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 and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 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 training in robust Scheibe MotorFalke self-launching gliders. This training will be conducted by instructors from our  Flying Instructor Panel including  Ian McPhee, one of the  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.

Brian Marshal - Instructor

Brian Marshal – Instructor
You may be able to arrange a bulk flying period from a day to several days with club instructors depending on their availability. A concentrated period will give you an introduction to the joys of the air and a very good idea of whether the sport is for you. Currently initial training costs $150 per hour on the Falkes in which you will learn. Once you go solo then the rate reverts to the standard club flying rate based on engine time and flying time. Gliding with the engine off is very cost effective and once solo you would expect to halve your flying costs depending on how much engine you use. Additional costs include memberships of our club and of the Gliding Federation of Australia, both of which can be purchased for a short term period initially. There will also be a small additional cost for books (Pilot’s Logbook and Basic Gliding Knowledge) 

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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.

Byron Gliding Club Introduction Manual
Byron Gliding Club Information Sheet