Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly with the birds? At Mendip Gliding Club, you can learn to do just that. From your first visit, you will take to the skies and take control of one of our two seat dual control K13 training gliders. Your flying training will take you, on average, 80 – 100 launches to go solo. Once solo, you will have available to you the fleet of club owned gliders including our modern fibreglass single sear Grob Astir with a top speed of around 150 mph! For some of your training, you will also have access to a Falke Motor glider. This is used for many aspects of training which include cross country and field landing training. The motor glider is also utilised to provide aerotow launching when available.

What will it cost?

A current list of our prices can be found on the ‘Try Gliding’ section of our website

There are many ways to fund your training. We provide a fixed price to solo scheme for adult members. The scheme is valid for 12 months or 100 launches or until going solo whichever comes first. This scheme offers excellent value at only £700.

If you come to us with some previous flying experience, you may not need as much training to achieve solo standard. It is for this reason that we offer a Flying Start Scheme. The scheme is valid for 6 months or 40 launches, or solo which ever comes first. This scheme offers excellent value for money at only £325.

We also offer a standard membership where you can pay as you go if you would prefer. All membership options are fully documented under ‘Try Gliding’ on our website and selecting Joining Mendip Gliding Club.

Junior Gliding Centre now opened at MGC

If you are aged between 15 and 25 years old and in full time education, we offer a Junior Fixed Price to Solo Scheme. This scheme includes exactly the same as the adult fixed price to solo scheme but at a subsidised cost of only £350!

Trial Lesson Vouchers

A gliding experience makes a unique and wonderful present for Christmas, a birthday or any other celebration. We offer single lesson vouchers for both winch and aerotow launches. We also offer a three lesson voucher. This enables the holder to three gliding lessons which can be taken at any time within a twelve month period. A current list of our prices can be found on the ‘Try Gliding’ section of our website. Vouchers can be used at our club on any Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday during the year weather permitting. No appointments are necessary, just turn up and fly.

Evening Group Trial Lesson Sessions

Why not get a group of at least 8 together from work, social group or another club? We can arrange an evening flying session which usually start around 5.30pm and continue until the sun sets over the Cheddar Reservoir. Flights taken are at a discounted rate. The maximum we can accommodate in an evening is around 15. These sessions run during May through to September and are usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, with a bit of notice, we can arrange other evenings during the week subject to availability. Select Send Enquiry on this website for further details and availability.

What will you see?

The Mendip Hills are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The instructor will help you find your bearings by pointing out local landmarks as you fly around. You will see beneath you the ridge, to which the airfields main landing strip runs approximately parallel. The ridge extends, with a few breaks from Crook Peak near the M5 motorway to beyond the city of Wells.

Perhaps the best known feature of the Mendip Hills, about midway between the North West and South East ends of the range of hills, is Cheddar Gorge. You may have the opportunity to see the Gorge form a spectacular view at 1500 feet!? The highest point on the Mendip Hills is the television mast near Priddy, which is over 900 feet high, overlooking the city of Wells with its famous cathedral.

You will be able to see other local landmarks such as, Cheddar Reservoir, Glastonbury Tor, The Bristol Channel, Chew Valley Lakes and on a clear day, Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station and south Wales.