Glider's Evening - 23 June 2005

Of all our social events this year, this was the best one for people booking in advance! Eleven TSAC divers and friends managed to pull ourselves away from the dubious attractions of the English Channel for an evening with our heads well and truly in the clouds!

The weather was kind, and we had a fine sunny evening for our gliding experience, though conditions for gliding we apparently not at their best - not enough thermals or something, and only just enough lift to get the Chairman airborne!

Your flights starts with trying to work out how to put the parachute on without injuring yourself, and then prising yourself into the front seat of the glider, with your toes up in the nose! Behind you sits your instructor, who you trust knows how it all works, and offered the choice of either "having a go at flying it" or him taking you for a slightly more adventurous flight. Once strapped in, the glider is attached to a long length of rope, and a winch, hidden out of site below the skyline, pulls you rapidly forwards and propels you to a height of one thousand feet very quickly, and at an angle of at least 45 degrees! Pleased to say, we all held onto our stomach contents! It's a wonderful experience, though not as quiet as expected, due to the air noise.

Flight lengths varied depending on the conditions, with Adrian & Chris getting the best value for money, being up for some twenty odd minutes. Ian went for the complete roller coaster rid by doing a "loop the loop", as did Adrian, though it took those watching on the ground to confirm this for him - "Well, my stomach went all funny, could see the ground above me, and my face was pulled all over the place!"

All in all a very successful evening, finished off by a bar snack at the local "Keeper's Cottage" pub, where Paul particularly enjoyed his meal, having waited to get it until everyone else had finished theirs!

Andy