"Cloud Dancing - Your Introduction to Gliding and Motorless Flights is a broad survey of soaring flight. The author, Robert F. Whelan, gives the reader a taste of what flying gliders is about and tells him how to become a glider pilot.

Perhaps because those not familiar with aviation think that flying an aircraft without an engine is suicidal, after all don't airplanes fall out of the sky as soon as the engine stops, or perhaps because flying gliders serves no obvious practical purpose at all, that soaring pilots try and explain why they pursue this sport. Robert Whelan is no different and the first chapter of his book is entitled "Why?". The short answer is simply to pursue our dreams.

After this introduction, for those who have never flown a glider, the author provides a detailed description of what that first ride will be like. I have flown gliders before and I can vouch that the descriptions are true to life.

The following few chapters talk about how to go about getting your glider pilot's license and then what you can do once you have it. I read these chapters very quickly, mostly because I knew the information presented in advance. For me the book started to get really interesting when the author began talking about the history of gliding.

Although I have read many books on aviation history, I never read one that covered soaring specifically, so I found the history fascinating. In particular I was very surprised to learn that "thermal soaring" - that is soaring using rising currents of air heated by the surface of the earth - wasn't discovered until late 1920s. Until then all gliders flew using "ridge lift" - the lift created when wind hits a side of a mountain ridge and the air is deflected upwards.

The third kind of lift - "mountain wave lift" - was first explored in the late 1930s, but not thoroughly understood until after World War II. Mountain waves are formed when strong wind blows across mountain ranges and on the downwind side the air bounces up creating a series of waves that often reach extreme altitudes. Today's soaring altitude records, which are over 30,000 feet, were all obtained using wave lift.

Separate chapters of the book are devoted to the kinds of airplanes flown and to people who fly and design them. The next to last chapter, titled "Wilderness Doug" describes an unusual adventure of a pilot flying in Colorado mountains.

Once a glider pilot starts to fly "cross-country" flights, that is flights that take him beyond the gliding distance from the airport, he constantly must worry about where to land in case he cannot find lift. Occasionally a glider has to land away from the airport. This is called "out-landing" and eventually every most every glider pilot out-lands. Doug's misfortune was to be forced to land in a pasture in a middle of total mountain wilderness. So much so that the place was only reachable on horseback. Here is how the author describes the transition of Doug's flight from a normal ridge flight into the chaos that ended in his out-landing:

"... Then, on one leg to Cameron Pass and for reasons he couldn't explain, rather than reversing direction for the return trip by banking to the right - upwind, away from the ridge - Doug turned left. In the 30 seconds it took for the plane's nose to curve, first through the south then east and then finally through north and back around west, he drifted from his vantage point, 1,000 feet directly atop the ridge, to half a mile east - downwind - of the ridge line. The surging buoyancy of moments before was replaced by the feel of straps pressing into his shoulders as the plane accelerated down toward the east side of the ridge slope, trapped now in crushing sink. There was no escape."

Fortunately Doug managed to get out of trouble in one piece and without damaging the glider, although he spent some sweaty minutes in the air.

Robert Wheelan's book is enjoyable to read as it describes the many of different facets of soaring. However in few places I found it less satisfying because it did not cover certain topics in greater depth. For example now I really wanted to read more about the history of soaring (and this book provides number of references). Also I would really enjoy reading more stories like "Wilderness Doug" simply to enjoy the adventures that other glider pilots have.

In any case, if you have ever wondered what flying gliders is like this book will give you a very good idea.

Reviewed by: Richie Bielak, 6/98