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The Glider:
Gliders
have no engines and rely on either a power airplane or a winch to lift
them up into the air. Once there the glider will slowly fall to the
ground as it loses energy to friction with the air. Typical gliders can
fly about 20 to 30 metres for every metre that it falls. This means
that if a glider drops 500 metres in height it could travel 10-15 km.
Since gliders fly at about 75 km/hr, the flight will last about 8-12
minutes.
The Sailplane:
The
atmosphere is always in motion and the glider flies in this
environment. Not only are there the horizontal winds that occur due to
weather systems, there are the vertical currents from heating by the
Sun and flow over hills and mountains. The sport of soaring uses these
vertical currents to keep the glider aloft for hours and travel
hundreds of kilometres. The glider is now a sailplane and the challenge
is to stay longer in the rising air than in the sinking air. In this
environment there are clouds that help mark the vertical currents and
provide beauty and interest. A soaring pilot is always learning about
the behaviour of the atmosphere and the capabilities of the sailplane.
The Rewards:
Sailplanes
fly reasonably silently and rise to quite high altitudes. On a good
soaring day, heights of 5-8000 feet (16-2400 m) are usually achieved
and the gliders can stay aloft on one flight for 2-5 hours or more. The
flight is quiet with only the whistle of the air past the plane. The
vistas are grand from 5000 feet. You can stretch your talents and try
to better the best flights of some of our members who have flown 100 km
circuits, rose to over 12,000 feet in height, and stayed in the air for
over 4 hours.
The Challenges:
If
pure enjoyment of soaring is not enough, the worldwide fraternity of
soaring pilots recognize various levels of accomplishment. There are
Badges to be earned from the FAI (Federation Aeronautique
Internationale).
Fly solo for 2 hours and have a height
gain of 1000 metres (Bronze Badge)
Gain of height of 1000 m plus fly for
5 hours and travel 50 km in a straight line (Silver Badge)
Fly a circuit of more than 300 km and
a height gain of 3000m (Gold Badge)
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