Welcome to Carolina Soaring Association

Carolina Soaring Association is a non-profit club dedicated to promoting the sport of soaring within our region. We welcome veteran glider pilots, student pilots, and absolute beginners. Located in South Carolina's Upstate, Carolina Soaring Association's location at the Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport is also convenient for glider pilots from North Carolina and Georgia who want to visit.

Carolina Soaring Association members & friends are able to soar all year round thanks to Spartanburg's mild climate. Except on the coolest winter days, local thermals often enable the gliders to remain aloft for hours after a short tow behind the club's 300 h.p. Cessna AgWagon tow plane.

For more information about soaring use the following links:
Soaring Society of America
Spartanburg Weather
Sailplane Directory
Sailplane Racing Association
Federation Aeronautique Internationale
SSA Links of Interest

Schedule

We soar almost every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, and occasionally during the week if a few of our members get the urge! Pilots usually begin arriving at Spartanburg Downtown Airport late morning and are usually in the air by early afternoon. Training is sometimes done in mid-morning and late-evening during the summer in order to utilize the smoother flight conditions for students.

Club Aircraft

Cross-Country Soaring

There is much interest among club members in cross-country soaring. Upstate conditions are often excellent for long-distance flights with thermals up to 8,000ft and an occasional mountain wave. Additionally, there are numerous airports within safe gliding distance of Spartanburg.

Introductory Rides

If you're interested in trying the sport, you may make arrangements with the club to take an introductory ride. The cost is $75 and the rides will generally last about 25-30 minutes but may vary in time if soaring weather is favorable. You may also want to visit the SSA web site (ssa.org) and learn about the FAST program to get a taste of what soaring is about.

To arrange an introductory ride, please contact us at info@carolinasoaring.org and we will let you know what time is best for glider availability. (Release Of Liability form)

Membership

Please contact us for membership information at info@carolinasoaring.org. In general, use of the club's aircraft is restricted to Carolina Soaring Association Glider Club members. We also require that all members belong to the Soaring Society of America (www.ssa.org). The club will pay the annual SSA dues for its regular members.

We have short-term memberships that allow visiting sailplane owners to fly with the club utilizing the club tow plane (a daily membership fee is required). The visiting pilot must, of course, be a member of SSA
(Membership Application form) (Fee schedule)

Meetings

Club members meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month in the pilot's lounge in the main terminal building of the Spartanburg Memorial Downtown Airport, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Email us if you would like to attend.

DIRECTIONS

• Take I-26 Exit 22 at Spartanburg
• Turn EAST on Reidville Road after exiting the Interstate
• Go just past the 3rd light (not counting the interstate exit lights) and turn RIGHT on Kensington Road (look for a sign pointing to the airport)
• Go about a mile to stop sign and turn RIGHT
• Park in the airport terminal parking lot, come in and ask for a club member!

If you are not able to attend the meeting but would like to observe the operation on a weekend, please email us so that we can make arrangements to meet you in the terminal building.

If you are currently a licensed power pilot and decide to join the club, you may add a Glider rating to your license by completing a total of three hours flight time in a glider, including 10 solo flights, and passing a flight exam. A written test is not required. The addition of a glider rating also fulfills the requirements of a Biennial Flight Review.