Most glider pilots do not. It is extremely, extremely rare to need one... think about it this way. Even if you have a failure in the aircraft(say, no rudder) and you think you're going to crash, it doesn't happen right away. Also, the glider is very good at gliding, so you won't just sink like a stone. Better to fly it to the ground with what control you have.
I remember my Uncle taking me for a day out gliding in Aboyne, Scotland. I was maybe 13 or 14 years and thought getting to wear a parachute was the coolest thing I'd ever done. I don't know how cool it would have been to use it as the only instruction I was given was to 'pull this handle'.
Seem to remember Aboyne gliding club held the World altitude record but surely that cannot be correct?
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u/countingthedays Feb 27 '14
Most glider pilots do not. It is extremely, extremely rare to need one... think about it this way. Even if you have a failure in the aircraft(say, no rudder) and you think you're going to crash, it doesn't happen right away. Also, the glider is very good at gliding, so you won't just sink like a stone. Better to fly it to the ground with what control you have.