Gliders or Sailplanes as they are sometimes called do not have an engine but stay aloft using columns of rising air, or thermals, generated by the sun heating the ground unevenly. Thermals can rise to over 10,000 feet around Huntsville and are often marked by puffy cumulus clouds. Pilots bank their aircraft in tight circles to climb in thermals, and often achieve climb rates of 300 to 600 feet per minute. Flights of over three hours are common.
Huntsville club members have set several Alabama soaring records for speed and distance. In 1993, one club member soared from Moontown Airport to an airstrip in Florida. In 2004, two club members collectively logged over 5000 miles of cross country flight in their sailplanes.
More Gliding on Next Page.
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