In the absence of thermals, which gliders use to stay in the air, an average flight to 3000ft will last approximately 20 minutes. 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. Our gliders are launched by aerotow using our high powered Piper Pawnee tugs. The glider is attached to the tug by a rope, and the glider pilot follows the tug as he is pulled up to the release height, when the glider pilot releases the rope.
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, he flies off, gradually losing height, until he reaches the next one. Thermals can go as high as 14,000 ft or more.