The previous post in this blog is Album - Gliding.
The next post in this blog is Cavorting in Croatia.

Sport : Gliding

Sunday 3 August 2003 was a successful evening organised by Tony our flatmate who is a glider pilot at the Lasham Aerodrome which is set atop a rise in the rolling Hampshire Downs between Basingstoke and Alton (approximately an hour and a half journey from Wimbledon). Lasham was built for the RAF in 1942 and adopted as a home for gliding in the early fifties. The airfield now offers facilities which are among the finest in the world.

We were all aerotowed (towed into the air by a light aircraft called "Tugs")to 2000ft where the cable was disconnected and we were suddenly soaring freely, like an eagle across the blue skies, searching for thermals. A winch launch is also available and perhaps more adrenalin inducing as it launches at an agle of about 45 degrees at the steepest point in the climb before levelling out.

Most of us flew K13 (wooden) training gliders but some of the lucky ones amongst us flew a K21 (fibreglass) aerobatic glider and therefore experienced a full loop in the air. It was also a wonderful experience to take hold of the joystick during our flight while our instructor operated the rudder pedals. We couldn't have chosen a more beautiful summers evening to enjoy this addictive sport.