Vale of White Horse Gliding Centre
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Vale of White Horse Gliding Centre
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Most people's introduction to gliding is through a trial lesson, and VoWHGC is able to offer Gliding Experience Trial Lessons for those who just want a one off flight to enjoy views of Vale of White Horse from the air, or for those who want to experience gliding before deciding whether to joining the club as a full member. If you choose to take up gliding, flying solo is likely to be your first aim and you will be given every encouragement to achieve this. A beginner's progress varies from person to person but, on average, most trainees solo after about 10 hours tuition. On arrival at the airfield you enter your name on the Flying List and flights are then taken in strict rotation. One training lesson usually takes the form of one aerotow, giving about 20 minutes instructional time which, during the better weather, can be extended by soaring in the rising currents of air. The minimum age for flying solo in the UK is 16 (but many start gliding earlier so that they can go solo on or soon after their birthday) and there is no upper age limit; the medical requirements are identical to those for driving a car. Like all pursuits learning continues after attainment of the first goal, going solo. Most pilots then go on to learn how to soar, that is to stay aloft using rising currents of air. This makes cross-country flying possible and flights of between 30 and 200 miles (50 to more than 300 kilometres) are often flown by club members. Aerobatic flights are another popular aspect of the sport, along with competition flying for those wishing to participate. The club has facilities for aerotow launching where the glider is towed behind a light aircraft to around 2000 feet before releasing. The running of the club is all done on a voluntary basis and instructors give their time free of charge. This means that costs are kept down and charges are for launch and flying time only; there is no charge for instruction. Club members undertake many tasks essential to the flying operation while waiting their turn to fly. Helping out with such jobs as log keeping, signalling, and winch driving is an ideal way of getting to know other club members and often much knowledge of gliding can be gained from these activities. The first thing to do is contact us (see Contact Information on our Home Page) or better still come and visit us; visitors are always welcome. We'll try to answer all your questions and show you around; then why not take a trial lesson to see for yourself what it is really like? In the summer we can also organise special flying evenings for groups of people who would like to experience introductory trial lessons. In the meantime, please tale a look around our website, or click here to download an Adobe PDF file which provides basic information about the Club and learning to fly at VoWHGC (click here if you would prefer it in Microsoft Word format). Please note: airfields by their very nature tend to be exposed, so a warm coat or jacket is usually advisable. Ladies will also find it more convenient to wear trousers rather than skirts, which make getting into and out of gliders and operating their controls more difficult. |
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For Trial Lesson/Gift Voucher enquiries, please send mail to
vouchers@swindongliding.co.uk.
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