The Summer of Liam Still Pending

The Summer of Liam is off to a rocky start. My first attempt at flying a glider was foiled by heavy winds last Saturday. My friend Sobek, who is a licensed glider pilot, and I showed up at the airfield and put our names on the list to rent one of their two-seater gliders. We were number 10 to get in the air, and after number 9 they had to cancel flights due to 25+ mph gusts.

I did get the chance to talk to some of the pilots, and I'm absolutely fascinated by the dynamics of glider flight. The glider itself only weighs around 300-500 lbs. I could almost lift one by myself. The pilots were explaining thermals, ridge lift, and waves, and how a pilot can use those to stay in the air for hours at a time and travel in excess of a thousand miles without an engine. It's actually pretty similar to surfing, except you can't see the waves. You have to be able to read the clouds and feel the air for potential lift-spots.

So this setback has only strengthened my resolve to try gliding, and I intend to make another trip to the airfield once the weather is more conducive.