Each weekend, about 10 members of the Penn State Soaring Club get high -- in the sky, that is.

The organization provides students with aviation experience at the lowest possible cost.

Currently, the club owns three gliders and travels each weekend to the Ridge Soaring Gliderport in Julian, about 15 miles from campus.

"Gliding is the sport of flying," club president Jeff Johnson said.

"In an airplane, the autopilot takes over and helps you fly. In a glider, you have complete control of the aircraft," he added.

The gliders look like small airplanes but don't have engines. Instead, they use rising air currents to lift the aircraft. They cost about $10,000 used.

In the gliders, students hang about 4,000 feet in the air and look like silver streaks against the colorful Pennsylvania hills.

The club bought the gliders with money raised by selling T-shirts, hats and sweats at the home football games, Johnson said.

"This is very difficult for college students to get into," he said. "In college, everything is about money, and this is expensive and takes a lot of time, especially in getting your license."

Each flight costs about $45 for instructors and a plane to tow the glider off the ground.

Flying solo requires a license, and earning a gliding license takes six months to a year and requires about 30 flights with an instructor.

Brian Yutko (junior-aerospace engineering) said he wouldn't get the opportunity to fly if he weren't involved in the club.

"It's a very expensive hobby on your own," Yutko said. "It's a whole lot cheaper with the club. I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise."

Several times, the university asked the club to get rid of the gliders, but the club needs them for competitions, Johnson said.

"The university isn't happy we own the gliders because they're a huge insurance liability," he said. "We need them to be in competitions. We couldn't exist without them."

Gliding is considered very safe and more enjoyable than riding in an airplane, said Doris Grove, who works at the Gliderport and helps the Soaring Club.

"The glider is so silent because there's no engine," she said. "It's very fun, and it's really safe. I love to do it."

Yutko said he got involved with the club through an engineering class that required building sailplanes.

"I liked it a lot, and my instructor encouraged me to join the club," he said. "It's a pretty cool opportunity, and I'm glad I joined."

In the future, Johnson hopes to get his pilot's license and learn to fly bigger planes.

"It's not a career move for me, but it's something I enjoy," he said. "I can't imagine not doing it."