I’ve jumped (and sort of fallen) out of light aeroplanes, but always with a parachute, I’ve jumped of the top of hills holding onto an aluminium frame attached it a sail, and I’ve flown gliders. For sheer adrenaline I don’t think you can beat skydiving (though wing suit flying looks kind off fun) but the satisfaction of a successful soaring flight in a glider beats every other ‘extreme’ sport I’ve ever done. You get launched into the sky and released at a set high1 and you know the default average glide to earth time. Every minute over that time is down to you using your knowledge and the gliders tech to beat gravity. Taking a glider to 10000 ft just using the air,currents and your ability to read them is stupendous. It’s the most glorious use of time in the world.
I stopped flying when the first of our children was born because it’s not a sport that is conducive to family life and budget2. You have to stay current to be allowed to fly solo, and once you are on an airfield it is very difficult to leave. Maybe a project for my new future, but first I’m going to have to get down to a reasonable flying weight.
1. About 1200ft for a good winch launch with a glide back time of about 5 minutes. An aero tow is typically 2000 to 2500 with glide back time wing about 12 minutes or so. Aero rows were about three times the cost of a winch launch, but had a much better chance of ‘getting away’. But the real advantage to aero tows was when an air condition known as ‘wave’ was occurring you could be towed to a good point for release. But you needed deep pockets to do so.
2. Sport gliding is one of those unusual hobbies that get cheaper the better you get. This is because your launch fee is the expensive part and you have,to pay that regardless of you using your own or a club glider. But if you’re good, then you only need one launch a day and you can have almost as much flying as you want. If you are learning or doing drills then you’ll have two,or three launches a day and not as much air time.
