Air Sports · OUGlC
Gliders (also known as sailplanes) are aircraft without engines.
Gliders (also known as sailplanes) are aircraft without engines. They work by getting an initial launch, either towed up behind a powered aircraft, or by taking a winch launch. Once released they descend at a constant rate. To remain airborne the pilot must find sources of lift in the atmosphere. Once lift has been found the pilot stays in it by turning the glider, rising upwards with the air-mass. Once at a suitable altitude you can fly on, descending until it is time to find lift again. By doing this a glider can travel vast distances (thousands of kilometres) in a day, all without an engine!
We are a student-run club who fly gliders - aeroplanes without engines. Launched into the sky at 70 mph and riding on rising air, the length and range of a flight are virtually limitless. It can be dramatic, challenging and exciting. On a good flying day, you could be soaring with the birds and playing with the clouds.
Oxford University Gliding Club (OUGC) is open to all staff and matriculated students of the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. No previous experience of flying is required; you will receive full training by qualified instructors in two-seater gliders. Once competent, you can fly without an instructor and in different types of gliders.
OUGC's home airfield is RAF Weston-on-the-Green, 12 miles north of Oxford. This is the location of our 'parent' club, Oxford Gliding Club (OGC). By being a member of OUGC, you are an associate member of OGC, with access to their full fleet of club aircraft and instructing team. Here you join a unique club, where you can go from complete beginner to solo pilot in only a few months, learn aerobatics, experience a great atmosphere and fly across the country.
Gliding is inclusive to all genders and levels of experience, and we welcome enquiries from those with a disability regarding the accessibility of Gliding.
We fly at RAF Weston-on-the-Green every weekend when weather permits (gliders can fly in most weather except constant rain, very strong winds or low cloud/fog). Gliding is a full-day activity. Taster sessions are in the form of 'intro days', which take place during term time on most Saturdays and Sundays.
We participate in the annual Varsity Match against Cambridge Uni Gliding Club, as well as 'Inter Unis' task week and UK Junior Gliding events. We also run expeditions to other gliding clubs in the UK and abroad.
The Cuppers League is an internal competition, in which every matriculated OUGC pilot can participate on behalf of their college.
The format is similar to Varsity (and it is used as a way to practice for Varsity), with the exception that it is a year-round competition. On any given day, a member can perform a soaring flight and submit the GPS flight trace to the captains for scoring. Pilots can submit multiple flights throughout the year.
At the annual dinner, the Cuppers Trophy is awarded to the college/pilot with the highest scoring flight. Flights can only be made if the member is still matriculated at the time. However, if the pilot graduates between submitting the flight and the next Annual Dinner, the trophy can still be awarded to this pilot.
Half Blues are awarded to up to 5 participants in the Varsity Match, at the discretion of the captain. As gliding is such a weather-dependent sport, a set number of points cannot be determined for rewarding Half Blues; score informs one part of the decision, combined with knowledge of how difficult the conditions were.