Submitted by Jan Brochoki
Glider pilots at the Montréal Soaring Club (MSC) near L’Orignal are among the best in the world.
On Tuesday, May 27, pilots at the club led the world in distance and speed in their soaring machines. Thanks to brilliant flying conditions, combined with skillful and imaginative individuals in world class gliders, they topped the scoring in the global Online Soaring Contest (OLC).
Of 169 flights registered worldwide on May 27, the top five were MSC members. Christian Hamel led the way covering 869 kilometres, averaging 118 kilometres per hour. Together the five, including Nick Bonniere, Pierre Gavillet, Patrice Gravel, and Andre Pepin, flew a total of 4155 kilometres. They flew to Québec City and returned, with flyovers enroute northwest of Mont-Laurier, and south of Alexandria. Not bad for flying without an engine (except for a brief tow by a towplane).
The sport of soaring is not well known to most people. The usual impression is that it is slow, gentle, graceful. But, it can be quite the opposite, it has a very wild side. The gliders are capable of speeds exceeding 280 kilometres per hour. It is not unusual for them to fly up to 25,000 feet and more. The world record for the longest distance flown in a glider is more than 3,100 kilometres in 18.5 hours, and was set last year in the western USA. During that flight the ground speed at times was more than 460 kilometres per hour (https://youtu.be/6p1BHzsYkNk) ! And in Patagonia, the Perlan glider has flown to 76,124 feet, with an long-term goal of floating to the edge of space at 90,000 feet (https://youtu.be/_hk7JcKMrkk)!
You can have an introduction to this phenomenal sport right here in your own backyard. Take the opportunity to see the gliders, meet some pilots, take an introductory flight, get hooked, and take some lessons. It can be as simple as driving a car, or as technically and physically challenging as you like. Experience the beauty of flying some fascinating sleek modern aircraft, over the hills and valleys of the Laurentians, or over the picturesque Thousand Islands and St. Lawrence River (https://youtu.be/uEbumriYMOQ). MSC has been in L’Orignal since the 1950’s. It is located at 1804 County Rd 4. For more information, call; 514-667-0400, or go to https://montrealsoaring.ca/wp/.
Submitted photos
