Cambridge Gliding Centre offers
trial lessons to non-members whenever we are operating. Come along
and join us for a morning or afternoon learning how to fly, or even make a day of it
and bring the whole family.
Learn how to fly a glider!
We can get very busy so we recommend that you book in advance. We also suggest that you contact the Club before leaving home to confirm that we are flying and that a glider and instructor will be available for you. Rain, high winds and poor visibility can restrict our activities.
We provide two ways of getting airborne. You can either be launched by a winch or towed up behind a light aircraft. Both offer a fantastic experience. Once you are airborne your instructor will demonstrate the use of the controls, and show you how a glider flies. You will be encouraged to handle the controls as much as possible during this first flight.
On arrival at the airfield, go to the clubhouse office where you will be welcomed and asked to complete the necessary paperwork, which includes a declaration that you are fit to fly. With the paperwork over you will receive a short safety briefing and then be taken to the launch point and introduced to an Instructor or the Launch Marshall. The latter is responsible for the efficient running of the launch point – they will also ensure that you go gliding!
Your instructor will make your experience as pleasurable as possible: If you have an aerotow you could ask to experience a loop although it is certainly not mandatory! Click on the video below to see a Radio Cambridge reporter enjoying the experience:
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Gift vouchers
We offer gift voucher packages which will provide the experience of a lifetime. All the following will include a thorough safety briefing before your flight or flights.
Take a single experience flight with our highly experienced instructors. The Glider will be towed to a height of 2000 feet and these flights can be taken either midweek or at weekends. - £97.00
Take a single experience flight with our highly experienced instructors. The Glider will be towed to a height of 3000 feet and these flights can be taken either midweek or at weekends. - £110.00
Take three Aerotow flights with one of our mid-week top professional instructors. You also receive a free copy of the ‘From Passenger to Pilot’ book on Gliding. Premier Experience days are available from Monday to Friday. - £205.00
Each of the above flights can be taken at weekends throughout the year, and on weekdays during our summer season from April to September.
Gliding tokens
You can by a token for any value from £99. This can be used towards the cost of flight training, membership and our non-member flexible training package.
BUY ONLINE
You can place your order for a Gift Voucher online using our secure payment system.
Courses
Evening flying
Groups or organisations, particularly those in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire can take advantage of our evening trial instructional flight programme which runs from early April to end September. Between 10 and 25 people can come and have an evening's flying with exclusive use of one or more 2 seater gliders and, of course, qualified instructors to go with them! Launches are by winch only and a typical flight lasts 8 minutes. Clubhouse facilities are made available for self-catering by these groups or, by special arrangement, a barbecue can be provided.
These evenings, which the club has been running successfully for many years, are very popular and so can become oversubscribed very quickly.
Cost
A deposit of £50 per group is payable on booking. First flight costs £25 whilst second and subsequent flights are half price.
Some things that would prevent you from attending a course:
- You are under 12 years old.
- You weigh over 104Kg (230lbs).
- You are subject to sudden disabling health attacks such as epilepsy. If you satisfy the medical requirements for a normal UK driving licence
you will be fine.
Payment
Payment may be made by cash, cheque or credit card (Visa or Mastercard)
in the office. Credit card payments will be accepted by telephone.
Pilot training is delivered by British Gliding Association approved instructors
The "small print"
We try to avoid "small print", however we have to remind prospective pilots that gliding is UK weather dependent and subject, on occasions, to other operational restrictions. Where flights cannot be taken on the intended day a fresh booking will be willingly offered without any penalty.
However if an alternative date is not possible for your reasons a refund will normally be possible subject to a handling charge of 15% of the voucher face value.