Joining The Club

Come Fly With Us !

We're glad that you've had a chance to browse through our site. If you're interested in coming out to fly with us, please read on.

The Club:

Skyline Soaring Club, Inc. (SSC) is a private, 501(c7) non-profit organization that's dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of the sport of soaring. SSC is an affiliate club of the Soaring Society of America. Some of our pilots are novice students who've just started in aviation. Some are expert pilots with decades of aviation experience behind them. We currently number around 65 members.

SSC is also dedicated to training and continuous learning of soaring. Whether this is your first flight or your thousandth, you're welcome in our midst.

The Temporary Membership Program:

The aim of our Temporary Membership Program is to help you learn more about soaring in general and Skyline Soaring Club in particular without a commitment to permanent membership. Temporary Membership lasts 30 days at the conclusion of which you can make an informed decision about whether you might want to join Skyline Soaring. And if you do decide to join before the 30-day temporary membership is up, the original $50 fee applies to the first year's dues.

The program allows you to get a taste of soaring over one or several flying days during your 30 day membership. Then, you'll be better able to decide whether you want to pursue soaring as a sport, and whether you'd like to establish a regular membership with our club.

It is easy to join our 30-day Temporary Membership Program. First, you'll need to contact our Membership Officer to schedule a weekend day to come out for an initial flight. They will schedule you for a day when there's a qualified glider flight instructor scheduled to be on the field, and also answer any questions you might have about your visit. They can be reached at welcome@skylinesoaring.org

Second, we recommend that individuals who are interested in soaring learn a bit about the sport before they come out. This club's website has an index of many online resources for Soaring on the Internet. [Details]

On the day of your flight, you'll want to get to the Front Royal Airport around 10:00 if possible. [Directions to the airport]

When you get to the airport, ask for the Duty Officer. He'll get you an application and get you on the flight roster. We fly on a first come--first fly basis, so getting out early can help.

The fees are as follows: The cost of a temporary membership is $50. This establishes you as a Temporary Member with SSC for a period of 30 calendar days from the date it's established. This allows you to rent club equipment and tows at regular club rates. Though flights vary in cost, a typical introductory training flight might cost around $43 (the tow to 3000 feet costs $30, plus the glider rental at around $13). Best of all, all flight instruction is free.  All memberships, including Temporary ones, also include a Soaring Pilot's Logbook in which to records your flights, and a short videotape produced by the International Gliding Council which can be used to show your friends what you've been up to!

During the 30 days that your temporary membership is active, you're welcome to come to FRR and fly again. The aim is to give you a good taste of Skyline Soaring's philosophy, safety procedures, operations and training. You can also get to know active members and can ask any questions he might have.

At the end of the 30 days, you can make an informed decision about whether you might want to join Skyline Soaring. And if you do decide to join before the 30-day temporary membership is up, the original $50 fee applies to the first year's dues.

All fees and charges you pay to join and fly with SSC defray the substantial cost of owning and operating top-quality equipment at a very expensive local public airport convenient to Washington, DC.

Safety:
 A primary Skyline Soaring's key operating principal is safety. Everyone plays a role in keeping our operation safe. During your temporary membership, you'll observe and be made a part of several standardized safety procedures. If you want to understand how or why something's being done, please ask. If you see anything that you wonder about, let us know. Safety is the responsibility of everyone on the field.

Club Membership:
Anyone interested in establishing a regular relationship with Skyline Soaring, please consult the Duty Officer. He can fill you in on procedures, fees, etc. Or you can contact the Membership Officer directly.

During your time with us, you're bound to have many questions about soaring. Please ask. Again, welcome to our operation. We appreciate the opportunity to share this wonderful experience with you. And most importantly, Enjoy!!!

Gliders are sensitive to weight and balance, and the weight of those aboard does matter. If you weight more than 200 lbs, please let us know when you contact us for a first flight, so we can address the specifics on this with you personally.

Learning More About Soaring:

Before you come out, learn what you can about soaring. The more you know at the outset, the more you'll likely enjoy your visit and flight with us. Several good web-based resources follow:

1. If you aren't familiar with aviation and soaring principles, a good place to start is by checking out pages of 'What is Soaring' at http://www.yorksoaring.com/whatissoaring.html
   
2. Visit The Soaring Society of America (SSA) web site at http://www.ssa.org/

   Skyline Soaring Club is an affiliate club with the SSA. This site holds lots of resources to anyone interested in flying. While on the SSA site read "Soaring in America" This is a brief introduction to soaring in pdf file form. A free acrobat pdf reader is available from Adobe at: http://www.adobe.com
   

3. Check out the Soaring web ring. Again, resources, photos, etc., abound. Found at http://www.soarwest.com/soarring.html