miami gliders

I took my son there for his 14th birthday present, several years ago and he got a great ride, that lasted over an hour. We went during the summer, in the morning with very little wind. The ground heated up and gave rise to some good thermals that gave him extra lift, extending his flight time. Don't go in the late afternoon, because it can too windy & you have the threat of T-storms. However, gliding in S. Florida is very weather dependent, so it's pretty much a day-by-day event, some days are better than others. High winds usually destroy thermals from reaching any high altitude. Too high of thermals in the summer humidity usually produce T-storms later in the afternoon, which is dangerous. Find that "sweet time" around 11:00 am to 1 or 2:00 pm when the thermals start really rising, but before they form storms. Call and ask one of the pilots when it's best to go.

What a peaceful and beautiful experience. Nothing compares to flying without an engine, it is so smooth and peaceful. All you hear is the air going by and the 360 degree view is breathtaking. The flight is difficult to explain without experiencing it. The business is operated by two professional pilots who fly the gliders as a side hobby. They been flying gliders for over 10 years and are FAA Flight Instructors. When you arrive you'll be parking right next the grass runway where you'll be taking off from in the glider. They have a nice little set up with picnic tables and chairs. There are no restrooms here so make sure you "Go" before your flight. You're going to love this experience! Don't miss out.

If you want to feel what it's like to fly in an airplane without the noise of its engine, you gotta fly a glider! It's a fun way to have a nice calm flight while enjoying the view. Steve is an awesome manager and always gives good advice! His Staffed pilots, Steve and Angel, are awesome too!!

I planned my buddy's bachelor party and we took 5 of us out here to do some gliding. The bachelor had no idea what we were going to do and was pretty shocked/excited when we pulled in. The gliding experience itself was ridiculously fun. Steve did some rollercoaster tricks with us and he will even let you fly the glider a bit (as a passenger, you also have controls in front of you) which was both exhillerating and terrifying. For $100, our glides lasted anywhere from 20-30 minutes. If I were to do it again, I'd pay for higher tow and get a longer experience because none of us wanted to come down. It's well worth it.

We called and made an appointment with Steve for 1pm ride two days before our ride. He asked that if we couldn't make it, to please call and let him know. We drove from Pompano Beach to Homestead, a 2 1/2 hour trip through Miami traffic. We waited 1 1/4 hours and called several times and only got voice mail. We still haven't heard anything. Wasted almost 6 hours of our last day in Fl just driving. This may well be a great 'ride', but we wouldn't know. I wouldn't do this again unless we knew someone was there waiting. Sorry...

I can confirm the previous reviews. Having last gone gliding 40 yrs previously in WW2 wood and fabric gliders, this was an awesome experience. Instructions took me right to the edge of the airfield where Miami Gliders is based. Tow launch to 3,500 feet and then spectacular views over Miami and the Everglades. 30-40 minute flight - great value and friendly crowd. If you haven't been gliding - do!

I had huge fun with Steve and John at Miami Gliders. I chose the 5200 ft tow and it was worth every cent. Even though the weather wasn't that favorable for soaring, Steve had no trouble filling the flight with acrobatics, sightseeing, information and pure entertainment. I've flown everything from hang gliders to Jet Ranges and this ranks with the best of any of those. Homestead Airport is a little remote, but the drive there is well worth the effort. You won't be disappointed with the flight or the caliber of pilot you're flying with. Please see the video at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lAFCtxiJyU

My wife and I took turns going up in 2 seat gliders - the first time for us mid-50's (ok, maybe I no longer qualify for mid-50's) terrified of heights people. The flights were AWESOME!I went first so I couldn't chicken out after my wife went up. We elected the 3000 ft.altitude flight (2000 and 1 mile were also available). It was a beautiful, partly cloudy day before Thanksgiving.You sit in the very front of a long skinny plane, with the pilot directly behind you. At first, it's a little claustrophobic and hot. Your plexiglass canopy is like a fighter plane's - your field of vision is just terrific. You're hooked to a tow plane, which takes about 5 minutes to get you up to 3000 feet. There's an air vent on your right and a little window on your left which eliminate the heat right away once you get going. You have gauges in front of you just like the pilot, which tell you air speed, altitude, and whether you're climbing or descending. The glider pilot explains all the gauges and how he will look for thermals (just like the birds!) to climb and fend off gravity. The takeoff is very quick - because of the weight difference, you leave the ground before the tow plane. I was a bit apprehensive by now, but we had told both pilots we had height issues. They were quite solicitous throughout, and told us if we couldn't deal with the experience, they could get us back down quickly. The glider pilot explained what would happen when the tow rope was released, so I wasn't scared when it happened. We soon lost our fear (my wife more quickly than I). After release, the pilot found a thermal, and we soared to 3200 in just a minute or 2. The views were just spectacular! We were flying over the Everglades. Depending on where the pilot pointed us, I could see Miami, Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, the beginning of the Keys. We dropped down to 2900 for a while and just cruised around. Then the pilot found another thermal and hopped back up to 3100 feet. He told me we were going up to scrape the bottom of a cloud. As we neared it, I looked at the gauge and saw we had gone up to 3600 feet within 2 minutes. Just amazing! He then said, "If you stick your hand out the window, you can say you touched a cloud." So of course I did! The descent was a little scary at first, because you drop very quickly and the wind noise gets louder. Again, the pilot explains exactly what's going on, and shows you how he's using the wings' air brakes to slow our speed. The descent to and landing on a grass field is just the coolest thing! My wife had pretty much the same experience, except she asked the pilot if he could do a trick, so he did a "wing over" - 1 wing pointed down, 1 up, followed by a u-turn. I was up for about 40 minutes, her about 30. All in all, this was the most unique and one of the most spectacular experiences of our lifetimes. If you go, take a video camera.The glider guys operate out of Homestead General Aviation Airport, about 20 miles southwest of Miami.