How a glider works

An explanation as to how gliders work for non-glider pilots

[axonnus]

Very well made video, congratulations! This one stands out particularly through the professional manner in which everything was presented by your speaker. The footage is also fantastic.

[katsiashalmanava]

Thank you so much for the comprehensive information. I've been dreaming of gliders since the August 2003.

[chrismenza]

I died when she said the most common question I get is "did the wind stop?" Lol, I know nothing about gliders and yet I still understood the simple concepts of how they work before she started to even describe them.

[scottlewisparsons]

I knew a New Zealander who flew spitfires in ww2 who got his engine shot up over France at about twenty thousand feet, he glided about seventy miles back to England. Strangely enough he became a gliding instructor. He also flew Viscounts.

[peterdavis]

When I was learning to fly gliders way back in the 1960s, I would often get asked by friends, "But what happens when the wind stops?" My stock reply was always, "Simple--you crash and burn."

[sebbers]

Very into aviation (part of air cadets :D) and found this very helpful, took some notes and learnt some new words, and important stuff like how to gain lift from a lenticular cloud, in which when using wave lift you fly underneath the flat looking cloud and gently gain altitude. Thank you! Hopefully after this pandemic is over I will be able to start lessons at deeside scotland. I'm 13 and hope to go solo as soon as possible.

[patpathinayake]

Absolutely lovey informative video with relevant technical terminology. Fantastically explained with surgical precision. Looking forward to seeing more videos. Thank you very much. Best of luck.

[yourfavoritejaz]

I'm in school to be an aviation maintenance technician. Came here out of curiosity while studying. This was perfect. Thank you.

[danburns]

Great video, easy to follow and you made it simple enough for us to understand. Thank you. I did want to see and know how a glider gets up in the air to glide.

[PanicAttackRecovery]

Good video and helpful explanations about gliding

[FlowcastYT]

This is the best explanation I've ever heard well done!

[EleanorPeterson]

Wyll Surf Air - Hi! Yes, of course you're right; if you arrive just as the cloud finishes forming there'll be no lift at all, and even if you hook up while the air IS still rising, every thermal's surrounded by a tube of descending cold air ready to spoil your day.

At least in a modern glider (with a variable camber wing-section) you can fly through the sink quickly and go hunting for the next up-elevator without losing too much altitude. Those fluffy clouds are still a pretty good guide to what's going on. (And, incidentally, I thought this short video was a good 'taster' for getting people interested in the sport/pastime.)

Tackling iffy conditions is where an experienced pilot will have an advantage over someone still relatively new to gliding. I did most of my flying in England, where the summer skies were usually slate-grey or filled with terrifying black storm anvils, so I was always happy to see any kind of fluffy white cloud - especially if it had a bit of blue sky behind it. Blue sky? Sigh... :-)

[surplusstock]

New to this but love the electric sustainer concept.Seen a guy retrofit a zero motorcycle drive train to a old glider.

[colinconaty]

Anyone else see the UFO behind her head on left side @ 4:06..

[wertbe]

Funny how ideal gliding conditions sometimes completely contrast ideal powered aviation conditions

[vengermanu]

Thanks very much. Just started flying a glider in MSFS2020 and this video came in very handy! :-)

[HaggardPillockHD]

This sounds like an eco-friendly hobby. Problem is that it needs a sunny day - how many of those do we get in the UK? 😑

[pedropaulosantos]

God bless you all at Glider Britain...It is a essential to those to like me on the are in the way to be a
glider pilot...Thank you so much...Hope glider fligths to be so easy as explanations...Great!!!

[lord_scrubington]

"We don't use wind, we use lift"
-Proceeds to explain how they use wind to generate lift-

[steveray]

Thank you for that explanation. well presented.