There was no time for vertigo recently, as we took to the sky to take a look at the countryside surrounding Alford and Louth from the eerily quiet comfort of a glider… courtesy of one of the county’s most established gliding clubs

Without wishing to sound disrespectful, there was something distinctly unsophisticated about our recent glider flight with the Lincolnshire Glider Club. That’s not to say it was worrying, nor scary… at least not too scary… nor that we ever felt concerned for our safety, but there’s something extraordinary about floating through the sky with no method of propulsion, something curious about the genteel nature of gliding that’s a world away from powered flight. Somehow, it’s a purer, more natural form of flying.

Arriving at Strubby Airfield on an overcast morning, we met some of the club’s 35 members, being introduced to Chairman Bert Barker, who would provide us with our first taste of gliding experience, too, by many who turn up at the airfield for an en-spec flight when the club meets up on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and in the evening during summer months.

The club was originally formed by members of RAF Swinderby and was based at Bardney until 1978 whereupon they moved to their current location on a vast stretch of airfield flanked on each side by Louth and Alford. Taking me on a tour of their four aircraft before our flight, which would see us climb over 1,000ft to take some aerial shots of the countryside surrounding us, Bert explained that the group is registered as a company belonging to each of its members, and makes no profit, choosing instead to plough all of the money they make from offering pleasure flights back into the community via flights for disadvantaged children across the county, schools and other such groups.

“It makes sense.” Says Bert. “It gives us a reason to fly, and it’s twice the pleasure for us being able to both get up in the air and being able to see the excited faces of the kids who have never experienced anything like it before!”

The group has two-two seat K13 gliders, plus a K8 Astir model all made by Schleicher, as well as a single seater Astir glass fire aircraft. For the purposes of pleasure flights, the pilot sits to the rear of the craft, making for an unsurpassed view from over a thousand feet in the air.