Gliding in Aberdeenshire

Welcome to Deeside Gliding Club! We are situated near the town of Aboyne, 50 Km inland from Aberdeen in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The Club is renowned for being the foremost Wave soaring site in the British Isles, with the U.K. altitude record of 38600 Ft. being set by a glider flown from the club. The club fleet consists of three Puchacz twin seat training aircraft, and Junior, ASW19 and Discus single seat sailplanes. All the aircraft are fitted with oxygen to allow high altitude flying. Visiting pilots who would like to fly at the club should bring along their log books and must be checked out for aero-tow launching, and will also be expected to have a check flight with a local instructor if they have not flown at the club previously. Visiting pilots who bring their own gliders are advised that they must carry an Oxygen system in the glider for any height claims above 12000 Ft. Oxygen bottle filling is available on site as is limited engineering and hangar facilities. The club also provides trial lessons for novices and those people who have never tried flying before but have always wanted to give it a go. Of course like all outdoor sports gliding is very dependent on the weather, but in the Aboyne area, there are many activities to pursue. The community centre has indoor swimming and squash, and the magnificent Scottish country with many scenic walks close by. Bed and breakfast and Hotels are available in the local area but need to be booked well in advance during the Wave Season (September to November). The village also has a golf course and the Aberdeen Water skiing club operates from Aboyne Loch which is situated within the golf course grounds, and snow skiing resorts are also within easy reach during the winter months. Deeside Gliding Club provides flying training and trial lessons from Aboyne Airfield. Trial lessons and 2 flight courses are aimed at novices who may never have tried gliding. Additionally the club offers evening courses in the summer months aimed at novices and also slightly more experienced pilots. The summer courses run every Tuesday evening, each lasting one month, these are currently fully booked for 2009. If you take either a single flight or course we're sure that you'll enjoy your gliding training in the Highlands of Scotland, above the beautiful countryside of the Grampian Mountains. Weather permitting you will be able to sample soaring flight to prolong your flight time. (Gliding Lessons Aberdeenshire)