In article ,
(TravelMan) wrote:

I'll be taking my first glider ride this week (not soaring, just
gliding) and was wanting a description of what to expect. I've never
flown in anything but a passenger jet, so that's my only frame of
reference. We'll be using an ASK 21 model. I've been told gliding is
like floating down with no sound, but that sounds too easy. What is
the turbulence like? Is it shaky at all? Cold up there? How safe are
the newer gliders? Thanks for any info on what to expect, it is
appreciated.

There is wind noise. Very little at the slowest speeds (40 or 45
knots), a roaring gale above 100 knots. At a normal ASK21 cuise speed
of 60 knots it's proabbly comparable to being in a modern jet.
Certainly much quieter than a Cessna, but hardly "silent".

Turbulence: most good soaring days it is similar to driving in a car on
a not quite perfect freeway with your eyes closed. The main problem is
that it's not easy to predict when there will be a bump -- other than
the obvious such as flying over a ridge.

Temperatu unless you're going to go really high, wear whatever you'd
wear on the ground when standing in the sun in a spot sheltered from the
wind. If in doubt, err slightly on the side of not wearing enough. It
gets warm under that big perspex canopy and being too hot is far worse
than being a little too cold. In winter conditions (NZ winter, which
means temps in the 40s) I'll often be wearing a wind breaker jacket
while getting organized on the ground, and then take it off when I get
in the glider and just wear a tee shirt.

Safety: the ASK21 is an extremely safe glider. Extremely strong and
easy to fly. I'd worry about the person flying the glider, not about
the glider.


I'm not an instructor but I've taken about three dozen friends and
relatives for their first glider flights. The big thing that surprises
everyone is how tightly a glider can turn (and the bank angles). The
next biggest surprise for a lot of people is that they feel much more
"secure" than they expected to.

Enjoy your flight!

--
Bruce | 41.1670S | \ spoken | -+-
Hoult | 174.8263E | /\ here. | ----------O----------