Trial lessons enable us to introduce members of the public to the sport of gliding and to our club. During your trial lesson you will fly over the beautiful Moray countryside with a qualified pilot in a two-seat glider from our airfield at Birnie, 3 miles south of Elgin. We offer two types of trial lesson experience both of which will include a comprehensive pre-flight safety briefing.

Standard Voucher - You will have an aerotow to a minimum of 2,000 feet and a flight of 15 to 30 minutes duration. The pilot will demonstrate how the controls work and there will be the opportunity to do some of the flying or just relax and enjoy the bird's eye view of the local scenery. The price of a standard voucher is £95 plus £2 P&P.

Premium Voucher – For someone seeking more time to enjoy the experience of gliding or for that extra special gift. With a premium voucher you will have an aerotow to 3,000 feet and a flight time of 20 to 40 minutes duration. As with the standard voucher the pilot will demonstrate how the controls work so you have the opportunity to pilot the glider yourself or you can just relax while the instructor points out some of the local landmarks. The price of a premium voucher is £135 plus £2 P&P.

The exact length of any trial lesson flight will vary according to the weather conditions on the day. Trial lessons can be booked from the beginning of April to the end of October. We don't offer trial lessons in the winter time because the weather tends to be cold and unsuitable and we want our visitors to have an enjoyable experience. If for any reason you are unable to use a voucher when we have available slots please contact us and we may be able to make alternative arrangements. Bookings can be made online or by telephone using a pre-paid voucher. Vouchers are valid for 2 years from the date of purchase.

Trial lessons are now closed for the winter and will resume in April 2024. If your flight was cancelled due to weather in 2023 and you were unable to re-book, your voucher will not expire and you will be allowed to re-book next year. 

If you would like to know the dates and times we have available for booking before purchasing a voucher please use the - Trial Lesson Availability Viewer - Please note that this is provided as a guide only as available slots may be booked at any time by voucher holders.

Purchase a Voucher 

If you would like to purchase a trial lesson voucher and pay by cheque please contact us. We will reply with details of where to send your cheque. If you would like to pay with a credit or debit card please click on the appropriate Buy Now button below (the transaction is handled securely by PayPal and you don't need to have a PayPal account). Your voucher has an individual identity that is used to make a booking via our online booking system or by telephone. Please allow 7 days after purchase for the delivery of a voucher.  Vouchers can be purchased at any time during the year. Vouchers are sent first class Royal Mail, usually within 24 hours of receipt of the order. The voucher identity used to make a booking is written on the actual voucher and is not sent by text or email unless we receive an instruction to do so.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, and as part of our sale contract with whoever buys the voucher, we retain personal data for the voucher buyer for 2 years after the purchase (or for a shorter period if the trial lesson is taken sooner). The personal data will then be removed from all of our records.

Please read our visitor information page before making a purchase as this includes our terms and conditions and important safety information.

Purchase Standard Trial Lesson Voucher(s) @ £95 each plus £2 P&P 

Purchase Premium Trial Lesson Voucher(s) @ £135 each plus £2 P&P

Book a Trial Lesson

If you already have a voucher, please book a lesson.

How to find us - Map and directions of how to get to the airfield

FAQ - The most frequently asked questions from people who are new to gliding.

After a Trial Lesson

We recognise that many of you only want to try gliding once in the same way that many people only do one parachute or bungee jump. For those of you who only ever intended having a once in a lifetime glider flight we hope that it was all you expected it to be.

For those of you who've been bitten by the gliding bug and are thinking of joining the club and start training to fly gliders then please read through Join the Club for more information.