Are there any other pilots here?

[Greyscale Rainbow]

I fly gliders (sailplanes) although a lot of people tend not to know what they are, so here's a picture:

Although you're more likely to find me flying one of these (a training glider, a K13).

I haven't gone solo yet due to a broken knee and then exams, which has basically caused me to stop flying between January and June of this year.

Is anyone else a pilot - gliders or powered or otherwise?

 

[ozark hen]

no flyer here but thanks for posting those pics, I didn't know what they were or what they looked like. Very beautiful. My goodness, the wheels are so close to the body, the landings would terrify me! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Davaroo]

Ive always wanted to fly a sailplane - a dream of mine. Although unlikely to come true.

Does flying RC count? Ive done that, although out of practice.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

My 82 year old dad does this once a year in Elmira, New York. He just loves it.

 

[seismic wonder2]

I'm a pilot of;
Cessna 172
cessna 152
Cessna 150
PA-28
Paratech P-43 paraglider
Paratoys Blackhawk 172 powered paraglider
Dream II tandom hang glider.


"nothing more useless than altitude above you, runway behind you, and gas back at the pump..."

 

[English Chick]

Very very impressed, that first pic is fantastic! I would be scared to death, three steps up a ladder and my knees quake!

 

[seismic wonder2]

It sounds funny, but I know two paragliders that won't climb a ladder to change a light bulb.
It seems a fear of heights has nothing to do with flying?!?
I've known them for about four years now, I still can't figure it out.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
It's funny but I'm like that. I have some sport parachute jumps and quite a few military jumps. Also rapelling. I hate heights but once I'm hooked onto the rope and over the edge for rapelling I'm OK.

Same thing with jumping. I've been on some plane rides (low level Air Force flying) where I couldn't wait to hook up and get out the door.



The original post. I'm not a pilot but I do have stick time in an OH-58 and UH-1.

 

[key west chick]

I don't fly but DH was a flight instructor for years.We even got engaged in the sky! He has his instrument ratings and all that. Pretty much only thing he's not rated for is a helicopter.

 

[Greyscale Rainbow]

Quote:
The Soaring Society of America tells me that there are 3 gliding clubs in SC, at Jefferson, Ridgeland and Spartanburg.

www.glider.org (at Jefferson, various options from $75)

http://www.carolinasoaring.org/ (at Spartanburg, flights are $75 and last 25-30 minutes depending on the weather.

www.lowcountrysoaring.org (at Ridgeland, doesn't seem to have any info on trial flights, but the SSA website says it does them)

I know at my gliding club we get people up all the time for trial flights. They usually come down with an inane grin, and some even join

Dad got a few colleagues to come up with him a couple of weeks ago, including one who was terrified of heights. He was talked into going up, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The funny thing is that when you are up there, you don't feel like you're a long way up, it's almost like you're looking down at a picture of the patchwork countryside about 10ft beneath you. As silkhope said, "stop wishing and start living "

BTW prices are a lot cheaper once you join - our trial flights are £35 a shot, but I only pay £5 something per flight (that's for juniors, for adult instructional flights it's £6 something a go).

Apart from K13s, I've also flown a K10, a DG500 and a Cessna 150 (powered, belongs to my dad's friend). I'm hoping to fly one of the club's brand new PW6s soon . . . only thing is I have to sort out some lead because you need to be a certain weight and I'm not heavy enough (I'm 98 pounds).

Seismic - who needs fuel? It only makes the planes burst into flame when they crash