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Why Somerset suits a first flight

Somerset has a quiet sort of flying. Between the Quantock Hills, the Blackdowns, the Mendips and the long shoulder of Exmoor, there is a ring of open farmland and gentle ridgelines that suits unpowered aircraft rather well. The airspace above Taunton and the surrounding levels is comparatively free of controlled zones, and that matters more than most newcomers expect — fewer restrictions mean a training flight can wander and explore instead of hugging the circuit.

The weather helps too. By mid-morning on a sunny summer day, cumulus clouds start bubbling up over the moors and levels, marking the rising air that gliders live on. In winter, a steady westerly pouring over the hills gives lift with no sun required at all. Whatever the season, most people living in or around Taunton are within an hour's drive of a grass gliding field.

What actually happens on your first visit

Gliding is weather-led, so clubs tend to start early when the forecast looks promising. Arrive by mid-morning, dress for a day outdoors, and expect to be put to work. After signing in and a short safety briefing, a visitor is usually paired with an instructor, given a logbook, and slotted into the launch queue.

Between flights, everyone mucks in. That means pushing gliders back to the line, holding a wingtip level as the wind tries to lift it, hooking the cable onto the release, and driving the retrieve vehicle to bring the cable back after a launch. This is not an optional extra bolted onto the day — it is the culture, and it is why a gliding club feels like a club rather than a service. You will learn more about how a glider behaves by handling one on the ground than you might imagine.

Winch launches, aerotows and the climb

There are two ways up, and most Somerset clubs rely chiefly on the first.

• Winch launch — a powerful engine at the far end of the field hauls a steel cable in, and you accelerate to around 60–70 mph in a few seconds before rotating into a steep climb. The cable releases automatically at roughly 1,000 to 1,500 feet. It is quick, inexpensive, and far calmer than it looks from the ground.
• Aerotow — a light powered aircraft tows you up to 2,000 feet or more behind it. The climb is gentler and longer, the cost higher, and it is often used when the wind direction makes a winch launch awkward or when a longer flight is planned.

Either way, expect to have your hands on the controls almost immediately. Most instructors hand over during or just after the launch, once you are climbing and the workload has settled. The briefing beforehand covers the effects of controls, look-out, the launch failure drill, and how the circuit is flown — all delivered in plain language, with plenty of time for questions.

Thermals, ridge lift and staying airborne

A glider has no engine, so lift has to come from the atmosphere. The main sources in Somerset are these:

• Thermals — columns of warm air rising from sun-heated ground. Cumulus clouds with flat, crisp bases are the classic marker. Climb rates of two to five knots are normal, and a good thermal can carry you to cloudbase at 3,000–4,500 feet.
• Ridge lift — wind deflected upwards over a hillside. The Quantocks and the northern edge of Exmoor produce reliable lift on a strong westerly or north-westerly, and this works in winter when thermals do not.
• Wave — smooth, often powerful lift in the lee of high ground, capable of carrying gliders to great heights on the right day. It is the least predictable of the three and the most rewarding.

Reading the sky well takes seasons rather than weeks. Nobody expects a beginner to find their own lift; the first flights are about flying the aircraft accurately and safely while an instructor points out what is happening around you.

Learning the craft, from first lesson to first solo

Training is progressive and not especially mysterious. Dual flights with an instructor build up the same skills in roughly the same order: straight and level flight, turns, slow flight, stalls, spinning awareness, launch and landing. Alongside the flying there is ground school — air law, meteorology, navigation, radio procedure and principles of flight — examined in short written papers. Hours are logged in a personal logbook from day one.

Most people reach their first solo somewhere between forty and seventy launches, or ten to twenty hours of instruction, depending on how regularly they fly. After that comes solo soaring, then cross-country flights, and eventually conversion to a single-seat glider. There is no deadline and no pressure; plenty of members fly for years purely for the pleasure of a quiet hour above the levels.

Practical things to sort before you go

• Budget — a trial lesson is usually the cheapest way in. After that, expect a joining fee, an annual subscription, and a charge per launch plus flying time. Winch launches cost a fraction of aerotows, so ask which the club favours.
• Clothing — layered, windproof and comfortable. Sturdy boots for walking across the field, thin gloves for handling cables, sunglasses, sun cream and a hat. Cockpits can be sweltering in July and bitterly cold in February.
• Timing — book a weekday if you want shorter queues and more attention. Weekend slots fill quickly in good weather, and a promising forecast can turn into a day of waiting.
• Cadet and youth schemes — most clubs run subsidised training for younger members, and volunteering on the ground first is a cheap and sociable way to learn the ropes.
• Do a little homework — read up on winch launch failure drills and the basics of soaring beforehand, and tell your instructor you have. It speeds everything along.

The best advice is simply to go, watch a few launches, and let the noise of the cable drum and the quiet afterwards do the persuading.