Human imagination is limitless – professional designers and enthusiasts have already invented many ways to move through the air – on balloons, airships, gliders, hang gliders, parachutes, paragliders, paramotors, seaplanes, ekranoplans, as well as aircraft of various purposes and models (from “corn” to supersonic fighter) – and almost all of them are used in one way or another in the field of tourism, recreation and entertainment.

“Youth – to the gliders!” This slogan, popular in the first half of the 20th century, calling for the mastering of aviation technology by boys and girls, is almost forgotten today. And in the 1920-1930s. gliding was considered the second step in obtaining the profession of a pilot. This sport was practiced by tens of thousands of people across the country. A glider is one of the lightest aircraft. Since it does not have a motor, in order to fly, the device must first be accelerated to a certain speed. This is done either by towing it with a rope by another aircraft, or from the ground by a car or a special tensioning device. When the necessary speed of movement is reached, which provides lift, the cable is unhooked, and the glider soars freely in the air.

Flying a glider requires certain flying skills, abilities and pilot training. Such training necessarily includes obtaining a certificate. The maintenance and service of gliders, the organization of flights, the training of pilots is carried out in flying clubs. There are hundreds of gliding centers in the US and Europe.

In Russia today, glider flights attract only a few enthusiasts. At the same time, in the states of Western and Eastern Europe, in America, gliding is one of the most popular types of outdoor activities, interest in which is constantly growing. And this is not surprising, because almost everyone knows the desire to fly. When choosing between an airplane and a glider, you can see that the latter has a number of advantages. This sport is extreme, but it is relatively safe – the glider cannot catch fire, due to the lack of a propeller, leaving it with a parachute does not cause much difficulty, and the requirements for a landing site for a glider are much less stringent.

Until the early 1990s. gliding activities include mainly such disciplines like flying for speed, for distance, for routes. The successes achieved by glider pilots are impressive. For example, the world record for glider flight distance is 3000 km – the distance between Moscow and Novosibirsk.

In the last 15 years, a new concept has appeared in gliding sport – “aerobatics on a glider”, i.e. aerial acrobatics. Today it is the main sport discipline. According to the rules in a virtual cube with sides of 1 km, the athlete must perform a certain number of maneuvers. As in figure skating, there are free and compulsory programs. Judges evaluate the observance of the accuracy of the borders of the cube, the purity and quality of the elements. It may seem surprising, but modern aerobatic gliders – Polish Swifts, Foxes and others – can perform absolutely all complex and aerobatic maneuvers available to sports aircraft.

Currently, the World Gliding Aerobatics Championships (WGAC) are held annually. This spectacular event is held by Hungary, Sweden, USA, Spain and Great Britain. The Russian team in the championships traditionally wins prizes. This is not surprising, given the specifics of the training of our aerobatic glider pilots – almost all of them “transferred” to gliders from acrobatic aircraft. In 2005, the WGAC was held for the first time in our country at the Drakino airfield near Moscow, located not far from Serpukhov. More than 60 athletes from Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands announced their participation in the competition.

The organizers of the competition expect that, in addition to purely sporting interest, the event will contribute to the strengthening of the tourist attractiveness of the Moscow region and the development of infrastructure for outdoor activities.

The competition program includes the following events. Within three days before the start of the official program of the championship, an extensive program of performances by paratroopers, light aircraft, Air Force fighters, and the launch of balloons is planned here.

At the airfield in Drakino, a two-story hotel for 70-75 people is being built for participants in the competition, as well as a house for judges, a catering point.

The championship will attract the attention of tourists. In the future, on the basis of the updated Drakina and the complex buildings located on its territory, it is planned to organize a center for extreme technical sports, mainly related to aviation. Tracks for cyclists, skateboarders and roller skaters will also be built, as well as a wall for training and rock climbing competitions.

Equestrian and paintball clubs, saunas, gyms and tennis courts will start working. Active recreation can be combined with a rich excursion and educational program, since the Serpukhov land is rich in historical and cultural monuments.

A very common aircraft is a hang glider. For its flight, acceleration from a mountain, from land or water is required by towing by a car or boat. In order to expand the possibility of flights and reduce dependence on air currents, light propeller motors are often installed on hang gliders.