Making the Pre-Flight Checklist for a Glider Flight

Series Summary

Soaring through the sky in an unpowered aircraft, dependent on nothing but the conditions of the air around you may sound terrifying to some, but just as sailboats harness the wind for propulsion, gliders and sailplanes can give you a feeling of freedom and connection with the natural world you won't get with a motorized craft. Glider designs have been dated as far back as the 5th century BC by Lu Ban, although the modern sport of gliding evolved in the 1930s. Successful glider flight is determined primarily by weather and hot swells of air which rise from the planet's surface called thermals. In this series of free videos you'll get expert advice from a glider flight instructor on what it takes to pilot a glider or sailplane. Gene Franklin takes you along on a flight, demonstrating the pre-flight checklist and the universal hand signals used by glider pilots around the globe, how to take off and detach from the tow plane, and how to make various flying maneuvers once you're airborne. Gene shows you how to determine your airspeed, wind speed, and set your barometric gage, deal with g-forces and stalls, and how to find and use thermals to fuel your unpowered aircraft. He also offers tips on formation flying and competition flying, how to obtain your student license, as well as how to tow your glider with your vehicle.

Video Transcript

"We're going to talk a little bit about preflight in an airplane. The first thing student learns is make sure that the airplane has no problem before we go up and fly in it. We're looking and nuts and bolts. We're looking at movement of controls. We're looking at tire inflation. We're looking at all the things that might go wrong on an airplane that will make it unworthy for flights. Our first goal is to make sure we've got a safe airplane before we go up and fly it."