Learn to Fly at Byron Bay

Have you ever dreamed of flying, soaring the ridges and thermals just as the eagles do? Have you been inspired by the books of Richard Bach, but never knew how to go about taking the first step? It's a lot easier than you may think, and quite inexpensive.

Byron Bay Gliding Club offers 3 day and week long courses in robust Scheibe MotorFalke and Dimona self-launching gliders. These courses are run by our Chief Flying Instructor, Ian McPhee, one of the very best gliding instructors in Australia. That's not just advertising hype - ask anyone who is knowledgeable about the Australian gliding movement, and they'll tell you that Ian (known to one and all as Macca) is regarded as literally a national treasure, a man who has devoted the greater part of his working life to promoting the art of soaring. 

A three day course will introduce you to the joys of the air and give you a very good idea of whether the sport is for you. It currently costs around AUD$500.  If you opt for the longer course, budget around $1500. This fee includes books (Motorglider Manual, Basic Gliding Knowledge, log book and aircraft handling notes),  one month GFA membership and club membership. 

Download a Lesson Voucher

Download an information sheet on Learning to Fly Gliders

The best times for student courses are in Spring and Autumn when the air tends to be generally calmer. Summer brings strong sea-breezes which make circuit training difficult for the novice pilot. These same North Easterlies are a blessing to the experienced soaring pilot, as they produce ridge lift - we have one of the best ridge sites in the country, and certainly the prettiest. Coorabel ridge was the site of two Australian records flown some 60 years ago - Soaring Coorabel
 

Joy Flights over Byron Bay