Pakistan Air Force new glider

[Jango]

Two ways - by devices called Variometers, and by feel.

A vario is just a sensitive vertical velocity indicator. Some of them are audio so you can keep eyes out and locate the lift more safely. When you enter an area of lift, the vario tone changes, and the pitch of the tone goes up as your rate of climb increases.

By feel - you fly along, looking for signs of lift - cumulus clouds forming, hot areas of the earth. If one wing rises on its own, you immediately turn back INTO that rising wing, and seat-of-the-pants feel allows you to center in the thermal. It is a great feeling to be released from the tow at 2,000', and climb in a strong thermal to 10,000' or more. You become a solar-powered machine in the truest sense.

There is another form of lift called mountain wave. As strong winds flow over a mountain range, they create standing waves of powerful lift. Get into a good mountain wave, and you can ride them to 30,000' or more, easily. Better have oxygen and a thermal suit handy.

So, experience is a big factor in it.

 

[Aamir Hussain]

Traditionally, back in the old days, Gliders were used by Airforces to introduce young budding would be pilots to flying without the high cost of powered machines. There were flying clubs run by the Airforce with loads of Air Cadets as memebers.

PAF also did this in th early fifties. My susar was one of the early air cadets flying gliders!

Gliding is the purest form of flying known to man. I have bee ntold that without the engine noise -- one can just be one with the wind and birds.

 

[Chogy]

So, experience is a big factor in it.

It's a lot easier than it sounds. The feeling is exactly the same as you get in a powerful elevator. You FEEL yourself going up. You keep working the glider to the areas of greatest lift.

I had students finding thermals in just a few hours of experience.

 

[Signalian]

Traditionally, back in the old days, Gliders were used by Airforces to introduce young budding would be pilots to flying without the high cost of powered machines. There were flying clubs run by the Airforce with loads of Air Cadets as memebers.

PAF also did this in th early fifties. My susar was one of the early air cadets flying gliders!

Gliding is the purest form of flying known to man. I have bee ntold that without the engine noise -- one can just be one with the wind and birds.

Glider flight time is usually 2:00 or 2:30 minutes.
To get a Glider patch/insignia/wing , u need to complete 2:00 Hours flight time.

There is no engine obviously , flight time depends upon altitude and wind mostly.

 

[denel]

Best is microlight and ultra-lights; i had local aquila model with a 500cc two stroke engine as two seater. Just the best ever to take off from 200m landing strip on the farm. These are available here in kit form.

http://www.quicksilveraircraft.co.za/q_mxliisport.php

 

[CriticalThought]

Although never done gliding, I can understand what you guys mean. I have flown a Cabri helicopter. The heli itself is only 450 kg and when it moves up and down on the air you actually feel like flying. Before that I did skydiving to get the feeling but that feels like dropping down like a dead weight. Completely different from flying. After having flown a powered aircraft, I still feel as if heli is closest to flying. And of course a glider would be out of this world.