about Deeside Gliding Club |

GPS Ref. N 57:04.51 W 002:50.57

Deeside Gliding Club is 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 38000 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.

From September to the end of October every year the Deeside gliding club becomes a hive of activity as up to 40 sailplanes with their pilots visit the site to fly in the wave conditions produced over the Scottish highlands. One of the requirement for the gliding "Gold" and "Diamond" certificates is a gain of height of 3000 and 5000 meters respectively. These heights can be achieved by the pilots flying their gliders in the up currents caused by the wave. The sailplanes will normally be towed up by light aircraft (Super cub or Pawnee) to a height of a 1000 meters , where the pilots will then release the towropes and use the wave to gain further height.

Waves are produced in the lee of mountain ranges when the wind blows across them. The waves produced, will have, at some point air which is rising and at other points the air will be descending. The glider pilot will try to keep his glider in the up going part of the wave to gain height or to carry out x-country flying. Distances of over 500 Km have been flown using wave " lift ", some pilots have even flown from Scotland to South of England.

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. The prices for these trail lessons can be found on our prices page. Please contact the club by e-mail or telephone for further details.

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.