Top
0 £0 Basket
Basket Summary
Basket Total: £0
Go to basket
All All Adult Driving Junior Driving Car Track Day Bike Track Day Experience Days My Voucher Corporate Gift Cards Login 01376 809032
  1. Trackdays
  2. Experience Days
  3. Flying Experience
  4. Gliding
  5. Single Winch Launch Glider Flight - Essex
Single Winch Launch Glider Flight - Essex Driving Experience 1

Single Winch Launch Glider Flight - Essex

£45.00 Product ID: 15048
Buy a Voucher
Pay in 3 interest-free payments of £15.00 with
            PayPal .   Learn more
  • Valid for 12 months
  • Essex
  • Flexible Booking
  • Gift Pack Options
  • Free Exchanges
  • Instant Delivery
Overview
Are you ready for a thrilling experience? Come and glide with us in Essex! Our friendly glider club offers a range of flights, from great value tasters to mile-high aerotow experiences, ensuring there is something for everyone. Located at Ridgewell Airfield, surrounded by the stunning countryside of Suffolk/Essex borders, our club is the perfect place to try gliding for the first time. The 'glider-only' airfield has a relaxed family atmosphere, making it the ideal environment for a memorable adventure. Our gliders have a tandem seating configuration, with the instructor sitting in the rear seat and you in the front seat, providing the best view of Essex. All our training gliders are dual-controlled, ensuring maximum safety and control during your flight. We use two types of training gliders at our club: the modern, fibreglass PW-6 and the classic K13, which is a joy to fly. Gliding is all about soaring, and the length of your flight will depend on the weather conditions and your launch height. Our winch tow offers excellent value and will take you up to around 1000ft before releasing you to do a circuit around the airfield. During your flight, if you're up for it and conditions allow, you'll be invited to take control of the glider. Your instructor will teach you how to handle straight and level flight, followed by turning the glider, just like a budding pilot on their first lesson!

Buying as a gift? Frequently Asked Questions

Most customers buy a flexible voucher and book later. Here are the key things to know:

View all Gift Voucher FAQs

Overview

  • Glider flying at Ridgewell Airfield in Essex
  • Lessons based on soar time and release height
  • A close-knit team of instructors and members
  • It's gliders only (and the tug) at this airfield

What's Included

  • Experience gliding in a 2-seater glider accompanied by a qualified pilot
  • All flights are preceded by a briefing and explanation of glider flight
  • The effects of the controls will be demonstrated to you during your flight
  • Opportunity to take the control of the glider

Single Winch Launch

  • A single winch launch 4-5 minutes. A great introduction!

Spectators

  • Spectators are welcome

Suitable For

  • Minimum age 14
  • Under 18s must be accompanied on the airfield by an adult
  • Maximum weight 16 stone (101kg)
  • Maximum height 6ft 2ins (188cm)

Restrictions

Minimum Age: 14 years

Maximum Height: 188.00 cm

Maximum Weight: 101.00 kg

Anything Else

  • You can take along a camera, but it must use a neck-strap to firmly attach it

Availability

  • Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays between April and November
  • All dates and session times are subject to availability and weather conditions
  • Participants should contact the flying school on the morning of their flight to check weather conditions are suitable

How the Voucher Works

  • Purchase the voucher online
  • Receive your e-voucher or gift pack
  • Redeem online to select location and date
  • Enjoy your experience

Single Winch Launch Glider Flight - Essex Near Me

Show map
  • Essex
Voucher Exchange

Customer Reviews for the Single Winch Launch Glider Flight - Essex

Click here to see our customer reviews.
William
Fantastic day out I really enjoyed meeting the people, the friendliness of the club but of course most of all the flight. The guy who took me up was chatty, amusing and just so right for the experience. Well done all. And would I recommend it to others YES
kevin serafin
had a great time at the glider club staff were very good and my gliger flight was awsome souring above looking down at thebeautiful scenery was an amazing experiance my pilot steve jessop went above and beyond to make sure i had a great time many thanks kevin
Heather Wilkinson
I was bought this gliding experience for my 60th birthday. It was awesome and in parts, literally took my breath away.
Chris
Fantastic. Myself and two friends spent the afternoon at the Gliding Club. The members were so friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend
martin
it was a fine day and the pilot took the glider to 3000 feet and the flight lasted about 35 minutes, a lot of it spent finding thermals to keep the height. Thrilling experience.
Ann Case
I had a brilliant time at the gliding club. Everyone was so very friendly and the whole experience was just great.
Sheena Stevenson
I took my flight on Saturday.The people at the Gliding Club are very friendly.I had two flights, one being towed up by a plane and the other by winch.I enjoyed the whole experience, even though it made me feel nauseous.My pilot was Cathy, someone who made me feel very safe.My husband also enjoyed his time on the ground chatting to the club members.Great experience.Sheena Stevenson
Tom Moore
An awesome experience. All the club members made us feel part of the gliding family immediately and the pilot was just brilliant, ensuring that I had a day Ill remember for ever. Highly recommended doesnt cut it just fabulous.
Bobbie Perry
I had an amazing experience with the crew at Essex . Cathy was fantastic as I was nervous and she really helped me calm down and enjoy the view. It was fun and exciting and Id recommend anyone to do it at least once.
Colin Murphy
Flight was excellent, pilot brilliant.Unfortunately told at the start there would be an hours delay that stretched to two hours no reason given. Hence some negative feedback.
chris benson
Absolutely fantastic Super nice people, very informative and make you feel like your apart of the gliding family.
colin
a brilliant glider flight, pilot and club members very welcoming, lucky with the weather, a really fantastic experience.
Mirko Junkovic
Everybody at the Gliding Club was very welcoming and friendly. They all love what they are doing and sharing their passion with novices like me.The flight was exhilarating and I felt very secure in Brians experienced hands.
Mike Rawlinson
Lived up to all my expectations. Very friendly welcome from members of the Gliding Club. Clear instructions given before the flight. Plenty of explanation to daft questions throughout the flight
Clive Gard
The experience was fantastic. The people at Essex Gliding Club were very welcoming and they made the experience great.
AMANDA RODWAY
Excellent day, would thoroughly recommend.
Dawn Brown
An amazing experience. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Felt safe at all times. The flight was all Id hoped for and more. Thoroughly recommended.
MIchael Hibbett
Very enjoyable experience. First time I been in a glider, at 75 yrs a bit nervous but instructor very good, explained in clear language . Had a very memorable flight. We arrived early, offered us a coffee while we waited for clouds to clear.
Elayne DeKeyzer
The weather was perfect for my glider trip and the pilot was lovely. Very accommodating especially as I was half hour late as I went to the wrong airfield
VAUGHAN NAPPIN
Excellent day out. Staff are excellent. Informative, friendly and thorough in the briefings.Would not hesitate to recommend.
Carol Brabender
What a great experience, flying like a bird in the silent sky.Staff and helpers were polite and friendly, even if I did feel like a Ninja Turtle in my parachute being only 4.10.Would recommend you to othersThank you
Joyce Hale
Great day out, very experienced and helpful instructor
Alan Perkins
The only thing that was a problem was actually finding the airfield .Perhaps a sign needs to be added at the triangle piece of land before you get to the airfield.Other than that it was a great experience .
This is a brilliant experience
Tony and his team made sure that we had an amazing time when went here again this year. My wife and I came last year and enjoyed it so much that we booked again and brought some friends with us, all of whom had an amazing time, including one friend who works as a Boeing Captain who was amazed how different the flying and landing experience was compared with his conventional mount. They even let us have a go at flying it if we wanted. Well worth it
John Hammond
Great experience at the Essex Glider Club Ridgewell for both myself son, very friendly helpful staff. Photo of me in the glider which has the markings of a B17 American WW2 Bomber which flew out of this airfield, close by is the USAAFRAF museum if you can manage a glider flight on the days when the museum is open it make a great day out.
Susan Ward
27 October 2025
I bought an experience for a friend it was a glider session at Essex Glider Club, Ridgewell Airfield. It was easy to organise and a really good day. Everyone at the club was so welcoming. The instructor was very professional.I would certainly recommend this experience either for yourself or as a special present.