Glider Planes
Close your eyes and imagine for a moment what it must feel like to be a great bird with an enormous wingspan gliding silently on the warm air currents on a sunny spring morning.
Soaring in a lightweight glider plane at 6000 feet is about as close as a person can get to that great bird. It’s been several years since my first flight and I’ll never forget my first experience with glider planes.
After hearing about Freedom’s Wings International,
an organization tailored to providing access to soaring for people with disabilities, I went out to visit their program. Ray Temchus, one of the organization’s founders, the current president, as well as my instructor, gave me some details about the program and planes.
The planes are lightweight and fully aero-dynamic and the program has accommodated hundreds of people with disabilities. I’m somewhat of an adrenaline junkie, so when I visit the program, I enjoy the G. forces and the feeling of having your stomach leap, and your body pressed against the seat. This, however, isn’t for everyone and even those with the mildest urge for adventure will enjoy this experience.