Gliding

Introduction

Gliding is perhaps the purest form of flying. With a cable, the aircraft is pulled up to 400 meters in just a few seconds: a sensation in itself! The aircraft is perfectly streamlined so that it can float far.

Location

Gliding can be done in Terlet, north of Arnhem and in the Salland region, east of Zwolle. At the airport in Terlet is a cozy restaurant. There is always plenty of activity and you can enjoy all floats that fly continuously. This way you look forward even more to your own flight. The gliding in Terlet offers a fantastic view of the Veluwe, Arnhem, the Rhine and IJssel and in good weather even Apeldoorn is visible!

Gliders can also climb

What you may not have known is that a glider can also climb! That works like this: the sun warms up the earth. The earth in its turn warms the air directly above the ground. That warm air rises. Compare it with air bubbles in a glass of cola. Gliders are looking for these rising air bubbles. Sandy soil, for example, emits a lot of warm air. By flying above it, the aircraft can climb with the rising air. We call that thermic. The sport of gliding is therefore to find thermals and fly long and far. Some even continue throughout Europe with competitions. Because the glider does not have a motor, you feel as free as a bird. No engine noise; the ultimate silence! Gliding is also a real team sport. You will be welcomed on the day at the glider club, run by volunteers. You will be amazed at how many people are needed to be able to fly. In addition to your pilot, you will need a lot of people to get your aircraft in the air and return safely.

It's time!

Upon arrival you will be picked up and taken to the runway. From the starting point you can see the gliders coming and going. That way you're already in the mood!

Start

You get a short explanation about the gliding. Then you get a parachute. This is not because of safety but because the passenger seat is made for a passenger with a parachute. With a winch cable you are pulled up to a height of about 400 meters. This is going at a great speed. You are pressed in the back of your chair. The glider sensation has started!

Gliding

Once at the right height, the pilot disconnects the cable and the aircraft floats further. The aircraft will slide down by about 1 meter per second. Sometimes your pilot will find a nice thermo bubble and you can climb higher and hover longer. Unfortunately, we do not control that ourselves. So it may be that you are back on the ground after 10 minutes. If you want to be sure that you can enjoy a little longer, you can of course order extra starts. Then you fly a few times.