I enjoy sailing because it's a sport where you're on a more or less equal level with others: the fact that I'm in a wheelchair makes little difference. I love the freedom of the wind, the endless horizons, the silence.
So perhaps it's not surprising to discover I love gliding. You're on a more or less equal level with others; the fact that I'm in a wheelchair makes little difference and I have the freedom of the wind, endless horizons and silence.
It was a random decision to go. I was feeling restless and wanting to break my weekend routine. A friend had posted on Facebook about gliding so I typed in "disabled gliding" into google to see what my options were. The British Gliding Association lists eleven clubs with accessible facilities, including one about an hour's drive away from me.
I call them on the phone. "Are you flying today?" "Yes, it's good weather and there aren't too many people around. Come along". A short drive through the Wiltshire countryside brings me to the Shalborne Soaring Society and a large, empty field. A sign instructs me to drive around the edge, warning that "under no circumstances should you cross the airfield". Several bumpy minutes later, I see a caravan, a wind-sock, several cars and three gliders. The clubhouse is an old bus with a ramp, tables and a kettle. A brief bit of form filling and then a parachute is strapped onto my back and I'm wheeling across the field with an instructor. There's no hoist, so I'm lifted out of my chair and lowered into the front of the two seater glider with its dual controls: I'm going flying!
I thought gliders had to be launched by motor powered aeroplanes. This is the so-called "aerotow launch": the glider is pulled up by a light aircraft with a strong rope which is released when you reach the required height. But it turns out a "winch launch" is far more common. This involves being attached to a winch with a long reel of wire. When the wire gets pulled in, the glider gets the speed to fly into the air like a kite. When you are airborne and almost overhead the winch, you release the cable. This is what they have at Shalborne.
The acceleration is faster than a sports car: 0-60mph in three seconds. It's a strange experience, rushing over the grass and then climbing at a steep angle with no sound other than the wind over the wings. The views are extraordinary - with a crystal clear cockpit, I can see miles over the country. It's incredibly beautiful, and incredibly calming.
Then I'm flying: "you have control", says my instructor. As it's a trial flight, I'm not expected to use the rudder (hand-controlled in an adapted glider, in contrast to the usual foot operation), only the joystick. Move it left and the glider banks to the left; right and you go right; down and as the nose tilts down, you accelerate, up - well, you can guess. The glider is amazingly responsive and it only takes slight movements to get a reaction. We swoop across green fields at some sixty miles an hour and I could stay up here for ever but all too soon the instructor takes control to bring us into land. A gentle bump, a rush across the field and then a car tows us back to the launch point for another flight.
So, two flights of ten minutes for £69. This buys me membership of the club for a month and I can return whenever I wish during the month for more flights. These will cost £8 for the launch and then 25p per minute of flying. It's far cheaper than I'd expected and far easier than I'd imagined. The next stage is to work toward flying solo. I'm hooked.
