BUGC

Gliders are essentially aeroplanes with very long wings and - crucially - without an engine, and gliding is the art of controlling a glider through its gradual descent. A glider's long wingspan and light weight allows it to fly at incredibly shallow glide angles of about 50:1. That's 50 Kilometres for 1000m height lost - Yes, really that far!

But it doesn't end there - Soaring a glider involves using thermals (rising air) to regain height, enabling you to stay airborne for hours! Gliders are also incredibly responsive - much more so than powered aircraft - making aerobatics possible.

Cross-country gliding involves racing around a given course often 100s of km long. In competitons, pilot's test their skills, racing each other round the set course gambling speed and height in an attempt to get home fastest and claim glory - often with 50+ pilots battling it out, this is flying at its purest.

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/nature/q0253.shtml