What’s the greenest way to fly?

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Lifestyle Activities     airborne experiences, bucket list, learn to, scenic flights

Such is the worry about the environment, everyone’s looking to cut emissions and watch their carbon footprints. The so-called gas-guzzlers – vehicles that use lots of fuel – have come under real scrutiny of late, and the airlines have also been put in the spotlight.

A jumbo jet creates a lot of carbon dioxide. Now, whether or not you believe this causes global warming is not really relevant – although it clearly is a lot of emissions.

That said, sometimes there really is no other way to travel than to fly; it’s the quickest and probably the safest form of modern travel we have – how else are you going to get to that meeting on the other side of the US? Or to that trade show in Singapore?

With leisure flying there are a few green options to be investigated. There’s microlight flying, hang gliding and the best of the rest, glider flying.

Other than the fuel for the take-off plane, a glider runs on little but hot air. Once released by a light aircraft (aerotow launch) the gliders then use just the rising hot air currents (thermals) to gently spiral upwards, or to glide effortlessly away.

Some clubs even launch from the ground using only a car engine to catapult the glider skyward.

It’s unlike any other type of flight: there’s only the noise of the wind as it flows over the cockpit.

Glider experiences are not the purely sedate trips you might expect; there really is fantastic acceleration to be enjoyed as well as the outstanding views.

For people who want to fly like a bird, without any of the emissions, it has to be glider flying.

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