Gliding In Surrey

Product Description

Experience the delights of silent flight with a session of gliding in Surrey! Ride the thermals & take in the picturesque local sights of the towns & cities in amongst the fields throughout the area of Surrey. Conveniently placed inside the M25 & with easy access from London we think this gliding school is a perfect choice for those in the capital & the southern counties.

Gliders soar using the same air currents that birds use to fly. The first successful piloted glider flight was way back in 1891 by German brothers Otto & Gustav Lilental & at the beginning of the 20th century the Wright brothers designed & flew many gliders. Nowadays experienced cross country pilots at this gliding airfield in Surrey have achieved flight distances of more than 600 miles & achieved heights of nearly 40 000 feet.

Aerotows & winches are the most popular launch methods used by glider schools. This gliding club at Kenley offers winch launches which involves being attached to a wincher with a long reel of wire. You & your qualified instructor will be taken to heights of up to about 1000ft & when the cable is pulled in the glider gets the speed to fly before the cable is released & you soar the skies piloting the plane under expert supervision.

The club is at the historic Kenley Aerodrome which was opened in 1917 as a fighter squadron base & it has to be said the airfield is bursting with history
- including Hurricane & Spitfire missions departing day & night during WW2 to its complete ruin under enemy fire. Things are thankfully a lot calmer today. The Surrey airfield now plays host to the only gliding club within the M25 & is also home to the Volunteer Gliding School for Air Cadets Flight training. No more murmur of Merlin engines just the sound of the winches as you launch off in either the slender winged & streamlined body Grob or Schleicher two seater dual-control gliding trainer planes.

It's up to you whether you choose two or four launches for your gliding. Surrey from the air is bound to take your breath away & we think this is a truly uplifting sensation as you get airborne without the noise of a propellor or motor. You’ll be soaring the skies catching the thermals & exploring the sights of Kenley & the surrounding Surrey countryside from a rare birds eye view for the the ultimate free flying experience.