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Howick Flying/Gliding Club

Howick Airfield, Underberg Road, Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, 3201, South Africa

We are a gliding club based out of Howick Airfield, in South Africa.

The Howick Flying Club (HFC) is made up of two sub chapters, these are the power chapter & the gliding chapter. The power chapter is made up predominantly of micro light pilots, although there are a few powered aircraft which are hangered at Howick.
Gliding is a sport where one takes flight in a powerless aircraft & stays aloft by using the rising air currents, in the form of thermals, or a variety of other meteorological phenomena which give rise to lifting air. The gliding chapter comprises of five club owned aircraft (one K-7, two K-13’s & a G102 for more advanced pilots) & a number of privately owned aircraft operating out of the Howick airfield adjacent to the Merrivale shooting range for the majority of the year. We do have a number of yearly away camps for club members in Harrismith & Underberg, we travel to these locations to make use of their superior flying conditions, these weekends are always incredibly festive & fun filled with everybody enjoying themselves on both the ground & in the air.
To introduce people to our sport we offer air experience flights at R250.00. This fee covers a joining fee for the day, the cost of ones launch & the following flight & insurance. After this initial fee any further flights will be at club rates. For those interested in learning to fly we also offer a introductory lessons package at R500.00 for five lessons. One has no guarantee of duration as gliding is reliant 100% on the conditions at the time, therefore flights range from seven or eight minutes to half a hour or more. At one’s request one can do a assortment of aerobatics from steep turns through to a loop, the only restrictions on passengers is that they must weigh under 100kg’s. Aspiring aviators can go solo from the age of seventeen, joining significantly younger is not advised as one will be ready to go solo before reaching legal age & may well become disenchanted.

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Introductory Lessons Package With Howick Gliding Club Introductory lessons package includes five lessons. One has no guarantee of duration as gliding is reliant 100% on the conditions… VIEW DETAILS
Air Experience Flight With Howick Gliding Club To introduce people to our sport we offer air experience flights. Contact us to experience the thrill glider flight! VIEW DETAILS

What is Gliding?

Gliding is one of the cheaper forms of aviating but can also be very expensive & hence attracts a wide range of people from different back grounds. Different people aim to get different things out of gliding for some they are happy to just bumble round the patch while others push cross country (flights of over 1000km are not uncommon). There are two common types of launching these are aero tow & winching (less common include auto tow & bungie). Aero tow is when the glider is towed up behind a powered aircraft, much like towing a car but in three dimensions. A winch launch is the type used at Howick & comprises being towed up much like a kite by a large winch.

Once airborne, by whatever means, the challenge is to stay up. One does this not by surfing the wind as many believe but rather by using a variety of lift sources such as thermals, ridge, convergence or wave this enables the unpowered aircraft to stay aloft for many hours at a time, of course if no lift is to be found you find yourself back on the ground in a matter of minutes. Once aloft as mentioned before what one does is up to one’s personal preference. Many strive to go cross country relying on lift en-route, should the lift die down or be difficult to contact it may well result in a “l& out” where the pilot puts down at a different airfield or in a cultivated field. Instead of going cross country some choose to stay close to the field & just enjoy the sights, sounds & beauty of being aloft. Still others choose to practice aerobatics with manoeuvres like stall turns, chandelles, loops & spins being the norm.

All in all gliding is a relatively inexpensive & highly diverse form of recreational flight with a niche place for everybody. It is one of the simplest forms of flight & also one of the most enjoyable.

Some frequently asked questions

Below are some of our more frequently asked questions, if your question is not found below please do not hesitate to contact us.

How much will it cost to get my license?

Gliding is one of the cheapest means of flying, one does not pay for an instructors time & the costs are reduced by operating as a club. The cost of getting a license will depend on how readily one picks up gliding, an average individual will spend about R17’000.00 over two years on getting their license, this depends from person to person. One does not pay upfront but will receive a monthly account.

How long will it take to get my license?

This depends from person to person, some go solo fairly quickly while others take years. The time it takes you will depend on how often you come & how quickly you pick it up, the same can be said for getting ones license.

Can anyone fly?

Unfortunately not, although we can take most up for a flip there are certain restrictions. We can not take up anyone who is over 100kg; other than this we have taken up children to grandparents. To get your license you will have to be over the age of 16, under 100kgs & pass a basic aviation medical.

Can my husband & I go up together?

Unless one of you is a air experience instructor with a valid glider pilots license you will have to go up one at a time as all our aircraft are two seaters & your pilot needs to sit somewhere.

Once I have my license will I have to get my own aircraft?

No many of our club members just use club equipment, however, you do have to wait your turn to fly so if you can afford it you may want to think of getting your own aircraft.

How much does a glider cost?

Prices range from 50 or 60 thousand up to a couple of million depending on if you are looking at a brand new, modern racing glider or a older wood & stick aircraft.