Gliding over Kent

After 5 years of flying powered aircraft, I wanted to experience the skies from a different perspective and pick up some new skills in the process.

On Saturday 27th May 2017, I took the controls of a PZL-Bielsko SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider, which was a very generous birthday gift from my parents a couple of years ago. With other personal commitments and unpredictable weather, it has taken until now to actually do it.

We got airborne from Challock using a tug from a Piper PA-25 Pawnee which took us to 2,000 feet before I released the rope and we were on our own.

We then passed over the M20 motorway in search for some clouds and ridges and the possibilities of some thermals to give us some lift in order to climb higher.

One of the biggest differences I found from flying the glider to any powered aircraft I have experienced is the amount of rudder you need to use and not just for balance correction. I never realised how important the rudder is to coordinate a banked turn in a glider.

Another new experience for me was the use of ‘speed brakes’. On joining the right hand circuit for our approach back into Challock, we needed to lose some speed and height quite quickly, and without the possibility of a go-around for a missed approach like I am used to, deploying the speed brakes helps to get speed and height exactly right. Once deployed the effect of drag is felt immediately.

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The glider circuit at Challock was a lot tighter than a regular powered aircraft circuit with an very steep banked turn onto final approach and a very steep descent towards the runway.

Overall, it was great to get the exhilaration of taking the controls of a glider, experiencing the forces of lift and drag when travelling at much slower speeds than I am used to. Hopefully the experience will make me a slightly better pilot. It is definitely something I would want to try again.

Watch the video on my YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/6lc6me2fmzE