Flight Training - April 2015 - 30

SOARING IS THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BEING ABLE TO STAY ALOFT IN A
SAILPLANE BY HARNESSING THE NATURAL ENERGY IN THE SKY.

Flying gliders, or soaring, is to airplanes what sailing is to boating. You can learn to fly a glider in less
time and for less money than an airplane. Also, no
flight physical is required for glider pilots. If you are
in the right part of the country, such as the West or
Southwest-where there are more good-weather flying
days-you could earn a glider rating in considerably
less time and for about one-third the cost of learning to
fly in an airplane. If you are still interested in learning
to fly airplanes, you could transition to power, which
is how glider pilots sometimes refer to airplanes, after
earning your glider certificate. (See "Where are the
Glider Pilots?" p. 32.) Your understanding of the
basics would put you ahead of the game.
Soaring is the art and science of being able to stay
aloft in a sailplane by harnessing the natural energy in
30 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

the sky, resulting from solar radiation heating the air
above the Earth's surface. The air becomes warmer,
less dense, and rises as a narrow thermal updraft.
Soaring can be endlessly challenging and rewarding.
It's sometimes frustrating, as one searches for lift-
the rising currents of air-and tries to avoid sink, the
descending currents of air. Nature always seeks to
find a balance. What goes up must go down.
Lift can come from a variety of other sources,
including ridge lift and mountain wave conditions.
Ridge lift results from upslope winds moving over
rising terrain. A key to soaring is knowing where to
find these types of lift.
So, what's it like to fly a glider? While the mechanics are straightforward, it can be very challenging,
requiring concentrated effort and practice to do



http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - April 2015

Contents
Flight Training - April 2015 - Cover1
Flight Training - April 2015 - Cover2
Flight Training - April 2015 - Contents
Flight Training - April 2015 - 2
Flight Training - April 2015 - 3
Flight Training - April 2015 - 4
Flight Training - April 2015 - 5
Flight Training - April 2015 - 6
Flight Training - April 2015 - 7
Flight Training - April 2015 - 8
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Flight Training - April 2015 - Cover3
Flight Training - April 2015 - Cover4
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