Gliding Induction Course
Your gliding experience kicks off at a Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) flying either Vigilant motor gliders or Viking winch-launch gliders. Your focus, along with others from your ATC squadron, will be to complete the Gliding Induction Course (GIC).
Designed to give you a taste for Air Cadet Gliding, the GIC consists of three levels of instruction. On your first visit you'll be taught the GIC 1. Later visits will cover GIC 2 and 3. In these levels you'll learn all about aerodynamics and controlling the aircraft, first in a classroom, then taking control and practicing what you've learned in the air. After you've completed the course, you'll be awarded a GIC certificate.
Course Content
Aircraft Course level / flight time
Vigilant GIC 1 – 20 minutes GIC 2 – 25 minutes GIC 3 – 30 minutes Viking GIC 1 – 3 launches GIC 2 – 4 launches GIC 3 – 5 launches
Amongst other things, you'll be shown, and have the chance to practice:
- How the pitch is changed
- How the rudder affects the yaw plane
- How to change the rolling plane
- What happens when the glider stalls
Don't know what some of those terms mean? They all affect the movement of the aircraft. You'll experience them first-hand with the guidance of your instructors who will explain all. Pretty soon you'll know it all like the back of your hand.
Provided you have no medical conditions that could prevent you from flying safely, all you need is a high level of motivation. Prove yourself here and you can move on to a Gliding Scholarship (GS) course to continue your flight training.
