This small and friendly club offers gliding out of Warwickshire’s Bidford Airfield right in the heart of the Vale of Evesham. With easy access from Birmingham Worcester Gloucester Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon it’s an excellent choice of airfield for those wanting to soar in the skies coming from anywhere in the Midlands.
On a clear day your views from the glider can span from the Severn Estuary to the Cotswold Hills. But however far you can see when you go up you will be awestruck by the beauty and silence. What’s more going gliding in Warwickshire is a little different from most…
That’s because these flight vouchers are not for a certain duration but a specific launch height. You’ll be pulled by a tug plane and you can choose to be launched from either 2000ft 3000ft or even a mile (that’s 5280ft!) above the ground. Once you’ve reached your chosen altitude you’ll be released by the plane and you’ll enjoy the delight of silent glider flight.
Of course what’s rather fascinating when you’re released is that you can find ‘lift’ in certain air conditions. That’s to say you end up gaining height above and beyond the level you were released at so even though you have no motorised power onboard you can go up.
This all means that a 2000ft flight can last around 15 minutes a 3000ft one in the region of 25 minutes and a mile high glide around 35 minutes but it can often be even longer depending on gliding conditions. That’s why we like the fact that this club in Warwickshire goes for altitude rather than time.
As with most training gliders the ones here in Warwickshire are tandem which means the student gets to sit in the front cockpit and the pilot instructor behind. Clearly this means you get the best seat in the house with an unobstructed view of the River Avon Bidford and Evesham below.
You are sure to enjoy the atmosphere of this active owner-operated club for gliding at Warwickshire’s Bidford Airfield. Whilst gaining a deeper understanding of glider flights ground handling and glider launch procedures you get to have a go at the controls too.
