Medicine can be a stressful enterprise. However few things can be more blissfully relaxing than taking to the skies. As healthcare professionals, we are fortunate enough to have many opportunities for flight – from heading away on holiday, to being a retrieval medic or to learn to take the controls for yourself. In this article, four doctors introduce you their chosen forms of aviation and tell you how to get involved.
Amy Sadler / Light Aircraft
Flying a light aeroplane is amazing and addictive. Although it demands careful planning and concentration, you will be rewarded with a massive adrenaline rush and a huge sense of achievement as you whoosh down a runway, ease the aeroplane into the sky, and see the world shrink below. Flying is not only a great way to make new friends, it also opens up a whole new list of places to visit. You can pop over to France for lunch, and spend idyllic holidays touring Europe. If you want even more of a challenge you can learn instrument flying, night flying and aerobatics. There’s always the opportunity to fly different types of aircraft ranging from single-seater biplanes to sleek speedy modern designs.
You should budget between £5,000 and £8,000 for a Private Pilot’s Licence, which involves practical flying training plus ground exams. Get started by dropping into your friendly local flying school for a trial flying lesson and you’ll be hooked.
Tom Berriman / Gliding (Sailplane)
From the adrenaline of a 0-to-60-in-3-seconds winch-launch, to the serene calm of cruising in silence at 10,000ft, gliding is to powered flight as sailboats are to motorboats: skilful, agile, and beautiful. Covering the spectrum of high-energy aerobatic flying to high-altitude, long-distance cross-country excursions, flying a glider is addictive, competitive, and a great way to switch off everything outside the cockpit, the horizon, and your flight plan.
Find your local club to see how it works and take a few trial flights. Talented pilots can progress to solo within 60-70 launches, and have their full cross country license in about 1-2 years, enabling them to race as individuals and as teams/clubs in organized competitions or the national league. Costs are reasonable: a year’s membership is ~300 pounds, each launch about 7 pounds and glider rental about 40p/minute, with instruction free within your club, from absolute novice to record-holding international pilots.
Tom Yeoman / Hang Gliding
If you fancy the speed and performance of sailplanes but with the simplicity and freedom of paragliding, then Hang gliding could well be for you. Hang gliding has changed considerably since the floppy triangles of the 1970s. Today’s wings are a combination of lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre frames, with strong polymer sails. Their simplicity means they can be transported on any car with a roof-rack, and carried up most British hills. Pitch and roll is achieved with simple weight-shift. Unlike paragliders, hang gliders have a rigid structure and lots of built-in stability, giving a solid and reassuring feel in rough air.
Adrenaline junkies can pull loops and fly up to 70 mph, and cross country pilots can fly further, faster. If you live in the flatlands you can even be towed into the air behind a microlight.
The setup cost can vary enormously but a good second hand glider and harness can still be acquired for under £1000. You can get your license in a few weeks and your school will usually do a deal on training and kit to suit your budget. Get out there and book a tandem flight this summer, find a school through the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association or check out hanggliding.org online.
Matt Wilkes / Paragliding
A few weeks ago, I hiked up a hill in Nepal. At the top of the hill, I opened my backpack, pulled out my paraglider and launched into the air. I flew towards a thermal and locked into a 3000 foot, adrenaline-fueled climb. Turning towards Annapurna, I set out across the valley with the wind behind me, and flew towards the high Himalayas in blissful quiet.
Paragliding is the cheapest, most accessible form of free flight. A typical paraglider packs down to a backpack weighing 10-12 kilos. In the right hands, they can loop the loop, or fly hundreds of kilometres simply using thermals and the wind (the current UK record is 253km).
Start with a tandem flight or a taster day, then progress to a three day Elementary Pilot Course to go solo (approximately 550 pounds). A full set of paraglider, harness, helmet and instruments costs between 2500-3000 brand new, or cheaper second hand. You can find your local centre through the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.
