Posted in
The old saw of "what goes up must come down" applies equally well to gliders. Eventually the flight must end…sometimes when you don't want it to! While not a problem for students and sightseeing rides that stay close to the airport, every experienced sailplane pilot has "landed out" at some point.
Luckily, gliders are designed with just this event in mind. Light, strong and able to fly slowly, almost any open field will serve as a landing strip when the lift just up and quits. Wings are designed to be removed with just a few bolts and pins, and the glider can be carried home on a trailer behind even a small car. The biggest problem for the pilot is usually how to fill his time waiting for the retrieval crew.
