• view out of cockpit
  • view from cockpit
  • view from backseat
  • Josh and Mum
  • Peter and Daughter
  • garrett and student

3 Easy Steps to Start Earning your Glider Pilot Wings

01Take an Air Experience Flight.  You can book it right now here  book now

02Join the Gliding Federation of Australia (GFA).  If you’ve already enjoyed an Air Experience Flight  or you’re sure you’re ready to commit

To join the GFA you will need to use the GFA online membership system “GoMembership”. You can join here

GFA Membership 

To be a flying member of GFA you must also have a medical certificate, which is commonly as simple as a self declaration, but you should check the full requirements here

Medical Certificate

If you are a student pilot, you will also need to:  Download and print

  • while signing up for GFA membership, purchase the “Starter Pack” option which includes a gliding specific printed Logbook and Training Record
  • download and print, or purchase printed copies of “Australian Gliding Knowledge” and “Daily Inspectors Handbook”  

 

03Join Caboolture Gliding Club (CGC)

To join the Caboolture Gliding Club, you will need sign up using our online membership system

CGC Membership

Your membership will show as “Pending” until payment is received, and the committee has an opportunity to approve your membership.

You can also join at the club flight line on any flying day (call 0418 713 903 to arrange your visit prior). Make sure to bring your GFA membership number, then fill in the club membership application form which the duty crew can give you - they can also arrange a proposer and seconder. Then pay the applicable membership fees (credit card is easiest) and start flying as a trainee member right away!

You must be a current member of the GFA and an affiliated club to fly gliders in Australia

Membership and Flying fees (from 1st May 2021)

Membership

There are no age restrictions for members of the Caboolture Gliding Club, however pilots are not permitted to fly solo prior to their 15th birthday. The membership fee structure covers Club requirements as well as compulsory membership of the Gliding Federation of Australia.

Membership Responsibilities

Caboolture Gliding Club is a volunteer organization run by its members, so being a member of Caboolture Gliding Club comes with the responsibility to participate as a volunteer in the running of the club. For all members this means on days on which you are planning to fly, you are expected to come for the day and assist with operations including 

  • preparing the gliders for the days flying in the morning,
  • packing away gliders at the end of the day, and
  • in between helping with operations in any way in which you are qualified.

It is understood that due to personal schedules it may not always be possible to be present at both the start and end of the day, but you should whenever possible.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the club on 0418 713 903 to discuss this further with one of our members

Membership Fees

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We encourage our younger student/youth members to sign up one or more parents as a free Family Member of the club so that they are covered by our insurances if they are assisting on the flight line. Family members for any member are welcome to assist on flying days and participate in club activities. We will train you and keep you safe!

 

Family-Flying Membership

Family members can fly as a Private Passenger at any time, but if they decide they would like to take gliding a little further they can take out a Flying Family Membership. The cost of this flying membership is shown above. The rights and privileges are very similar to those of an Air Experience Flight - they can receive instruction but no pilot-in-command rights, no solo, they must fly with an instructor to touch the controls and they must be a member of Caboolture Gliding Club.

Flight details/charges - from 1-Jan-2020

Glider Hire = $1.15 per min.  Aero-tow = $15.0 flag fall + $2.50 per 100 feet (minimum charge = $27.00 per aero-tow).

Details of individual flights taken and their respective charges are updated during the month (as soon as possible after each flying day) in the Secure Members Area of the CGC website.  CGC policy is that Member Flying Accounts must be retained in credit balance at all times.

 Pre-solo pilots are billed weekly at member rates relative to each Friday/Saturday/Sunday of flying with payment due BEFORE the following Friday. As an ongoing (post-solo) member of CGC your flying costs will thereafter be invoiced monthly at member rates.

 Payments for flight charges are required to be paid by Members into the Club’s bank account via direct deposit.

(Bendigo Bank: BSB 633-000.  Acc No: 131727182). 

Are there any medical restrictions?

Are there any medical restrictions?

To fly, you need to be generally healthy - you must not suffer from conditions such as epilepsy, fits, severe head injury, recurrent fainting, giddiness, blackouts, and other conditions detailed in Appendix 1 of the GFA Operational Regulations. Pilots who are free of these conditions can self-declare and fly without a medical certificate. Pilots who have suffered these conditions and all pilots flying as instructors must provide a medical certificate from their GP declaring their fitness to the same standards as Austroads requirements for driving a private vehicle.
Can I do aerobatics?

Can I do aerobatics?

We would not normally perform aerobatics on the first Air Experience Flight, until we had time to assess your reaction to the flight. If one of our experienced instructors was satisfied there would be no problems, then aerobatics could be performed. The gliders in our Club fleet are all capable of various aerobatic manoeuvers, such as loops and chandelles (like a wing-over). Naturally, without an engine, and with such large wingspans (15m to 20m), there is a limit to the aerobatic manoeuvres we can fly in our gliders.
Do I need a license?

Do I need a license?

Unlike power flying or driving a car, there is no government licence issued to glider pilots. The equivalent qualification is a Glider Pilot Certificate issued by the Gliding Federation of Australia to pilots who have satisfied the requirements of the training curriculum. Pilots are allowed to fly solo before achieving GPC, subject to demonstrated competence, and achieve several levels of internationally recognised badges as they progress towards the GPC.
How do gliders stay up ?

How do gliders stay up ?

Gliders can stay aloft by a number of means. By far the most common is called thermalling. When the ground is heated by the sun, periodically a parcel of heated air ascends, often to many thousands of feet, as the temperature of the air close to the ground becomes higher that its surroundings. If a glider is flown to stay in that column of rising air, by circling, the glider will also be swept aloft. After the pilot reaches the top of the thermal, they fly off, gradually losing height, until they reach the next one.
How does the glider get into the air ?

How does the glider get into the air ?

Our gliders are launched by aerotow using our high powered Piper Pawnee tug. The glider is attached to the tug by a rope, and the glider pilot follows the tug as they are pulled up to the release height when the glider pilot releases the rope.
How far can a glider fly ?

How far can a glider fly ?

Above Australia’s inland plains, flights of hundreds of kilometres are commonplace. The world record for a flight in a straight line is over 3,000 kilometres.
How fast can a glider fly?

How fast can a glider fly?

Gliders can fly as slowly as 35 knots (65kmh) to approx 135 knots (250kmh). Our club gliders generally soar at speeds between 45 and 50 knots.
How high can a glider fly?

How high can a glider fly?

Thermals can go as high as 14,000 ft or more. The world height record is 52,172 feet.
How long can I stay up?

How long can I stay up?

Gliders can remain flying as long as there is lift available. Using thermals, this is about 8 hours. By using prevailing winds blowing up a slope, a glider can be flown for as long as the wind is blowing. The world record once stood at around 56 hours before it was recognised that these ever lengthening flights were dangerous, and recognition for duration flights was abolished
How long will it take to go solo?

How long will it take to go solo?

This largely depends upon your aptitude and the frequency of your flying. You could typically expect to go solo after between 25 and 50 flights. People with some power flying experience will generally take less time to learn than someone with no flying experience at all.
How long will my flight last?

How long will my flight last?

Gliding is a weather dependent sport. In the absence of thermals, which gliders use to stay in the air, an average flight to 3000ft will last approximately 20 minutes. When learning to fly, you will be taught how to find & stay in thermals, and a thermalling flight is much longer.
How much will it cost?

How much will it cost?

See our page about Air Experience Flights for the cost of taking your first flight in a glider. To learn to fly a glider, the costs are largely dependent upon the aptitude of the student and how frequently you come flying - obviously if you are able to come to the airfield each weekend for a few consecutive weeks, you will learn faster than if you were to come flying only one day a month. An average student will be ready for their first solo flight after approximately 25 to 50 flights at a cost starting from around $2000.
How old must I be to fly a glider ?

How old must I be to fly a glider ?

The lower age limit to fly solo is 15, and there is no upper limit provided you are healthy, and suffer no medical conditions that may impede your ability to fly. To be a passenger in a glider you can be almost any age at all. For practical purposes, our Air Experience Flights are not recommended for children under the age of 12 years, because they often can't see outside the aircraft, and if they become upset for any reason it is difficult to calm them down again
Is gliding safe?

Is gliding safe?

While any form of aviation carries an element of risk, gliding is relatively safe. Gliders are very strongly built, and there is no engine to fail. In the unlikely event of an accident occuring, there is no fuel to burn.
Is there a weight limit?

Is there a weight limit?

The practical passenger or co-pilot weight limit for our gliders is 100 kg. The maximum legal weight is 110kg, but this depends on having a light enough instructor in the other seat. Booking a flight for a passenger above 100kg therefore requires special conditions and advanced planning to ensure we have such an instructor available.
What happens when the lift stops?

What happens when the lift stops?

When the thermals stop working, the glider will gradually descend. A glider can fly about 10 km for each 1000 feet of height, so part of the pilot’s flight management is ensuring there is a safe landing spot within gliding distance to allow for the loss of lift.
What happens when the wind stops?

What happens when the wind stops?

Nothing! Gliders are not dependent upon the wind to stay aloft. When circling in thermals, gliders are drifted along by the wind, but otherwise are unaffected by the wind.

Contact us

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