Familiarisation day gliding Terlet

Introduction

Are you curious about the world of gliding and considering getting your licence? This introduction day is the perfect opportunity to discover what gliding is all about and to get to know the gliding club! During this introduction day, you will fly no less than 3 times.

What will you do?

Before you travel to the location, we will ask you to go through a bit of theory about gliding. Upon arrival, you will start the morning briefing. This is how gliding is always started. Weather conditions, flight planning and all other relevant things for the day are gone over. Then you will have a short theory lesson. You discuss the programme for the day and get ready for the aircraft inspection. You help with preparations for the flying day.

After the explanation by the pilot, you board the plane, sitting back to back. You do the final checks together and make your first take-off. The winch will pull you up to an altitude of (usually) between 350 and 450 metres. You get to put your feet on the pedals and experience what the pilot is doing. Once you are at the top and the aircraft is disconnected, you are also allowed to keep your fingers on the stick. On the first flight, it's mainly getting used to, looking around, enjoying taking pictures and asking questions. Depending on the flight time (is it thermal or not), in the following flights you can, if you wish, also fly a bit straight ahead yourself and make your first gentle turns, of course under the guidance of the pilot who always remains "in command". You will only hear the whirring of the wind so you will be able to understand the pilot well when he explains to you about the plane, flying and the environment.

Between flights, there is plenty of time for all your questions. There is a briefing before each flight and a debriefing after each flight. You will also discover the club life of the gliding club and test whether this world is for you. Who knows, maybe this is a nice stepping stone to a multi-day course or even the entire glider pilot training?

At the end of the afternoon, your day is over. You discuss the day and there is ample opportunity to ask all your questions. If you like, you can stay and chat afterwards with the rest of the crew. It's nice to meet them and you will find that there are always plenty of great stories to tell.

Location

The course is held at Terlet airfield, near Arnhem. Terlet is home to the national gliding centre, where several gliding clubs operate. Terlet is a popular field for glider pilots from all corners of the country and even beyond. Terlet site is located in the beautiful surroundings of the Veluwe, in moorland. The airfield has a cosy restaurant overlooking the glider field. There is always plenty of activity and you can enjoy all the gliders constantly flying to and fro. This will make you feel even more excited about your own flight.

During the introduction day, you will discover not only how much fun it is to fly a glider yourself, but also how friendly the team is among themselves. You might not expect it, but gliding is a real team sport. You'll be surprised how many people it takes to get you gliding. In addition to the pilot, you need, for example, a tiploper, cable rider and winch operator to get your plane into the air and safely back in.

Included

• 3 winch starts
• extensive guidance

Multi-day courses and full training

The courses are a good introduction to learning to glide. Multi-day courses and full training are also available. Here, the teaching hours count towards the hours required for your licence. You will then work towards obtaining your LAPL(S); Light Aircraft Pilot Licence Sailplane. This allows you to fly solo in a glider. This allows you to glide throughout Europe. Want to know more about the multi-day courses or getting your LAPL(S)? Ask us about the possibilities.