Soaring from apprehension to appreciation

A few minutes into her inaugural glider ride Tuesday, and Kathleen Kelly was a convert.

"It was really fun. I loved it," she said. "It was my first time, and I thought it would be very scary. It was very peaceful and beautiful."

Kelly took the glider ride courtesy of her friend Laurie Harden of Soaring NV.

Piloted by Linda Mae Draper-Hivert, the trip was part of an attempt to set a world's record in honor of the centennial of licensed women pilots.

Between March 6-12, women around the world took to the skies in all kinds of aircraft piloted by women.

Kelly has flown commercially, but Tuesday was her first time in a glider.

The 45-minute flight took her all around Carson Valley and up to Lake Tahoe.

"We circled around the Valley and could see Lake Tahoe all the way to Desolation Wilderness. It was really just a feeling of kind of floating," Kelly said.

"You don't have the engine, it's not like you're going a million miles an hour," she said.

Harden said it's natural to feel apprehensive before the first flight.

"Going up in an unpowered aircraft, I think for the uninitiated, it gives you pause. It's just like if you were going skydiving or hang-gliding or bungee jumping for the first time. We try to make that part of the process. I believe if you deny the apprehension, you make it worse," Harden said.

The way to deal with it is to make the passenger feel secure.

"You're under a Plexiglas canopy strapped into a five-point harness. It's a pretty snug environment," Harden said. "You don't get that fear of heights like you're looking over the edge of a cliff."

She said the passenger is leaning back a little in what she called a "race car pose."

"You've got those giant, beautiful wings out there. It's very smooth and very natural," Harden said.

Kelly said she might take glider lessons.

"I was amazed by the simplicity of the whole thing," she said. "There is no engine between you and the beauty of it all."

Kelly credited Draper with providing a smooth ride. She said she felt safer than taking a commercial airplane.

""It's scarier to go on a commercial airliner. In the glider, you're snug in a little capsule and it's all clear over your head. You can see 360 degrees," Kelly said. "It's a completely different experience up there."

ON THE WEB

Centennial of Women Pilots

http://centennialofwomenpilots.com/