UK Gliding Clubs

Gliding Clubs in the UK

Take a look at our list of UK Gliding Clubs and start by contacting the one closest to you. The less time you need to spend travelling, the more time you will have at the club and the more frequently you will fly! Remember that many gliding clubs are not like commercial companies. Some of the larger ones may employ administration staff to deal with enquiries like yours, but smaller ones may be entirely run by volunteers who may only be there on one or two days a week. Don't worry if you need to call a couple of times before you speak to someone, it's worth the trouble!

Although there is no such thing as free flying, the flying lessons themselves are free. Instruction is given by BGA qualified instructors, the huge majority of whom give their instruction for free. The only thing that you will pay for is club membership and the use of the glider. Many clubs offer fixed price to solo from as little as £600, so at an average cost of £20 a week, you could be flying solo, free as a bird, in a little over 6 months.

Common Misconceptions:

1. Gliders are dangerous because they have no engine...

Gliders are designed to fly without an engine. Let's imagine for a moment that you are at a height of 5500 feet (about a mile high) in a light, single engine, aeroplane when the engine stops. Your aeroplane has just turned into a (rather inefficient) glider! If your best gliding speed is 60 mph and your rate of descent is 1000 feet per minute, you will have a maximum glide range of just over 5 miles and must decide where to land within 3 minutes.

If you are in a glider at 5500 feet, you will have a glide range of some 30 - 40 miles and around 40 - 50 minutes to decide where to land. Which would you prefer?

2. Gliders need a strong wind to fly...

Early gliders used to rely on the wind blowing up the side of a hill or ridge to stay aloft. Modern gliders can still use this technique and there are several gliding clubs around the UK that are based at hill or ridge sites, however glider pilots also use warm, rising air called thermals to gain height.

3. Gliders are not real aircraft...

Unlike a hot air balloon that can only go up or down and be blown in the direction of the wind, a glider is an aircraft sharing many of the same controls that a jet airliner has! There is a stick, or control column, that operates the ailerons and elevator and pedals that operate the rudder. The glider can be flown with great precision and accurate flying is the key to the successful glider pilot.

4. I can't afford to own an aircraft...

You don't need to! Gliding clubs generally own a fleet of aircraft which you, as a club member, will be able to fly, first as a trainee in a two seater with an instructor and later in a single seater, solo. The club will insure the glider and cover the running costs, you will be charged an amount for each launch and a soaring fee for time in the air, which is much more cost effective than buying your own! Some club members do sometimes decide to buy a private aircraft however, and often they will group together in a syndicate to share the costs and the flying time.

5. It's very difficult to learn to fly...

Although there is, of course, a degree of hand/eye/brain coordination required, learning to fly a glider is not generally considered to be any more difficult than learning to dive a car. If you can drive, you can probably learn to fly!