Lake District Sports - Lake District Gliding

It’s the purest form of aviation, yet you don’t need lessons or a licence to get up in the sky and take the controls. Book a trial flight (weather permitting, so it’s best to call on the day). After a short briefing you’ll be towed or winched aloft and if you’re happy, your instructor will hand over to you, usually until it’s time to land. But as glider pilots know, it never has to be time to land. The art lies in finding rising air, to gain the precious height which can be converted into surprising distances or speeds. And all in silence, or with a rush of airflow as you point the nose down and see the peerless Cumbrian landscape – your aerial playground.

Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive sport in which pilots fly un-powered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes. Properly, the term gliding refers to descending flight of a heavier-than-air craft, whereas soaring is the correct term to use when the craft gains altitude or speed from rising air. When soaring conditions are good enough, experienced pilots can fly hundreds of kilometres before returning to their home airfields, and occasionally flights over 1,000 kilometres are made. However, if the weather deteriorates, they may need to make a forced landing, also known as "landing out", but motorglider pilots can avoid this by starting an engine.

While many glider pilots merely enjoy the sense of achievement, some competitive pilots fly in races around pre-defined courses. These competitions test the pilots' abilities to make best use of local weather conditions as well as their flying skills. Local and national competitions are organized in many countries and there are also biennial World Gliding Championships.

Powered aircraft and winches are the two most common means of launching gliders. These and other methods (apart from self-launching motor-gliders) require assistance from other participants. Gliding clubs have thus been established to share airfields and equipment, train new pilots and maintain high safety standards.