Air Sports - Gliding

Gliding consists of flying through the air in an aerodyne propelled by the sole force of updrafts, just like soaring birds. The term applies particularly to the practice of gliding, whose adepts are the glider pilots, but the same technique is used by the practitioners of “free flight” in hang gliding or paragliding. Glider aerobatics, on the other hand, does not make use of updrafts, with a few exceptions, but only of towing by plane. Whether for leisure or competition, gliding consists of making the most of “ascents”, which can be thermal (created by solar energy) or dynamic (slope effect or ridge lifts) to prolong the flight, gain altitude, and cover large distances as quickly as possible.