Soaring high in the skies: SOSA dominates the airspace around Cambridge

The sound of an old crop duster's propellers sputter for a minute and then kick on, engines now roaring, the smell of exhaust fumes flows down the grass airstrip. 

The ground crew positions a glider and hooks up a rope to the plane. He gives the all clear and away they go, upwards of 3,000 ft into the air circling Cambridge and the surrounding area like a hawk looking for food. 

The SOSA Gliding Club is one of Canada's largest and it's massive grass airfield sits just five minutes from Cambridge's border at 1144 Cooper Rd. in Rockton. 

"This is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in your entire life," said James Wood, instructor for SOSA. 

The gliding club is one of the country's largest with 150 active members ranging from pilots to new students. They rely 100 per cent on volunteers and are a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering and growing the sport of gliding.

What differs gliders from traditional airplanes is right there in it's name; they glide without any engines, propellers or other methods of propulsion, just relying on the air current and heat from the ground. 

"So how they fly is they are pulled into the air by a small plane and released at around 3,000 ft," said Wood. "Then they simply glide, looking for hot pockets of air to drive the glider further into the sky until they eventually land." 

Wood explains the feeling of being in the air separate from the tow plane as smooth as being in a canoe on a quiet lake; you are fully connected to the aircraft with a panoramic view of your surroundings. 

Some of the clubs longest flights include a 900-km trip around Ontario and back at the airfield outside of Cambridge. 

The club has members from all over, including many locally here in Cambridge, but also Toronto, Hamilton and other surrounding communities. 

"That's what makes something like this so amazing is the core group of people who really make this fun and enjoyable," said Wood. 

On a good day in the summer, there will be anywhere from 50 people at the airstrip with 30 gliders in the air at one time. 

Gliding is for everyone and is significantly cheaper than most other aviation activities. Getting your gliders license is around $10k cheaper than getting a traditional pilots license with a lot less steps. 

SOSA's gliders are kept in immaculate condition with some of them being built in the 1980s and still going strong. There are several newer models as well that were purchased in the past 10 years adding to the impressive fleet of SOSA gliders. 

Some of the members at the club even own a glider from the 1940s that was used as a training aircraft for soldiers dropping into battles zones in WW2. 

The two hanger bays on site provide enough storage for privately owned gliders as well as the club's that anyone can fly. 

Dating back to the 1950s, SOSA started in Brantford before moving to Rockton when the city was expanding. 

Having been at their location for the past over 50 years, they have a strong and loyal membership that they are hoping to grow and attract new members. 

"We ask anyone if they want to come out just for an introductory flight to please visit our website and book one, you will be amazed at what you see up there," said Wood. 

One of the things the pilots look for when they're up in the sky are certain cloud formations or eagles and hawks going in a circle. These birds will look for pockets of hot air that will create lift under their wings and allow them to glide in that circle. 

The gliders use the same principals of aerodynamics and use the warm air to help sustain their flight for as long as possible. 

Wood notes that the pilots have to be careful and diligent as how far they go, because they have no supplemental power to get them home and land safely. 

"Sometimes the gliders will have to land in a random field or at an actual airport if they run out of lift. The weather is constantly changing and unpredictable so these things happen," he said. "Our pilots always land safely regardless of where they touch down." 

One of the strangest spots a pilot had to land was in a field at the African Lion Safari next to a group of rhinos. Luckily the pilot and the glider were rescued safely without any injuries from the giant mammals. 

SOSA has officially wrapped up flights for this year, but are encouraging anyone who may be interested in flying or getting their license to visit their website and book a test flight.