Glider flying Terlet

Introduction

Gliding is perhaps the purest form of flying. Using a cable, the aircraft is pulled up to as much as 400 metres in a few seconds: a thrill in itself! The aircraft is perfectly streamlined, allowing it to soar far.

Locations

The flight takes place from Terlet airfield, near Arnhem. Terlet is home to the national gliding centre, where several gliding clubs operate. Terlet is a popular field for glider pilots from all corners of the country and even beyond. Terlet site is located in the beautiful surroundings of the Veluwe, in moorland. The airfield has a cosy restaurant overlooking the glider field. There is always plenty of activity and you can enjoy all the gliders constantly flying to and fro. This will make you feel even more excited about your own flight.

Gliders can soar too

What you might not have known is that a glider can also soar! It works something like this: the sun warms up the earth. The earth in turn warms the air directly above the ground. That warm air rises upwards. Compare it to air bubbles in a glass of cola. Gliders look for these rising air bubbles. Sandy ground, for example, radiates a lot of warm air. By flying above it, the aircraft can climb with the rising air. We call this thermals. So the sport of gliding is to seek out those thermals and fly long and far. Some even go all over Europe competing. Because the glider has no engine, 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 gliding club. Run by volunteers. You'll be surprised how many people it takes to get you gliding. Besides your pilot, you'll need a tiploper, cable rider and winch operator to get your plane into the air and safely back in.

The time has come!

Upon arrival, you will be picked up and taken to the runway. From the take-off area, you will see the glider pilots coming and going. This will get you in the mood!

Start

You will get a brief explanation about gliding. You will then be given a parachute. This is not for safety reasons 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 metres. This goes at an amazing speed. You are pressed well into the back of your seat for a while. The gliding sensation has begun!

Gliding

Once at altitude, the pilot disconnects the cable and the aircraft glides on. The aircraft glides down at about 1 metre per second. If things go well, your pilot finds a nice thermal bubble and you can climb higher and hover longer. Unfortunately, this is not in our control. So it could be that with about 10 minutes or so, you will also have floated down again.

Tip

Prefer to learn to glide? Then take a look at the introduction day gliding Terlet. Then you have a full-day programme with morning briefing, 3 take-offs and instruction. Here you will learn the basics of gliding. Finally, it is also slightly cheaper than 3 separate takeoffs.