How long does it take to learn to fly a glider?
This depends upon several key factors, such as age, aptitude, previous experience and how often you can fly to make steady progress.
Most launches will be by an aerotow, but there are opportunities to also learn to fly from a winch launch.
To go solo, a student must be able to consistently demonstrate to their instructor that they are safe to fly on their own by showing that they have:
- Good coordination and control of the glider throughout all phases of flight,
- Good circuit planning – including landing from out of position locations
- Sensible decision making when under pressure
- Good judgement of height & distance
It normally takes between 50 – 100 flights to go solo, but some students may learn much faster and others take longer. Some may find it too challenging and may never reach the standard needed to fly by themselves, however, they can always fly with an instructor, which is perfectly fine, as this is a wonderful sport for all skill levels to enjoy.
