Flying or gliding experience?
Discussion
It's been a while since I've been up in anything other than a passenger jet, so I'm thinking of asking my better half for a flight experience for my birthday next month.
I've been up in small planes before (not at the controls) and had a taster helicopter lesson (loved it! They didn't let me near the collective though
), wondering what might be most fun this time around... flying a plane a bit, a glider, or maybe even the Tiger Moth/classic type.
Anyone have any thoughts on choosing?
I've been up in small planes before (not at the controls) and had a taster helicopter lesson (loved it! They didn't let me near the collective though
), wondering what might be most fun this time around... flying a plane a bit, a glider, or maybe even the Tiger Moth/classic type.Anyone have any thoughts on choosing?
Hey! My flying thread .... took off.... a bit today
Well, you folks have put me off plain flying - I've been in a 4 seater before and I guess from what you've said having the controls will be less interesting than the helicopter was
So, if gliding is back on the menu - I don't get sick sick ever (well, just once, in my rally navigator days) but can turn a little green... I know to look outside the vehicle and keep it under control when it does come on - I'm between gliding and the Tiger Moth type... this is just a one-off thing, whichever I do now, I expect I'll go back and do the other another year anyway!
It might just come down to which is less of a drive away... there's already a recommendation of a gliding club in the Brecons; I'll have to google vintage planes in Wales.
Well, you folks have put me off plain flying - I've been in a 4 seater before and I guess from what you've said having the controls will be less interesting than the helicopter was
So, if gliding is back on the menu - I don't get sick sick ever (well, just once, in my rally navigator days) but can turn a little green... I know to look outside the vehicle and keep it under control when it does come on - I'm between gliding and the Tiger Moth type... this is just a one-off thing, whichever I do now, I expect I'll go back and do the other another year anyway!
It might just come down to which is less of a drive away... there's already a recommendation of a gliding club in the Brecons; I'll have to google vintage planes in Wales.
bearman68 said:
I was up at the Black mountain gliding club in Talgarth the other day. The geography of the place means the altitude record there is somewhere around the 35,000 feet IIRC. Stunning position, and because of a short runway, the gliders have to be towed up. Has to be in with a shout for £100 quid or so.
Cheers
Thanks to bearman, Cheers
, I'm now sitting here (another year older!) with a gift voucher from the Black Mountain Club on the desk, so I will be ringing to book asap and will report back after 
Right, finally a day off and some reasonable weather came together.
Off to Talgarth and the Black Mountain Club, thanks again Bearman for the pointer
Not much in the way of intro chat, pretty much straight on with a 'chute and into the glider (that's my instructor, not me)...
...which I just about fit in to
Seems the engine was u/s, so we had to get a bump start (this was really cool!)
Amazing views
Then I had a go for a while, with lots of help
We were up for about 40 minutes, but eventually it's time to come down - that's the airfield in the middle of the pic, it's tiny!
So, how was it?
Well, I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I've found my new hobby.
I did get some motion sickness after a little while, and that took the edge off the second half a bit. Also, at 6' 4", I'm on the very top end of fitting in the cockpit so I had a sore back towards the end and my legs had to held at strange angles to clear the controls; when I had a go they really didn't get the feel of the pedals at all, I think mainly due to my nervous tension and those angles. I kept losing my foot off the right pedal, in particular.
But I did love starting below the hikers on the hills; skimming along the ridge feeling like the ground is just a few feet from the wingtip (hopefully really quite a few feet!); then climbing, climbing, climbing on a tight loop (it felt almost around the wingtip to me; the instructor said it was about a 200m figure-of-8) and the hikers stood watching us going up and up, poor old sods stuck to the ground
I'm very glad I went, one off the bucket list, but I think that's it for me for gliding.
Thanks to all who contributed to the thread See you again next year, maybe, flying a different way?
Off to Talgarth and the Black Mountain Club, thanks again Bearman for the pointer
Not much in the way of intro chat, pretty much straight on with a 'chute and into the glider (that's my instructor, not me)...
...which I just about fit in to
Seems the engine was u/s, so we had to get a bump start (this was really cool!)
Amazing views
Then I had a go for a while, with lots of help
We were up for about 40 minutes, but eventually it's time to come down - that's the airfield in the middle of the pic, it's tiny!
So, how was it?
Well, I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I've found my new hobby.
I did get some motion sickness after a little while, and that took the edge off the second half a bit. Also, at 6' 4", I'm on the very top end of fitting in the cockpit so I had a sore back towards the end and my legs had to held at strange angles to clear the controls; when I had a go they really didn't get the feel of the pedals at all, I think mainly due to my nervous tension and those angles. I kept losing my foot off the right pedal, in particular.
But I did love starting below the hikers on the hills; skimming along the ridge feeling like the ground is just a few feet from the wingtip (hopefully really quite a few feet!); then climbing, climbing, climbing on a tight loop (it felt almost around the wingtip to me; the instructor said it was about a 200m figure-of-8) and the hikers stood watching us going up and up, poor old sods stuck to the ground
I'm very glad I went, one off the bucket list, but I think that's it for me for gliding.
Thanks to all who contributed to the thread
See you again next year, maybe, flying a different way? RichB said:
Takes me back 30 years! 40 mins you did well obviously had some thermals and a chandelle by the sound of it.
I've looked up chandelle now, and yes, we did that for a good while.The Black Mountains Gliding Club seems to be blessed with their location - a long, nearly 300m high ridge runs NE away from the field and the wind was coming from the West. I think staying up forever would have been an option if my tummy wasn't that bit queasy
https://goo.gl/maps/KXn2gQ6Tac52
RichB said:
Puzzled why a K13 wasn't big enough but perhaps their rudder pedals are different to ours.
It's probably just me Perhaps with a bit more fiddling/wriggling time I'd have found a better position, and maybe different shoes.... as I said, not going to be my new full-time hobby, but never say never Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff