Georgia Magazine - May 2021 - 30

CHRIS RUF

Around GEORGIA

The gliders land back at the airport
where they took off.
" People come out with picnics and
just watch us fly, " he says. " Observing
from the ground can be fun for some
people, but once someone decides to
take an introductory ride, more often
than not, they want to learn to fly more. "

Motor up on a flying trike
A glider does not have an engine. It is towed by a
motorized plane until it is released to ﬂy.
Right: A control panel in a glider provides
the pilot with essential data.

CHRIS RUF

A different type
of gliding

Also engineless crafts,
gliders need assistance to
launch. A 250-foot-long rope
connects the glider to a motorized tow plane, which takes the
craft to the desired altitude-
typically 2,000 feet-before it's
released to fly free.
" Gliders look a bit like sleek jets with
an oversized, enclosed cockpit and a long, thin
tail, " says Wally Berry, secretary of Southern Eagles
Soaring Club, based at Butler Municipal Airport in
Taylor County. " They have one small wheel that's
barely visible; that's the landing gear. "
The gliders used for guest rides at Southern
Eagles have two-person cockpits and a weight
limit of about 500 pounds for passenger and pilot
combined. The rider sits in the front of the cockpit;
the pilot sits behind to maneuver the craft using
controls similar to those of other airplanes. The pilot
communicates via radio with the tow-plane pilot
as well as the ground crew.
" Club members usually come out on Saturdays
and Sundays to fly or race their own planes, but
many of us enjoy taking guests for an introductory
ride in one of the club-owned gliders, " Berry says.
" Once they've been up, they understand that gliding
is like no other type of aviation. It's whisper-quiet
and there are no vibrations, so it's just you, the pilot
and the plane. On a really clear day, the panoramic
views through the clear canopy are breathtaking. "
Before a guest takes a ride, an instructor
conducts a thorough cockpit orientation, covering
safety tips as well as a few basic flight principles
about lift, air currents and how the glider works.

30

Georgia Magazine

May 2021

The amphibious trike is a rather
unusual-looking flying machine that
somewhat resembles some of the early
experimental craft used by aviation
pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright.
" The motorized flying trike is a
special, light-sport, weight-shiftcontrolled aircraft that takes off
and lands in the water or on
land, " says Dave Myers, owner of
Amphibian Air, based in Savannah.
" Passengers sit directly behind the
instructor and are able to join the
pilot holding the wing to learn how
the aircraft flies using body weight.
The open cockpit allows unobstructed
views and the feeling of the wind in your
face. A 100-horsepower motor on the back
of the aircraft provides the thrust that gets us
off the ground or water. "
Before taking off, passengers receive instructional
and safety briefings to learn how the flying trike works. Only one passenger
goes up with the pilot, and he or she is harnessed into the trike and wears a
personal flotation device.
" We approach every ride from an instructional and safety standpoint,
from our preflight checklist to familiarization with open-cockpit flight, "
Myers says.
Once the passenger and pilot are situated, the trike can become
airborne in less than 10 seconds. It cruises at 47 to 50 mph, typically flies
at a height of 500 to 1,000 feet and travels 30 or 40 miles around the area.
The flight ends up back where it started, landing in the water. Introductory
flights are an hour long; including briefings and paperwork, the experience
takes about 90 minutes.
" We fly low and slow, and there's plenty to see, " Myers says. " Our
passengers have ranged in age from youngsters to people as old as 85. It's
a great way to get off the ground for a bit and see what the birds see. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer who lives in Flowery Branch.

When you go
*
*
*
*

Balloons Over Georgia, Cumming. (678) 283-4033. balloonsovergeorgia.com.
Lookout Mountain Flight Park, Rising Fawn. (706) 383-1292. ﬂylookout.com.
Southern Eagles Soaring Club, Butler. (334) 740-1994.
southerneaglessoaring.com.
Amphibian Air, Savannah. (912) 572-8055. amphibianair.com.
http://www.balloonsovergeorgia.com http://www.flylookout.com http://www.southerneaglessoaring.com http://www.amphibianair.com
Georgia Magazine - May 2021

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