You can feel the salty breeze from the Chesapeake Bay as you let wind catch sail in open waters, you can see untouched forestry in nature as you explore the woods by foot, and you can be encapsulated by historic charm driving down any town’s Main Street. However, nothing can compare to a tranquil bird’s eye view as you fly above Virginia’s two northern most peninsulas.
Seeing the Rappahannock River bordered by Middlesex and Lancaster counties from a bird’s eye view has never been as tranquil and weightless since Michael Kuhnert with Bay Aviation at Hummel Airfield began providing flights in his 1969 Glider.
Kuhnert, the chief pilot and owner of Bay Aviation, began offering glider flights just a few months ago, he said.
“If you’re looking for an absolutely bird-like experience, the glider is the trip for you,” he said.
Kuhnert’s glider aircraft offers the most quiet, float-like experience within the sky amongst the birds thanks to the fact the plane does not have an engine.
When I heard Kuhnert had started offering tours this spring and there was a chance to document the experience, I immediately knew this was a story I wanted to cover.
It was early March when I scheduled my flight with Kuhnert. I frequently travel to Tangier Island from Hummel Air Field with Davy Nichols in his 1970s Cessna, so I wasn’t nervous as I enjoy flying and seeing the beautiful land and waterways from above.
I had had the glider described to me by multiple people.
A lot of the technicalities had clearly gone over my head because when I arrived at Hummel Airfield, I was taken back by the set-up.
The narrow body of the plane was what I noticed first, then I questioned why there was a rope tied to the nose of the aircraft, all followed by the observation of the lack of an engine.
“Are you scared yet?,” another pilot for a different plane had asked me.
“Not at all, just confused,” I responded.
The aircraft is small in comparison to others. It has a narrow body and the top cover is relatively short. Because of the dimensions, a passenger cannot exceed 220 pounds and cannot be taller than 6’.
The operation of the glider is fascinating. When people nearby know it’s preparing to take off, they often stop what they’re doing to watch.
To get to the soaring stage of the glider ride, Kuhnert and his passenger are towed with a rope by a Bellanca Super Decathlon toward the Rappahannock on the airstrip.
Once we were lifted from the air strip and in the sky, we were towed by rope for probably another 10 minutes. Depending on various conditions like wind and thermals, the amount of time to be towed can range a bit.
It takes several minutes to reach an altitude of 4,000 feet. Once that altitude is reached, the rope is dropped, the Decathlon returns back to the airfield, and the glider is left to glide.
While being in the sky without an engine may seem like a vulnerable and compromising scenario, Kuhnert says the experience is actually quite the contrary.
“Flying is actually much safer than driving a car. In flying, you’re only victim to your own stupidity. Flying in a glider is actually very safe, you’re not having to rely on any type of engine,” Kuhnert said.
Knowing a bit of Kuhnert’s flying background, I knew there wasn’t any reason to worry, as he is extremely knowledgeable and competent.
Originally from Germany, Kuhnert has been flying for 25 years. After working as a commercial charter pilot, he earned his flight instructor certificate.
In addition to providing folks with the opportunity to see the area from a totally rare perspective, Kuhnert also offers glider instruction courses. According to Kuhnert, obtaining a certificate to operate a glider only requires 10 additional take-offs and landings if you already possess a pilot’s license.
In fact, Kuhnert’s courses are the only glider instruction school in the entire Mid-Atlantic, he said.
“There’s quite a bit of physics to it,” Kuhnert said in regards to flying a glider.
Simply put, a glider uses thermals, which are currents of rising air, in order to stay moving in the air.
In a sense, they are comparable to sailboats in terms of operation, hence why gliders are sometimes referred to as “sailplanes.”
According to Kuhnert, depending on weather and conditions, a glider can stay airborne for hours and travel an impressive distance thanks to thermalling.
After the rope had dropped and we were left in the sky amongst the birds and the clouds, as a passenger, there was nothing to do but take in the glory of the area we are so lucky to call home.
Seeing the outlines of the tides meeting the shores, the iconic Robert O. Norris Jr. Memorial Bridge and the lush greenery that makes up the inland, it encourages a refreshing perspective.
Because there’s no engine noise, the silence of soaring in the air made me feel small in the best way. From above, the landscape appears as though it was meticulously laid out by grand design.
While one could stay amongst the birds for a spell, Kuhnert offers rides in increments of 22 minutes, 31 minutes and 41 minutes with prices varying depending on flight time.
A 22-minute flight allows for the aircraft to reach 3,000 feet and is set at a rate of $180. A 31-minute flight reaching heights of 4,000 feet sets you at $235, and a lift to 5,000 feet for a 41-minute flight costs $285.
Kuhnert says a glider ride is perfect for someone looking for a peaceful experience. It allows for an opportunity to see the beauty of the area in a quiet, distinct manner.
For the adrenaline junkies, however, Kuhnert suggests booking a flight in the PT-19 Warbird or Bellanca Super Decathlon. Both planes offer aerobatic rides which are packed with steep turns, rolls and loops.
To see “home” in a way you have never seen before, a trip in Bay Aviation’s newest ride is the way to go.
The photos I captured on my camera were beautiful and I’ll look at them fondly; however, the peace of the quiet while floating in the sky is something that can only be captured by experiencing it for yourself.
Bay Aviation, at 2649 Greys Point Road, Topping offers gift certificates for all of its flights.
Glider facts
The first successful glider plane came to be in 1853 by British engineer George Cayley. He travelled across a small valley prior to his crash landing. Over time, improvements were made and German engineer Otto Lilienthal crafted a series of small gliders throughout the 1890s. Lilienthal studied the way birds flew and emulated that science in his engineering.
He built his very own hill near Berlin to test and improve the gliders. He made an estimated 2,000 controlled flights before he died in 1896 due to an accident in one of his gliders.
Throughout the decades, gliders have changed in how they’re constructed. Once mainly built of wood and eventually metals, the majority now are made of composite such as glass, carbon fibre and aramid fibers.
Despite the lack of an engine, gliders use thermals, or the currents of rising air to stay in flight.
