Sailplane and Motorglider Aircraft

For its feeling of pure flight, soaring is likened by enthusiasts to bird flight—quiet, without the aid of power to keep you aloft. It’s just you and your piloting skill, riding the rising currents of air. When a sailplane or glider is towed or winched to altitude, it is truly a balance of the skill of energy transfer and light touch, of being at one with your surroundings and making the most of the natural environment’s influence. As with other form of aircraft, the sailplane has enjoyed marked improvement and development throughout history from the wood- and linen-craft built and flown by Otto Lilienthal to the modern, sleek composite craft that seem to capture the smallest of rising air currents with little effort.