Before you turn, look in the direction you will be turning to ensure the path is clear of other pilots or obstacles. The action of turning your head will also serve as a turn signal to other pilots in the area and let them know which direction you intend to turn. Once you have determined the airspace is clear, shift your weight to the side of the harness you want to turn toward. Keep looking into the turn! Shifting your weight will allow you to use less brake input and make the turn more efficient. You should use weight shift in your turns as much as possible. Once you have looked and leaned in the direction you want to turn, add a bit of brake input and hold it. The glider should come around smoothly and you will be able to adjust the turn with the amount of brake input you use. Always keep some brake pressure on the outside control toggle/brake as well to maintain active piloting and keep the glider from diving into the turn. As you reach the desired heading ease up on the weight shift and brake input to transition back to straight and level flight. 

It is important to realize that you can turn your glider without any brake input at all. You will be required to demonstrate turning the glider with weight shift only. As pilots gain experience it is common to see less weight shift in their turns - this is not a good thing. Always use weight shift when initiating any turn - not only will it help keep your turn more efficient, but it will also telegraph to other pilots around you what direction you are turning. 

Turns are an excellent way to lose altitude. The steeper the turn, the more altitude you will lose. When close to the ground you should only make turns with a low bank angle (flat turns) to avoid losing altitude too quickly. Never make sharp turns close to the ground. Sharp turns can build up a lot of energy and speed and you won’t enjoy dissipating that energy into the ground. 

There are several types of turns, but the one you will be using most during your training are S-turns. Later you will learn figure-8 and 360° turns. S-turns are course adjustments of up to 180° though may be far less. During an S-turn you are always in a position to straighten your course toward the landing zone and into the wind. The closer to the ground you are, the shallower your turns should be. Full 180° turns should not be done close to the ground. 

Figure-8 turns are very similar to 180° s-turns except you continue the turn back over a fixed spot on the ground. This keeps you from moving toward your landing area and potentially overshooting. Holding your position at one end of the landing zone may be important if you arrive with a lot of excess altitude. When you are at an appropriate level you may transition to s-turns, then shallow s-turns, final glide, and landing. 

360° turns are useful when you have a lot of altitude to expend over your landing zone or are intentionally working lift or “thermal flying”. When making 360° turns, it is important to pay attention to your drift and be alert for obstacles. If there is any wind, it will affect the shape of your 360 relative to the ground. Your flight path will be shorter when facing into the wind, and longer when facing downwind. This is of particular importance when there are obstacles like mountains downwind of you. For this reason, you will only do a 360° when you are far from any obstacles. However, 360° turns can be useful for determining wind direction over a landing zone. By monitoring your drift over a landing zone while doing 360° turns you can determine the wind direction. You will always drift downwind. You initiate a 360° turn the same as a 180° turn but hold it through 360°. You shouldn’t need to use more than half of your overall brake travel. 

As a new pilot, you should never perform 360’s close to the ground. They can burn a lot of altitude quickly and are easy to misjudge. If you apply too much brake and perform too steep a turn, you can build up a lot of speed and may become dizzy or disoriented. Too much brake input on the inside may also cause the inside wingtip’s angle of attack to become too high and stall, causing a spin (see “spins” in Risk Management). Be cautious making turns away from the landing area. If you aren’t paying attention, it’s easy to lose too much altitude and not make it back to your intended landing area. 

When approaching any landing zone you will most likely have excess altitude that you will need to burn off in order to land accurately. The best way to lose altitude without overshooting your landing zone is to make turns. By adding brake input the angle of attack is increased on that side of the wing. The increased drag will slow down that side like an oar in the water. The opposite side will continue flying at its original speed, resulting in a turn. Basic turning is easily accomplished by pulling the appropriate brake until the desired rate and amount of turn is reached.

 

Once you complete the first few training slope flights, you will graduate to longer flights that will allow you to safely get into the harness. These flights will usually consist of smooth “sled rides” that are basically from the top of the hill to the bottom with no altitude gained. You will be flying the glider at trim speed most of the time which means you should feel about 3-5 pounds of pressure on the brake lines throughout the flight. 

At some point you will fly in more active conditions with small thermals or other air texture that can cause the glider to move around. You can keep the glider from moving around too much through active piloting. This involves feeling a constant pressure on the brake lines and adjusting your weight in the harness to keep straight and level flight. At first you may be slow to react when making these adjustments, but after some practice it will become second nature. Remember that active piloting doesn’t necessarily involve constant action. It means constantly being aware of what the glider needs and making the correct input at the correct time. Be careful not to over control the glider - this can be worse than under-controlling. 

In smooth air, you will be making minimal pressure adjustments. In active conditions you may need to make continuous and rapid adjustments. If the pressure decreases in the brake lines and the wing is out in front of you, your hands should descend until you feel pressure again and the wing is back over your head. If the pressure increases and the wing gets behind you, your hands should rise until you feel 3-5 pounds of pressure again and the wing begins to come forward over your head. The idea is to apply the brakes at just the right time to keep the glider over your head, or to stop its energy when it is directly over your head. 

Keeping the glider from getting out in front of you or from falling behind you is called surge or pitch control. This backward and forward rocking is one of the most common movements a glider can make. When it encounters a parcel of air that is rising it will pitch back giving it a higher angle of attack. The amount of pitch will depend on the speed and size of the parcel of air that is rising. After this rearward pitch the glider will then surge forward giving it a lower angle of attack. You can help circumvent problems by making a few simple adjustments while this surging is occurring. When the glider pitches back it will have a high angle of attack, so we ease up on the control toggles and allow it to speed up and move forward. When you feel the glider start to surge forward and come overhead, you can add brake input to slow it down and keep it overhead. The further the glider pitches back, the further it will likely pitch forward, and the more brake input you will need to give it to control the surge. Occasionally you may encounter air that causes the glider to suddenly surge forward without pitching backward first. The correction is the same and you would immediately add brake input to slow the glider down. If you maintain horizon reference while flying, the movements of your glider will be easier to detect, and you will be able to make the correct input. 

Weather conditions that cause surging can also cause the glider to roll. If the glider is raised higher on one side than the other it will create a similar tilt in your harness thus alerting you to the roll. You should also see the change in your horizon reference. To correct it simply shift your weight to the high side of the harness and force an alignment of your risers and re- center your glider. If one side of your glider rises slightly, you can add a little weight shift to that side until it flattens back out. If you get a roll oscillation and are swinging from side to side, do not attempt to correct it with opposite brake. If your timing is off it will make the roll worse. You should add a few extra pounds of pressure to both brakes and hold it until the swinging stops. You may then ease up on the toggles and return to trim speed. 
 

For your first training hill flights you will remain in an upright position and probably will not have time to sit into your harness. Your feet and knees will remain together during flight and the initial landing stages. Your hands are now part of the aircraft and must remain on the controls (brakes/toggles). Everything you do with your hands will cause the glider to react. Everything you do to the glider via the controls or weight shift, the glider will respond to. Smooth and subtle movements will cause the glider to react smoothly and subtly. Large, sharp and jerky movements will cause the glider to react quickly and sharply. This means that you must not reach your arms out for balance, adjust the harness, or grab harness straps to get comfortable. 

Once airborne the controls are very easy. Pulling gently on the right control will cause the glider to turn right. Pulling left will cause a left turn. You should have your elbows bent with your shoulders, elbows and wrists relaxed. Your hands should hang at about shoulder level with 3-5 pounds of pressure on the brake lines. You may need to do several shallow and gentle turns to set up for a landing. Your instructor will talk you through the process on the radio. 

Do not under any circumstances pull the brakes all the way down while you are at an elevation higher than 3 feet above the ground. Doing so may stall the glider and stop it from flying. Throughout the flight you will maintain your horizon reference and maintain your intended flight path.