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beige_alertI went out to Sylvania Soaring Adventures in Beloit, Wisconsin and took a ride in a sailplane today. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent nearly an hour aloft in a Lark I.S. 28 B2 after a tow to one mile above the ground behind the usual Piper Pawnee. The view of the ground from a few thousand feet is wonderful. There were some good thermals but overall the activity was a bit spotty and the pilot had a hard time staying in good lift, though we did do some good climbing early in the flight. It is just amazing to be in a fairly steep bank, pulling noticeable G, whistling along, and climbing. Every time the variometer showed us climbing for any length of time it brought an even bigger grin to my face. To use the immortal words of Adam Savage of Mythbusters, I’m going to need a grinectomy.
It is a roller coaster ride. All that bumpiness that is just a pain in a powered plane is lift for a sailplane. It’s still bumpy, but at least you’re getting lift from the bumps. Sometimes we’d be just flying along and climbing rather than descending. There were times we were climbing 700+ feet per minute, in a tight turn, getting bumped around by the thermal. If you are prone to motion sickness, it might not be the ride for you, but I’m a pretty big nut and I liked it. I did get to do some flying. It took a while to even begin to get used to how sensitive it is and to avoid oscillating around chasing the aircraft, but I was eventually able to fly kind of straight and level and do a decent gentle turn.
Sylvania moved a while back, and now operates out of and owns Beloit Airport (44C), just outside of Beloit, WI. It is a small field with a single 3300 foot paved runway (07/25), plus the grass alongside the pavement is used by the gliders. It’s a very friendly environment. They have a little porch outside the office where you can sit and watch the activity. Spectators are welcome. My ride, which was the deluxe version with a tow to a mile altitude, cost me $156.45 with tax. Shorter rides starting at lower altitudes are less. The people there are nice as can be. If this is the sort of thing you’d like to try and you live anywhere near Beloit, Sylvania is the place to go.
I have a photo set up on Flickr. The aerial photos there were all taken through the open vent window on the left side of the canopy. The view through the canopy is great but the reflections make for lousy photos.
It is a roller coaster ride. All that bumpiness that is just a pain in a powered plane is lift for a sailplane. It’s still bumpy, but at least you’re getting lift from the bumps. Sometimes we’d be just flying along and climbing rather than descending. There were times we were climbing 700+ feet per minute, in a tight turn, getting bumped around by the thermal. If you are prone to motion sickness, it might not be the ride for you, but I’m a pretty big nut and I liked it. I did get to do some flying. It took a while to even begin to get used to how sensitive it is and to avoid oscillating around chasing the aircraft, but I was eventually able to fly kind of straight and level and do a decent gentle turn.
Sylvania moved a while back, and now operates out of and owns Beloit Airport (44C), just outside of Beloit, WI. It is a small field with a single 3300 foot paved runway (07/25), plus the grass alongside the pavement is used by the gliders. It’s a very friendly environment. They have a little porch outside the office where you can sit and watch the activity. Spectators are welcome. My ride, which was the deluxe version with a tow to a mile altitude, cost me $156.45 with tax. Shorter rides starting at lower altitudes are less. The people there are nice as can be. If this is the sort of thing you’d like to try and you live anywhere near Beloit, Sylvania is the place to go.
I have a photo set up on Flickr. The aerial photos there were all taken through the open vent window on the left side of the canopy. The view through the canopy is great but the reflections make for lousy photos.
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first flight
Date: 2005-08-07 04:54 pm (UTC)i will take a look at your fotos.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-08 08:22 am (UTC)