Edmonton club re-opening offers public the chance to glide into the danger zone

Edmontonians can soon try their hand at falling with style again, once a local gliding club re-opens next month.

The Edmonton Soaring Club, incorporated in 1957, offers people the chance to pilot a glider and keep the craft airborne for as long as possible. The club was closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is re-opening July 3.

The club had offered introductory flights to the public for years, but it's hoping to grow the sport and its membership.

"Every day is different," said Jason Acker, the club's chief flying instructor, referring to the effects of changing weather conditions.

"You really are challenged to stay up in the air, then try to get as far away from the field — and back — as you can."

The gliders do not have engines. To get in the air, they're hooked up to a cable that is attached to a bush plane. Once both aircraft reach a certain altitude, the glider is released, Acker explained.

From there, the glider pilot must find areas in the sky that generate lift — like flying under developing clouds, or riding currents near the mountains — so the craft can stay in the air.

Gliders travel differently depending on the make and whether they have an engine, he said. The ones the club used can reach about 150 km/h.

Acker started learning to fly gliders as a teenager through Canada's Cadet program. At 19, he stayed on with program as an instructor for years before eventually transitioning to civilian gliding.

Other members also became pilots through the air cadet program.

Amanda Vella started flying in 1998 while living in Nova Scotia and immediately fell in love. She was determined to do whatever she could to become a pilot from that time.

"It's quiet," Vella said. "It's just a different perspective to be up there and soaring around."

A national soaring competition was recently held at the airfield near Chipman, Alta., where the Edmonton Soaring Club is based, about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Vella says there were no female participants — and the club wants to change that.