"GLIDING is one of the safest sports you can do," says the instructor as he shows me towards our glider, "and besides, you'll be wearing a parachute."
A parachute?

I don't know whether to be comforted or alarmed by this news, but in the name of journalism, I put my panic on hold and get kitted up for take-off.

As someone who gets very sweaty palms on a two-hour flight to Alicante, I briefly forget what drove me to try out the delights of motorless flight.

Of course, it is the promise of soaring bird-like over beautiful Fenland countryside that has brought me to the Peterborough and Spalding Gliding Club.

Unfortunately, this is not what is on my mind as I am towed at speed along a grassy runway by a roaring aeroplane, strapped into a small, white pod with wings.

Halfway through our ascent to 2,000 ft, I realise this is probably as close to Topgun as I will ever get in my life.
The student pilot takes the front seat of the aircraft, with the instructor in the back, giving the impression you are flying the thing yourself.

A panel of complicating looking dials and gauges twitches impressively in front of me as I climb up towards the clouds, and I start to feel just a tiny bit like Maverick himself.

Of course, that would be if I wasn't sweating like a polar bear in a sauna and hyperventilating with fear – but who said Tom Cruise wasn't scared on his first outing?

After a few minutes in the air, my instructor, Jeff, releases the the cord attached to the plane in front, and we are finally flying free across the Crowland skies.

With the alarming vibrations of the tow plane gone, I start to appreciate why thousands of people take to the skies every weekend.

Man's (and perhaps woman's) desire to fly has driven ever more hi-tech aircraft over the years, but I can't imagine anything beats the haunting peace of flying a glider.

My companion for the flight, Jeff Howlett, is chief flying instructor at the club, based at Bank's Farm, near Spalding, and is evangelistic about his favourite pastime.

He oozes calm and confidence in the cockpit, and his 33 years of experience are intensely reassuring to beginners.
He said: "Serious accidents are extremely rare, there really is nothing to worry about.

"The worst that can happen is you have to land in a farmer's field and have to telephone to be picked up.

"Even then, it's an interesting challenge to find a safe place to land, because some long-stemmed crops can damage the glider."

Jeff's passion for flying started in Scotland, on the Moray coast, where he was based with the RAF as an electronic engineer.

He said: "I was stationed in such a remote place, I was really bored.

"I joined a club and it just went on from there. I even met my wife in a glider."

Peterborough and Spalding Gliding Club boasts 70 active members, who spend hours in the skies each weekend. They use pockets of warm rising air (thermals) to travel as far field as Yorkshire and Wales.

Britain has more than 8,000 qualified pilots, who regularly compete in long distance cross-country competitions and time challenges.

But clubs still face a big recruitment challenge, with members hoping to sign more women and young people into their ranks.

Publicity officer Bill Baker, a plumber, said: " Youngsters can start lessons as young as 14, and become qualified by 16 – and it is a lot cheaper than learning to fly a powered aircraft.

"One of the club's members, David Legett, started gliding at 15, and within a few years actually took his commercial licence to fly for an airline.

"It's an amazing sport and more people would take it up if they realised how easy it is to get started."

As Jeff and I come into land, following our short flight above the Fens, I can see exactly what Bill means.

Like the best kind of scary rollercoaster, my brief time in the air had left me hungry for more.

qPeterborough and Spalding Gliding Club is due to host an open day on Sunday, June 29.

The event, to be held at the Crowland airfield on the A1073, near Peterborough, will include glider rides, vintage aeroplanes and children's entertainment.

The free event starts at 9am and lasts all day.
For more information, contact the club on 01733 210463 or visit the website at www.psgc.co.uk

Once it's in your blood, you can't get rid of it, says Hilary

THE thrills of unpowered flight appeal to people from all walks of like, although men dominate club membership.

Many clubs are keen to change all this, and Peterborough and Spalding Gliding Club is no exception.

Hilary Reeves, head of modern languages at Walton Community School, in Peterborough, is one of about 12 female members and is keen for other women to join her.

She first decided to take up the sport in 1997, after a pupil asked her the Italian for gliding.

She said: "I had to tell the student I didn't know, which was embarrassing, but then we got talking about it, and he introduced me to it.

"My uncle flew Lancaster bombers in the Second World War and I was brought up on his stories of flying.

"It had always interested me but I had never acted on it.
"So I asked for lessons for my birthday, and went solo after seven months."

After qualifying, Hilary took a short break from gliding, but found herself drawn back to the sport.

She said: " It's like malaria – once it's in your blood you can't get rid of it.

"When I wasn't gliding I spent half my time looking up into the sky through my car sunroof.

"It was getting dangerous, so I took it up again.
"It's a great activity for anyone, and could do with more women. A lot of the wives get involved because their husbands do it, but it would be good to see more coming independently."

Incidentally, the Italian for gliding is "volo a vela".

Factfile – Gliding

• A new glider can cost between £2,000 and £120,000.

• A glider flies at between 2,000ft and 5,000ft although it has been known for a glider to reach as high as 40,000 ft. A commercial airliner flies at 35,000ft.

• Most gliders cruise at about 60 miles per hour, although some have reached speeds of up to 170 miles per hour.

• In a totally aerobatic glider, it is possible to do loop-the-loops and other stunts.

• The Fenland region is a good place to fly, as there are few high structures to avoid. However, the lack of obstacles and cold air blowing off the North Sea can mean there are occasionally no rising hot air thermals to provide lift.

• After the introductory session, gliding works out at about £32 an hour, while powered flight costs £120 an hour.

• Pilots normally have to take 50 launches before they can go solo. Beginners can start lessons at 14 years old.

• Peterborough and Spalding Gliding Club is affiliated to the British Gliding Association. Visit the website at www.gliding.co.uk