TWO?of the 'purest' yet most exciting forms of aviation will be on show at Dartmoor Gliding Society's open day at Brentor Airfield on Saturday, May 5.

In addition to giving visitors a chance to sample gliding, the club has organised a fly past by Spitfire and Hurricane fighters from the RAF's legendary Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at around 3.15pm — weather permitting.

The open day will be an opportunity to meet the pilots and discover what fun, and how affordable, the sport can be.

The club's two-seater, dual-control gliders, flown by British Gliding Association-rated instructors, will be kept busy, introducing visitors to the joys of silent flight.

They will be winched into the sky to a height of up to 1,300ft in a matter of seconds. If weather conditions are suitable, the instructors will extend flight times by circling in thermals to allow  visitors to get a feel for the controls themselves. 

In addition to the visiting historic aircraft, other airborne attractions will include demonstrations by motor gliders, including the use of a motor glider as a tow plane to launch a conventional glider. 

There will be a model helicopter display and free access to the cockpits of gliders on 'static' display. The club's own flight simulator will enable visitors to undertake many training exercises without leaving the ground.

Dartmoor Gliding Society chairman Steve Lewis said: 'We enjoy a silent and low-pollution sport, operating place well away from heavily populated areas.

'Because of this, relatively few people are aware of our existence, let alone the fact that we are actually one of the few civilian gliding clubs in the South West peninsula open to the general public.

'We aim to provide affordable, high quality training as well as more challenging advanced local and cross country soaring in a safe and friendly environment for enthusiasts of all ages, from beginners to advanced pilots.'

Entry and car parking will be free.?Trial gliding lessons and club memberships will be available at a special price, and the action starts from 9am.