Glider Flight for Father's Day

For Father's Day, Jamie arranged for me to go on a glider flight at our local airport where every weekend dozens of gliders soar over the mountains, catching the local thermals. They can stay aloft for hours. While my flight was an hour, we probably could have stayed up until sunset!

 This was our glider - "Mike Tango"

 For takeoff, they use a giant bungee-cord slingshot that "launches" the gliders up almost a thousand feet, and then they go searching for thermals to get even higher.

 My view from the backseat. My instructor pilot even let me fly a little bit - that was a blast!

 We would "soar" over a peak or hilltop and circle higher, then fly over to another spot and climb higher.

 From a visibility standpoint, the weather was as clear as could be.

 A view of Chambery

 One of our fellow gliders

 Mont Blanc - the highest peak Europe

 Croix du Nivolet - one of the most prominent landmarks that can be seen anywhere in Chambery

  

 A view of "our castle" that we can see from our side of town

 After landing, the gliders stop in the grass and then get towed or pushed back to the launching area.