Soaring
Thanks to its location directly at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and highly favorable weather patterns for unpowered flight, Boulder is one of the best gliding sites in the world. Soaring is the sport of flying gliders or sailplanes – planes without engines – to great altitudes and over great distances. Pilots mimic eagles and other soaring birds to find updrafts, then glide silently above the mountains of Colorado and beyond in search of more rising air. The Soaring Society of Boulder, a volunteer organization with 160 members, has operated from the Boulder airport since 1959 and routinely places near the very top in worldwide inter-club competitions. For a few minutes, gliders are pulled into the air by a tow plane. Pilots then release from tow and rely solely on the energy of the sun and the wind to climb and move ahead. Soaring flights can take many hours and may take pilots deep into New Mexico, Wyoming, or Nebraska before returning back to Boulder. Motorless flights of 700 miles and more have been achieved from Boulder. As early as 1976, a Boulder based glider set an altitude record of 44,100 ft above sea level.
Reliance on tow planes is rapidly decreasing. Almost half of all gliders operating at Boulder already have small fuel-efficient motors that allow pilots to launch unassisted. Once airborne, the motor and propeller are shut off and stowed away for soaring. One of these gliders is fully electric and requires no fossil fuel at all. A rapid technology shift is underway towards electric gliders and more are on order.
Other glider operators at Boulder include Mile High Gliding, which offers flight training and glider rides for the general public; and the Civil Air Patrol, whose mission includes aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.
