The beeping noise is one of the instruments – if it beeps faster and a higher pitch then the air around the glider is going UP, slower and lower pitch then the air is going DOWN).