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, a powered aircraft pilot, takes his first soaring lesson to learn critical energy management skills, acknowledging its relevance for potential engine-out scenarios.
The experience, in an analog Schweizer 2-33A glider with an experienced instructor, involves using thermals to climb thousands of feet and stay airborne for nearly two hours, challenging many preconceived notions about flying.
Key takeaways from the flight include understanding the difference between gliding and soaring (finding lift), the silent and communal nature of glider flight, the importance of precision due to no go-around, and the value of learning fundamental airmanship.

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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.