7 day gliding course

Learn everything about the weather, thermics and of course flying in this 7 day course glider flying. It is the perfect start for your gliding carreer.

Location

This 7 day course will be given in Terlet, just north of Arnhem and in St. Florentin, France. Furtheron you'll get more information about gliding in France. First, some more about Terlet. The airfield has a cozy restaurant. There is ample activity and you can enjoy all types of gliders. The view over the Veluwe, Anrhem and valleys of Rhine and IJssel is astonishing. With good visibility, even Apeldoorn is visible!

The club

Glider flying is a real team effort. The club is ran by their members, all volunteers. You'll be amazed about how many people are needed to fly. Next to the instructor you need a people to guide your take off, operate the winch, drive back the cables and to coordinate air traffic. During your tuition you'll get acquainted with all disciplines and all team members. With this complete course, you'll become part of the team. Besides learning to fly, you're also introduced with all ground activities. You'll learn how to be responsible for a safe flight of your fellow glider flyers.

Course contents

This course is a first introduction in glider flying. The course in Terlet can be followed in seven non-sequential days. Insurance policies demand however that you fly all lessons in the period of one season. This course includes:

• at least 20 winch starts with an experienced instructor, you'll learn all basics of gliding
• a logbook to register your flight hours
• the theory book about glider flying
• a temporary membership for the Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor de Luchtvaart (KNVvL), the association for aviation. This is for the necessary insurances.

During this course you'll participate fully in the gliding operation. This means you'll start at 9am with the briefing. Everybody that is going to fly that day is required to join this session. All important matters regarding flight and weather are discussed.

France

In may, june, july, august and october, you can follow this course in Saint Florentin, Frankrijk. It is a perfect gliding spot in the beautiful French countryside, some 600 km from Utrecht. The environment is perfect for beginning and advanced learners. On this field, regional championships are held in the spring.

Together with the full Dutch team you'll make a lot of flying lessons. The whole week is all about gliding. The French course has roughly the same elements as the Dutch one. Also, the French course also includes mandatory extra insurance for flying in France. Also, the usual flight time for one winch start is longer in France because of the climate.

The course in France does not include:

• travel from Netherlands to France and back, but there's a good chance you can join someone
• a place to sleep (tent, caravan, RV)
• food and drinks
• contribution for the camping's facilities

Food and drinks and a contribution for the camping is paid afterwards. Food and drinks are all inclusive for € 13,50 per person, per day. For the camping this is € 5,70 per person, per day.

Camping

The local French flying club of St. Florentin has a nice camping, equipped with all modern necessities like showers, toilets and washing machines. The camping is suitable for tent, caravan and RV and also has connections for electricity. But above all it is a great place to stay with your fellow students, glider pilots and volunteers.

Dinner will be prepared in a giant cooking tent, brought by the club. It features all luxuries like stoves, fridges, cooking utensils, dishwashers and warm and cold water. Of course there are ample chairs and tables. A few times a week there will be a great BBQ.

LAPL(S)

During this course you'll get a preview about what is needed to get your license. For gliding there is a special Light Aircraft Pilot License for Sailplanes: LAPL(S). To obtain such a license you need to learn a lot of flying theory. The theoretical exams contain courses of Meteorology, Navigation, Airplane Construction, Flight Instruments, HFACS (Human Factors Analysis and Classification System) and Air law. The theoretical lessons are given in the winter mostly and you'll also have to do self-study at home.

After obtaining your theory certificates you can apply for your practical exams. During the exam you need to fly some solo landings and make 3 exam flights together with an examiner. When you passed both exams you'll get your license. With a LAPL(S) license you can fly with passengers and cross country to other fields, participate in competitions and rent a gliderplane. Of course you can also fly as much as you like with the club.

The number of starts you need to be eligible for exams differs a lot. It depends on how much time you invest and your motivation. You can start this course when you are 14 years old. Exams are possible when you are 16 years or older.