AS FAR AS THE WIND WILL CARRY YOU.

Byline: Bill Becher Correspondent

TEHACHAPI - Strapped in the front of a two-seat yellow glider at Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi, Lacy Poulson looks excited and a little nervous. Her pilot, Larry Barrett, sits in back.

Poulson's father bought her a gift certificate for the ride and stuffed it in her Christmas stocking. Today she's cashing it in at Skylark North, a glider school and rental operation in this valley north of Mojave.

Uncrowded skies and near-ideal flying conditions make Tehachapi a popular destination for soaring enthusiasts.

Fourteen-year-old Brittany Abraham-McAlister clips the end of the towrope to the hook at the front of the glider. She's working part-time at the airport to pay for flying lessons. Brittany hopes to fly solo for the first time - as soon as her mother gets a video camera to tape the big event. Student glider pilots can solo at age 14 under FAA rules, two years before they can fly a powered airplane alone.

At the other end of the 200-foot towrope is a Piper Pawnee, a converted crop duster that will haul the glider 2,500 feet up into the bright blue sky.

Then Barrett, co-owner of Skylark North, will pull the towrope release knob and the glider will be on its own.

Barrett gives a ``Top Gun''-like thumbs-up to let Brittany know he's ready for takeoff, and she raises the glider's wing. The tow plane taxis forward to take the slack out of the rope. Barrett wags the rudder to show he's ready to roll. Then the tow plane pilot acknowledges by wagging his rudder and starts the takeoff.

Sailplanes - another term for gliders, use Mother Nature as a power source once they release from tow, said Dan Gudgel, an instructor at Skylark North. Rising currents of air called thermals, winds that push up over ridges and wind shear lines all can provide lift for soaring flight. It's sometimes called ``silent flight,'' though the air rushing by makes a sound.

Poulson and Barrett are taking advantage of a shear line - an area in the Tehachapi Valley where winds converge and spill upward, providing lift. Poulson and Barrett don't get very high, but they are staying up.

Many people have discovered their own personal escape velocity in a sailplane. And since some sailplanes can fly 150 mph or more, you've got a lot of possibilities. Sailplanes, capable of staying aloft in the right conditions for as long as the pilot can stay awake, have traveled more than 1,000 miles and climbed to 49,000 feet of altitude.

Modern high-performance sailplanes are sleek sculptures in gleaming white fiberglass with long, graceful wings and a wrap-around plastic-bubble canopy.

But the planes are not fragile. They're designed to withstand six Gs - more than most powered planes - and are capable of aerobatic maneuvers. A control stick instead of a control wheel adds to the ``Right Stuff'' fighter-jock feeling you get sitting in a sailplane.

And it's not just make-believe.

The Test Pilot School at nearby Edwards Air Force Base uses the gliders at Skylark as part of the curriculum for new test pilots. The already well- experienced jet pilots practice observing and recording what happens when they spin a sailplane. This gives them a low-cost opportunity to practice test pilot skills before moving on to F-16s.

Exciting as soaring can be, you're not likely to die doing it. Skylark has had a perfect safety record giving rides and instruction since it opened in 1979, according to co-owner Jane Barrett.

While a glider can land in a farmer's field, that's not encouraged, and pilots make sure they have enough altitude to get safely back to the airport.

Like an Olympic gymnast, the pilot pretty much has to stick the landing the first time - you can't push in the throttle and go around like you can in a powered aircraft.

The glider with Lacy Poulson and Barrett aboard touches down on the runway and rolls to a stop. Poulson is grinning after her 20-minute ride.

``I loved it! You're floating up there,'' she said. ``I want to do it again!''

IF YOU GO

TAKING OFF: Introductory rides flown by an FAA-certified pilot cost between $55 and $115, depending on tow altitude, flight time and type of aircraft. Lessons for anyone and rentals to qualified pilots are available. Students spend roughly $160 per lesson, or $1,750 up to their first solo flight. The total training cost for a private glider pilot license is about $3,000. Call [phone] or visit www.tehachapi.com/glider for more information about rides or lessons. Closed Tuesdays. Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Los Angeles.

EATS: The Raven's Nest sandwich shop at the airport offers breakfasts, deli sandwiches, and homemade soups and breads. The Apple Shed at 333 E. Tehachapi Blvd., [phone], features a gift shop, restaurant and locally grown apples in season.

ACCOMMODATIONS: RV accommodations are available on site at Mountain Valley RV Park. Call [phone]. There are several motels in the area as well as a resort, the Lodge at Woodward West, in nearby Stallion Springs: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Dan Gudgel, a flight instructor at the Skylark North glider school in Tehachapi, pilots a sailplane at 7,700 feet.

(2 -- color) The ground crew keeps hold of a high-performance two-seat sailplane before takeoff at Mountain Valley Airport.

(3 -- color) A conventional airplane, connected with a towrope, gets a glider into the air.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)