learn
TO FLY
You don’t need any previous flying experience to begin learning with South Wales Gliding Club.
Our qualified volunteer instructors train complete beginners from their first time at the controls through to achieving the full UK Sailplane Pilot Licence (SPL).
Along the way, you will learn to launch, fly and land a glider safely, use rising air to stay airborne and develop the knowledge and judgement needed to become an independent pilot.
From no experience to a full Sailplane Pilot Licence
Becoming a glider pilot
Your training will begin in a two-seat glider with an instructor. You will gradually learn to control the aircraft, launch safely, plan and fly the circuit, approach and land.
As your skills and confidence develop, your instructor will hand over more responsibility until you are ready to fly the glider by yourself.
Your first solo is an extraordinary achievement, but it is not the end of your training. We continue training members beyond solo, developing the soaring, navigation, cross-country and decision-making skills needed to achieve the full Sailplane Pilot Licence.
Instruction is provided by qualified club instructors and there is no separate charge for their time. Members pay for their membership, launches and airtime in club gliders.
Your journey
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Most new trainees begin their journey with one of our experience flights to get a feel of whether gliding is the sport for them.
This involves a flight with one of our qualified pilots, launching to either 2,500 feet or 5,280 feet (one mile!) above ground.
Experience flights include a month of club membership so you can come back and continue your journey and learn more about gliding.
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Flying with our qualified volunteer instructors, you will learn how to launch, control and land the glider safely while developing your knowledge, judgement and airmanship.
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Alongside learning to fly, you will learn how the airfield and club operate. Learning skills on the ground to help launch gliders, retrieve them when they land, handle launch equipment and operate airfield vehicles.
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This is your first big milestone but not where your journey ends. Take command of the glider and complete your first flight without an instructor on board.
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Learn how to use thermals, ridge lift and wave to stay airborne, how to navigate beyond the local area and plan flights safely away from the airfield.
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Complete the required theoretical learning on subjects such as principles of flight, air law, navigation, human performance and pass the the examination.
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Once you have completed your training and built up the necessary experience, you will be ready to take your General Flying Test with a flight examiner who will assess your flying skill level and knowledge.
Upon successful completion, you will be able to apply for your Sailplane Pilot Licence!
Learning as part of a club
South Wales Gliding Club is a community club rather than a commercial flying school. Our instructors, tug pilots, winch drivers and ground crews are all members who volunteer their time for free.
Gliding is a team activity. Every flight depends on people preparing aircraft, operating the launch equipment, keeping the flying log and retrieving gliders after they land. Members help one another to fly and learn the ground roles needed to keep the airfield operating safely.
Training does not take place through fixed, appointment-style lessons. Students should expect to attend regularly and usually spend the day at the airfield, taking part in the operation as well as completing their own flying.
This commitment gives you much more than a series of lessons. You gain practical aviation experience, learn how an airfield works and become part of a community brought together by a shared passion for flight.
