It’s the purest species of flight there is – at least for humble humankind. It’s the sailplane, the glorious glider. Fly in one of these graceful aircraft just once and you’re hooked: no engine sound, no distractions.
To whet your appetite for unfettered flight (there is gravity, of course) here are a trio of places that can take you up for the ride of your life, or teach you how to solo. We’ll focus on the US west, site of some of the planet’s premier soaring.
There’s no Rocky Mountain high quite like this one. Mile High Gliding will give you an eagle’s-eye view of the natural wonder. Best way to begin is with a $209 introductory lesson. You get two hours of one-on-one with a flight instructor in a Schweizer 2-33 training glider.
Soar near the sublime Sierra Nevada’s, out of Lake Tahoe, with Soar Truckee. Take the Tahoe Vista trip for starts. You and a pilot share the beauty of silent flight over some of the most majestic topography on the planet, with brilliantly blue Lake Tahoe off in the distance. This is about a 20 to 30 minute ride, and it will run you $200. It’s doubtful any dinner for two you buy at the same price will be half as memorable. The tow plane releases you at 3,500 feet over Brockway pass. Out the windscreen unfolds the northern rim of Tahoe, bedazzling blue.
New Mexico is one of the best places in the west to soar. Head to New Mexico and let the folks at Sundance Aviation show you how it’s done. They’re located some 30 minutes east of Albuquerque. Book a High Performance flight, a 30-minute affair that lets you take the controls of the sailplane – but only if you wish. This ride will cost $140.
From whichever western airport you take wing, watch for the birds of prey, the eagles, hawks and such as they jockey for the perfect thermal. Follow them. They know where the best air is – the lift-bestowing, life-giving warm air that lets you soar above it all.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Sundance Aviation)
