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 is crewing for friend and experienced pilot Sylvia Grandstaff at the 13th FAI Women’s World Gliding Championships in Zbraslavice, Czech Republic, experiencing competitive soaring for the first time.
Crew duties involve glider preparation, launch support, tracking, and logistical support, with the author and wife quickly adapting to the roles despite initial unfamiliarity.
The championship has been significantly hampered by persistent bad weather, leading to numerous canceled flying days and challenging conditions when tasks could be flown, resulting in "land outs" for many competitors, including Sylvia.
Despite the frustrating weather and demanding nature of crewing, the author is enjoying the team collaboration, learning experience, and opportunities to explore the Czech Republic during downtime.

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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).