In free flight

The silver glider seemed gigantic only from far away. Closer up it looked frail and unreliable and the glider’s tight cockpit looked as though a person would not even be able to squeeze into it.

The last instructions were how to use the parachute in an emergency – one jerk of the ripcord and the glider dovetailed behind the turbulence of a single-engine plane. When the altitude indicator hit 700 meters it was time to drop the tow rope but I do not seem to have the guts to do that: what if this too fragile flying apparatus go into a spinning nosedive… But the rope was released, the aircraft suddenly disappeared, the glider banked and in a gentle trajectory literally soared up into the skies in an upward spin.

The glider whooped through the air through the boundless skies. In was on the left and on the right and when the glider went into a turn, it seemed as if it below as well. The cotton-like clouds pass by and the reddish-brown earth fades into the distance.

As the glider flew along the coastline the foamy white caps flash on the surface of its blue glassy surface. Distant figures of hang gliders look like a swarm of multi-colored butterflies.

After the first flight you climb out of the glider and your legs hardly keep on your feet from sheer exhaustion. But the wonder of a free flight is like a drug that draws you back into the cockpit for another trip.

The Crimean resort town of Koktebel is rightly named the native land of the gliding in Ukraine. This place is hailed for its distinctive micro-climate that is formed by the sea and features low mountains and badlands. The scorched earth of the steppe heats up the air that cools off over the smooth water surface. Thanks to the diversity of temperatures the air streams are constant. The sickle-like precipice of Uzin-Syrt (extensive mountain ridge in Tatar) naturally bends towards the ascending sea breeze. A novice landscape painter, Konstantin Artseulov, the nephew of the famous artist Aivazovsky – noted this distinctive feature back in the early years of the 20th century.

Artseulov became one of the first pilots in Crimea that flew gliders in Koktebel, after gliding competitions were held annually from 1923-1937. Glider pilots from Germany participated in such competitions together with Soviet sportsmen. It was here that future Nazi aces got their first training. In 1943 they landed heavy gliders with the Otto Scorzeny’s cutthroats, who knocked out his Italian wards and spirited Il Duce to Berlin. As a result, Italy was drawn into World War II for another year and a half.

The second wind of gliders in Koktebel came in the 1970s, when a new form of a flying apparatus was introduced, namely the hang gliders. And then in the 1980s the para-gliders flew in.

Today there is a para glider club in Koktebel and the Koktebel Gliding Center. In nice summer weather hang gliders, para gliders and gliders fly simultaneously over Uzin-Syrt (today it is known as Mt. Klementyev). This is a true spectacle of beauty.

The difference between a parachute and a para glider is that the first is designed to smoothly land you to the ground, while a para glider can hold you in the air for hours. The maximum velocity of an experienced para glider pilot can reach is 60 km/hr. This is the most democratic flying apparatus. It weighs a mere 8 kilograms, easily fits into a backpack and can be folded up and packed after landing in 15 minutes. One can learn how to fly a para glider in five lesions.

The simple navigation of this apparatus and the relatively low flight velocity make this form of sport fairly safe and accident-free. But one should not forget about the parachute as although the para glider is soft but the land is pretty hard.

A hang glider is in essence the same as a para glider, but is fixed on a stiff frame. It weighs 35-40 kg and it takes at least 40 minutes to assemble it. Learning to fly on it takes 12-15 lessons. Most effort is put into mastering the art of take-off and landing. Most of those who want to become a true hang gliderist can be recognized by lots of bruises and grazes.

Unlike the para glider, flights on a hang glider demand an organized crew and constant radio contact with ground zero. For example, if you end up landing 20-30 km away from the launch point, getting back to square one hauling the bulky apparatus will be quite a task. Even disassembled hang glider will not fit into a passenger car. This requires at least a mini-van. That aside, the speed of a delta plane is respectable at 100 km/hr.

The speed of gliders is double the figure and the distance of even amateur flights is in the hundreds of kilometers. Modern-day gliders have reached such design perfection that they can fly the skies for days if there is such a will. But the cost of even an old yet reliable glider of the A15 Antonov series is comparable to that of a standard light plane.

Besides that, a glider can only be stored in a hanger at an airbase. Unlike a para glider or delta plane, you cannot disassemble a glider in to small parts and transport it in a backpack or a mini-van.

Finally, although the art of flying a glider is much more complicated than piloting an engine-driven aircraft, it is worth the money spent as it is the “real McCoy” when it comes to aviation.