Although there will be plenty to see once you’re aloft, these plane and glider rides are more about the experience itself than the sightseeing. If you’d like to be a little more “hands on,” check out the plane rides listed in Chapter 12: Do It!
Fantasy of Flight
P.O. Box 1200, Polk City 33868
(863) 873-1339
www.fantasyofflight.com
Cost: $60 to $200 per person
Hours: Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weather permitting, October through May only
Location: Exit 44 off I-4, about 50 miles west of Orlando
Get a look at Central Florida from a vintage 1929 New Standard open-cockpit biplane. No reservations are necessary for the $60, 20-minute flights. For $200, you can get a half hour in a 1942 Boeing Stearman PT-17 and even get a chance to take the controls. (See Chapter 11 for Fantasy of Flight’s other attractions.)
Seminole-Lake Gliderport
P. O. Box 135516, Clermont 34713
(352) 394-5450
www.soarfl.com
Cost: $95 to $160, including tax
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to dusk; closed Tuesday June, July, August
Location: Just south of Clermont, at the intersection of SR 33 and SR 561
If you look up in the sky and see puffy cumulus clouds against a warm blue sky, it’s perfect gliding weather. You might just want to pop over to the Clermont area for an air-powered glider ride. The folks at Seminole-Lake Gliderport will put you in a high-performance glider with an FAA-certified instructor, tow you into the wild blue yonder — and let you go.
The price depends on the altitude at which the flight starts and, hence, its length. A $95 flight starts from 3,000 feet and lasts 20 to 25 minutes. At $130 and 4,000 feet they’ll throw in some aerial maneuvers for the 35-minute flight. The $160 flight tows you to 5,000 feet, offering a spectacular view of Central Florida on the 45-minute glide to landing.
Flights begin about 10:00 a.m., with the last flight about 4:00 p.m. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Instruction is also offered; rated pilots can pick up a gliding add-on to their license in about three or four days.
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