About Gliding

K7 2 seat trainer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a glider come back to the launching site?

A glider is only a very efficient aeroplane with no engine and has the same controls as any other aeroplane. A glider pilot has full control over where he/she flies provided that the wind is not so strong that the glider cannot make headway against it.

What happens when the wind stops?

It is rising air, not the wind, that keeps the glider up. In a wind the glider covers the ground faster when flying with the wind, and slower when flying against the wind.

What keeps a glider up?

The same aerodynamic laws that keep a power plane up also keep the glider up. Since a glider is always going down through the air it is in, the pilot must find air that is going up faster than the glider is going down. Warm air rising from sun heated ground, called thermals, is the most common source of rising air. The pilot then flies, usually circling, in the rising air until sufficient altitude has been gained. He/she then flies in the desired direction until another thermal, or the ground, is reached.

I feel safer with an engine.

Not having an engine means that there is no engine to stop and no fuel to burn! And a glider has powerful controls including air brakes which give better control than those on a power plane.

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