Finally Got To Go Up In A Glider

[FAC257]

Seeing what it was like to go up in a glider is something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. So a couple of weeks ago I took a short drive up to Seminole-Lake Gliderport (6FL0), near Clermont, Florida, to finally do just that.

Seminole-Lake Gliderport was just stunning. The 3000' grass airfield conditions would probably rival many golf courses. The whole complex is immaculate, with several homes that front the runway, with their gliders tucked away in hangers adjacent to each home. Everyone I met that morning, were about the nicest group of folks you would ever want to meet. My pilot was still finishing up with a teenage young man that was going for his glider license, so I hung out for a while on the porch while they did several flight circuits.
https://www.soarfl.com/

My pilot, from their web site:
"Jan Driessen – Flight Instructor
Jan started flying in 1954 in The Netherlands; in the 1950s he was a fighter pilot in the Dutch air force. He is a Diamond Glider Pilot, having over 13,000 hours in gliders, of which 8,000 were as an instructor. On September 2020 Jan was awarded the Paul Schweitzer Lifetime Service Award by the Soaring Society of America. As of November 20th, 2020 Jan had accomplished 30,000 flights and graduated 496 students."

The flight was in a Super Blanik L-23, towed up to a 5000' release, by a Piper Pawnee. Flight area was over the Alligator Lake Swamp next to the airport, with great weather.

One of the airport homes and it's glider hanger. The good life.


The Super Blanik L-23.


Shortly after take-off.


Looking towards Lake Apopka. Orlando would be off the rear right of the aircraft some distance away.


Seminole Lake Gliderport - 6FL0



The Blanik had a GoPro on the wingtip, and these next two pics are from the videos I linked to below.

When we were setting up to land and on a long crosswind leg, I kept thinking we were way too high. Jan announced we were going to do an "Air Force" approach. That's when he put the Blanik in a pretty steep dive pointed at the end of the runway, picking up a lot of energy. When we crossed the end of the runway, he pretty much stood the glider up on the wingtip and did a really cool pivot turn onto final.


On final. After we landed, they told me that the glider being prepped with the super long wings in this image, belong to a world champion glider pilot.


Video: Take-Off and early part of flight.
https://youtu.be/UkYCIEolzPI

Video: Later part of flight and dive bomb landing.
https://youtu.be/8Pnz48Pu35A

What a very cool day.
Forest

[alan CXA651]

Hi.
Glad you enjoyed it , i joined the RAF Marham gliding club in the late 70`s , first glider i went up in was a K13 , the T21 was in the workshop at the time , so first few lessons was in the K13 , then switched to the T21 when it came out of the workshop , the CFI had made a closed cockpit for it , i did my first 3 solo`s in the t21 , better know as the barge , did a few flights in the prefect , better knowm by me as the thing , glided like a brick , also flew the K8 a single seat glider , and very forgiving and easy to fly , also held the record at time of leaving the RAF in july 1979 , at RAF Marham for staying airbourne in a K13 for 90 min in winter time , when we normally just did circuit training , due lack of lift , all launches where by winch , so 1000ft was the average launch hight on cable release , very enjoyable and a sense of freedom while in the gliders with just the sound of the wind .
regards Alan.

[Adam_NZ]

The first flight I ever had in *anything* was in a T21 with the school CCF in the late 60's - at RAF Hemswell. The first pwered flight I had was in a Chipmunk.

A year or two later, I managed to complete my A & B Certificates - going solo in another T21. I'll never forget that flirst solo flight!!!

Many years later, I updated my "certification" at RAF Aston Down - in a Bergfalke, Ka-6's and Ka-7's, but couldn't really afford to keep the sport up for long. Still ... it was an amazingway of experiencing the beautiful Gloucestershire landscape!

[Piper_EEWL]

Fantastic adventure you had there. And pretty nice weather for gliding from what it looked like.

I started my glider license when I was 14 on Scheibe Bergfalke 3. The single seater we had in the club was a K8. Later I then progressed to the Grob Twin II which I really enjoyed flying and then the LS4 and the Glasflügel Hornet. I also have some time in the K13 and the Scheibe Zugvogel SF27.

Then school got in the way and I had to lay off the flying for a bit. When I picked it back up I moved to motorgliders and finally SEP.

Now I don’t have much time for flying unfortunately and the upkeep of my licenses mostly prohibits gliding. It’s a shame because I always enjoyed it greatly. As you guys said the feeling of freedom when in that cockpit and all you can hear is wind is amazing.

Thanks for sharing that with us!

[FAC257]

Glad you guys liked the adventure. Compared to any time I've had in powered aircraft, gliding just felt more like pure flying. I love the whole energy management aspect of it.

Forest

[Lewis - A2A]

Brilliant stuff! Thanks for the post Forest, looks like and from what I read in your OP and replies, you had a great time and may have been bitten by a certain bug of un-powered flight

cheers,
Lewis

[Piper_EEWL]

Glad you guys liked the adventure. Compared to any time I've had in powered aircraft, gliding just felt more like pure flying. I love the whole energy management aspect of it.

Forest

Funny that you mention the energy management portion of it. When I moved from gliding and motor gliding to single engine piston we did training on simulated engine failures. That’s also a part of the check ride here in Germany. And all the instructors I flew with initially said that this will be the toughest part of the check ride. But since I had experience gliding for me that was very natural. I truly believe that gliding makes you a better pilot overall.

[AKar]

Glad you guys liked the adventure. Compared to any time I've had in powered aircraft, gliding just felt more like pure flying. I love the whole energy management aspect of it.

Forest

Funny that you mention the energy management portion of it. When I moved from gliding and motor gliding to single engine piston we did training on simulated engine failures. That’s also a part of the check ride here in Germany. And all the instructors I flew with initially said that this will be the toughest part of the check ride. But since I had experience gliding for me that was very natural. I truly believe that gliding makes you a better pilot overall.

I think thermal flying makes a really good aircraft handling exercise, as it can be very dynamic but you also need to be rather 'sensitive' at the same time to get the most out of a lift.

-Esa

[FAC257]

My father was a B-29er off of Tinian at the end of WWI, then retired a USAF Lt. Col.. After retirement, he took over Sky Bryce Airport (VG18), in Virginia and ran a very successful flight school. During that time he won a flight instructor of the year award. He was also an occasional guest speaker at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. He always thought that anyone that wanted to learn to fly, should learn on a glider first.

Forest

[Piper_EEWL]

I think thermal flying makes a really good aircraft handling exercise, as it can be very dynamic but you also need to be rather 'sensitive' at the same time to get the most out of a lift.

-Esa

That’s a good point too yes. Not to mention that it really improves your skills of staying coordinated in a turn. And glider pilots are very sensitive to staying coordinated cause if you're not you’re “using” some of that valuable energy that you sometimes need so desperately

[Piper_EEWL]

My father was a B-29er off of Tinian at the end of WWI, then retired a USAF Lt. Col.. After retirement, he took over Sky Bryce Airport (VG18), in Virginia and ran a very successful flight school. During that time he won a flight instructor of the year award. He was also an occasional guest speaker at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. He always thought that anyone that wanted to learn to fly, should learn on a glider first.

Forest

I totally agree. Gliding at least as a base training should be mandatory for every pilot especially commercial ones. Just remember the story of the Air Canada 767 nicknamed “Gimly Glider”.

[AKar]

I think thermal flying makes a really good aircraft handling exercise, as it can be very dynamic but you also need to be rather 'sensitive' at the same time to get the most out of a lift.

-Esa

That’s a good point too yes. Not to mention that it really improves your skills of staying coordinated in a turn. And glider pilots are very sensitive to staying coordinated cause if you're not you’re “using” some of that valuable energy that you sometimes need so desperately

Yeah, good thermaling is all about precise speed control, feeling the subtlest cues via the aircraft, and positive control action. In the types I flew, it was not uncommon to occasionally kick the rudder to its stop when thermaling, to make the nose swing the way it should.

I guess there are as many styles as there are pilots, back when I was flying and trying to learn the art I developed a feeling that a good touch on speed control via bank was the key. You want to ride the vertical gusts with the stick, as if pulling the aircraft up to ride with the bubble of rising air. But then, when approaching the speed you are looking for, instead of pushing the nose down, overbank the aircraft while retaining the AoA via more or less constant elevator pull. This felt as if it centered the lift very smoothly like it was automation, and keeping that more or less constant pull while banking for wanted speed response kind of brought the aircraft into its correct, natural trajectory around the lift.

Damn I miss that already!

-Esa

[bullfox]

Great aerial shots. When I see some good aerial photography I try to compare it to what I see in P3D. The main difference I see is the colors are more muted in the real world so I try to arrange my display settings to better match the real world views.

[alioth]

Glad you guys liked the adventure. Compared to any time I've had in powered aircraft, gliding just felt more like pure flying. I love the whole energy management aspect of it.
Forest

do you know Condor Soaring simulator? https://www.condorsoaring.com/
it is a wonderful simulator used for a lot of real glider pilots.
You can simply fly, or compete in online races.
It simulates thermals, rigdes, waves..
In online competitions people use real world computer/gps software to design strategies
Condor + Virtual Reality headset, flying with other pilots, is the most inmersive experience I have had in any simulator.

Arturo.

[FAC257]

I did look at Condor Soaring after I read your post. That is really interesting and not that bad a price either.

Thanks for that!