Twenty years ago I was a glider pilot with a half share in a 15m sailplane but stopped when I moved house to another part of the country. Today I am nearing the end of PPL training and sometimes I do contrast it with gliding which is a much more pure form of flight, my longest flight was over 5 hrs and highest over 21,000 ft. You wear a sailplane, whilst you sit in a light aircraft, and tapping into the energy flows within the atmosphere is very rewarding, the aircraft talks to you and tells you what you need to do to centre a thermal or feel the smooth surge of power when you enter mountain wave, which is similar to the sensation of stepping into a lift. But to pick up on the idea of "crossing the line", my old sailing instructor, many years ago, said "if you don't have the occasional epic you aren't trying hard enough, but if you have an epic every time you go out you are doing something wrong" and that has always worked for me. The other day on my QXC (a solo qualifying cross country flight) I crossed the line and pushed the limits on flying VFR (visual flight rules) when I should have turned back. I lived to tell the tale but the margins for error were non existent and if the visibility had deteriorated any more I was heading into a field. Not good. And no, this is not relaxing.
I feel I should qualify - and restate - my interest in pushing limits! As a skipper I totally agree you need to skipper within the limits of your crew, weather and the preparedness of your boat. One of my instructors taught me (obviously sensing that I needed it!) that men especially tend to be attracted to the "challenge" of sailing and that this has caused countless marital tensions on passages that should have been about having fun, not battling the elements! I've learned and matured as a skipper, ahem... My reference to survival mode was intended to be more about confronting inner challenges of self mastery. And more about pursuits that enable growth by pushing your limits. Flying and sailing are not the places for developing this, ha ha.
Mines not as bad as some. 1.5l per mile cruising at 25 knots, or @1l per mile at 50 knots or towing a Doughnut. The current engine is a bit old school, very early generation fuel injected Suzuki 2-stroke that sounds like nothing on earth when out of the water, I've a hankering to stick the block in a bike frame when I can afford to upgrade to a newer engine. Basically it's a 2.7l, V6, Fuel injected 2-stroke that produces 200HP at the prop, so @230HP at the flywheel. Nasher.
LOL the title of the thread doesn't mention relaxing,although there are moments,(on your first solo...on solo circuits on a beautiful evening,greasing landing after landing...when flying cross country navigation training etc),that bring moments of bliss...an old fashioned word maybe,but...looking down at the earth from 3500 feet,seeing the traffic on the A1 but you are alone up HERE,where there is no one else,clear view for miles...I'm not one for spirituality,(if there is such a word),but those moments almost made me cry with the sheer unadulterated joy of...being human? I don't know how to describe it. You are always aware you have to fly the aeroplane ,but there are those fleeting ,wonderful moments... *sigh*...I'm not current at the moment,(finance and health),but they are times I will never forget.
That would be some bike! I carry a 2 stroke for the outboard on the dinghy, always reminds me of my RS250 every time I fire it up... including the plume of blue smoke!
I can totally relate to this. I've not done much light aircraft flying, but one memorable trip was from Chile to the Moreno glacier, flying across the Southern Icefields. Magical. Though I was a bit distracted by the pilots' GPS kit not working. They let us hold the wheel for a while (years ago this was), and The feeling of freedom was lovely. I like how @johnv described the glider experience - I must at least do an experience day in a glider... That sense of awe you describe IS spirituality to my way of thinking. Awe at nature and the wonder of it all - like that phenomenon of Astronauts looking down on earth (can't recall the phrase)... it's true same sense you get sailing, in the mountains... One of my favourite authors and thinkers is Joseph Jaworski. His book "Source" was an exploration of where "knowing" comes from. He's a scientifically minded guy, trained as a lawyer originally,and teamed up with Peter Senge at MIT for lots of his leadership work (another spiritual academic). Their simple conclusion: the best way to get in touch with hat sensen of knowing is exposure to nature. He even spent time with red indians on magic mushroom trips... some people have all the fun!
I did a tandem jump and I'm still here amazing amazing I watched the sun setting from above and the quiet is something else
Pick a good thermal day or a wave site in the right conditions. I did the Air Experience Instructor rating just before I moved away and only flew 2x air experience flights, the first was on a not too great day and we were back on the ground about 10 mins after release from the tow plane, standard for a day with little lift, the second flight on another day I contacted wave and as there was no one waiting on the ground for the aircraft we flew for over an hour at up to 12,000 ft over Balmoral Castle on Deeside, the lady didn't want to take control so I just gave her a really scenic flight in silky smooth air, she was ecstatic. I am not in the least bit religious but absolutely agree re the spirituality
How would I judge a good thermal day? Is that cumulus clouds and if so what is best time of year would you say? And what is a wave site?
Thermal below we'll defined regularly spaced cumulus with flat bases from April on. They can cycle where they develop, expand, cut off the sunshine to the surface, cutting off the lift, decay, then open up the surface to more sunshine and the cycle starts again. In a light to moderate breeze they can form in streets where they line up producing long lines of lift. Wave occurs in the lee of hills / mountains when the isobars are parallel and the air relatively stable. The air rises, flows over the mountain, drops down the lee side then rebounds like the surface of a river down stream from a submerged obstruction. This sets up wave lift that can extend 10's of thousands of feet up into the atmosphere and ripple many miles down wind. Lenticular clouds indicate wave lift but it can happen without forming a cloud as can a thermal.
You'd be surprised, when you've done a few and get over the "wtf" moments it's a surreal feeling, very difficult to describe! Almost like trying to explain a colour to a blind man! I'll try though..... there's a feeling of immense freedom and although very noisy you don't hear the wind, it's the ultimate in concentration, so nothing else enters your mind, it's exhilarating and empowering and under canopy very serene
I have flown a paraglider up to 3000' in ridge lift so can understand the canopy bit but the free fall would be something else.
I suppose you are literally staring death in the face before pulling the release and that has to concentrate the mind.
Are there any particular places in UK that are regarded as better/more reliable places for gliding? South coast would be ideal of course. THanks for the explanation.
Free fall through clouds on a sunny day....it just doesn't get any better! Video shot in the UK mostly jumping over Salisbury plain with some military chaps, I have very fond memories
Being in 'partial' control of someone else's 200k 2year old race horse would probably rank as an adrenaline rush but as for peace then no ! Prefer to be down the allotment [emoji6] Bloody loved being paid to do what I was passionate about [emoji106]
I think it was Confucius that said "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" And if it wasn't him then I'll take credit for it
In answer to the original question -exercise keeps me sane. When you're trying to deadlift a heavy weight you can't really think of much other that the weight. I used to do Brazilian jiu jitsu and Muay Thai, and that's similar - the combination and thread, difficulty, and physical exertion are great for forgetting about everyday problems. Surfing is great for it, but who's got the time?
Coo... Some regular fucking Jackie chan shiiiiitttt going on this thread! I salute you! (otherwise I think I'd be getting a fresh one!) Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
