25.7-2.8

25.7 Glider flying starts 

I started an introductory course including three lessons of flying and weather theory. The first half hour of the first day me and my teacher Janne Asikkala discussed factors that affect the behavior of the plane and why knowing how to read the weather is important. I learned the basic rules of when you can fly and where you can fly with a glider plane; e.g. wind buoyancy and cloud placement in the sky. After that, meanwhile we waited for our turn to get towed to the air, we worked in collaboration with other pilots by helping them prepare their planes for flight and moving them to the runway.

Before we got into the air, we made our own safety check and adjusted the parachutes. This is actually a pretty important skill to know in life and I am glad I learned it. During our time in the air I learned how to read the meters on the plane and tried to get adjusted to the different altitude.

28.7 Flying 

This time I got to try steering the plane. The two controls that one has to master are foot pedals that determine direction and the stick that determines the angle of bank for the plane. It was really hard and during the time I got to try steering, I did not manage to learn the correct technique. As the buoyancy was good, we stayed up in the air for over two hours.

2.8 Flying 

This was the last third of the course, and the day included theory, helping others, assembling a plane that had been broken down and flying for the last time. Assembling the plane required physical strength from all participants, but we managed to build it back together. After that we spent one hour in the air and I got to try steering the plane once more. This time I realized that I had improved my technique, although only slightly. However, I knew that I would probably master the technique if I ever continued glider flying as a hobby. Below: A picture taken of my hometown from the air.