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York Soaring Club delivers gliding thrills for airfield visitors

September 4, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

You may have flown to your vacation destination on a full-size airliner and appreciated the noise of the engines during takeoff, but when you go airborne from the airfield at the York Soaring Club near Arthur, there is no noise – only the rush of air over your wings.

The York Soaring Club operates from May of every year, when the airstrip is dry enough, to as late in the season as the weather allows.

The club owns its own gliders, and members also have their own private gliders that they keep on-site.

There are two hangars, three tow planes, and 12 club gliders.

Soaring is considered a very safe sport when proper precautions are taken, and is enjoyed by thousands of people around the world.

While there are several ways to launch a glider, York Soaring uses a tow plane that tows a glider up to the required altitude before the glider is released. From there, you are on your own with no power.

Gravity supplies the power for a glider. Experienced glider pilots will search for updrafts and use them to gain lift.

Pilots will take note of dark fields that radiate heat, create upward lift, and other atmospheric features that provide lift. One way to note areas that provide lift is to watch birds like hawks or eagles that are circling in an updraft area.

York Soaring was founded in 1961. The club has over 200 acres of property that includes a 3,500-foot main runway.

It is a busy club with continuous action on the weekends.

“We have three runways,” explained club member Serge Valade. “Our main runway is 3,500 feet [long] and 300 feet wide. We have another runway that is 2,200 feet and third runway that is 1,700 feet. We had some recent work done to create drainage that allows us to start the season in May.”

The Cub has a certified training program to train people how to become glider pilots.

If you are just interested in giving it a try, you can book a flight online or just visit the club at its Highway 9 location just east of Arthur, Ontario.

You can go airborne with a seasoned pilot and enjoy the experience of quiet flight.

“A lot of our visitors have gift certificates,” Valade explained. “That one-day flight comes with a 30-day membership.”

Many people are gifted a flight for a birthday or other celebration.

It is a fun experience that will make you feel as close to being a bird as you will ever get.

You can learn more and book a flight by visiting the club’s website at www.yorksoaring.com.

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