Thanks to the many existing clubs throughout the country, to commercial operations, and to shared ownership of sailplanes, you can get involved relatively inexpensively. From the time of your introductory lesson (approximately $50 including sailplane rental, towplane service, and professional instructor) until your first solo, you'll invest approximately $1200. (Prices will vary across the country.) About the same additional amount gets you a private license (about half that if you're already a power pilot.) You go at your own speed and although some people take only two or three lessons a month, it is quite possible to go from start to solo within a 2 week vacation.
Many informative books on soaring are available from us or the Soaring Society of America, and there are ground schools to help you pass the FAA exams. If you join a club, you may find that some of the members are instructors and qualify to give you instruction. We can frequently help make it easier on your pocketbook by offering their services at a discount if you purchase "blocktime".
You'll find that soaring is a highly individual sport offering many satifisfactions to people with all kinds of interests. You may like it because of the opportunity it gives you to rise above your earthbound problems, to see the earth from an entirely new perspective. Or you may like the challenge of pitting your skill against mother nature, trying to capture with your slender wings enough of her energy to keep you aloft all day, or to travel two or three hundred miles and return home before nightfall.
For some people, soaring combines the thrills - and more - of sailing, surfing, and skiing. Some like the intense, highly organized competition in regional, national, and international contests. Some like to compete against themselves in the pursuit of internationally recognized achievement awards. Many like the camaraderie involving other soaring people who "gaggle" together for soaring camps, fly-ins, and other flying oriented social activities. Each pilot has a unique reason for soaring but all enjoy the magnificence of the clouds, the sky, the landscape below and the joy of simply flying like a bird.
Soaring is a stimulating learning experience. As you progress, you'll be sharpening your coordination and judgment, your knowledge of weather and your ability to safely plan and prepare for increasingly challenging flights. In time, you'll discover the thrill of heading out on a cross-country flight to a land at an airport, on a country lane, or in a farmer's field.
You'll learn to "ridge soar", extracting energy from an up-slope wind; you'll learn to "thermal" on rising columns of air to the base of clouds thousands of feet above; you'll experience the incredible thrill of flying the "wave", perhaps even challenging the world's altitude record of over 49,000 feet. You'll learn how to wear an oxygen mask, how to communicate on VHF radio, how to land in a field other than an airport, and how to take your "bird" apart to be safely stowed in a trailer for the drive home.
You'll discover that soaring never grows stale; that no two flight are ever the same. The endless variety of weather conditions and the ever changing clouds and atmosphere make each flight a totally new experience.
There's more, but there isn't room to say it here. What do you do next? We suggest that you become a member of the Soaring Society of America. It's one of the best sources of information and help for the beginner and experienced pilot. Membership in the SSA entitles you to many benefits, including the colorful, informative, monthly publication SOARING. We support you with professional representation and act as liaison with governmental agencies (FCC, FAA, ect..). Your membership supports the SAA's efforts to preserve airspace and the flying rights for soaring pilots.
