Nothing Comes as Expected During Quiet Flight

Glider experience offers a chance to be a beginner again, drinking from a fire hose.

Friday, October 11, 2024 at 08:52 AM ET

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With gliders, FLYING contributor Ben Young (seated) discovered there is no go-around. No second shot. You are going to land one way or another. [Courtesy: Ben Younger]

Key Takeaways:

The author undertook glider lessons to master energy management, a skill deemed crucial for handling engine failures in powered aircraft, despite initial reservations about its frequent personal use.
The experience provided a surprisingly analog and minimalist flight, challenging many of the author's prior aviation assumptions regarding cockpit instrumentation, communication, and air traffic procedures.
Piloting a basic Schweizer 2-33A with an experienced instructor, the author successfully soared for nearly two hours on a single tow, climbing thousands of feet using natural thermals, which proved both exhilarating and physically demanding.

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Sitting in a folding chair under a weathered canopy on a warm California day in Lake Elsinore’s Skylark Airport (CA89), I listened as a group of glider pilots talked about the improving weather.

We were gathered just off of the grass Runway 29L, and everyone stared intently at the ridgeline to our west. When a solitary, tiny cloud formed a few thousand feet above the ridge, the pilots became suddenly animated.

Ben Younger

Ben Younger is a TV and film writer/director, avid motorcyclist and surfer—but it’s being a pilot that he treats as a second profession. Find him on Instagram @thisisbenyounger.