Competitions

If it's relaxation you're looking for, cross country flying can be an enjoyable float across the countryside. Alternatively, you can go for the challenge of entering a competition against up to 50 other pilots. Competition flying involves a task of up to 500km(or even more on really good days) being set in the morning. Once the weather has got good enough for the gliders to stay up then they are launched. The aim is to get around the task as quickly as possible. The person with the fastest time is the winner.

There are various classes that a pilot can enter depending on what type of glider he/she is flying. The Club Class, in which the gliders are handicapped, allows gliders that are worth less than a clapped out Ford Fiesta to compete very successfully against the Bugatti Veyrons of the sky.

However it is not all about the flying. Competitions are a fantastic way of socialising and sharing flying stories.