Glider

Gliding is a feature in Mario Kart 7. When players drive off of a specific ramp or Boost Pad on the edge of a cliff (or something of the related sort), the Glider will appear and will make the player slowly descend in the air.

Players can control which way the kart moves when gliding; left, right, dive (down), or even slowing down the descend a bit (which is up).

Whenever there is a gliding area, there is normally obstacles in the air to slow the player down. Sometimes (if the player hits an obstacle) the player will actually fall out of the air and land on the track below him or her, normally slowing the player down by a little.

If done right, gliding can be very helpful and can even speed the player up.