Learning About Soaring and CSA

Soaring is the ultimate flying experience. It meets the needs of a diverse group of people, a sport that can be enjoyed at all levels: from relaxation on a quiet local flight, to experiencing the thrills of soaring across the countryside, to the excitement of aerobatics, to the regional and international racing competitions. Sailplanes soar using the same air currents that birds use to fly, but have also been designed with the kind of aerodynamic efficiency that enables top speeds of up to 160 mph. Distances over 1,000 miles have been covered in one day, and heights of over 40,000 feet have been achieved.

Soaring allows you the freedom to explore the world from a unique bird’s eye view while enjoying a safe and challenging sport.

Soaring is a sport for all ages - from those who solo on their 14th birthday through middle age and into older age groups. There is no upper age limit.

Sailplanes

What folks refer to as a glider is actually a sailplane. Gliders are usually defined as a motorless airplane, and were used extensively in World War II to transport troops and equipment silently behind enemy lines. Gliders generally had poor performance as compared to today's sailplanes.

A sailplane is always descending, but use nature's lift sources to offset the sailplane's decent. Sailplanes can fly great distances with surprising speed.

Sailplanes vary in terms of construction and size. They have evolved from crude gliders which were open box-kites large enough to carry a person to the enclosed fiberglass/carbon fiber sailplanes we fly today. In the early years of gliding, flights of 30 miles were hailed as a triumph. Today a 30 mile flight is considered more routine.

Sailplanes are controlled just like any other fixed-wing aircraft. The biggest difference is the lack of an engine which eliminates the complexities of controlling and managing it.  Of course, this is replaced by the pilot always needing to think about where he/she will be able to land in the case where sources of lift run out.  However, sailplanes are very efficient flying machines and can glide long distances.  Glide ratios are measured by their L/D, or lift to drag ratio.  An L/D of say 30/1 would mean a sailplane can glide 30 miles for a mile (~5000 ft) of altitude in calm air.  Sailplanes you might see at OCGP range from having glide ratios of 23/1 for the trainer to 50/1 for the racing sailplanes.  Following is a view of the major components of a sailplane.  In this particular case, this is a 15 meter class (~50 foot wingspan) racing sailplane.

Learning to Fly

The instructor can teach you the mechanics of flying the aircraft in just a few lessons. But don't be led too quickly into thinking that you have learned all there is to know. Learning to soar is a series of steps and plateaus. How high on that ladder you wish to climb is up to you. Some pilots are content, at least for a while, to soar around an airport.

Others find exhilaration and satisfaction in cross-country flight and ultimately in competing with other pilots. Learning while flying is fun; a fine balance of determination, flexibility and practice is necessary to gain the proficiency and skills you will need to get the most out of your sailplane and your rating.

The sport requires alertness, self-control and self-discipline. It requires a combination of coordination, flexibility of thought, quick decision-making, and good judgment - all skills which can be achieved only through conscientious effort. The requirements for continually taking off and landing safely at the same airport are obviously not the same as those placed on a pilot who ventures into the unknown on a cross-country flight willing to land in a field.

Student Pilot

You will fly with an instructor in a 2-seat, dual-control sailplane; you're in the front seat, the instructor is in the back seat, and you each have a connected set of controls. Flying a sailplane straight with wings level is fairly easy. Turning, flying on tow behind the tow plane, takeoffs and landings are more difficult. If you have not flown before, some of the maneuvers and coordination may seem difficult at first, just as riding a bicycle may have seemed nearly impossible when you were first learning to ride.

After a few flights, however, you will be making the sailplane do what you want it to do, and you will wonder why you felt so clumsy on your initial flights. Basically you learn to fly your sailplane straight-and-level, to turn in varying degrees of bank while controlling your airspeed, and to recognize and recover from stalls. You will learn how to fly the sailplane on tow behind the towplane. You will learn how to enter the airport traffic pattern. You will practice flying you traffic pattern and approach precisely, land your sailplane with its wings level, and stop where you want to stop. You will also learn to handle some common emergency procedures, such as tow rope breaks.

Sailplanes are docile and responsive and answer to gentle, control input. As your "touch" develops, you will become less and less conscious of the control movements necessary to make the sailplane respond to your wishes.

Solo Student Pilot

Once you have demonstrated safe and proficient flying skills you will be signed-off by your flight instructor to fly solo - by yourself.  As a Student Pilot will still be under the supervision of an instructor and fly within certain limitations including not being able to take passengers with you.  During this period you will begin to learn the art of soaring, stay aloft for longer periods. You will also continue with your instruction to become more precise in your flying skills as you work toward the Private Pilot (Glider) certificate. 

In addition to flight instruction, your instructor will provide ground school to help you learn about FAA regulations, weather, aerodynamics, cross-county soaring and other topics required to obtain a Private Pilot (Glider) certificate. The more you study on your own, the faster you'll learn and the more competent you'll be. When ready. your instructor will "sign you off" to take the Private Pilot (Glider) Written Test. 

Once you have passed your written test and consistently demonstrated all the skills and knowledge required to fly a sailplane safely, your instructor will recommend you for the Private Pilot (Glider) Practical Test.  This test will performed by an FAA Designated Examiner.  If you are adding the Glider rating to an existing Pilot's license, you will not need to take the written test and you should required less flight and ground instruction before your recommendation.

Private Pilot

After you obtain you Private Pilot (Glider) certificate, you are free to take passengers, and pursue your personal soaring goals, be that soaring locally and giving your friends rides, flying aerobatics, obtaining commercial and instructor certificates so you can teach others to soar, learning to and soaring cross-country for fun, pursuing goals such as SSA and FAI badges, records and/or competitive soaring. Your pilot's certificate is just the beginning; it's your license to learn!

Colorado Soaring Association Membership

CSA offers a variety of benefits -- club sailplanes with modest flight charges, a facility with hangars, paved runways, clubhouse, kitchen, bunkroom, meeting/recreation room, camping and RV parking, and best of all; excellent soaring.

CSA encourages local and cross-country soaring  and wave soaring is possible.

CSA instructors provide primary and advanced instruction for members to obtain FAA Pilot Certificates. CSA instructors also provide instruction in preparation for members to fly high performance sailplanes, cross-country  and the mountain wave. 

CSA endeavors to keep the price of aerotows as reasonable as possible charging a flat hookup fee with an additional fee for every 100' of altitude a sailplane is towed.  CSA also owns and occasional operates a sailplane winch which provides fun and relatively inexpensive launches.

CSA owns or leases several sailplane which are provided to members at a very low rate.  All the sailplanes are available to be flown for fun by members. 

• Puchacz SZD 50-3: 2-place sailplane, generally used for training
• Grob G103 Twin II: 2-place sailplane, generally used for rides
• SGS 1-26: 1-place modest performance sailplane, generally used by student pilots, and for pursuit of initial SSA badges
• LS-4: 1-place high performance sailplane suitable for pursuit of cross-country adventures and advanced SSA/FAI badges
• SGS 2-32 (leased): 2-place glider generally used for advanced training and back-up for other CSA 2-place sailplanes

CSA operations depend entirely on members.  CSA members assist with ground operations and participate in maintaining club aircraft and facilities. Modest club monthly dues and income from tows and sailplane use pay to support the facility and all club operations.

All of the dues, fees and rates CSA charges members and visitors can be found on the CSA Rates page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do sailplanes get in the air?
In the early years, a winch or bungee cord was used to launch gliders off of the side or top of a hill. Today, it is much more common to uses a small airplane is used to tow the sailplane aloft. The sailplane is connected to the towplane using a 200' long modern rope, about 3/8" thick. Once the two aircraft reach approximately 2,000 to 3,000 feet the sailplane releases from the rope and begins soaring.

How does a sailplane stay aloft?
Sailplane pilots look for rising air currents (lift):

• Thermals - a very common  and useful form of lift to make cross country flights.  Thermals form as bubbles of hot air that rise from ground which has been heated by the sun.  Sailplane pilots circle in these thermals to climb.  On days with enough moisture in the atmosphere, the rising air will condense at altitude to form puffy white cotton-like cumulus clouds which make it easier for a sailplane pilot to find the thermals.
• Ridge lift -  this is created by a modest wind blowing up a mountain slope. The sailplane pilot flies parallel to the slope to use this lift to climb to the top of the ridge then fly along it.
• Mountain wave - this is created when strong winds blow a mass of air across the top of a mountain ridge.  As the air mass moves past the top of the ridge, it flows down the back slope and when it hits flat ground it bounces up and down as it continues downwind. The key for sailplane pilots is that the bounce can be up to 10 times the height of the mountain range and very strong.  Sailplane pilots have achieved altitudes of 30,000 to 40,000 feet in sailplanes using waves, with one very special sailplane flying over 70,000 feet.

What are "good soaring conditions?"  What happens if the wind quits? 
Since the common used form of lift is thermals it is more about heating from the sun than wind. Warm/hot days with unstable air produce the best thermals.  Of course ridge soaring is more dependent on wind.  One the source of lift weakens, the sailplane pilot finds a safe place to land, usually the airport where the sailplane launched.

What happens if you don't find lift?
The sailplane decends in a gradual glide, like a paper airplane. Safe and prudent soaring pilots plan their flights and landings according to the current soaring/weather conditions.

What about the landing?
Landing an aircraft is the same, whether you have an engine or not, but in soaring you only get one shot at it. This sounds a bit scary, however sailplane pilots learn how to consistently make safe landings.  Instead of using a throttle controlling an engine to control the decent to landing, the sailplane pilot has airbrakes which control the decent and landing.  When the pilot is near the ground he will even off the decent rate and then touch down onto the runway. Momentum ensures that the plane rolls evenly on its single main wheel. Only when the plane stops rolling does a wing gently touch the ground.

Updated 03/02/2025