(cont)

The cockpit comprises an array of instruments including compasses and altimeters, but controls are limited to just a joystick  which controls the ailerons situated on the trailing edge of the wings and the elevator which is on the rear of the aircraft along with the rudder used in a co-ordinated  manner to control where the aircraft goes.

Learning how to control the aircraft whilst in the air was fascinating, but I was more intrigued as to how the aircraft, with no engines, rotor blades or propellers, was to become airborne in the first place. To answer my question, I was provided with a parachute, given a quick safety lesson and strapped into our two seater glider overlooked by other members of the club. Once the cockpit was secured, the aircraft was connected via a tensile steel cable at the far end of the airfield some three quarters of a mile away to a diesel powered winch, which took up the slack whilst I shuffled uncomfortably in the cabin. A short shower has passed and yielded a beautifully sunny blue sky with a smooth layer of alto cumulus clouds at around 20,000 feet, with stratocumulus clouds below these. Though misty on the horizon Bert assured me we would enjoy some superb views.

Once the slack of the cable was taken up, the winch would give a long, hard drag on the tensile cable and would drag the glider along the bumpy airfield at a rate of over 60 knots – roughly 70 miles per hour – whereupon the air under the wings would lift us up.

Nothing can quite prepare you for that breathtaking moment when the glider suddenly blasts up into the sky. It seems crude when compared to the brute power of a jet engine, but it’s far more efficient, causing us to climb at the phenomenal angle of over 40º. Our ascent was particularly impressive as we reached over 1,700ft, but the eerie unfussed silence didn’t seem to make sense, given the power and speed of our incline.

Once up in the air, the cable disconnects from the glider with a clunk, and at this point, the flight is completely silent. The phrase bird’s eye view is often used, but gliding is most akin to this given the silence; it seems so natural to be in the air when not surrounded by the noise of an engine, especially as the glider seems to be moving through the air so slowly.

The ratio of descent is a key determinant of a good glider – our craft had a ratio of 26:1 meaning we were covering around 30ft for every