Flying High: Zbraslavice Gliding Diary, Part 1

Learning the ropes at the women's world championships in Czech Republic is quite the experience.

Sam Weigel

Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Sylvia Grandstaff prepares to launch in a Rolladen-Schneider LS4. [Credit: Sam Weigel]

Key Takeaways:

The author and his wife are crewing for their friend, Sylvia Grandstaff, at the FAI Women's World Gliding Championships in Zbraslavice, Czech Republic, experiencing competitive glider racing firsthand.
The article details the mechanics of glider contests, including cross-country tasks, scoring, and the comprehensive duties of a support crew, from glider preparation and launch assistance to tracking and logistics.
The championship has been severely impacted by persistent bad weather, causing numerous cancellations, delays, and challenging flying conditions that led to several "land outs" for competitors, including Sylvia.
Despite the frustrating weather and their initial inexperience, the author and his wife are effectively learning and enjoying their crewing roles as part of a cohesive team, anticipating better flying conditions ahead.

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It’s a beautiful afternoon in late July, and the smell of freshly cut grass wafts across the airfield. White puffy clouds scud across the sky, sending shadows racing across rolling fields of corn and wheat. Hawks thermal far above, and a faint whoosh and flash of white wings signals that their human counterparts have taken notice.

A Rotax engine roars, and a smart little LSA accelerates down the grass strip, sleek glider in tow. Another tow plane lands in the opposite direction and comes to a stop near a gaggle of high-performance sailplanes at the runway’s end. This little slice of aviation heaven is Zbraslavice, Czech Republic, and this is the first practice day of the 13th FAI Women’s World Gliding Championships (WWGC).