Gliding Zeeland

Learn the basics of gliding during 5 flights led by an experienced instructor.

Gliders can also soar

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 right 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; just the whoosh of the wind! Gliding is also a real team sport. You will be welcomed at the gliding club on the day. Run by volunteers. You will be surprised how many people it takes to get you gliding.

Location Midden Zeeland

Gliding over Zeeland is a unique experience. You fly along with the seagulls in the thermals, instantly recognising towns and villages like Middelburg, Goes, Zierikzee, Veere and Arnemuiden. Nowhere is the landscape so varied and recognisable. This small airport has a cosy restaurant by the runway. There is always plenty of activity and you can enjoy all kinds of aircraft continuously flying to and fro. This will make you feel like flying even more.

What will you be doing?

You will be gliding from Midden Zeeland Airport. There are 5 flights with an instructor included in this package. This will give you the chance to learn the basics of gliding. You will be taken through all aspects of gliding.

It's that time!

You start with the briefing. Weather conditions, flight planning and all other relevant things for the day are gone over. Before you fly, you will be given theory on the basics of flying. Then you go to the aircraft for inspection.

And then it's time for the first flight! With a tow plane, you will be pulled up to 500 metres far above the beautiful landscape. With your hands loosely on the controls, you feel what the instructor is doing. Of course, everything goes at a pace you feel comfortable with.

Once at altitude, the instructor disconnects the cable and the aircraft floats further. The device glides down at about 1 metre per second. If things go well, your instructor will find a nice thermal bubble and you can climb higher and hover longer. Unfortunately, this is not in our control. Flights last on average 30 to 60 minutes per flight. After the flights, you will have the opportunity to ask all your questions to the instructor over a drink on the terrace.

You can usually make the flights within a few weeks. For the learning effect, it is good to make the flights in quick succession. Usually you make only 1 flight in a day, but a long flight right away. In the end, you have 2 years to make your 5 flights.

Membership of gliding club

Be careful, because gliding is addictive. After your 5 starts, you will probably want to join the gliding club. We would only love that. When you join the gliding club, instruction and use of the gliders are included in your membership. Both maintenance and instruction are carried out by volunteers within the club. There is also a very enjoyable summer camp in France. Every Saturday there is plenty of space for licensed pilots to fly as much as they want, but instruction days are on Sundays. Sometimes weekday instruction is also possible. We apply a maximum of 3 students per day.