Gliding Records |
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| Longest flight | 2,049 km 1,273 miles | T.R.Delore (New Zealand) - ASW20 | 5.11.1994 |
| Longest 'out & return' | 1,646 km 1,023 miles | T.L.Knauff (USA) - Nimbus 3 | 25.4.1983 |
| Greatest altitude | 14,930 metres 48,985 feet | R.R.Harris (USA) - Grob G1021 | 7.2.1986 |
| Fastest 100 km triangle | 217 kph 135 mph | J.Payne (USA) - Discus A | 4.3.1997 |
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| Longest flight | 1,008 km 626 miles | C.Pullen & C.C.Rollings - ASH25 | 22.7.1995 |
| Longest 'out & return' | Lasham-Durham-Lasham 803 km - 499 miles | C.Garton - Kestrel | 22.7.1976 |
| Greatest altitude | 11,570 metres 37,061 feet | C.C.Rollings & B.Hicks - DG500 | 8.10.1995 |
| Fastest 100 km triangle | 133 kph 83 mph | P.Jeffery - LS7-WL | 1.8.1995 |
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| - Five current (Jan.2002) World Gliding Champions are
British - and two of these are Lasham based? |
| - some 'Open Class' gliders have a longer wingspan - 27 metres (88 feet) - than Concorde |
| - the first pilot to win the World Championship three times in a row
is British
George Lee won the Open Class (unlimited wingspan) at three consecutive World Championships, in 1976, 1978 and 1981. |
| - on a busy summer weekend, Lasham has more 'movements' than Heathrow |
| - a glider can fly as slow as 40 knots (46 mph) in a 'thermal', but can reach up to 135 knots (155 mph) on 'final glide' (a racing finish after a cross-country competition flight) |
| - a glider can remain stationary. Flying into wind in 'wave' lift, a glider's ground speed may be zero, while climbing vertically at 10 knots! |
| - on a winch launch, a glider accelerates from rest to 60 mph in less than three seconds - (ask you Ferrari-owning friends how long they take!) |
| - on a good day, over 30 Lasham pilots will be soaring cross-country for five hours, or longer, to Wales, the Midlands or East Anglia |
| - at Lasham, you will find an IBM Director, students (incl. teenagers flying solo), farmers, airline pilots, bankers, school teachers, doctors and nurses, top professionals - in fact, people from all walks of life |
| - a glider can cost from as little as £4,000, for a used wooden single-seater, to over £100,000 for a new carbon-fibre two-seater with retractable engine |
| - two people can rig (assemble), or de-rig a glider in about ten minutes, and some pilots rig single-handed, using appropriate aids |
| - when Lasham hosts the National Gliding Championships, up to 100 gliders take part and they can all be launched in one hour |
| - gliders may fly in cloud (in Britain), and some types can perform aerobatics |
| - gliders have crossed the Alps, the English Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar and the Cook Straight (NZ) |