Clubs will be happy to take you for a flight.

If you might be interested in trying gliding as a sport, you should ask for an "Air Experience Flight" - you'll then be given an introductory lesson in flying !

If you decide to commence training; we recommend you visit more than one club, before you choose which one suits you ! They are all different!

You can normally drop in any time a club is operating, for a flight. It may pay to telephone first, if in doubt about the weather - for example strong winds can prevent a club from flying - because of difficulty in ground-handling of aircraft.

Gliding, in Australia, is a year round sport, and winter is a good time for basic training. In the hotter months, although training continues, the accent is on duration and cross-country flying.

Gliding is an equal opportunity sport, open to both sexes and to people of all ages. The minimum age to fly solo is 15 years, and there is no maximum. If pilots wish to take part in competitive flying, they do so in a one-contest situation: Club, State and National Contests are open to all equally.

Don't be afraid to ask questions when you visit a club, and experience your first flight: make it a learning experience. Hopefully you will return to share what is an absorbing pastime - where flying is only part of the fun!

Gliding as a sport is quite diverse. It varies from the top competition pilots flying their state-of-the-art sailplanes across vast distances, sometimes in excess of 1,000 km at speeds of up to 150 km/hr or more, to pottering around the local area in a little wooden glider, close to the home field.

There are gliding clubs in every State and Territory of Australia. Details about the clubs can be found in the National Gliding Club Directory.

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Like To Try Gliding?

If the weather is warm, take a hat, some drinking water, and a good sunblock!

When you visit, don't sit in your car and watch, while waiting to have a flight. You'll learn more by getting out, talking to people (about their favourite subject) and getting involved. You may be able to help in the operation!

Then compare the various clubs, before deciding which one you'd like to join. Compare them for costs of membership and flying, facilities and equipment, club spirit and social environment.

It's your turn to fly! Now, before you get into the two-seater that will take you aloft, you must first make sure that your weight is in within correct limits. You should know your weight in kilograms. The appropriate limits will be shown on a placard in the cockpit. Ballast can be added if necessary before you take off.

If you are about to have a winch launch for the first time, it is preferable that you have watched one previously. You may be surprised by the apparent angle of climb, until you're used to it. Towards the top of the launch, the pilot will ease off the climb and release the cable. Often you will hear a loud click as it releases itself automatically. Then the airspeed settles down to your usual 40 to 45 knots, and you're off on your flight.

An auto-tow launch is very similar to a winch tow, with a longer ground-run and a smoother climb.

An aero-tow launch is completely different. Here the sailplane follows the tug aircraft to an agreed altitude - usually 2,000ft above the ground. At this point you release the tow-rope. Each aircraft then breaks off in a different direction.

On your first flights, as well as a look at the local scenery, you will be shown how stable the aircraft is. In smooth conditions most aircraft will fly "hands off" quite readily.

To control the machine in the air, you use smooth, gentle control inputs, holding the control column with just a couple of fingers. The only sound is the air over the canopy of the glider - after a while you'll be able to judge your airspeed by the noise of the airflow!

When you first begin instruction, you should try to fly once per weekend if you can. Too long an interval will extend the period of your training as too much revision is needed. Once a fortnight is regarded as the minimum.

Your training will be done by a Club Instructor authorised by the Gliding Federation. The training will follow an established syllabus and you'll be given a booklet in which details of your training are noted.

There are some 3,000 members of GFA Australia wide. The approximately 100 Gliding Clubs are in of one of five regions.

GFA is a self-administering body and gliding does not come under direct control of the Civil Aviation Authority. There are no licences for gliding but Gliding Certificates.
Instruction can only be given by authorised and accredited instructors. There is a rating system in line with level of proficiency to ensure an adequate standard is met at each stage.
An example is a cross-country rating, allowing a pilot to fly across the country-side out of gliding range of the airfield. This is only awarded after an ability to land out in an unknown paddock is demonstrated.