Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have had an annual Gliding Day since 1994. This year it was on 20th August when gliding clubs had an open house. Nordsjællands Svæveflyveklub (EKGL) located in Gørløse also had its doors open and invited all guests for an introductory flight in a glider.
EKGL club house
Gliding as sport began in the 1920s, and since then it has grown in popularity due to improved aerodynamics of the sailplanes and better understanding of weather conditions needed for flying longer distances. An open house event always attracts lots of spectators.
Guests in front of the “tower”
Our gliders were ready, and it was a pleasure to see a strong interest, answer questions, and to do flying for these people.
Lined up on RWY10
Both a winch and a powered tow plane were used as a starting method during the day. Nina, our experienced glider pilot, was launching the winch:
Nina launching the winch
Many other club members volunteered to help making this day a success. Around 50 flights were done for the guests during 6 hours. For some of them it was a nice and a different day at an airfield, others signed for a membership or considered doing so in the near future.
OY-XVC on landing
Successful event that will be remembered and repeated. See you next year?
EKGL aircraft on display