# The Great Ongoing Aviation Thread (general and other) (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 23, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-aviation-thread-general-and-other-part-1/600499 "2011-10-23T02:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9223
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-aviation-thread-general-and-other-part-1/600499/9223 "2026-01-13T20:35:49Z")
copy from another thread > [@How expensive is your hobby?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/68): > > My principal hobby is soaring: flying sailplanes (aka gliders - which despite the name are distinct from hang gliders). This definitely ranks as expensive: a decent glider can cost over $100k (but they tend to hold their value well). An aerotow launch (typically one per day for an experienced pilot) is ~$65. Joining a sailplane club is likely the least cost entry into flying. My solo licence cost about $3k Cdn including 40 tows, 40 plane rentals ( various ) club membership, insurance and instructions. You do have some club duties but I joined early August and was solo in Sept and still a few weeks of good flying into October. > **[Learn to Fly Gliders | SOSA Gliding Club](https://www.sosaglidingclub.com/)** > > SOSA is Canada's premier gliding club with the largest and most modern training fleet and over 150 members. Located one hour from Downtown Toronto, Ontario we offer both beginner and advanced training programs as well as introductory experience... Now prices are up but still the least cost to a formal pilots licence that can easily transform to power ( for much much greater cost ). IF you decide to expand beyond club flights then the costs can get much higher but even clubs can arrange wave soaring adventures. > **[Cowley National Soaring Site](http://soaring.ab.ca/cowley)** > **[Invermere Soaring Centre | Glider Rides in the Canadian Rockies](https://www.canadianrockiessoaring.com/)** > > The premier commercial gliding and soaring centre in the Canadian Rockies. Book your mountain adventure today. I think the record for height for a sailplane is some 76,000 feet …yeah you read that right. > **[The Perlan Project](https://perlanproject.org/)** > > The Perlan Project is an internationally celebrated, world record setting climate and aerospace research project. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-aviation-thread-general-and-other-part-1/600499)._