Gliding - Has anyone been?

Has any one been gliding ? What's it like - particularly the take off and landing?

Bloody amazing.

0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds and up 800 feet. This is at Abney near Gridleford. There is no sound apart from the whisle of the air over the wings. The glider controls are so sensitive that you only need to move them about an inch in any direction to make it dive or swoop.

At the landing you seem to come in at a much greater angle that a plane and then straiten out just above the ground.

Go up to Abney on a nice clear day and watch them take off and land, also you get to chat to the poilets and you may get the chance to go up in a duel control glider.

I tried this in Germany, and I would recommend it to anyone.

It was fantastic and so peaceful.

If you thinking about it then don`t think to for to long just have a go you won`t regret it.

gliding is sweet.

Takeoff depends on what type you choose/is available. Land tow, means a short flight as you are towed into the air by landrover,

Winch - a big double decker bus engine at the end of the rwy.

Tow - another plane takes you up,.

Towing is amazing, when yuo disengage the cable, you suddenly realise how much vibration it was conduncting into the glider as all the noise dies off.

I did a couple of aerobatic flights in a glider (passenger not pilot) including a full loop and a tail stall - and it was fantastic.

It's also the way to go if you want to fly properly on the cheap - the wind is free and a skilled glider pilot can stay up all day.

Landing is, as pointed out, different to powered flight where you approach at a near stall. On a glider you can't really go around again unless you have enough energy, which means swooping in low, commit to a landing and try and bleed the speed off with flaps and rudder (any real life pilots care to correct me?)

Cheers for the info - I'd love the middle bit, but the landing sounds horrendous!