Jack,
Gliding is the real deal..I got an A&B Licence with the ATC and then joined the Midland at the Long Mynnd where I was working on getting my C.
A bungee launch off the hill is an experience never forgotten and as you say, landing does focus the mind. Power pilots tend to overlook the fact that unlike them once a glider has turned onto the circuit there is no way back, you are going to land. There is no power lever to push if you want to go round.
I gave up gliding when we bought a house... It is a period I look back on with great fondness. Gliding in the 70s was essentially unregulated, unlike today.
Whenever I have to do a check flight at my local flying club e.g. haven't flown a certain plane for 3 months - I always choose an instructor who is also a glider pilot. They're the best.
