Flying aircraft such as gliders is a sport like no other; harnessing the natural power of the sun, pilots seek out rising air to sustain their flight for long periods of time. This energy source typically takes the form of thermals, columns of rising air travelling from the ground to typical heights of 5,000ft. Other sources of lift also exist, allowing the intrepid explorer to set world records of over 75,000ft! Don't be fooled into thinking that gliding is slow and leisurely, revolving around height gain.
Two of our members shaking their instructors hands after their first solo flights.
Once a pilot has gained height, they can turn it directly into speed. High-performance gliders allow airspeeds of more than 150mph, and many pilots compete in cross-country racing. For the adrenalin seeker, aerobatics are also an option. As a member of the Flying Team, we can offer you to go from no experiance to gain a solo flying qualification and then a complete Sailplane Pilots Licence, ready to go onto cross country races or aerobatics display competitions. From there, you can add a motorglider extension to your licence, then upgrade that to a private pilots licence.
A small number of our members 'getting ready' for Sports Awards 2025.
Each year we attend the junior (U26) winter series. Three events at different airfield around the UK, where all the U26 glider pilots in the country come to fly during the day and head to the bar in the evening. Further, we organise a mountain flying expedition in winter each year and compete in the summer inter-university competition. We also host training weeks over summer to provide a progress boost.
One of our members flying in the french alps.
October to March we typically fly on wednesday, saturday, and sunday. April to Septermber, pre-solo members can fly wednesday, saturday, and sunday daytimes, and wednesday, thursday, and friday evenings, while members which can fly solo can fly on any day of the week. We even have a caravan at the airfield so you can stay there and flying during summer with no accomadation costs!
In addition to the flying activities, we also organise social events, such as barbecues, movie nights, and themed socials on Wednesdays, prior to the O2’s Let’s Disko events, where you can meet people with similar interests. Overall, we offer a unique and rewarding experience for students who are interested in aviation and adventure sports. We provide a supportive and welcoming environment for all students to learn and grow, and it can be a great way to make lasting connections and memories during your time at Leicester!
A number of our members at a Xmas social.
We would like to kindly inform you that next year's memberships will be available starting 1st September and will keep you flying until the end of August 2026. Our fees this year are:
| Item |
Price |
| Full Membership |
£45 |
| Social Membership |
£20 |
| Winch Launch (aprox 1400') |
£12 |
| Aerotow to 2000' |
£35 + £1.70 per 100ft thereafter |
If you wish to participate in flying activities, we recommend purchasing the Full Membership, as the Social Membership will only provide access to our Wednesday socials and other non-flying activities. We encourage you to secure your membership early to ensure a seamless experience.
Once you have a membership please contact us on instagram or by email (su-gliding@leicester.ac.uk) so we can add you to our whattsapp community as GDPR prevents us from doing this by your membership info via the SU website. We can only fly people <110kg clothed with a 7kg parachute. There is no set height limit but people taller than 193cm are invited to visit the airfield to see how well they fit as this depends on their proportions. If you are medically able to obtain a provisional driving licence, you are fit to fly with us.
We only accept current University of Leicester students. Other parties can join the gliding centre directly at https://www.theglidingcentre.co.uk/.
Our two seat DG-505 coming in to land on a training flight.
Committee
President: Oliver Jeffery
Treasurer: Adam Wilkin
Wellbeing and Inclusion Ambassador: Ayomide Akinsinmide
Sport & Social Secretary: Katherine Newbrook
Club Secretary & Media: Tamsin Maynard
The annual fireworks display at our host airfield, The Gliding Centre.