| Glider rides have the potential to change a baby | | | | You cannot run out of gas or have a mechanical |
| boomer's perspective on the world. Riding the thermals | | | | failure and can, in fact, stay up there all day without |
| in a high performance glider can be exhilarating, | | | | need of any ground support, fuel or outside support. |
| especially for first-time participants. The drone of the | | | | There is absolutely nothing like sharing a thermal |
| tow plane as you circle up searching for lifting drafts | | | | updraft with an eagle. |
| of warm air, the blood pounding in your ears, the feeling | | | | Small, local airports often have flying schools or glider |
| in your mid section as your stomach rides up to your | | | | training schools that provide flights for the public. Many |
| throat and the view as your winged craft disengages | | | | glider clubs derive revenue from taking the sightseer |
| and turns in a sweeping half spiral toward the earth | | | | on a flyover of the surrounding countryside and many |
| you just left. You may not be sure about the | | | | people of all ages come back time after time to |
| advisability of an experience like this but it will alter your | | | | experience a very unique and personal perspective on |
| definition of air flight. | | | | more than the ground below. There is no age limit |
| There is something more natural about gliding than | | | | associated with going up in a glider other than the |
| flying on a high powered jetliner full of coughing, crying, | | | | ability to get in and out of the tight quarters of the craft |
| movie-watching, snacking, sleeping, | | | | itself. Many gliders will have a bracket to hold your |
| packed-in-a-cigar-tube, generally bored with the entire | | | | digital camera built in so that all you have to do is push |
| experience, passengers. You feel like you are | | | | down the button to record the fabulous sights through |
| experiencing the sky from a bird's point of view and | | | | the clear canopy. You might find it valuable to be sure |
| are able to see the ground, the rivers and mountains, | | | | you know how to use the movie feature available on |
| hills and valleys with the eye of a participant in life's | | | | most digitals. Most glider pilots that take passengers up |
| adventure. The only sound heard is the air passing | | | | will be skilled at offering information and interesting |
| over the wings which might initially cause concern for | | | | talks on both the mechanics of flying and the |
| safety until you understand the aerodynamics. You are | | | | landscape below. |
| probably safer in a glider than an engine driven airplane. | | | | |