ULSTER
GLIDING CENTRE | ||||
| ||||
 | ||||
Gift
vouchers hotline 07709 808276 | ||||
Ulster
Gliding Cemtre, the only gliding facility in Northern Ireland, operated by The
Ulster Gliding Club Ltd. |
'Glideability' - Access for people with disabilities
** Special offer £40 **
The club welcomes people with disabilities and makes every effort to provide trial lessons and full membership on a 'mainstream' basis as for people without disabilities. For those individuals or groups who are unable to take up 'mainstream' membership, the club provides special mid-week events for individuals or groups according to demand.
This year (2011) the Ulster Gliding Club will, once again, set aside selected Wednesdays and Fridays for flying groups of disabled persons beginning in April and finishing in September. Note that other days may be selected by special arrangement. Groups may be of any size up to a maximum of eight persons and the cost for an introductory flight which includes two months’ membership of the Club is £40, a price which is heavily subsidised from a charitable donation made to the Club in recent years.
Come and enjoy the experience of gliding in one of the Club’s modern high performance two-seat gliders.
Accessible
glider Listen to a podcast of a radio feature that was broadcast on Radio Foyle during the formal opening of our new facility for people with disabilities. Hear a wheelchair user describing his flight, live from the cockpit. <click here for podcast - 10 Mb> For full details and to book a day
contact Jim Weston |
|
| Accessible premises The club's new visitor centre and the hangar have level access for wheelchair users and there is a wheelchair accessible w.c. facility. The airfield itself is of short level grass but it is not normally required to have wheelchairs move on the grass.. |
|
| Help with boarding An electrically operated hoist is available to assist with entry and exit for wheelchair users and those with mobility problems. Tthe design of the two-seat gliders allows a maximum weight of 103 kg or 227 lbs or 16 Stone per occupant. Young people are welcome however they must be physically large enough to be able to reach the controls of the glider in order to benefit from a lesson.
|  |
Feedback. Rhonda Richardson, Fit 4 U Project, Armagh and Dungannon Health Action Zone explains: “Physically, the activity of directing the glider was good for the user’s co-ordination and mentally, the confidence gained from this feeling of control promoted a sense of achievement. Controlling the glider also helped concentration and required focus. As noted by many users, gliding was also a very relaxing experience, the silence of the flight and marvellous views and freedom produced a calming feeling. For those who were blind the sensation and feeling of gliding were even more apparent.” | User comments recorded by people with disabilities who have sampled gliding at Bellarena :- "Fantastic experience. Thank you very much. The best twenty-five minutes of my life." "Brilliant experience, great freedom on my own without my wheelchair." "Instructors are very patient and explain everything to you. Nothing is too much for them to help you. The group I was with, all had different disabilities." "The staff were helpful, understanding and patient." "Great day, everyone very friendly." "It made me feel I could do anything." |
| GLIDEABILITY brochure | <Click for 312KB version> Low res. - suits dial-up <Click for 1.2MB version> High res. - suits broadband |
Notes - The Ulster Gliding Club is a member of Aerobility (Formerly The British Disabled Flying Association) |
