ISSN 0036-7230

gliding insurance
i nforma t ion contact number

0207 618 6302 COX INSURANCE

AVIATION

e-mail: [email protected]
 Th e magazine of th e
Britis h Gliding As!iociation

April - i'v[a y 2000

Volume 51 l o 2

Editor
H e len Rvans

6 Salop Close, Shrivenh a m,

SWINDON SN6 8EN
tc•l/fax: 0 1793 783423
e ma il: helen@' andp;.dircon .co.u,h

Your contributionR a re welcome. If you wCJtdcl

lihe a guide /or co ntr ibuto1~s or want to di.;;;cus.-;
your· idea for 11! a~ ·tide with th e editor. please
feel ji·ee to get in to11 ch by entail. letter or pho" '.
18 Practice makes ... 6-7 BGA & General News:
From the Chairman
Double world champion How to help juniors
Deadline Da tes New insurance levels
an d current US Team
.Jun -,July Coach George Moffa t EGU's new pres ident
Articles Apri l Ul
suggests practice strategies Gliding pays its respects
Lettct· April 18 to Bill Scull
C lub Ne w,.; Apt·il 18 to imp rove you r com petition
:\dvortise n1ents April :l(j
performance
C las ~ ifieds
Augu :;; t .... September
May5
8 Letters to the Editor
Ar ticle;; ,J unt• I ~1
How the Colditz glider
Letfe t·s
C lu b N e ws
,Ju ne 13
.June 13 26 finally flew
10 BGA Development News
Ad vt~l'ii.s c m t.mts .)unl· 26
C l ;,;:~ i f'i<·rl s ,Ju ly :i 11 A Rotax Falke for Faulkes'?
For yea rs people wondered
Publisher
BtiLi~h Glidm • A·~oC"i oti o n
if the glider built in secret 12 Reviews
by PoWs wo uld have fl own.
(!!m tti l: bguli<'~lidllll(o l'().ll/;1
Derek Piggott was the first • 16 BGA Conference and AGM
Advel'tising in S &G: Debbie CurT to find ou t
(t•m!lll: ck/J/Ji< '''f!li<litlg.co. t!k) 20 Tail Feathers b y Platypus
S ub c1· ibing t o &G: Bt:vm•k ' Ru s:wll
(vmail: bcuerky•ug/ldin.~.~o.uk)
30 Six-point belt on test 21 Platypieces
I imberley H ou~e . Vaughnn Way
!.El ESTER Lf!:t 4SE Dr Tony Sega l has bee n 22 Gliding Art Gallery
1.! 0116 2:1!~ !051 !11-x: 0 I Hi 251 59:19
back to the crash-test rig to
tt:WII!.!{liclin~:. c·o.lth
exami ne a new six- point
22 Two up is double the fun
ha rness. H e reports on the
S&G annual subscription: £HJ.50 in UK res ul ts of his tests
41 Gliding and UK Airspace
US $43 for n i1'n1ai l ; $3:1 for surface• mail
42 New look to air charts

Mountain highs and 48 UK and National Records

34 lows 51 Club News
Pet.e Thelwall describes how
three Brit juniors had fun
57 BGA Certificates
in Fiorclland, while Phi!
Swa llow gets stuck in New
57 Obituaries

Zea la nd's Southern Alps 58 Bill Scull- a tribute

Start cross-countries 59 Accident/incident statistics

37 here 59 We're only human

Getti ng going; tips from 59 CHIRP for glider pilots

top pilots; what ki t to ta ke
- and your chance to win a 60 Ciassifleds
£1i .· ht with Andy Davis
66 Index to advertisers

11w de(\' ih~ Coldit:: ( 'ud.- repli ru f11!:tv, IV'tzt clwd by f),~i.o;wwr.-: .\-I~mbcr of rhe
o{ \\'(i r who desi_:;{ned und made tht 1 llri,~inol. u.u:.' imp r(•,'iifil ' Royu l .'\el'o Clu b
{or u ll pre.,...,•JJ!l. Ou r fl•uwn• OJl[>fl!-W·' :t(i-2.CJ i:.; iilll!;frulccllJy :HH.Ilhc
the· white p L1n• ·:-- pitl1 1re •·u. ~t:hit.·l · uJ..;o took tlw m t~ ·r :-dwt tJf Federation AC.ronautiqu(' Intc.rnHtionalc
-John f.A!t·'. A...; II:,•U c1 ..; fl_nrlg tlw gfidi' f'. ,John hflilt Us rU11gs
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latest LNAV Vario System priced at £1389 CPT Vario ... .... £62 .50
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April - May 2000 5

 From the How to help
Chairman
I I

your JUniors
YOlJ CAN help your club's young pilots get to
WHEN f started gliding in 1969 I never Weston on the Green for the Junior
imagined how deeply r would get Championships (August 25-September 3,
lnvo1ved, n or how much plea ure I would this year) .
derive from ou r wonderful sport. It has its Any pilot aged 25 and under with a Silver
frustrations but it ha, many rewards in badge can enter the Juniors, and any young
the a ir for those who tick with it. pilot - even pre-solo - can apply for flying
There are r ewards on the ground, too, Ln experience there.
the people one meets. I h ave made many The BGA subsidises the Junior
fri.ends in gliding, in the UK and abroad, Championships, seeing it as a very important
but I want to m ention just two of them means of helping young pilots.
now. Please encourage them to enter, and
Firstly, Dick Dixon, your Chairman for consider making your club's best gliders
the past four years. He has led t he BGA "The freedoms we enjoy available - especially where entrants do not
through some difficult iso;ues, providing must be robustly defended have a suitable glider. H you own a glider, why
leadership and direction to bring u s to with reason and logic, not loan it to a young pilot for the week?
where we are today. and by winning friends Coaching is available for all entrants, and
Dick took the initiative tu set up Project not just within gliding
• BGA two-seaters will fly young pilots not
2000 to look at the BGA's future - work entering the competition who want to learn
but also outside it"
due to start bearing fruit this year. H e about cross-country and competition flying.
also establis h ed the very ab le team
- David Roberts There are places in the Duo Discus, DG 500
leading our current negotiatLons with the w heth er employees of the Association or and Puchacz. The Scottish ASH 25 will take
CA.A over the future regulation of gliding volunteers. Many others give theu· time to students from Scottish clubs. Excellent
a nd motorgliding. 1 believe he has also set h elp gliding s urvive and thrive in the UK support from some private owners means we
an unofficial record for the number of and abroad. may have as many as 20 student places.
dubs visited by the Chairman. So, to It is \litally importa nt that w e continue Each two-seater, flying hors concours, will
Dick, our thanks al1d best wishes for tiLe work that othe rs before us have be crewed by one coach and two students.
happy soaring over the South Downs - started so successfully. The fl'eedom s we Students will normally fly on alternate days
and further afield- fr c from the constant enjoy must be robustly defended with and help on the other days. NO qualifications,
phone calls. reason and logic.: - not by sounding off other than being keen, are required for this.
The second friend I want to mention is unthi nkingly - and by winning friends The costs will be minimal- basically the cost
nu longe t' with us. As I wl'ite this T have not just within gliding but also outside it. of getting there and food , and possibly some
just returned from Bill Scull's funeral at r shall do my best to carry on the launches. Most of the juniors camp on site
Alton (see opposite, and page 58). traditions of pt·evious Chairmen and and they have a great time.
1 first met Bill in the early 70s and other glider pilots who have provided a n The young pilots' soaring course at
quic..:kly came to respect his knowledge environment for gliding that is a lmost Bicester (August 20-24) will also be a contest
a nd com mon sense, particularly when my unique in the world. At the same time, practice week.
own club, Cotswold, was in the process of however, we need to respond to rapidly- Applicants for two-seater places should be
buying its airfield. My experience of him cha n ging times and markets. Cha nge is supported by their club and send a short
mirmrs what speakers at the service said. constant. Some in g liding do not want written submission to me at the address
They praised Bill's integrity. warmth, change a nd find it difficult to e mbrace. below or the BGA office, explaining why they
humoar a nd dedication to gliding a nd But the m ajority, I believe, see the need should get a place. The closing date is April
sport aviation; his determination to make for gliding to adapt to a changing world 30, and places will be allocated by May 30.
the BGA's voice hea rd in Whiteha ll and and recognise that, properly evaluated Full competition entries should go by Ap ril 30
West.minsteT; and his i_nvaluablc contri- and planned, change is essen tial for to the Competitions Committe via the BGA
bution to the sport beyond the UK. survi.va l and growth. We mu~:>t pass on a office. Contact me or the BGA coaches if you
Internationally, Bill was the BGA to healthy sport. t.o the younge r generation. need more information.
many, particularly in the spheres of If the current negotiations with the CAA Please spread the news among your
training and safety. The large number of tu1·n out in our favour, t h en plans will be young pilots: we will need them to lift us into
pilots who came to say farewell bears needed for a major overhaul of what we do our gliders and launch us in years to camel
wi_tness to the high regard in which h e as a n Association and how we Jo it, for the Terry Slater
was held . Yvonne's message at the service benefit of a ll UK glider pilots. Cloudbank, Main Road, Lumphanan,
of thanksgivLng saiJ it a ll: "Safe journey, All those working for you through the Banchory, Kincardineshire AB31 4PW
my love, fly high". BGA will he depending on your s upport in 01339 883455 (h); 01224 775171 (w)
The BGA could not achieve what it does the work to come. 0802 892936 (m) Email [email protected]
without people like Dick and Bill, David Roberts

6 Sailplane & Gliding

 New mandatory
insurance levels
OPERATIONAL regulations state that
all gliders shall be covered by third
Year 2000 TP list The gliding world
pat·ty insurance and that all two- AMENDMENTS to the BGA Turn
seaters shall additionally be cov red by
second seat insuranc~e for at least
Points for 2000 have been finalised a nd
are part of the definitive TP files on
pays its respects
minimum amounts to be decided from
time to time by the BGA Executive.
www.spsys.dem.on. eo.uh I turningpoints.htm
This can also be accessed from the BGA
to Bill Scull
In December, the Executive decided website through a link. Data can be AROUND 200 people gathered 111
to increase the mandatory levels to one read by Word, WordPerfect, etc; as an Las ham clubhouse on February 7 to
million pounds for single-seaters and ASCIT (DOS file) list; and in comma- mourn former BGA Director of
two million pounds combined for two- separated (CSV) format for direct use in Operations Bill Scull and to celebrate
seaters. These levels should be applied data bases. The first of these is divided his achievements .
as soon as possible, and in any event no into regional groups (Scotland, N The r eception followed a packed
later than Decembe1· 31, 2000. England, :Vlidlands and East Anglia, service at St LawTence's Church, Alton.
and S E ngland and Wales), so down- whe re the presence of international
loads are not too big. There are changes s peakers testified to the influence Bill
to points at Lyveden and Rivar Hill, exerted beyond as well as in the UK.
Lottery results Clubs without an accurate point arc
encouraged to choose one and inform
Bill, who died on January 27, was
diagnosed last year with Motor
Winners of the January draw were: lan Strachan [email protected]. co . ul~. Neurone Disease, He leaves a wife,
R Barrett (first prize) £69.50 There are new points in Scotland, and Yvonne, and daughte r. Wencly.
Runners-up: near Banhury, Brighton, Cambridge, BGA Vice President Bill Walker
SM Holmes £13.90 Exeter , Grantham, Leicester, OBE, who worked closely with Bill for
MJ Wooldridge £13.90 Newcastle, Oxford, Pete rborough, and 20 years, said at the funeral: "It is my
JA Johnston £13.90 Worcester. For the complete list of view and the view of many involved in
W Gordon £13.90 changes, see "Amendme nt 3". gliding that Bill's contribution towards
BE Cleugh £13.90 • the best interests of the BGA and
recreational aviation - in the UK,
WirJners of the February draw were :
KV Chatburn (first prize) £66.00 CTO appointed Europe and internationally - h as never
Runners-up: been matched".
S Hill £13.20 JOHN HAlVIMERTON is to replace Prof Loek Boermans. representing
T Salter £13.20 Dick Stratt<m a~ BGA Chief Technical the Organisation Scient ifique et
BMorris £13.20 Offier. John, who comes from British Technique lnternationale de Vol a
A Mayhew £13.20 Airways, also looks after Sout.hclown Voile (OSTlV) and the International
SF Duerden £13.20 GC's fleet. He started on March 20; Gliding Commjssion (IGC), told
Dick Stratton retires at the end of April. mourners: "With great dedication Bill
strove for higher levels of safety in

EGU's new president and secretary gliding and was the s uccessfulleackr of
this work within the
international gliding organisations
world's

THE EUROPEAN Gliding Union plants. It was discovered, though, that OSTIV and IGC."
Congress in Amsterdam on F ebruary 26-7 flight over sensitive-breeding areas below Bill, who was recently awaxded the
opened with a period of silence in memory 700m was sometimes detrimental to birds
of our good friend and colleague, Bill Scull, of prey. In order to protect their breeding
whose wide knowledge and expertise was area they would see gliders as a threat and
invaluable. The meeting was attended by leave the nests to attack the intruder.
delegates from nine countries. Other predators would then mid the nests,
After eight years of diligent work, the thereby destroying some of the work of
President, Fransoi- van Haaff, stood conservationists.
down. He will not be comp l c~ te l y lost to The researchers included people who
.8GU, however, as he remain.s Technical had a background in bioloay or similar.
Officer for Airspace and Radio. His place Airfields which participated in procedures
has been taken by Peter Eriksen from to make them more 'environmenta lly
Denmark. Peter fli es a Ventus and is friendly' have obtained gra nts in ord.e r to
based in France, where he works in Air assist with the extra expense.
Traffic Contro l administration. There is This year it is hoped that the problems of
also a new Secretary, Roland Stuck, who is mutual recognjtion of licences will be
well known in European gliding circles . finally resolved. There is growing scepti-
Wolfgang Scholze (environment) out- cism and opposition to the requirement for
lined progress made in Germany towards meclicals for gliding. The EGU will tackle 1998 Grand Master's Commendation
allaying the fears of environmentalists thjs and other issues on behalf of the by the Gui ld of Air Pilots a nd
opposed to aviation. Studies have been thousands of European glider pilots . Navigators is pictured (above, left)
ma de of the impact of aviation on wildlife Lemmy Tanner receiving the award from the Duke of
and results show that establishment of BGA EGU Representative Edinburgh.
airfields is beneficial to wildlife and www.c:om.e.to/egu For a tribute to Bill S cull, see p58. ·

April - May 2000 7

 Please send your l etter~ (marked "(or publicat ion") to: Helen Evans,
Editor. S&G, 6 Salop Close, Shriven ham, Swindon SN6 SEN
or e mail hele n @~a.ndg.dircon.co.uh

Why "nearly" is an Australian in Brita in, I was surprised by Wally's support for gliding at internationa l level,
success sniping. (Yes, I know a couple of national s urely k nocking cricket, rugby, tenni:·
Several people recently have mentioned coaches did l OOOkm in a n ASH 25 but and football won't improve our image or
Wally Kahn's letter (Why 'nearly' ain't they did a yo-yo: really, only straight out, help our ca use?
good enough for British gliding, February- 0 /R a nd FAI tria ngles count.) In His comments regarding funding for local
March 2000, page 9). Unfortunately, in Australia, a modern Open Class glider clubs a re misleading. As an ad ministrator
Australia we have the sa me p1·oblems needs to do 1,100-1 ,250km to gain in professional football over the last 16
with government funds - and it 's even respect , leaving lOOOkm for the Standard years or so, I can assure him that fun ding
worse when our footballers, cricketer s, or 15 Metre Classes. The 750km is a fine from the Sports Council is simply not
rugby players, swimmers and Olympic stepping stone badge after Diamond clis- available for the professional ga me. All of
athletes keep winning everything! I tance- but how ma ny have been done in the "carefully chosen foreigners," as well
realise the British are good at weak Britain by Libelles, etc? They'r e probably as ou1· home-grown "losers" a re pa id for
weather flying - they have to be, just to only done by obscenely large Open Class through the significant efforts or very
stay up. We Aussies really need to get machines. I clid my only 750km because deep pockets of those committed to their
overseas for some grovelling practice. I arrived too late that day for lOOOkm- a chosen sport. It is a risky bu iness and the
I coined the na me "nearly" badges myself late lunch , launch a nd 750km tria ngle stakes arc high but our wage bill is in no
as I ga ined my 900km badge on my first speed record in under six hours to be part funded t hrough Grant Aid. And let us
lOOOkm attempt, which was also my first home for cocktails! not forget that t he re are no
attempt at a distance over 500km. I am I would send Wally an entry form for the foreigners in ou r var ious National tea ms
surprised the Poms don't have "nearly" Quarter Century Club but of course he is - just Brits ha ppy to pull on the jersey a nd
badges - England has nearly good well past a half century in gliding a nd give of their best, win or lose.
enough weather to go cross-country. working on three-quaTters - good on him! The re are a varie ty of sou rces of fundin g
These badges are not a fa ilure to achieve Being a good loser is a peculiarly English for a mateur sporting clubs a nd partici-
the next dio;tance up but a success in tradition - Aussies have rarely had n.eed pa nts and gliding is no exception. Many,
achieving the distance advertised. They to be- "wimps" indeed! i.f not most, UK glicling clubs have bene-
give yo ung pilots some goals to aim for on Tom Claffey, SYDNEY, Australia fited s ubs ta n t ia lly from National Lottery
their way up. Nearly lOOOkm or 750km is gr a nts, my own (Trent Valley) included.
still better t ha n Gold/Dia mond distance- I cannot resist commenting on Wally • GeoffDavey, NETTLEHAl\1:, Lines
just! In fact, Britain probably needs Ka hn's undignified criticism of English
200km a nd 400km ba dges - the 800km professional sportsmen a nd women. As a member of the UK Spor ts Council as
a nd 900km ones would be much too fat·! Whilst I sympathise with his sentime nts well as a glider pilot, I a m writing in
Since no one has cla imed a lOOOkm badge regarding the appa r ent lack of fi na ncia l response to Wally Ka hn's letter to outline

ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
t t

! lbe BGA Spring Collect;011 !

+ Rain or Shine f ConJe
!
t
We've Got lt Covered Q i
Fleece Hats - bottle green with / :1. / , t
+ gold glider design- £4.99 inc p&p f
,.
Umbrellas - bottle green & white panels with gold glider design - £23.00 inc p&p ,.
,.t
Ties - navy polyester with woven glider
cloud design - £7.50 inc p&p
,.,. &

,.
Polo Shirt - Navy blue heavy weight herringbone
poloshirt with discreet red glider design available in L XL- £19.00 inc p&p ,.,. &

A BGA, Kimberley House, Vaughan Way, Leicester, LE1 4SE A ,. ,.

'U Tel 0116 253 1051 • Fax 0116 251 5939 V t

8 Sailplane & Gliding

 Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club
Complimentary flights for farmers Farmer's complimentary glider flight ticket
-a national, reciprocal scheme? This ticket allows one !light by Winch!Aerotow
Name of farmer or landowner :
Address:
Many pilots carry a ticket that offers a flight. to a farmer as a
"landing fee''. Only a small proportion oflaunches is ever taken
Name of pilot: Account No:
but the goodwill generated i~ well worthwhile .
One problem is that a farmer in East Anglia can't travel to Signature: Date:
Cornwall for his flight and vice ve rsa. Could I suggest that the
This ticket is valid for 12 months. Please phone 01453 860342 to arrange your lligtlt at
system should be made nationa l a nd reciprocal'!
the Gliding Club at Nympsfietd , Nr Stroud, Gloucestershire If you can't get here but
Unless any Treasurers object I propose to use the form (right)
would like to fly at another club, please ask the glider pilot to arrange this for you. or phone
this year a nd recommend that others use similar ones. the British Gliding Association on 0116 253105 1 for details of your nearest club.
Only the launch co,;t. is to be ch<1Yged to the pilot, no member- To any Gliding Club Treasurer: Please allow the holder one flight and charge the launch
ship or soaring charge is to be made.
costs to the pttot named above.
Tim Macfadyen, STROUD, Glos

the criteria used by the Sports Counci l in Car and glider trailer recovery can be
assessing a sport's significance for
fu11ding purposes.
Contra ry to Wally's impression, inter-
arranged through the RAC as follows .
First joi n the Camping and Caravanning
Club - call 01203 694995. Members hip
Dates for
national success is one of the criteria used
in allocating Lottery funds. In this
respect, gliding should be well placed,
costs £27.50 (no joining fee if paying by
credit card). You then get an RAC
membership code. Telephone the RAC on
your diary
with its recm·d of international success. 0800 58 1077, quote this code and choose Vintage events:
Unfortunately, the other criteria place us the level of cover required. The pLan May 27- June 3 : Soaring Sortie, Keevil
in a weaker position. They are: public number is DT0028. There is an extra contact David Shrimpton 01749 841084
perception of the importa nce of the sport £8 discount for leaving anothe1· scheme, or AI Stacey 01249 890077
(because public money is being spent); and and free s pouse cover. Amongst the
the number a nd spread of countries com - benefits of this "Arrival" membership a re • June 3-4: Whispering Wardrobes Rally,
peting internationally. no limit on t ra iler length, and r ecovery Booker airfield
Compared with most sports receiving from private property. Happy retrievals. contact: Graham Saw 01628 776173
Lottery funding, gliding involves a Denis Campbell, HIGH WYCOMBE,
relatively narrow range of competing Bucks June 24 - July 1 : Millennium Vintage &
co untri e~ and it does not fare well in Steven Hophins of Bromsgrove, adds that Classic Glider Rally, Camphill
puhlic perception of its significance. "membership of the Camping and Contact: lan Dunkley: [email protected]
An additional factor which may be taken Caravan club attracts an 18 per cent
into account is the contribu tion to discount on RAC membership renewal" July 28 - August 6.· Vintage Glide 2000,
international standards, for example, in Angie Veitch, of Drwnnadrochit, says: you Tibenham
safety or technical matte rs. This may be can join the Horse Box and Trailers Contact: Alan Harber 01953 860346
an area to explore as a route to increased Association (01488 657651), which uses
funding. Finally, Wally is quite right in AA Truch Rescue. You /your trailer are Military and Civil Air Safety Day
advocating a high and mm·e focused rescued as you. would be by AA Relay June 1, RAF Leeming. This event aims
proJile for competitive soaring, as this to promote closer ties between general
could help improve public understanding School's out- gliders out? aviation and the RAF and focus on the
of our sport. One advantage of being a teacher is the shared use of the lower airspace. lt is
If morl! funds are to be brought into glid- holidays. At my club, though, most of the primarily aimed at those who operate in
ing, this is a task to be undertaken at spring/autumn trips are outside school the Vale of York. To apply to attend, or for
every opportunity by all clubs and indi- holidays (for obvious reasons). This can more information, tax the Project Officer,
vidual pilots as well as the BGA at make it difficult. to get a group together. MCASD 2000, on : 0208 838 7617
national level. I wa!:\ wondering whether there were any
Diana King (Council Member, other teacher pilots who might like to Deadline for Air League awards
UK Sport), SOLIHULL, West Mids swa p details a nd plan a few trips to other Flying Scholarships are awarded to
sites to make better use of our time? young British men or women aged 17-22
Roadside recovery - latest news If so, you are very welcome to telephone on June 30, the deadline for receipt of
Followihg my previous letter urging mem- me on 01273 480364 or email me at applications. Winners will be awarded
bers to write to Green Flag regarding wboxlyth@rmplc. c:o. uk 15 hours of power flying instruction to be
trailer restrictions, lam pleased to report Adrian Lyth, LEWES, East Sussex flown during 2000. For more information,
that, according to a letter I have from see www.airleague.co.uk or phone
SAGA, Green Flag appears now to have Your letters are welcome. Please keep 0207 222 8463 for an application form .
lifted the restriction on length. lf you a re them as concise as possible and
over 50 you get a very good deal on mem- remember to include you.r contact. See Shelly Dawson on Blind Date
bership or renewal if you give SAGA a ca ll. details (address, telephone, fax and Shelly, a Juniors pilot who fl ies at
Tony Challans, LASHAM, Hants ema.il if you have it). Bannerdown GC , is meant to be
The terms and conditions of SAGA motor Letters published do not necessarily featuring on the popular ITV show on
assistance provided by Green Flag are represent the views of the British April 15, with a follow-up appearance a
under revieuJ. Green Flug do not intend to Gliding Association or of the Editor week later.
cover glider trailers, they say - Ed

April - May 2000 9

Cutting the
risks your
club faces
Representatives of 35 clubs went to the
second Chairmen's Conference to learn
more about protecting their clubs, assets
and members from a range of risks
THE AilVI of tne day , a t Husbands club's s ituation , assess the ri sks it faced tion about the Sport England Lottery
Bosworth in J a nuary, wa s to inspire and pla n a course of action fot· it. Fund and one from Diana King on wh y
cha irm a n to improve the hea lth of their Alongside this case study ra n a full pro- trying to att ract more women , disa bled
clubs, where this was needed, and to give gramme of s peakers. To1)ics covered members a nd people from minority ethnic
them a forum wi thin which to share their included: developin g a ri sk ma nagement • groups could help with r ecruitment prob-
experiences of the iss ues they face. approach; managing peo pl e; Hea lth a nd lems as well as helpina clubs to qualify for
The programme focused on risk man- Safety; insurance, a irspace, ma naging government funding.
agement stra tegies a nd was brought to operations and ma naging externll l rela- Clubs present were: Black l'lt[oun.tains,
life by a case study ofAnoractica GC. This tions. David Rob erts reminded th e asse m- Borders. Bu.chminster, Burn, Cambridge,
imaginary club - a t leas t, the delegates bled club dignitaxies th at, as cha irm en. Cotswold, Derby & Lanes, Duhe rie~:~ . East
hoped it was im aginary - faced a number secretaries and treasurers they were the Sussex, Essex, Essex & Su.ffolh, Kent,
of interesting ma nage ment chall enges : officers most likely to be in the fro nt line La.sham, Lincolnshire, London, Manby,
from an a irprox report, on a clay when the if anything went wrong. He recommended Midland , Needwood Forest, Newarh &
club ha d no permi ss ion to opexate, to an that the club committee regularly ca rry Nott.s, Oxford , Peterborough & Spa.lding,
agei ng instructor base and a Club out a risk a ssess men t a nd man age ment Portsmouth Naval, RAFGSA Bicester,
Secretary who ha dn't r esponded to plan, and offered guidance on how to do it. Ra.ttlesden, Sha.lhoume, Shropshire,
enforce me nt notices from th e local At the end of the morning, Dick Dixon Southdown, Sta.flordsh.ire, Stratford on
a uthor ity's pl an nin g depart me nt. and David Roberts offered thoughts on Avon, Surrey Hills , The Souring Centre,
Throughout the day, groups of de legates the future of the BGA. Vale of l<f1hite Horse, Welland, Wvvern,
(see picture) were a ked to a na lyse the In the afternoon, t.here was a prese nta- Yorl~ and Yorkshire. Was your club there?

Your rating revaluation revisited

WE ARE receiving reports of hefty the application of a mechanis m known as The Centra l Coun cil for Physica l
increases in gliding clubs' Uniform Tra nsitional Relief. Although this migh t Recrea tion (CC PR) has made proposa ls to
Bus iness Rates (UBR) a~; a result of ease the blow in the early years followin g the Government for voluntary, non-profit-
increa sed Ratea ble Va lu es, following the reva luatio n, the new demanded rate will ma king or ga nisa tions, s uch as sporting
reva lu ation of their pre mi ses. eventua lly catch up. clubs (a nd including mos t gliding clubs) to
Th e Depa rtment of the qu alify for the sa me ra te of
Envixonmen t, Trans port a nd The UBR or non-domestic rate demand is calculated as follows: ma ndatory relief as registered
the Regions (DETR) has pub - Rateable Value X Non-domestic multiplier (41.6%) =Gross UBR charities. Support and lobbying
lished a free booklet, Less% discretionary or mandatory allowance = Rate relief for thi s cha nge in legisla tion is
Re. ualua.tion 2000. giving a = Rate payable prohab ly the most profitabl e
guide to the reva luation of line of attac k in attemptin g to
business r ates. Ra teable Va lu e (RV), in Ma ny gliding clubs have been success- reduce UBRs to gliding club s and the BGA
theory, equa tes to open maxket ren t that ful in ac hieving 80 per cent or more Executive will be underta kin g this.
a property oT fa cility ca n comma nd. If you discr etiona ry a llowance from local Meanwhi le, we need to negotiat . If your
think your club's RV has been increased au t horities. Some a uthorities, however, club needs help to challe nge your revalu-
unrea sonably , yo u ca n appeal. have refused discretionary rate relief ation or appea l aga in st a n increased RV ,
The immediate pay men t of incTeased a ltogeth er. Charities qualify automati- plea se contact your BGA developme nt
UBR is sometimes offset or mitiga ted by ca lly for 80 pe r cent mandatory relief. office r. Roger Coote

10 Sailplane & Gliding

A Rotax Falke for Faulkes?
HE FAULKES Flying Foundation Mike Woollard,
T Ltd is a new venture to provide
adventure training for youngsters
in gliding to ins pire them to consider a
Chairman of the
BGA Technical
career in aviation or aeronautical Committee
engineering, or to develop a love of gliding. and Managing
The Foundation buys launches and
accommodation fmm gliding clubs as Director of The
required. Eventually, we plan to have a Faulkes Flying
definite base at a BGA site, with Foundation Ltd
regional centres. Our hardware is
currently based on Blaniks, ideally
explains why
suited to training young people as well he is considering
as capable of being parked out of doors in buying one of
all weathers. Our operations focus on the new SF25C
aerotowing to give quality flying time,
with motorgliders for nav exercises. Rotax Falke
Because of this and our perceived need motorglider/tugs
for our own la unch capability, we for this recently-
decided to look at the new breed of
aerotowing motorgliders; and, in formed youth
particular, at the SF25C Rotax Falke. organisation
For many years, I had a s hare in one
of the original Falkes, at Nympsfield. produce a simple, cost-effective motor- As a tug, the SF26C Rotax Falke
I learned to value its many admirable glider which can also aerot.ow. The non seems to perform very well, climbing
qualities for training and pure fun . turbo-charged Rotax 9128 had therefore • with heavy two-seaters at 400ft/min.
However. with a small three-bladed been selected, i dea lly used with a fixed- This is marginally s lowe r than, say. a
prop, a 1500cc Stamo engine and a 60kt pitch propeller to avoid the extr a cost, Robin DR400, but this Falke uses only
cruise this was no performance machine. weight and complexity of a turbocharger half as much fu el and the noise pollution
Careful application was required at and variable pitch mechanism (I gather is much less. In Germany, ofllcia l analysis
take-off to clear the trees at the end of a variable-pitch propeller is available, of eo m para tive tug noise estimates a
the field without scaring the wits out of giving a higher cruise speed of c 97kts, single tow in a Robin DR400 type tug
the nesting birds. As you cleared the a lbeit with impact on cost, complexity equates to 4.8 tows in a SF26C Rotax
airfield boundary you did become a nd cockpit loads). Falke. Glider-tug speed eompatibility,
acutely aware of the whites of their similar wing loadi.ngs and aspect ratios.
upturned eyes. and redueed wake turbulenee. mean the
So I was considerably s urprised when I High power:weight ratio motor·glider aerotowi.ng option offers
test flew an SF25C Rotax Falke at The engine achieves its relatively high significant safety features.
Lasham to evaluate its s uitability for the power: weight ratio from the higher The manufaeturer's fuel eonsumption
Foundation. The s hort (90m) take-off engine speeds (up to 5,800rpm) which figures are 16-18litres (c 3.5 gallons) an
run meant we seemed airborne almost the use of a reduc tion gearbox allows. hour - hardly thirsty for tugs. Taking
immediate ly; my instinctive reaction to This means an engine weighing much into account all the costs of operating the
keep the nose down so the airspeed could the same as earlier VW variants can Falke, inducling a n engine rebuild every
rise resulted in red- lining the engine and achieve many more horses. Water-cooled 2,000 h out·s, insurance, fuel a nd mainte-
a protest from Pl. We then climbed at an heads quieten the unit down while nance costs, a Falke is estimated by its
attitude I would have considered t•educing cylindet· head cracking problems. makers to tow at. about 60 per cent of the
impossible for a Falke - more than 5m/s cost of today's conventional tugs.
at 50kts (l:ompared to a fig ure of 3.2m/s The Falke l want has the fixed-pitch
for the previous Limbach-powered Falke propeller a nd an undercarriage with a
2000). In the cmise, 80kts in level flight lockab le castering tailwheel and two
was easily achieved despite the fixed- main wheels. This version weighs 650kg
pitch prpp. (compared to 610kg for the Limbach-
Getting over my s urprise, I began to powerecl vel'sion). Cockpit limits are
s uspect that. the engine responsible must 190kg (425lbs), ideal for us.
inevitably have compromised something. Jn my opinion, this new Falkc 1:etains
But to my delight, all the attributes 1 a ll the funetionality of before, with
appreciate about the Falke - its glider- welcome added performance which
like handling, docile stall characteristics, aLlows for safe aerotowing. I love the
and light controls- have been retained. simple functionality of this motorglider
Furthermore, the noise from the non - its robust construction is so suitable
turbo-charged lOOhp Rotax 9128 seemed for operation at typical BGA clubs
more acceptable both inside and outside The comfortable. functional cocl~pit has more and it can be easily clerigged for trailer
the cockpit than earlier variants. space than I remember. The redesigned panel transport. It is ideal for the work of the
The salesman explai ned the concept is more sophisticated, and a removable cowling Foundation and I can't wait until .\ .
behind the new SF25C Rotax Falke: to gives better access t.o inst.nunents and wiring circumstances enable u s to have one. ~

April- May 2000 11

Reviews
statistics and offers the right incentives
to watch and listen. The fu·st two stories
are about power flying. If you ignore all
the fiddling with throttles as thermals
bump our hapless PPL holder around t he
Fit to Fly? video sky, the various human factor aspects of
Produced by GASCo the build-up to near-disaster are
£17.99 inc VAT from Transair Pilot interesting to observe. All apply to any
Shop, S horeham Airport, form of flying- perhaps more so in gliding
Shoreham -by-Sea BN43 SPA than we are vvilling to consider. The
third story concerns an
SINCE the emergence of inexperienced glider pilot
human factors a wareness, finding himself in a situa-
the a ir line industry has tion that neither his
significantly reduced its experience nor skill can
accident rate. During th e deal with. Of course, the
same period, the r ate of sight of a ll that GRP
general aviation and gliding wheeling around in blue
accidents has r emained thermals over a sun-baked
unchanged. Careful gliding field perked up the The Platypus Papers: Fifty years
analysis shows that glider pilot audience I was of powedess pilotage
80 per cent of these occur watching the video with, by Michael Bird
to perfectly serviceable but again the lessons £ 1.9..95 plu.s £3.50 p&p (UK!Eire),
aircraft- the pilots applied just as much to the from Hilwhi, 16 Newport Rd, Aldershot,
generate the problems. powered fraternity. All Surrey GU12 4PB,
The General Aviation three stories link to the phone 01252 819 985
Safety Council (GASCo) is concept of pilots adopting a ore-mail [email protected]
a non-profit maki ng UK human factors checklist,
organisation which a ims to foster the addressing the pilot, the aircraft, the FEW PEOPLE read every a r ticle in a
safe development of general aviation environment and the operation. magazine; they pick the contributions
through disseminating information. This video runs for 50 minu tes- twice that inte rest or amuse them . Bu t I bet
Some years ago it was recognised that most people's atten tion span - and • that every reader of S&G invariably
there is a need to foster a culture in watched in one session can, to be frank, reads Tail Feathers. Now we a re no
which all pilots are fully aware of the become a bore, losing much of its impact. longer rationed to one treat. every two
predominance of human factors in the However, used cotTectly as part of a months, or to scrabbling through bud<
causal chain of fatal accidents. facilitated training or briefing session, issues to find some much-loved piece. It
It's taken a lot of time and effort to the information can be much more easily is all here in a compelling mixture of
produce, so how does Fit to Fly?- the a nd permane ntly absorbed. gliding stories, lore, hu mour, philosophy
new human factors awareness video- This video is a 'must see' for pilots of and nostal gia. P latypus' vignettes range
sha pe up in fro nt of a gliding club all experience levels. over the entire gliding scene a nd little
audience? It begins with some pertinent Pete Stratten escapes his observant but kindly eye.

Exploring the Monster- Mountain Lee Waves: past ; increasingly few of the participants are able to
the Aerial Elevator, by Robert F Whelan tell their stories.
$24.95 plus US $3.00 p&p from Wind Canyon The author 's research included interviews with
Books /ne, PO Box 1445, Niceville, nearly all the participants still alive. Among them
FL 32588 - 1445 orwww.windcanyon.com was Bill lvans, whose 1950 world altitude record of
42,1 OOft demonstrated the possibilities of the Sierra
ON APRIL 25, 1955 Larry Edgar flew a Pratt-Read wave. Sadly, Bill was killed in a crash at Minden,
glider from Bishop, California to an altitude of Nevada, in 1999.
39,400ft during one of the final flights of the Jet Beyond the slightly misleading title, a few other
Stream Project. This altitude seems remarkable by weaknesses are notable. Though the book is not
any standard, but was almost routine for this project exclusively aimed at those with knowledge of waves,
and the earlier Sierra Wave Project. The end of this there is no basic explanation or diagram of the
flight, however, was anything but routine. structure and mechanics of a mountain wave. The
Despite its general-sounding title, Robert Whelan's book contains some interesting flight accounts,
book is'really a detailed and fascinating history of the but no maps to give meaning to the place names
Sierra Wave Project (1951-52) and the Jet Stream that are used.
Project (1955). Both were intended to examine the Larry Edgar's flight ended in a violent reminder
effects of winds in the high terrain of California's Sierra Nevada that experience and skill are not always sufficient. His glider was
mountains and Owens Valley, and each produced a series of spec- broken into three pieces by a vertical gust that produced an impact
tacular wave flights. lt is easy to overlook how remarkable this flying near 20g. Mr. Edgar was seriously injured and partially blinded, but
was. In the late 1940s wave flying was !p oorly understood and rarely managed to bail out and survive a harrowing parachute ride and
attempted. Vet a smalll group of pilots from southern California landing. The pictures of the mangled glider are memorable.
quickly taught themselves how to fly in rotor and wave now known This book does a good job of describing the people and events that
to be among the strongest anywhere in the world, to altitudes rarely led to this flying and includes some detailed accounts of the flights
matched even by military aircraft. themselves. lt should interest any pilot who has had even a brief
This book is well timed. The flying is now nearly 50 years in the encounter with wave. John Good

12 Sailplane & Gliding

The real deli ght is that th e variety of
subject matter is matc hed by the variety
of the writing. Platypus is witty, erudite,
wise, so metimes lyrica l, occasionally ten-
Two-Seater
der, b u t, abo ve a ll , he is funny and at Soaring the Andes
times hilarious. I read some of this on the
in an 510-VT
train, on my way to London for a
business meetin g. I got to Platypus' visit OSTIV expedition to
to the chemist for assor ted gliding and Argentina, Nov 1999
ae romodelling supplies and started to
chuckle . A few pages later I came to the
1040 km o/r
a li ens' view of a grid squat and the
1222km.A
chuckle became a chortle. The other
> 13 Dec: 1406 km o/r
pinstripes edged away nervously. Do
(World record claimed)
not read this book in public unless
> 14 Dec: 1430 km dist
you do not mind mak ing an exhibition
> 16 Dec: 1550 km dist
of yourse lf!
> 29 Dec: 1833 km .A
Platypu s' observations ring true
(World's 3rd longest ever
beca use they are rooted in his deep
glider flight)
knowledge of the sport. The other thing
that shines through is love- love fo r his
Congrats Klaus Ohlmann
late wife, Veronica (whose contl'ibutions
& colleagues, proving the
are every bit as entertaining as his own)
S10's performance and
and deep affection for the activity tha t
versatility - (and comfort
has ca ptivated him for so long.
for flights of 10-1 5 hours)
David Allison
For information please contact:
I Learned to Fly for Hitler
Mike Jefleryes,
by Jo e Volma.r Tanglewood,
Kron Publications Flngrith Hall Road,
£10.80 inc p&p /rom the BGA Blaclcmore, Euex CM4 ORU
Tei/Autofax: 01277 823016
MikeJefleryesO
THIS self-pub lished hook tells a unique, compuserve.com
fascinating story. Glider pilot .Joe
Volmar, now a joint American/Ger man
citi zen, returned to Germany from the
USA in 1941, aged 14. ,Joining the Hitler
Youth, he learned to huild and fly
primary gliders, going so lo at. 15.
He th en became a soldier at an
henington Gliding Club
anti- a i.rcraft battery: schoolboy in the
morning, gun ner Tfie :Jriencf[y (j [iding C[ub
in the afternoon ,
air raids at night
-and punishment • Aerotow & Winch Launching • Motor Glider Training {Not PPL)
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the Habicht - a n • 2:1 Student : Instructor Ratio
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Luftwatfe's remarkable b u t risky rocket-
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the war ended before I got this far," he {4/5) or
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The book is set agai nst Germany's • A pro-rata CASH refund if guarantees are not met for ANY reason
experience of initial success and final
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won't be ab le to put it dow n. I couldn't. Phone I Fax: 01295 680008 • http:/freespace.virgin.net/fisher.m/sgc/
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April - May 2000 13

 Battery
Analyser/Charger

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14 Sailplane & Gliding

 BGA
Conference
2000
A varied programme of speakers and the prospect of an evening's fun attracted pilots to a highly
successful conference and dinner dance. At the AGM, Dick Dixon handed over to David Roberts

You have ~control

S
OARING pilots attending the BGA Die!<Dixon (seen on the
AGl\IJ, Dinner and Conference on left of the photogra.ph)
February 26 saw the month has been the BGA
continue its remarkable run of good Chairman for the past.
flying weekends -,vi.th yet another day of four years. He retired at
the AGM, entrusting the
fair-weather cu. direction of the BGA to
It left them wondering whether the David Roberts (right), a
plaintive plea from the platform for the Cotswold GC pilot who
return of the BGA Duo Discus main pin was previously BGA
was a genuine request- or merely a ploy V1:ce Chairman. Dich,
to stop frustrated pilots hijacking it from who hopes to have more
the static display. At least the conference time to glide as well as
hall itself had no windows ... to spend with his wife,
1Wary, was presented
The day- in Hinckley, Leicestershire-
with a. carriage cloch
began with a session on how S&G should by David
respond to the intern et; delegates filled
in a questionnaire on tl1e s ubj eet (please
ash the Editor if you'd like one). Next,
Brian Spreckley fascinated the audience
with an account of the World Air Games,
to be held in Andalucia, Spain, in 2001
and of a 3-D gliding project which aims
to bring the thrill of racing to the public.
By now, there was standing room only
in the hall. Andy Davis, a British Team
coach, led a discussion about BGA-
funded team training. Gill and Brian
Spreckley, Martyn Wells, AI Kay a nd
Jay Rebbeck joined him on the platform
to describe how the money is spent and
what benefits come from it. All were
convinced that it led directly to the
recent 'outstanding successes of the
women's team in Europe and the juniors
in the Junior Worlds.
After lunch came the AGM , which
began with a few moments' silence in
memory of Bill Scltll. The appoi ntment of
Jim Hammerton as the BGA's new Chief
Technical Officer was announced, as was
the formation of two new sub-committees
arising out of the Project 2000 task
forces: Marketing and Communications,
and Strategic Planning and Finance. Members of I he BGA Executive able to attend th e AGM (from left): John Glossop. Claire Thorne,
The result of the ballot for the election of Mihe Jordy, Terry Slater. Keith Mansell, Barry Rolfe, Mal colm Sanderson and David Roberis

16 Sailplane & Gliding

 Tile nea' Spitfire Trophy went to Junior
Ladder winner Peter Masson, right. Left.
Chairman's wif<· Gilly floberts presents the
De Hauil/cmd trophy to Sue Heard (far left).
Other cup <."inners were: £/ichard Sm ith
(Wallefield); John Bridge (Fu.rlong,
Enil{nw); Sarah Harlan rl (California in
En.{<land, Franh Foster); Tim Macfadyen
(Volh, Firth Vickers); Richrm/ Ba/1er
('>eager); Peter 1-Jarvey (lVlaniot): Uigh
\Veils (Rex Pilrher); Dav Alli..son, Owain
Waiters (Goldsborough); Mike JefferyPs
(John Hands); Roy Pentecost (L /JuGa rcle
Peuch); and Paul Ctubb (Slingsby)

Executive Committee members was

given: Mike J ordy, Keith Mansell,
:'vfalcolm Sanderson, Terry Slater a nd
Claire Thorne joined Lemmy Ta nner,
Pnize pilots going places
John Glossop, Dave Salmon, Hichard
Yerburgh, Ron Armitage a nd David
Roberts. Dick Dixon ha nded over the
chairmanship to David Roberts. BGA
Diplomas wen t to Dick Colc, Peter
Manley, J ohn Patchett and l vor Shattock.
Then came a n awe-inspir ing talk from
Richard Noble OBE about Thrust SSC,

Over the next two issues S&G will be printing

photographs of BGA Executive Committee
members so that you know who to question,
blame, or praise.
We start with two
newcomers to the
Executive, elected
this year by clubs.
They are (right) Claire
Thorne and (below)
Malcolm Sanderson.
Claire is known to
many as the volun-
teer who organises
the AGM and
Conference. She is a FOUR LUCKY pilots were presented at the conference with a chance to extend their
member of Oxford cross-country flying. They were all winners of awards from the led Lysakowski
GC; her fiancee, Cris Memorial' Trust. British Team Coach Andy Davis explained that the Trust aims to give
Emson, is its CFL any pilot with potential the opportunity to develop cross-country soaring skills. He
Malcolm Sanderson urged delegates to spread the word at their clubs: application forms would be out in
(left) began gliding June and needed returning to the grants committee, chaired by George Metcalfe, by
more than 40 years October. led's daughter, Karen Lysakowska, then presented the awards for 2000.
ago, aged 13, at the Lasham member George Dadd (seen above, left, with Karen) won a five day cross-
Newcastle Gliding country course. A week's competition experience at Lasham Regionals will be shared
Club. He is now Vice between Welland GC's Michael Burrows (below, right) and the same club's new CFI,
Chairman of Borders Nigel Perry (below centre). David Wardrop (below, left) won a prize which Andy Davis
GC at Milfield. admitted he himself would like: a week's mountain-flying course at Rieti in Italy. David,
now at Lasham, was previously a member of Yorkshire and Shenington GCs.
the ftrst su pe t·sonic land vehicle, a nd a
thought-provok ing ·e:sion a bout the
K-21 lightning strike by Peter Claiden.
At the dinner- packed to its capacity of
250- BGA trophies were a warded,
including a new one given by Leigh a nd
Marilyn Hood, made from a Spit fire
propeller blade (see top of page). A watch
was given to Dick Stratton, soon to retire
as technical officer . Finally. the BGA'
man in Parlia ment, Lembit Opik NIJ>,
exploited his talent for sta nd-up comedy
to round off the fo rmal proceedings.

April - May 2000 17

 lV EN ou r 'druthers*, most of us

G
Americans who do most of their flying around ~obbs or
f1y during the bes t th ~·ee or fom
Minden can be at a serious disadvantage wlnen it comes
hours of r e~tlly grea t d <: ys, with
to the kind of practice which wins the big ones. How do I
- Ill the US- relwble 6kts -plus
know? Of 22 World Championships in which the US has
th e rm a ls, 8,000ft ba ses (5kts -plu s a nd
flown , Americans have come first five times. If you add
5.000ft ba ses in Brita in) a nd lots of good-
seconds and thirds, nine pilots have finished in the top
looking cu. prefe rably stree ting. Fun 'I
three 12 times. Not one of these has come from west of
You bet' and it makes fm· great s tories at
the bar. Practice'? No. Not the kind that the Mississippi. The majority have come from within a
wins major compe titions, a nyway. couple of hundred miles of New York. with its short
So how do we practise- meaningfully? seasons of iffy flying weather. How come? Anyone who
Four areas net·cl atte ntion: diagnosis; has flown against Western pilots such as Ray Gimmey,
goa l setting; techniques ; and psychology . the only person ever to win the US Nationals in all four
classes, knows how good the Westerners can be. Why
Diagnosis haven·t they won in the Worlds, even when they have
been held in Hobbs, Australia and Uvalde? Too little flying
Use a dia gnostic chart covering ail a reas on the weak and uncertain days that are often the only
of contest tlying, s imilar to the s urvey game 1n town for Easterners?
oppos ite, taken from a much longer one
used by the US Tea m. Look realis tically Techniques of thermals; or take off at 1 7:00hrs and
a t your stre ngth s and weakn esses : t1y a ta;;k as la te as poo>sible - excelle nt
a ) Try to spot patte rn ;o in your f1ying. a) Keep a log of cross -country and contest weak wea ther practice.
Do you neve r have any '1uck' on weak .flights, noting especially your problem f) At the e nd of the day do a t least a
clays, POST cla ys, or ... '? areas. You might use a tape recorde r. If 30km final glide to finish exactly 1,000ft
b) Con sider the' locale of the upcoming ::;o, transcribe your recordi ngs. above the airfi eld. Practise getting back
contes t. Flying in f1 a tlands won't help for b) Fly maximum-effort cross-countries up. Stop at 2,000ft, pul.l bra.kes and cL·op
mounta~n competitions . with pre-selected TPs, preferably back to l,OOOft and find another the rmal.
against competition. Great for low-save confidence.
Goal setting c) Practise weak wea the r t1ying short, g) Push the envelope. lf you don't land
a) Be s pecific: for insta nce, improve wea k as-m a ny-times-as-poss ible, t r iangles. out at least once or twice a sea::;on , you
wea t her the r malling. cl) In s m·viva l-le vel weathe r practise : are n't trying hard e nough.
b) Evalua te potential gains. P ut high-ga in t hermalling, especially ge tting past h) If possible, ge t some du a l with a be tte r
or fr equently-encountered problems first. othc~r s ; and very short tasks, putting the pilot, but it must be i.n a Grob or better,
c) Set priorities (u s ually not more than airfield in the centre of a t ria ngle with preferably a Nimbu s :3D or ASH 25.
th ree at a time). fi.ve-mile legs . i) Transitions are where the money is:
d) Design a practice scenario which e) If you are in a predominantly strong how long does it take you to get ce nt re d
ca n make use of s t rong, medium and area: t1y in the morning as soon a s it's in a thermal? How decisive are you a bout
weak weather. sustainable; set an arbitrary upper lea vina it? Count up the number of
e) Bvaluatc progress monthly. height band limit of 3,000ft-4,000ft (say transitions in a 300km flight. Wha t if
*American slang for 'I'd rather ... " l ,i500ft-2 ,5 00ft in Britain) to increase u se you gained 15 second s on each one?

18 Sailplane & Gliding

 Diagnostic questionnaire for competition pilots
Practice techniques pilots? Assume it's the last two days of a
1 Number of cross-country flights normally major contest, and you are 50 points away
flown before the first big contest of the year from first place. You would feel the most
(not counting flights of under 1OOkm) confident (1) or least confident (5) of gaining
the needed points in which of the following
conditions, and to what degree?
2 Typical length of flights in kilometres/hours a) Strong (6kts+) thermals,
cu and streeting 2 3 4 5
b) Strong thermals, scattered cu 2 3 4 5
3 Are flights normally races against other c) Strong thermals, blue 1 2 3 4 5
pilots? Yes/No Exercising your mind before you fly will help d) Mod thermals with streeting 1 2 3 4 5
4 Area in which you usually train: you make the most of your practice flights - e) Mod thermals, scattered cu 1 2 3 4 5
use this questionnaire to identify weaknesses f) Mod thermals, blue 1 2 3 4 5
g) Weak (under 1.5kts) with cu 1 2 3 4 5
5 Specific problem areas you have worked c) Relative comfort in crowded h) Weak, blue 1 2 3 4 5
on (eg, weak weather flying , starts, final thermals (do you feel you will gain i) Extensive ridge flying
glides) and the techniques used? or lose in these)? 1 2 3 4 5 opportunities 2 3 4 5
d) Ability to thermal automatically J) Extensive wave flying
while planning inter-thermal moves? opportunities 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 k) Mountainous terrain 2 3 4 5
e) Decisiveness leaving thermals 1 2 3 4 5 I) Hilly terrain 2 3 4 5
m) Plains 2 3 4 5
3 Inter-thermal flying : overall•, is n) Other
this a strength or a weakness? 2 3 4 5 (specify) . 2 3 4 5
Contest techniques a) Use of clouds 2 3 4 5 o) POST task 2 3 4 5
In the following questions, assess yourself b) Use of gaggles 2 3 4 5 p) Speed task 2 3 4 5
as compared to the three best pilots you c) Use of streets 2 3 4 5
normally fly against, rating major strengths - recognition/use of dry streets 2 3 4 5 Attitude/psychological preparedness
as 1 and weaknesses as 5 d) Confidence and effectiveness • 1 General optimism in contests?
1 Do you make good use of the in ridge flying 2 3 4 5 (there are those that go out to get,
time between launch and start? 1 2 3 4 5 e) Confidence/effectiveness in and those who go out to get got) 1 2 3 4 5
-techniques used? mountain flying 2 3 4 5 2 Speed with which you recover,
f) Effectiveness in dolphin flying in terms of attitude, from low saves,
(badly done, it works in reverse) 2 3 4 5 near misses, tight situations 1 2 3 4 5
g) Recognition/effective use of 3 Ability to recover from a bad day 1 2 3 4 5
operating altitude band 2 3 4 5 4 Ability to feel at home in strange
h) Other special abilities in countries, areas or weather 1 2 3 4 5
2 Thermalling: overall, is this inter-thermal flying? (specify) 2 3 4 5 5 List the three most helpful sports
a strength or a weakness? 2 3 4 5 psychology books you have read with brief
a) Entering and centring ability? 2 3 4 5 notes on why/how you found them effective:
-techniques used?
a) ... .... ........... ........... ......... .. .. .. ........ ...... ... .. .... .

Weather preferences b) ..... ....... .. .. .. .......................... ............ .. ..... ... .

Which sorts of weather make you feel most
b) Using other ships in thermals? 1 2 3 4 5 or least confident relative to other good c) ..... .... .. ................. ............................ ........... .

Psychology go with soaTing; to k eep your mind on the eliminat e the n egative.
whol e gam e plan and not to be der ailed f) Separ a te score sh eet r esults from your
Most sailplan e pilots are h ardwar e- by bad breaks, b ad clay, , bad contes t s; to own knowledge of how you did. Know
oriented : inter ested in the l at est r ecover instantly from setback s. and acknowledge t h a t you can win with
computeT, vario or na v device. Actually, d) The home cour t advantage and how a mediocre tlight a.nd lose with an
if skills are r eason able, t h e k ey to to compensat e for it: fly in as m any excellent on e.
succes~ i s mostly psychol ogical: differ en t areas and contests as possible.
Two final reasons to practise
a) Seligman's book Learned Optimism US pilo t s ar e at a disadvantage from
demonstrates conclusively tha t the single tlying i n too few, too stron g and too a) R em ember the flight I m entioned a t
most vital el em ent to success in many similar ar eas. Many h ave wot·n a groove the st art: strong thermal s, super street s?
differ ent fields i s a positive attitude. in the Minden-Hobbs-Uvalde circuit and With all the practice, you'll do lOOkm
b) N o t e the pattern of those who have get d emoralised in area s with strange more - won't that sound gr ea t a t the bar!
w on multiple Worlus: H elmut country side and differ ent problem s. b) With all the thought, en er gy and t ime
R ei chmann, George L ee, lngo Renner. e) Sports psychology is the area offering you'll h ave put into practising, you won't
Most l ast ed unuer t en years. Skills the biggest break t hroughs. M any be able to STAND the idea of losing. So
remain, bu t obsessive energy burns out, excellent pilots get in their own way in of course you'll win.
the convi ction of being the absolute best. big contest s or in differ ent cultures ... as Next issue: in the third and final article
c) The ability t o r etain a positive, r acer's in the Worlds. W e all h av e "on" aml "off" of the series, George Mo((at writes \ .
attitude despite the ups and downs that days and sports psychology can h elp to about. team (ly ing in competitions ~

April - May 2000 19

 do when one gets low in that inhospitable
canyon, all South lsland glider pilots
should be fore ver grateful to the Man from
Ti.maru Creeh!
Platypus insists on having the last few
Up the creek rocks, the lalw or the trees? hundred words: I'm bridling somewhat
"I'm fine... " at the suggestion that 1 wilfully chose to
without a paddock "What about the glider, then?" abandon the glider and goof off to some
IF I SAID to you there's a top soaring "... and I'm drinking beer with the Lake party 30km away.
pilot living in New Zealand by the name Hawea fire brigade." Within minutes of my anival the
of Wills you'd think I was talking of What ? Not a good move: it's New Year's Eve police, ambulance a nd fire brigade, in
Justin Wills, whose farm is near the foot and 30km away from the glider! that order, all turned up on the
of Mount Cook. But Gavin Wills, Justin's And anyway how did they get the (ire engine unmetalled road that came reasonably
half-cousin, is a mountain soaring pilot up the track beside the lake and who the near the clump of grass I'd landed on
of amazing skill. His flights in the New Hell called them out? - meadow is far too grand a term. After I
Zealand January 1999 Nationals left me, "Do you have Gillian 's cell phone number?" had photographed the ambulance ladies
as hapless (and useless, except as "No. But where is Justin ?" and the fire engine and all who sailed in
undroppable ballast) passenger in his "Please let her know that l 'm not with glider her, the cop car whisked me a way to the
Duo Discus, quite staggered at the but I'm at the fire station.'' fil'e station to try to communicate with
untamed beauty of the landscape, which "OK, but where's Justin?" my friends at Omarama. Here the ftremen
I viewed at much closer quarters than I "Thanks a lot, see you later. " insisted, against my protestations, tha t I
normally care to, and at his skill in So I called Gillian at home but there was no was in shock from my ordeal and needed
extracting updraughts from every reply a.nd it was not until the next day that a stiff brandy or two. This diagnosis
crevice. He wrote fiii. ..,.....~,..-~,.,.":"'!~""'~"Jffiii!!II!"'I•PI the story began to licensed an instant emergency raid on
for the New unfold. the medicine chest.
Zealand magazine The Platypus had lost Trauma is clearly contagious, becau se
Gliding Kiwi this radio contact with several of the off-duty volunteer firemen
account of a New Justin, his pair-flying decided that they might be in shock, too.
Year's Eve guide, at abou.t the Since it was New Year's Eve, wives and
adventure that I tim e they entered girlfriends began to arrive and it became
shall not forget. Ti.maru Creek. Whilst pretty gregarious.
What is unique trying to establish • After some hours waiting patiently by
about this narrative radio contact and with the phone, I eventually said that I had
is that Gavin was Just in circling better head back towards the glider since
nowhere near the overhead, presumably dusk was approaching and I had no idea
scene of the action with his head out the where anyone was. A police cal' came
at any time. From a A mountain soaring pilot a/amazing skill window trying to and fetched me, and had gone about a
few fragments of shout instructions, the kilometre when to my astonishment I
phone conversations and hearsay he has Platypus descended inexorably into airspace saw Gillian and Justin Wills in their
constructed a remarkably accurate hitherto unexplored by glider pilots - the Holden station wagon, with trailer- and
picture of a near-disaster that was t.errifving canyon o(Timaru Creek. The GPS smiling! Apparently Justin had seen me
somehow averted . Over to Gavin: trace su.bsequent.ly showed that he was hit the ground and knew exactly where
Platypus is a well-known. and respect.ed below about 500ft above ground (or 15 m ins I was, and soared home. A four-wheel
correspondent for the English magazine before he exited the valley a.t 250ft heading drive vehicle and a large band of strong
Sailplane & Gliding. During a recent (or Lal?e Hawea. Whilst he was preparing men supplemented the Wills team, and
flying visit to New Zealand he left a message for a water landing, the "little meadow" all had gone straight to the spot, found
on my cell phone. It was obviously apparently popped on to glide slope from the glider quite unharmed (to general
important but i./. was so full of unanswered among.~ I the trees and the Platypus astonishment), and derigged it without
questions that I thou{fht it might be fun to gratefully wound-looped to u stop. He any interference from me. Then the
share aro und. landed without strong men headed
He and Just.in Wills were enjoying a glider damage. LAKE HAWEA FIRE SERW back to Omarama
flight from Lake Nlanapouri in the south of And what about /.he to resume their
the South Island back to Omaramu. Just in fire brigade? Just in, interrupted New
was flying his immaculate Libelle and the ever mindful o/his Yeal''s Eve party
Platypus was pair-flying in Jus tin's ASW 17. responsibilities, had on the site, and
They went via the scenic route (as Ju.stin called an emergency Gillian and Justin
was wont to describe it) which meant 250hm via the local gliding headed for the
of scra.p'ing along mountain ridges and over frequency and the Lake Hawea
some ol the most inhospitable valleys of the Lahe Hawea Fire town, where we
Southern Alps. Brigade tool< off up joyously met.
The cell phone message went lihe this ... the lake. BtLl what l walked
"Hello Gavin, I've landed in a little meadow they are still puzzled carefully and
by the lahe at the bottom of 1'imaru. Creeh" about is how and thoughtfully over
I'm thinhing - yikes, what are yoLL doing why they were called Trauma is clearly contagious that patch of
there, mate? Timaru Creeh is full of to a. crash site ground two weeks
precipitous rock, forests and a long bolLlder- 15 minutes be/ore it never happened! The later wh n on a motoring tour of the
strewn valley lloor. Glider pilots have spent. meadow is clearly an important place that South Is land. I would not accept £3,000
many a drunken night debating how to deal should pass into local gliding legend. It in hard currency to do that landing
with the aw/ul con.~equences of getting low should be known as the Platypus Pat.ch, again, even after having the advantage
in Timaru Creeh - does one land in the and, because he solved the debate of what t~ of inspecting every hummock, hillock,

20 Sailplane & Gliding

 feathers, as in tarring a nd feathering
- or is it to do with rowing a boat? Or
maybe it is to do with plucking bii·ds in
the cook-house. They a ll sound pretty
easy numbers.
Who was the kind person who found The Ed arbitrarily steals bits of Pial's new
and sent the Editor the leaflet? Why book, The Platypus Papers:
anonymous? You may vvell ask. I now
darkly suspect the Editor herself. After "FCBGA (Future Chairman, BGA): You're
only a couple of issues the stress of not going very fast.
working with this cranky columnist is P (Platypus): Will the P2 kindly confine
beginning to tell. his observations to those of a purely
navigational nature.
... if I did not meel. a certain foolish deadline Self-starting mechanism Long Pause
FCBGA: Navigator's Report coming up.
gully, rabbit hole, tree and bush close up. A few days ago I told Jill Burry that by The village we are over now is the same
Well, not if the other side of the bet was a nnouncing the publication date of my village we were over half an hour ago."
that I paid for any damage to the glider book long before it was completed, I had
o1· myself. deliberately chosen to t•isk being " Some years ago the legendary Waiter
publicly humiliated . The horror of that Neumark, one of the most creative minds in
Beau Peste fate would motivate me to get off my fat our sport, made a precise copy of the glider
behind and finish the ma nuscript. in which Percy Pilcher killed himself, and
Some kind, anonymous person has sent Clever , eh? adhered as faithfully as possible to both the
me via the Editor a two-page Jill was quite unimpressed. "Come off original location and means of winching
promotional leaflet for the French it, Platypus, you've been humiliated himself up. The subsequent crash could
Foreign Legion, which , you may umpteen times before, and it never have been a totally authentic replay of
remember, I sort of promised to join makes a ny difference!" That's what Pilcher's, except that such unauthentic mod-
if I did not meet a certain foolish friends a re for, to stand ready with a ern aids as telephones and motor transport
deadline, the precise date of which I bucket of ice-cold water when you look got Waiter to the hospital quicker."
have, in the best traditions of the Legion, as if you are about to delude yollrself
totally forgotten. on a ny subject. " The last World Championships was an
The minor misspellings make me sure Talking of fat be hinds, I have lost education to me, as a backseat observer. The
the document is genuine, or at least 11 pounds in weight since my promise to French team in particular- who conducted
genuinely French. lose 14 pounds by April Fool's Day, a nd a themselves with great gravity in the air and
The minimum stint is five years, plain un-cus hioned wooden chaix feels great levity on the ground- flew identical
though another paragraph says pairs of gliders as if tied together with
ominously, "enlistement is permanent". invisible string, and talked incessantly to
I think that means you ca n't change your each other and their manager, giving their
mind once they have your signature or respective positions accurate to ten metres:
thumb-print . Or you can change your Ou etes-vous, Jean-Ciaude?
mind as much as you like, but it'll make Pas de probleme, Pierre, mon nez is right up
no difference. Just don't get drunk in votre derriere
Marseilles and wander into a -and so on all day. The general rejoicing
recruitment centre at 3am for a jolly when, in spite of flying brilliantly in many
jape. They are open all hours, no doubt weeks of practice, they failed to win anything
netting quite a few strapping young was quite unseemly but understandable."
fellows before breakfast.
''- knoweldge of french is not required. " Competition pilots seem to suffer from
It will be acquired throughout the the four least attractive of the seven deadly
contract" (I bet it will!) A reasonable musician sins- envy, avarice, anger and pride.
(I quite like the other three myself: sloth
Le plumer de ma tante pretty hard now. That's a good sign. I and gluttony in particular, and, if I have the
est dans la Legion should be able to get into my dinner energy, a spot of lust.) If you asked a racing
If you think you may soon tire of jacket for the BGA Conference on pilot as he stumbles blearily out of the
bayoneting crazed Dervishes or throwing February 26 without the fear of vile cockpit after twelve days of speed flying :
hand-g.renades at hordes of besieging splitting noises- the sounds of people Did you enjoy the flight?
Tuareg Jribesmen, you can qualify as laughing behind my back. he would say:
"secretary, typist, accountant, electricien, How do I know till I've seen the scoresheet?"
carpa.inter, plumer, musician, cook, Grounded by a stiff rule
printer or cartoon designer" " I am intrigued by the [accident] report:
However, such accomplishments are Apparently Viagra does stran ge things collided with running cow. What was wrong
no easy dodge, but are extra skills, to one's eyeba lls. with just saying: Hit cow? Well, for a start, it
employed "while remaining a combat No, that's not a misprint. Colour would look un-Brilish ... we are not the types
soldier". So keep the bayo net and vision may be impaired for quite a while to shoot at sitting pheasants out of season,
grenades handy. I am delighted that a fter use. or ram stationary browsing cattle with
they need car too nists. Peter Fuller can The Netherlands Air Force is warning sailplanes, right in mid-cud, as it were. The
join me if his lllustrations aren't ready pilots not to fl y within 12 hours of other implication is that it was really all the
in time. For myself, I a m a reasonable taking Viagra. cow's fault for running into the glider; had
musicia n, but painting cars sounds fun, That's all very well , but what on earth the ruminant beast's nerve not cracked, the
too. A plwner is obviously someone who is one supposed to do in those 12 hours? whole fracas would have been avoided."

April - May 2000 21

 Two up
Julian Fack of
Midland GC
puts forward
the case for
small shares
in big gliders

I
T ALL STARTED with the ASH 25.
Until the mid-80s, two seaters were
almost universal ly club gliders, used
for training, but the ASH changed all
that. It was big and expens ive , but 1t
performed as well as the best open class
single-seaters of the time, and it.
attracted a new breed of syndicate .
I was fascinated by an advert in S&G
which promoted single seater owners
getting together to buy an ASH , and

Gliding Art funding it by selling their own gliders.

It suggested that they would enjoy
better flying and leam from each other,
• and that running costs wou ld be simi lar
Gallery ~. ·--- -
to before, since there \Vould be more

'Enjoy better flying'

-:- -- --
These watercolours are by Stephen people to share them. R.igging would not
Nesser, Chief Flight Instmctor for ~·--!--·~....._ be a problem si nce ther-e would a lways
the Minnesota Soaring Club- which be two people avai lable.
has a five-glider club fleet, one tow- Some years later, Andy Davis asked if
plane. I 00 members and a grass I wanted a smaLl share in a Duo Discus
strip about 2,500ft long in the farm syndicate he was forming with his father
country just south ol Minneapolis, at Nympsfield. This brought back
USA. Stephen, who has a Silver memories of that adve rt, and since the
badge gained inK-Ss, has been an Duo had had some rave reviews, 1
artist all his adult life. Hav1:ng thought it worth a try. Andy assembled
reeently gone part-time, he hopes t.o ten willing partners, and the glider duly
do more pu.inting. Above: K-21 leav- arrived. The Duo (802) turned out to be
ing a dissipating w at 5,000/i.. just as lovely as Andy promised: easy
Above, right: first solo - cu.mnlus to fly, ea!:ly t.o rig, and a smprising
maximus (Schweizer 2-33). Right: performer, given best LID at about 44.
club K-7 in flight. '1 have had hun- Having seen this syndicate work well
dreds of flights in the K-7 and devel- for a couple of years, I floated the idea at
oped a great fondness for it.," says my home club at Long Mynd, and was
Stephen. Below: sell portrait very surprised to receive nine suitable
applicants within the month. We
Thanks to everyone who has sent in ordered a Duo and waited for two years
photos for Gliding Gallery. Pressure (losing one of the nine members in the
of space has prevented our using process).
them this issue but the gallery Like 802, the Mynd Duo (494) was
should be back next time. Your very popular right away, and racked up
photos are always welcome. To avoid an amazing number of hours for a
disappointment, you might find it private aircraft. Natmally there is an
helpful to know that most digital element of wanting to play with "the

.,, photos still do not, sadly, reproduce

well enough to use at a good size in
S&G. Sorry!
new toy" but. heavy usage keeps the
hour·ly cost clown: 494 cost syndicate
members just£ 11/hour in its first year,
including professional C of A charges.
It is often said that you should choose

22 Sailplane & Gliding

can be double the fun
synclicate pa rt ne rs even more origina lly cleared to fly Pl, but this
carefu lly tha n a spouse. a nd in a h as not caused problems; currently
big synclicate this is particula rly only one re ma ins restric ted to P2.
importa n t. It should be obvious The Duo is big a nd h eavy, carrying
that pilots who can only £1y at a lot of ene rgy. I t can be a bit
weekends should not fo rm t he in timidating in the circui t, so th e
m ajority of the synd icate- thou gh less experienced memben ; h ave no t
changes to working patterns a re been too eager to take comple te
making this less of a proble m. responsibility before th ey a re ready.
The 494 syndica te varies from a To a void frictio n over a vailability,
very capable pre-Silver pilot, we allow one n ine-day week pe.r
through Basic Instructors, to a partner to a llow for a comp , or some
couple of F ull Cats. They a re a lso wave or overseas flying, a nd we
mixed in their ambi tions, fro m local roster two pilots for every day in th e
so~uers to wave e nt husiasts and soaring season. The advan tage of
comp pilots, with a core of serious this is that if a pilot who is not
cr oss-country flyers. rostered on a ny particula r day
Wha t is in teresting is how well the would like to fly , he only h as to
disparate members get on with each phone two other s the n ight before,
other , how they enjoy flyi ng ra ther tha n th e whole syndicate.
together , as well as flying with The Duo Discus is an expensive
others. Less confident cross-country glider to buy, a n d a two-seater costs
pilots ca n enjoy excitin g flights in a lmost as much a s two singles to
the compa ny of more a dvent urous equip, so it doe~ make sense to
souls, a nd this applies to clu b spread those cost a mongst. a lar ger
membe rs too ( ·ee We paced the num ber of people . The capital costs
traffic on the motorways, below) for each of the eigh t 494 me mbers
al th ough syndicate rules and were r athe r less tha n a typical
insurance cons iderations prevent qua rter s h a re in a modern standard
training a par t fro m syndicate class glider. A £35 mon thly fee each
membe rs' advan ced tra ining. each covers all ou tgoin gs at present,
Not every syn d icate member was Exciting cluczl flights in the company of' the moTe adventurous wh ich ma kes for cheap flying. ~

We paced the traffic on the motorways, cruising at 80kts

MY CHANCE for a flight in the Duo Cotswold edge into the mu rk where turned one of the murky climbs into an
Discus, 494, came last year in early there were more climbs, then off to actual cloud climb up into a cooler,
May. After a busy weekend tugging, Cirencester and Swindon, weaving and clearer grey. Glorious to burst out with-
Paul Stanley was in the bar, pondering dolphining, sometimes circling. By now out warning, cruising among the clouds.
a flight for Monday, even though the almost aerobatic manoeuvres were We might get home, or make Shobdon?
visibi lity had deteriorated. On Monday making me sick. We paced the traffic on He worked us towards the Long
the valley was wreathed in mist but the the motorways, cruising at 80kts. Mynd, again leaving the poor lift. We
skies were blue above. Paul arrived at Incredible machine, she just went and didn't need much more height. Up past
the last moment to claim his glider for went. In thermals Paul stood the Duo on Ludlow, dumping water. The Mynd, now
the day. I helped him rig ; it seemed to her wingtip, finding 4kt averages, visible , looked impossible. He flew
be me as P2. He decided on Lasham towards it, in nothing. We wouldn't
0 /R. No time to look at a map. I was 'Incredible machine- make it. Almost blue sky, the clouds
strapped into the back and we were off she just went and went' gone, and the landscape was rising up
on aerotow. Amazing speed on the around us. Then he circled, and there
ground, those beautiful , gleaming wings sometimes more. He simply rejected was Wenlock Edge, the trees close
curving up and we were skimming, poor lift after a few seconds. beneath.
white on green, behind the tug , and Lasham was busy, with gliders Gradually, so slowly, we climbed
then we were airborne . everywhere, then we left them behind away from the glider in the field below.
So we flew to Lasham and back. and headed north, east of our outward The altimeter crept to Mynd height, and
Five and a half hours of hard work and track. Near Brize Norton, Paul said above it. Then we lost the thermal.
mostly silence except for the beeping of cheerfully: "We'll take a climb.'' In what? "Wind shear," Paul answered himself,
the vario , the constant radio chatter and Weak lift here. He scratched, nothing, moved and reconnected with the
Paul's swearing at thermals. so flew on. Getting low at the Cotswolds precious one up. Which got us home,
We went straight from the tow, he again abandoned the weak climb complete with racing finish , in time
climbing at Clee Hill and the Malverns, and headed for the only cloud that for tea.
struggling at Cheltenham , low onto the looked possible, which worked. He Ann Parry

April - May 2000 23

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April - May 2000 25

The glider is checked over before fi lm ing by IYindlall Film s/ Chan nel 4 Mi he Fripp , whose fa m ily's firm built the replica, Leads the glider out

For 56 years people wondered

if the glider built in secret by
PoWs would really have flown-
Derek Piggott was the first to try
How the Colditz
HE BUIL DING of the Coldi tz Cock that it needed some "dirtying down" expected no instr umen ts a pa rt fro m a

T replica for the Cha nnel 4 series

Escap e from Colditz seems to h ave
been almost as secr etive as the
befor e filmin g as it looked too bea u tiful.
The whole a ircra ft is covered in the sa me
ma teria l, a great cha nge a fter so ma ny
ya w string. I borrowed a nice warm
helm et and u sed my old filming goggles:
there is no wind screen a nd i t pro mised
construction of t he origin al. Although all-white glass mac hines . to be a draugh ty cockpit. CB SIFT CBE
the re plica was ma de mainly at Las ha m Riggin g took so me time; mea nwhile I • see med rather a joke with littl e except
by Sou thdown Ae1·o Services, t he first I ha d been to the la unch point to check the the basic stick , rudder and cable release.
heard of it was when Mike Fripp phoned wind directio n. Whereas Kes trel's K-21 My first intention was to ma ke a low
to ask if I could ma ke the ini tia l tes t hop to try out the controls before trying
fligh ts in th ree days' time a t Kes trel GC , 'CB SIFT CBE seemed rather a a circuit on the second fl igh t . However,
Odiham. Who could refu se such a n th e ground wa s sli gh tly downhill to the
opportunity'1 Certa inly not me, aud I
joke, with just stick and rudder' win t:h a nd with no airb ra kes I was
quickly re-orga n ised things to be free . was making li gh t work of t he 90-degree a pprehensive of floa ting down t he slope
Odih a m is, of course , a n ac tive RAF crosswind, it was obviou s tha t certa inly a nd into the far boundary. So I told t he
ba se, so a rmed with a pass port to ma ke for th e first fligh ts we woul d have to winch driver tha t I might well decide to
.sure of being a llowed in , I a rrived a t the move th e winch a nd go in to wind. The go for a circuit r a ther tha n a hop a nd
guardroom just behind a n open t ra ile r CFI vvas ha ppy to hold up la unchin g to t hat he should not cut me off t hinking
with the fu selage of the Cock perched on let us to get off a s soon as we were r eady. t hat I was getting too high to get
top. It looked ve ry s mar t, but also very Climbing into the coc kpit, like ma ny of down easily.
unu sua l in its blue a nd whi te checked the early vinta ge mac hines, required Althou gh t he Colditz Cock has the
covering. Clo>;;e examin ation s howed t ha t some dexterity and care not to go release hook in the no ·e, t he fusela ge is
it really wa s covered in patterned cotton t hrough the f1oor . An ASI, a lt:i meteT a nd short and th e wing fa irly high, so I
fa bric, Like t he origina l. pitot t ube ha d been added to the though t it should get a r easonable height
My immedia te reaction was to suggest origin al des ign. l was surprised as I had without much bu cking. The winch driver

"lt wou ld have been flown by the seat of the pants, I he wind in your eyes ... ... and by praying, " says J ad• Best, a p rospective ab-initio a.t Colditz

26 Sailplane & Gliding

Cable on as John Lee prepares to be film ed lor C4's Escape from Colditz Winching was tamer than launching in darkness from Colditz Castle roof

glider finally flew Bill with his drawings,

Jack and his tools-
then it's over to me
was excellent a nd gave me a quick take- sideslip before ma king a slipping YOU DON'T get many offers to build
off a nd a bsolu tely steady 50kts all the a pproach. Even then it floa ted on a nd on Colditz Cocks, but I had designed, built
way u p. Just after leaving the ground I down the slope before finally wa nting and flown similar-sized machines before:
checked t he a ileron a nd elevator control to land. two Huller 17s, and a Penrose Pegasus.
a nd, as it all see med normal, carried on On the second flight, I got a little • When Mike Fripp asked if I'd join the
to the top, about 650ft. higher, a ga in looked a t the st all and a lso team, I was hardly likely to say no. I took
It is a long time since I flew a Kirby dived it to just over 55kts IAS. T he on the wings, and built them in the front
Cadet a nd I had a nticipated having to stalling speed wa s a mere 20-22kts, a n passage of my house. 11 was cold,
obvious unde r-reading because of the it wasn 't easy, we had a deadline. 11 never
'The aircraft showed no signs cockpit sta tic. So circling at 30-35kts is easy. Nobody knows unless they try it.
seemed about r igh t. Although it could I was born in December 1944, right after
of wanting to come down' obviously do with a much larger r udder , the original Colditz glider had been
turn 180 :;t.ra ight a way to ensure having a quick reversa l of the turn did not completed. My uncle had been one of the
enough height to get all the way back for resul t in much residual adverse yaw. early lost Blenheim Boys. Bill Manuel,
a landing close to the launchpoint. In a I thoroughly enjoyed the f1igh ts and whose rudder design was used for the
Prima ry this is seldom possible a nd you a m sure t ha t if the original launch ha d Colditz Cock, was a close friend of mine.
either have to turn in very ear ly or la nd been successfu l, the two lucky occu pants Having looked at the plans, I thought:
downwind. The a ircraft s howed no signs would have gone qui te a long way before this should fly all right. That's just what I
of wa n ting to come down a nd I made t he ir inevitable la nding - a nd their told Bill Goldfinch.
ever a l circles, checked the sta ll a nd cha nce of freedom . I cleared the workshop of 463, ordered
me material, and got down to some
Right: How John Lee built the wings and flew it for filming. Overleaf: making the rest of it, rious work, often 18 hours a day. There
re just two drawings; mostly I used :-.-
and how PoWs set up wartime Germany's only British glider-manufacturing enterprise

"The way it flew was unbelievable," said Jacll, as the replica landed Jack Best (right) and Bill Goldfinch watch their bm inchild- 56 years on

April - May 2000 27

 A replica in six weeks
OTH l\1Y brother Mark and I

8 grew up in an environment of air-

craft and gliders. Our father
Mike, grandfather Ken and Uncle Max
were involved in film productions,
including the Magnificent Men in their
Being towed out by a German VW Passat ...
Flying Machines, Blue Max and the
Cayley glider, which was for Anglia TV
;....... one. You had to think laterally ... Jack and for On The Wing.
Best brought his original Colditz-made Therefore, the challenge we were
tools and we again proved they worked. faced with when asked to make the
Time was running out; there was a Colditz Cock was just that- a challenge.
penalty clause. I worked harder and In six weeks, we reproduced it. to the
harder, right to the last day. lt was exact aerodynamic specification as the
finished on time. With good co-operation original, constructed 56 years ago.
all round, the various bits were fitted '!'he original drawings were passed to
together and inspected. us here at Southdown Aero Services . We
decided to take it on, asking John Lee to The Southdown team with the partly-built.
Off we trailed to Odiham, where Derek fuselage in their larger-than-original worhshop.
Piggott had been brought in for a test construct the wings.
The {Jlider cost £3.000 to insure and, according
flight. He walked around the machine a All components had to be lofted out to the programme-makers, £30,000 to build
couple of times, muttering "huh"; full size before construction could begin,
climbed in; pulled down his goggles this then commenced with the fuselage be satisfactory. K-13 rudder pedals were
(slightly tinted); gave a casual wave; structure using Baltic pine. Wing now installed, along with Hutter 17
and shot straight Into the air, climbing to profiles Clark Y H were downloaded wing-to-fuselage fittings, Slingsby
600ft, leaving me gasping audibly into the from the internet. About two weeks Cadet tailplane fittings , Nord 2000
video thing. We were all still gasping for after starting, all appeared to be going cables and a seat from a T-21.
air when he landed, right in front of us. well, with our first filming date immi- We considered where and how to
What an example to follow! Somehow I nent and the excitement building. launch it. The produce r suggested
survived it, six times altogether. However, the day of filming was long launching it from a Scottish castle roof,
People ask: "How does it fly?" I tend to and tedious, and in but his idea was
say:"By attachment to a 350hp winch ... " real terms we had 'The producer suggested a dismissed and the
What else can one say? lt flies as well as lost a day's work. launch from a Scottish castle' most suitable launch
a HOtter 17 and could be soared in But the real bonus reconstruction would
thermals for several hours, if you like that was mee ting Jack Best and Bill have to be on a winch.
sort of thing. lt would be a bad idea to Goldfinch, who designed and built the We had another tense day when John
spin it, and you need a little extra speed to aircraft. After that. we felt that we all Lee arrived with the wings. Built
get it turning. had a real desire to make this work, not 60 miles away, there was a question of
This was surely the hardest I ever just from our point of view but espe- whether they would fit. Our fears were
worked - and the greatest privilege. cially for the m. unfounded a s Mark and ,John put the
John Lee Work continued over the Christmas four main bolts in within an hour, with
Next issue: John's plans to build a Fafnir period. Adam English, the Producer, the aileron deflection checks taking no
arrived with the gingham material. more than 20mins. This was a miracle'
Tests were carried out and it proved to The next two clays were spent covering

Permit to fly half a ce1

n tury late
WHEN work was started on the replica by conventional pre-war design, to the extent
Southdown Aero Services, it was due to fly that torsional stiffness was provided by an
in about six weeks, which demonstrates the arrangement of diagonal and fore-and-aft
average TV company's grasp of the real members, with a little ply on the leading
world. lt was going to require a BGA Permit edge for handling purposes. So the span
to Fly, and I and Dick Stratton were deputed was slightly over 32ft with a chord of about
to make sure it was sufficiently airworthy. Sft giving enough wing area to keep the wing
The basic design was on two sheets of loading quite low.
paper, copied from the originals. One lt was a two-seater with the rear pilot as
Non-original features included a shid (with showed the fuselage, to a fairly small scale, passenger, facing 'backwards. In the replica,
tennis ball shock absorbers), altimeter, ASI and the other the wing. Most of the structure the second seat was eliminated. lt was not
and yaw string --none of which would have was quite conventional: the fuselage was a designed to very specific requirements,
been mu eh use on a one-off night-time flight straightforward structure of wooden because all the pre-war requirements went
longerons, spaced apart by wooden on to about two pieces of paper, and it is
S&G's thanks to: all writers, Bob Bickers, members and diagonals, whilst the wings doubtful whether they could be remembered
Simon Boyden. Adrian Hobbs, Neil Lawson, were of quite a low aspect ratio, doubtless anyway. But Lorne Welch had been brought
Marc Morley, Ann Welch. and Chris Wick due to constraints relating to the size of the into it at a fairly late stage and declared it to
"workshop" at Colditz. These were of very be strong enough. Since there was no time

28 Sailplane & Gliding

it with t he material; we finished it wit h
fo ur days to spare.
The test fligh t was a rra nged at the
Kestrel GC at RAF Odiha m, for securi ty
reasons. The BGA asked that Derek
How they did it at Colditz
PILOT Officers Jack Best and Bill Goldfinch were floorboards and it was a job to find
P iggott carry out t he first two test went to Colditz Castle from the Luftwaffe lengths with no knots."
fligh ts. Now was the time when we would PoW camp at Sagan, having been captured Metal for essential fittings was hardest to
fi nd ou t if our efforts ha d been worth- in Greece where Jack flew Marylands and source. " There aren't many, but the struts
while. My feelings when the aircraft took Bill, Sunderlands. have got three and of course the wing has
to the air after 25ft were of total ecstasy Bill, inspired by a sloping roof at Colditz, another couple," says Jack. Cotton
a nd ela tion - along with relief. With had been drawing sketches for some time, palliasse covers were used for fabric, and
that, Derek Piggott carried on with the but the glider project didn't really take off dope was made from millet rations.
winch la unch up to c 700ft, la nding until two army PoWs, Tony Rolt and Oavid The glider was once nearly discovered by
perfectly three minutes la ter. Walker, arrived. Lorne Welch and Waiter a German civilian who approached Jack: " l
The next time the glider would fly was Morison (see below) came after the scheme don't think he could have seen the glider
in front of the ex Colditz prisoners a nd a had been hatched. "We hadn't started but I knew he'd found the trapdoor." A bribe
fil m crew, so a lthough we knew tha t it building it," says Jack, " but Bill's plans were of 700 cigarettes solved the 1problem.
could f1y, the re was still apprehension. approved by Lorne. He said it would fly, When the PoWs took over the castle
J ohn Lee flew it, four t imes, for the which none of us had any doubt about." before the American army arrived, the
fi lming but more import a nt ly for the According to Jack, a PoW friend called glider was assembled in the room below
Colditzers, who e njoyed it imme nsely. Bob Barnes christened it the Colditz Cock; the workshop. " lt didn't take very long; we
It has been a n experience dea ling with he was also responsible for a tense moment did it one day before breakfast," adds Jack.
the media, a nd Sout.hdown is now during construction. " He made a little model The result of what he estimates, very
:::. of it and flew it in the courtyard," says Jack. roughly, at 2,000·3,000 hours' work, had an
~ "lt landed at the foot of a certain Hauptman inglorious end. When they asked to go back
, Preiber who said: 'Thank goodness, at last to get it, they were told there were more
if you British are doing something sensible important things to get out of Russia; it is
~ and not thinking of escaping all the time'!'' believed to have eventually been burnt.
Jack made tools, such as a chisel from a Jack adds: "The sad thing is, we never
broken-off table knife, and helped create a took Eggars, the [German] Escape Officer,
secret attic workshop, too small to rig the to see it. He was a schoolmaster type, very
glider in, entered via a concealed trapdoor. • clever, and knew the British mentality. I
" We went round and found what could be would have loved to see his face. There was
used," says Jack. " On all the joints on the a little Airfix model of it after the war. I sent
main frame we used three-ply off a tea- him one and he sent me a letter thanking
chest. The spars were found right the way me very much and saying he'd give it to a
Wood und fabric fuse lage under construction across the other side of the castle. They grandson."

getting back to composite a ircraft and

gel coat. This was a great opportuni ty for The proposed launch method
all of us, one we shall remember for the (right, as sketched by Bill
rest of our lives. We would like to tha nk Goldfinch) was from a sloping
the following, withou t whose effor ts this roo(, a.ttaching the glider to a
project would not have worked: all weighted bath which would
Kest rel GC members; lan Smith , Vintage then be dropped. Would it have
really worked? Some people had
GC; F rank Irving; J ohn Lee, Ann Welch ;
their doubts, bu.t not ,Jack Best:
and all staff at Southdown Aero Services. "Obviously there was going to
Neil Fripp be a lot of worh and problems in I
doing it, but we had the time,
/.he labour and incentive" IBou t/w ,
for extensive calculations, we accepted this
and, indeed, looking at the structure it WALTER Morison helped work on were empty, the top one being just a
seemed more than adequate. However, there pa r ts of the glider at Colditz. t r ia ngula r roof space some 70ft long. So
were some serious omissions from the "To build a gEder you only need a bit th ey shu t off the fa r end with a fa lse
information available: the drawings showed of glue a nd some fa bric a nd wood," he wa ll. Lo a nd behold, there you had a
struts, but no detailed drawings were says. "Castles are stuffed with it: t1oor- positive hole big enough for a workshop.
available and the control systems consisted boards; joists; ply a nd light s tuff from On casual inspection who would notice
of a few dotted lines. Rather than build an cupboards; bedlinen. But castles aren't the room ha d got a few feet s horter?"
assembly from scratch, Southdown had stuffed with glue. They migh t have used Would th e glider have t1own? "Of
obtained a system from an old Nord 2000 and condensed milk- much the same as course. It was a properly designed
cobbled it into the existing space. As it casein, a glue - bu t in the event bribery aircra ft, as h as now been proved.
happens, the pulleys provided by the French produced the real thing." La unched off the roof, at night and
were of light alloy, which is pretty bad news How was it hidde n? "Ever hear d of a preferably during· a n a ir raid blackout ,
in conjunction with steel cables, hence the positive hole? No? Well, cut a hole out of it would h ave flown out across the river
very limited duration of the permit. a waiL That's negative. Create a hole by to fields on the far side. No, it didn't
On the day , it all worked splendidly and enclosing open space and that's positive. have a n a r tificial horizon."
the designers were accordingly exultant. A workshop was needed, big enough for Flak and Ferrets. the booh of Waite r's
After 56 years, their design and Lorne's the fuselage and com plete wings. On wartime experiences, costs £12 from Fiddlers,
stressing was shown to work! one side of the castle the top two floo rs Smugglers Lane, Bosham, P018 BQP ~
Frank lrving

April - May 2000 29

Six-point belt on test
HE SOPWITH Camel in 1914-18

T was initially fitted with a lap s trap

seat harness. Under negative g,
the pilot slid upwards in relation to the
Dr Tony Segal has
been back to
the crash-test rig
cockpit, and was thus unable to make to examine a new
full control movements. So shoulder six-point harness.
harness was introduced to solve the He reports on the
problem, resulting in a four-point seat
harness. The father of Dr Peter Saundby
results of his tests
- the BGA's current med.ical advisor -
was involved in its t1ight trials.
To prevent subma rining and to
maintain the geometry of the harness, a
fifth (crotch) strap has been used tor
many yean:; in military aircraft,
This six-point harness
aexobatic aircraft and in gliders. This (right) has two lap straps,
five-point harness has been most two shottlder straps and two
satisfactory in aircraft with an upright crotch straps. Bnt how dues
seating position. The fifth strap passes it perform in simulated
down and forward to the a nchorage point crashes and in flight ?
on the cockpit t1oor, clear of the crotch of
the pilot. The fifth strap works by pan and by specifying definite lap strap pan than specified by Martin Sperber. As
opposing the upward pull of the shoulder anchorage points, a four-point harness the pilot's buttocks cannot fit into this
straps on the lap strap . The lap strap would prevent submarining. This seat narrow space, I do not consider this to be
remains in position on the pelvic bones, and harness design is now used in many •of significance in affecting the validity of
instead of being pulled upwards on to the modern gliders. my experimental results. I fixed the H
soft, vulnerable abdomen. Modern In January 1999, the German glider point using a seated 50th pe rcentile male
gliders have a semi-recumbent seating manufacturer DG Flugzeugbau ceased dummy, a nd drawing the inte rsection of
position: the glider frontal area is fitting five-point harness in their gliders the centre lines of the torso and thigh.
reduced in order to give a better t1ight -a decision they reversed in F'ebruary The attachment point for the lap strap,
performance. This seating position 2000. The removal of the option to fit a so marked, coincided with the f1at on the
results in the fifth strap pressing fifth strap had caused concern in the UK, seat pan designed for this purpose by the
directly on to the pilot's crotch as the and Dr Peter Saundby asked me to carry manufact urer. Martin Sperber has
strap passes forw<uds and down to the out an experimental study on seat designed a device for marking the
anchorage point on the cockpit floor. The harness, carried out in May 1999 at the position of the H-point on the seat pan.
strap may therefore cause injury to the Centre for Human Science>', DERA, When I used it, I obtajned a different
crotch in an impact accident. Farnborough, with the help of Leslie position from that J obtai ned using the
The German Federal Ministry of Neil, Graham Reece and P hilip Murtha. dummy. Again, I do not consider that
Transport financed a study by Dip! Ing A Nimbus 3DNI front seat pan was this affects the validity of my results.
Martin Sperber of Tu V Rheinland, used. Although representative of modern Three pilot dummies- a 50th
Cologne, to sec if this risk of injury could seat design, this had a larger transition pe1·centile male, a 5th percentile female
be reduced. Martin Sperber concluded radius, between the inclined thigh ramp and a 95th percentile male - were seated
that by redesigning the shape of the seat and the horizontal portion of the seat statically in turn in the glider test seat.
A four point harness on the test rig,
ready for testing

After impact, the shoulder and lap

straps are out of position. There is
potential for serious injury to be caused
to the vulnerable abdomen by the
movement of the lap strap

Below: the OSTI\1 airworthiness

standard for lop straps, showing the
lucat.ion of th e H point

TEST 3. 22A
POST-IMPACT

30 Sailplane & Gliding

 the six-point ha rne s, the test rig being
inverted. The separa tion of th e buttocks
of a 50th percentile ma le dummy from
the surface of the seat pan was measured
by a probe. The resu lts were:
Six-point, tight: 13mm separation
Six-point, s lack: 25mm separa tion
This is a better result than th a t found for
a five-point h a rness.
The effect of a vertical accident impact
was then simulated on the test track,
using a 50th pe rcentile ma le dummy.
The impact was at lOm/s at 16g. The six-
point harness was tested tight and slack.
It remained in the sa fe posit ion on the
pelvic bones.
I conclude that a four-point h a rness is
unsatisfactory under conditions of
negative g and on impact. Submarining
In each case, with a five-point harness, in an impact accident. However, the of the pilot may take place. A five -point
the lap strap remained in position on the sa me fifth strap could cause serious h a rness will perform well under negative
pelvic bones. When the fifth s trap was injury in the crotch. This dilemma was g, a nd will prevent pilot s ubmarining in
released, and the harness used as a four- resolved by the next experiment. the accident case. However, injury may
point harnes::;, the lap strap rotated Terence Willans ofWilla ns Ha rness be caused to the crotch of the pilot in the
u pwnrcls under the unopposed pull of the Manufacturing Ltd, an expert on racing case of a n accident.
shoulder straps a nd came to rest lying on car seat harness, kindly modified a A six-point harness works well under
the soft abdomen. r acing car h arness for use in a test rig. conditions of negative g, and will prevent
The effect of negative g was then This ix-point harness (see picture, left) s ubm a rining of th e pilot in an accident .
simulated. The 50th percentile ma le consisted of two lap straps, two shoulder There is no ris k of injmy to the crotch of
dummy was fastened in the glider seat straps and two crotch s traps. The latter t he pilot. The ma le pilot can pass urine
a nd the entire test rig was then inverted. passed upwards between the thjghs from in fli gh t without a ltering his harness.
The dummy was left hangi ng vertica lly the a nch orage points on t h e test rig of • Flight testing was carried out in
in the sea t harness . The separation of the glider. They then passed s ideways February 2000 at the Joint Service
the buttocks of the dummy from the seat through two rectangular buckles sewn to Adventurous Train.ing Glider Centre,
pan was measured. The following values the lap str aps. The crotch s tra ps ended RAF Bicester, vvith t he kind permission
were obtained: in webbing· loops which passed inward of the Officer-in-Com mand, Sqn Ldr
Five-point, tigh t : 24mm separation towa rds the quick release fitting (QRF'). (retd) Tecl Norma n. The haTness was
Ditto, slack: 3lmm separation The webbing loops were anchored to the inst a lled in the rear sea t of a K-21 ; no
Four-point, tight: 51 mm separation QRF by the metal lugs of the shoulder modification to the a nchor points was
Ditto, slack: 83mm separation s traps. required. I (below, rear seat) was flown
It is clear that the five-point harness is An experimental test was carried out by lan TunstaJI (front seat). Two f1ights
s uperior undet· conditions of negative g. in January 2000 at the Centre for were made, one with t he harnes::; tight,
The effect of a vertical accident impact Huma n Sciences, DERA, Farnborough, the oth er with the harness slack. The
-the most severe situation as regards (pictured above) with the technical assis- test went t.o -3g, a nd tail slides were
subma1·ining- was the n simulated on tance ofLeslie Neil and Graham Reece. tlown. The harness performed well in
the test track . The impact was at lOm/s The ha rness was tested for ease and both flights. It is now bein g assessed by
at 16g. A 50th perce ntile ma le dummy s peed of emergency e.g ress under posi tive the Bicester gliding instructors in
was used . Five and four-point harnesses g and under negative g. No problem was routine club fly ing.
were both tested tight and slack. With experienced under either condition. With minor modifications, the Willa ns
the five-point hamess, tight and slack, A test was carried out to show the six-point harness should be s uitable fo r
the lap strap remained in the correct effect of negative g on the performance of widespread use in gliders. ~
position on the pelvic bones following
impact. With the four-point harness,
tight and slack, the lap strap moved
upwards until it was lying pressed under
t.he rib cage following impact. Serious
injury could be caused to the vital organs
situated'in the upper a bdomen.
The load on the harness s traps was
recorded during the impact. The peak
load in the fifth s trap was 2068 Newtons.
There are 4.45 Newtons to a pound force,
so the load exerted on the crotch was
about a quarter of a ton . Clearly this
presents a grave risk of injury to the
organs in the crotch region caused by the
fifth strap in an impact accident.
This experiment s howed that the fifth
strap is essential to prevent the lap strap
moving up into the vulnerable abdomen

April -May 2000 31

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32 Sailplane & Gliding
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Choice soaring at Aboyne

Deesicle G liding Club would libe to wish ail our friends and visitors a Prosperous New Year.
We lool< forward to welcoming you to Aboyne in tbe N ew Millenniurn.
The programme for 2 000 is:
Wave Season lJookings now open for September and October,
Holidays & Courses tailored to suit requirements, call for availability
The 3rd UK Mountain Soaring Championship
3rd- 9th Septetnber entry form available.
Contact:
Wave Bookings All Other enquiries
.Mary-Rose Roy Dalling at the Club
Tel: 01569 730687 TeVFax 013398 8533 9
April - May 2000 33
 Soar~ng in
Fiord land
THREE Jun iors pilots - Andy Perki ns, Luke
Mountain hig
Roberts and I - headed to New Zealand last
Christmas to extend our summer and explore
the amazing flying conditions we had heard so
much about. For about three weeks we flew
from Omarama, under the guidance of Justin
and Gavin Wi lls . Th is introduced us to the New
Zealand way of gl iding and the weather that
have made this place almost legendary.
Through Gavin , we heard of the Southland
GC's annual expedition to Fiordland , in the
south-west corner of South Island . Glaciers
have sculpted South Island over millions of
years , and the most impressive effects are in
Fiordland (see map) wh ere U-shaped valleys
go east to Lake Te Anau or west to the Tasman
sea . Southland GC visit with a handful of single
and two-seaters. We had a couple of days to
spare, andl this was an opportunity not to be
missed . Few glider pilots get the chance to
venture into Fiord land, so we felt very lucky.
Our first view of the region came as we aero-
towed a Grab Acro over to Manapouri airfield,
our base fo r the week. The airfield is on the
shore of Lake Manapouri , at the foot of the
mountains in the east of the region . Dense
forests shroud the lower slopes and , apart from
walking tracks, the place is untouched . No
roads , no inhabitants- and certainly nowhere
to land . At times, this focuses the mind .
On our first day there wasn't good soaring
weather, so we drove to Milford Sound , looking Pete Thelwall (left) describes how he and two other British juniors
at the three landable airstrips on the way.
These are up to 20km away from the start of the
had fun in Fiord land, while Phi I Swallow (below) gets stuck on a
Fiordland mountains. "Always keep your landing cross-country in New Zealand's Southern Alps
options in mind" was a much-repeated phrase.

I
Over the next few days we explored around WAS G E TTING to k now t h e a r ea. T he Pete Th elwall, Luhe Roberts and Andy
Manapouri and Te Anau . The landscape has i mmediate axea . Getting to k now i t so Perhins fl ew from Manapouri airfield
such a huge influence on flying conditions that w ell t h at the craggy l ump of r ock that I in Fio rdland (see map, rig ht: the left
we were told it was "all a bit experimen tal round wa s m i ser ably, h opelessl y circlin g w as hand box shows the terrain
becoming m ore boring t h an d aytim e TV. they were exploring)
"You 're going to h ave to go a t some poin t, " I
tol d m y sel f. "Bu t w h ere t o" " I h ad no ic.lea. Phil S wallou; t.vas basPd at Om ara m a.
I w as fly ing on a cro ss -coun t r y course His rot•te is shown in the two boxes on
r un by Gavi n Wills at Omarama i n the the rig ht hand side of the m ap
Sou t h em A l ps of N ew Zeal a nd. I h ave
Aboue and above right: photos by
flow n h er e fo r five ou t of t h e l ast six y ea r s
Phil S wallow . 7'lw two small
an d my comfor t zon e h as slowly exp an ded
pictu res are stills from a video he tooh
fmther into t h e m ountain s. B ut I h ad
on the /light he describes on this page
r each ed a pl ateau in my soari ng, cau t i ou s
about v en t u ri ng too fa r i n t o 't.i get· cotmtry .' Map: Steve Longland
I w anted to l ea rn m ore about the conditions,
Luhe Roberts borrowed a Hornet tu fly in NZ the m ou n tain s, m y flying, my K estr el 19 ...
W hen I h ea r d abou t t he course, I j u mped an d a l igh t , sou th-w es t erly flow . Cl ou d base
here"- a polite way of saying how changeable at i t . G av i n , a mountain guide for m any w as r el at i v ely l ow afte r rece n t. w et w eat h er
the weather is . You have to keep a constant y ears, k nows th e roc k y ridges m or e but t h e ridges were workin g. Once
watch for changes in conditions , always kn ow in t i mately t h a n most glider pil ots wou l d es t abl i sh ed, w e practi sed our rid ge -running
th e wind direction and think about sea breezes . ev er wan t t o. H e is k nowl ed geable abou t in th e Di n gl e: pull t h e brakes from 8,500ft
The ridges produced strong thermals up to M et in genera l and loca l condi ti on s in t o d iv e on to t h e r idge, then the fi rs t one to
7,000-B ,OOOft. Sea breezes could arrive from par t i cu l ar. A nd h e i s a good t eacher. t u r n i s a si ssy .
two or three directions in places, and ~ T his parti cular d ay w as late to get going. F r om th e en d of t h e D ingle , we cross ed
W e l aunch ed into stren gth ening th er m al s into t h e Hunter a nd then h opped across

34 Sailplane & Gliding

 ha lL I was getting a bit tired a nd my bum

hs and lows felt numb, unused to fou r -a nd-a -ha lf hours

in the a ir. Still, I was qui te happy. "We't·e
on our way h ome," I said to myself. "I'll just
wait fot· Mother Duck a nd paddle a long
behind." In my mind, l was a lrea dy pu tting
th e win g covers on.
Suclclonly, Gavin appeared at ridge-to p
heigh t. "Okay, t ime to go," th e s peaker
crackled. ''You're looki ng fo r s un on the
ground and a ridge running on t rack. You
know t he way ... " The great white Duo
Discus rolled right, fl'a med for a momen t

Could I fly with one hand on

the stick and another on my
mobile: "Hello? Samaritans?
I'm lonely and depressed ..."
between two piebald peaks, patched "vith
snow a nd black, glea ming rock. Then he
was gone. "Oh," I thought, "OK, sounds
easy enough."
It was n' t qui te so easy. Hanging a round,
I had let th e Kestrel sag below r idge level
a nd it took me five minutes to climb back
up. Fina lly, I too ba nked righ t a nd, as the
ragged edge of the saddle slipped below me.
looked for the ridge that bra nch ed off from
th e peak just to my righ t.
• lVIy heart missed a beat. A deep V-s haped
va lley opened below me. There was no
ridge. A sinking feeling in my stomach
accompa nied the realisa tion t ha t I did n't
Scale for North and South islands know where to go. I h ad assumed the ridge
would be th er e. My brai n st alled a nd I
~~~~~~~'~
'1&1 ";;;:;;~e
uii "'"
~otil~ )(IU
M.J.<.

think I s topped. breathing for a few seconds .

Spot heights in metres I wasn't fearful or pa nicky: I just did not
know wha t my next step s hould be .
My e)7 es fixed on a lower spur coming off
th e ridge J ha d just crossed a nd r made for
it- surely rei find a friendly thermal there?
,. I star ted to circle, jus t mainta ini ng in th e
lump I nmn,
!flltl,t.A \ .; , - ' , warm a ir tr ickling up the partia lly--shaded
sides of the s pur. Th e vario was not
impressed by my choice: Peeep -poop -
pooooop- p e-eeep - pooop. I gazed at tha t
wretched lump first fro m below, then from
above, a nd th en fro m below again. The
sharp crags on either side began to look h k e
jagged teeth, poised to sn ap at th e soft
underbelly of t he Kestre L Certain muscles
in my lower abdomen began to work ou t,
trying to lift my glider a nd me over the
ridges. I wonder ed if I could ma nage flying
with one ha nd on the stick a nd one on my
lt:m and above
5 tn - 1000m ManapPuri • mobile: "Hello? Samaritans? I'm lonely a nd
20 m - SOOm depressed ..."
le\•el to 200m lnv~rcargill
I tried to conside r my opt ions. Ma ka rora
s trip was jus t over the sacl.dle but an
Makarora a nd got into the west bra nch of we relut:ta n tly set off for Omar a ma . envious look back confirmed that l was too
t he Matukituki. It was a groat r un, Becoming sligh tly dispersed, we decided to low to a tte mpt i t. The lift on this side was
practising our new-found skills on the meet a t Maka rora fo r th e r un hom e. onl y enough to ma inta in he ight: I was on
ridges and fl ying with the na tive keas, 1 a rr ived first an d bega n loitering in a the less sunny side but home was this way.
tumbling a nd twiRting in the gullies. I was confusing mixture of lift- convergence, I could glide to a fielclla ncling way clown
a ma zed a t how much ground we covered. ridge a nd th ermal - n ext to the ridg·e we the s te~ p- si cled va lley. But.l wa nted to get
Still, a la to s tart and playing in the would cross to go home. I t felt like ha nging ho me. I stared a t. the by now hated lump of
Dingle h ad eaten into the a fternoon. As the a bout in the doorway, r a ttling the car keys u nfeeling ugly rock. I sh ou ld be able to
thermals started to look a t their wa tch es, while others a rc still saying goodbye in the ma ke Oma ra ma - and I couldn't see h ow. ,..

April - May 2000 35

> strong convergence lift was to be found,
marked by a 2,000ft step in the cloudbase . The
geography is mind-blowing - I used to think
Sutton Bank was big!
On our last day conditions looked a little
better. Andy and I decided to fly together in the
Acre, promising to take no more than an hour
and not to get too far away. After a reasonable
climb over the airfield , we headed west to the
hills. As we got higher we could see the
Tasman sea where dolphins, penguins and fur
seals live undisturbed by humans. The strong
lift and high cloudbase gave us confidence;
when we heard Gavin say he was going to
Milford Sound, we decided to go that way too.
Gavin radioed to give us a friendly reminder-
"remember to fly IFR: I Follow Ridges"!
Following mountain crests in thermals drawn
up the steep hillsides, we rarely met sink.
As we tracked north the peaks got higher
and the valleys deeper. We crossed the fiords
of Lake Te Anau and went up to the Homer
Tunnel, where the only road to Milford Sound >"It's very committing, cwssing a beginning to enjoy myself again. My
passes under 2,000ft of rock. At this point the saddle," Gavin said later, debriefing over vision was still expanding and seemed
clouds met the highest peaks, and the view a bottle of beer. "You need to know sharper somehow. From halfway across,
down the length of the lake reminded us that what's on the other side and where I could see the slope was indeed at one
home was quite a long way away for 17.00hrs. you're going: you need a plan." end of a ridge going to the Hunter, the
As we turned back the sky still looked good "Always," I added with feeling. last major obstacle before a final glide.
in places, but sea breezes had blown up the Round I went again, the vario peeeping, As I arrived, a few hundred feet below
fiords and valleys, leaving gaps to cross. We thenpoooping, the altimeter wavering at the tops, the vario started to pe-eep
kept high and made good progress until we 6,000-odd feet. That might sound OK to mildly: I was climbing, albeit at lkt. The
crossed Lake Te Anau's middle fiord, arriving you sitting in yom armchair with a cup 'band of lift seemed narrow. I turned
at the other side lower than comfortable - the of tea. With big mountains between me right and began to follow the contours of
hills rose above us. We kept in mind the and Omarama, I knew it was not enough. the ridge, hugging the bowls and spurs. I
lessons we had been taught over the past few Finally, I swallowed my pt•ide and began to cruise along the sunny side
weeks: go for the crests, know where the wind thumbed the switch: "Er ... Gavin ... I've close in at 60kts, without turning. "I'll go
is coming from. But we found no lilt, and had crossed the saddle and I don't know what back and work the face when I hit sink,"
no option but to head further into the hills. A to do next ... " There- I'd said it! The I said to myself. Two or three minutes
quick panic with the map as we made sure patient voice crackled back: "Remember later, without turning and with only a
we'd get out if we didn't go up. More sink. Down what we were talking about. Look for a few pull-ups in the odd surge, I popped
to 3,800ft. That may not sound low, but it sunny face, and a ridge that is on track." out above the ridge into the stronger lift
looked awful. The words took a moment to sink in. fed from both sides. "Hooray!" I said,
All of a sudden our options were either to get Then dawn broke. remembering to keep
a thermal or risk landing in the lake. I "Doh!" I said aloud. 'Er... Gavin ... I've crossed my thumb off the mic
suggested to Andy that we climbed. And at that And for the first time the saddle and don't know button.
point we caught a little rising gust and Andy for five minutes, I did As I flew on to join
displayed the most accurate thermal centring more than just look
what to do next' Gavin, I absorbed
that I've ever witnessed. The climb grew to out. I raised my eyes (yes, unto the hills!) what I had learned. I thought about how
6kts. Soon we were out of trouble and gliding and looked across the valley . No more my vision had closed right in, until all I
towards Manapouri. than a mile away was a green mountain was seeing was the lump of rock and the
We were asked via radio to take the glider slope beaming at me: "Hi 1 I'm Sunny - fly immediate sky around it. I re-learned
back to South land's site at Five Rivers, only an me!" And beyond it - could that be a that if I foilow someone e lse, I had better
extra 50km . We gave it a go, but rapidly- ridge, with clouds on top? know where I am going in case we lose
deteriorating conditions left us trying to scrape I'm sure yo u've been wondering why I contact. I realised ti1·edness is as insidi-
away at the northern edge of the Takitimu didn't look across earlier. Maybe I was ous as hypoxia in its onset. I discovered
mountains. A well-placed farmer's airstrip was more tired than I felt. Maybe some for real that knowing my next step and a
the only option. There was a heady mix of learned response that kicked in for couple of alternatives after that is what
emotions ~s we got out of the glider. Relief at immediate self-pro tection prevented me will keep me safe in the mountains. I
landing OK in the middle of some serious from taking the wider view that I really reminded myself that a flight is not over
geography, and elation at getting so far and needed to be able to protect myself. until it is over! A big part of successful
seeing the most amazing terrain. We revelled Feeling a bit stupid but relieved , I cross-country flying is having a dynamic,
in our success. Andy and I had worked well gladly abandoned the rocky lump like a flexible, constantly-updating vision of
as a team. child letting go of the tiled edge of the how I intend to get to where I am going.
lt was our last day and we left on a high note. pool t.o splash across the fearful depths That really is "in the muscle" now. As
We had been warmly welcomed by South land into the welcoming arms of mother. Gavin said: "By the time you get near
club members who trusted us with their I knew there would be horrendous sink cloudbase, you should already know
gliders . Our flights were awe-inspiring and in the valley- no, wait, this air wasn't exactly what you're going to do next".
highly educational, giving us much to think too bad- double "doh!" The tension that Many thanks to Martyn, Richard,
about in a new and challenging environment. had built up in my body began to drain Gavin, Jim, Grae, Doug, Malcolm , Stefan
away and my flying improved; I was and Gandhi for a great week. ~

36 Sailplane & Gliding

Start cross-countries here
Mike Cohler, CFI of York
Gliding Centre, explains what TEN PRIE -SEASON TIPS FROM TOP PILOTS ...
you need to do for your 1 Be ready for the inevitable good days that 6 Review previous flights and assess what
cross-country endorsement come by having some ambitious plans in the mistakes you made. For example, last year I
back of your mind. They may lead to sleepless was not in practice at cloud flying . This year

T
O GET your endor sement, you n eed nights before the event but will surely give you I intend to do a lot of cloud flying prior to my
t o do t w o soaring fligh ts of ov er an hero status if you achieve them- Paul Crabb competitions - David Allison
hour from r el ease, one of which
must be t wo h ours. Y ou h ave probably 2 Decide what your ideal objectives are going 7 Work out what you 're going to do when, how
already don e a on e-hour f1igh t for to be (in my case, a mix of camps, training and to persuade the boss to let you have all that
B rom :e, which will count, so look for a fun). Once you 've done this, you then need to time oH over the summer and, of course, how
decen t thermic d ay, and get a bar ograph work out how best to achieve them . Then you 're going to get your hands on appropriate
on board. After your r eturn , you r rearrange as necessary' - Pete Masson gliders for lit all- Pete Masson
instructor or Offici al Observer will si gn
t he pale or an ge form which you already 3 Stay current over winter and remember that 8 If you 're an instructor, try to do some two-
ask ed for l as t w eek .. . most of your flight seater cross-country
D o th e two hours in t h ermals: sitting planning can be carried instruction. There is no
in your glider on the l ocal ridge i s not out then. Use up-to-date better way to help you
r eally prepara t i on for a cross-count r y maps, compile a file of understand what you
flight in standard British th erm als! tasks to suit different are actually doing- or
While w aiting for the right soaring day weather patterns or wind trying to do -than
ask your near est F ull Cat to ch at about directions. Stay away having to explain it in
field sel ection , field l an dings and from upwind coasts, easy terms to someone
navigati on, which you alr eady know avoid damp, low-lying else - Pete Masson
abou t from your Bronze theor y. Th e two regions and areas where
field l andings (w ell, app1·oaches) must the base of controlled 9 Figure out all the
be done in a m ot or glider , t esting your airspace is likely to niggling things that don't
ability to pla n a circuit into suita ble but severely restrict your work, are missing, annoy
unfamiliar fields. The field selection and operating altitudes on a you, delay you, waste
naviga tion can be clon e i n a glider , good day. Make relevant time or scare you and
mot.or glider or light aircra ft but are best notes about airspace. On sort them out before you
done in a m otorglider. You will be ask ed the day, it's much easier get in the glider. Soaring
to plan a lOOkm-long t ri angular flight, to select a pre-planned takes concentration
t aking into con sider a tion airspace, task than to start -anything that detracts
terrain and other hazards, and you w i ll planning from scratch . from that should be
need to con vince your in struct or t ha t you -Andy Davis addressed before you
can u se a n air chart and r elate features A happy ending to a su.ccessful flight ... take oH - Paul Crabb
on the grou n d t o those on th e map. You 4 Ensure that you are well-hydrated and not
probably won't go the whol e r oute, but tired before flying - David Allison 10 Service, overhaul and otherwise check
you h ave to dem onstra t e that y ou could. out all your gliding equipment before the
Alon g t h e way y ou will be ask ed to sel ect 5 There's no substitute for flying in good season starts. Glider C of A should be done
a few fields on the assumption you are conditions to improve your soaring skills so, if in the winter. Pay particular attention to
running out of lift. Th ese th ree exercises you can , head for the Southern Hemisphere in instruments, wheelbrake, loggers, cameras,
can be completed in one or two flights in winter or southern Europe in spring. lt makes barograph . Don't forget the trailer: lights, tyres
a motorglider , and should gi~re you more everyone dead jealous and can provide some and greasing. Don't wait until the first badge
confidence tha t your Silver dist an ce or of the best soaring there is- Paul Crabb flight or outlanding to test your kit- Andy Davis
lOOkm Diploma fligh t i s achievable
wi t hout collapsing in a h eap of sw eat
and adrenaline. I ••• AND TEN TIPS FOR NON-GLIDING PARTNERS
Make sure n o more than 12 m onths
have passed since your second qualifying 1 In the summer, do not plan to have a 6 Because approach roads to gliding clubs
soarir!g fli gh t, ask your CFI to sign t he barbecue - if it's barbecue weather it will be are universally bad, don't drive with your
rever se of the or ange form and get rea dy dark before they get home. tongue between your teeth.
to send it off along with your gliding 2 Get used to them watching clouds while they 7 On club expeditions, the best week was last
certificat e and a cheque. Y ou ar e now are driving. This takes a long time and a lot of week, or will be next week.
al so entitled to a glider pilot\; licen ce, so nerve. 8 Wherever you go in the world, you 'll always
get the purple form from the club office, 3 If they say they're just popping up to the manage to be "just passing" a gliding club
fill out the details, and put t h e combined gliding club for an hour, don't believe a word of -and to find the way in.
cost for the two claims on the ch eque. it. lt takes a minimum ofr four hours - however 9 If you manage to drag them away for a day, it
Send it all to the BGA wi t h t w o mOt'e close you are to the airfield. will always turn out to be "the best day of the
passport photos, and you will be r eady t o 4 Never talk during TV weather forecasts. year'".
break t h at unseen umbilical cord as soon 5 Cook casseroles- timing anything else is 10 Smile and often say: "have a good day!"
as y our documents arrive. impossible. Jan Eastburn, Aquila GC
Overleaf" win a flight with Andy Dauis

April - May 2000 37

 Your top 40 bits of cross-country kit
Kit for a well-equipped launchpoint, cockpit or
retrieve (clockwise from bottom left) :
1 Food (other confectionery is available)
2 Camera/GPS mounts
3 Logger
4 Spare batteries
5 Cleaning cloth
6 Glider batteries
7 Vaseline for water ballast fittings
8 Water to drink
9 Barograph
10 Wing tape
11 Parachute
12 Paperback (other authors are available)
13 Brimless hat
14 Final glide calculator
15 Protractor for marking task on air chart
16 Strong footwear for landouts
17 Chicken (other mascots are available}
18 Pee bags - can be used as sick bags
19 Extra clothing for landouts
20 Suncream
21 Sunglasses
22 Plenty of water to drink
23 Maps: road atlas; current air chart(s)
24 Cash for landouts
25 Mobile phone for landouts
26 Pens/ruler for marking air charts
27 Credit cards for landouts
• 28 Claim forms for badges
29 Spare fuses, to be accessible in flight
30 Leave car/ trailer keys with your crew'
31 Lip screen
32 Basic tools
33 Checklist
34 Rear-view mirror
35 Competition licence if relevant
36 Film for camera
37 Radio
38 Camera
39 GPS
40 GPS!Iogger cable

BOVE ALL else, we glider pilot::;

A
forbade me to shal'e hjs aerial carriage
owe it to ourse lves to fly sa fely.
Neil Lawson and Pete Masson unless 1 sported suitable headgear.
This is only possible if we are suggest some items "I don't wa nt. you tlakin g out from
functioning properly. Ju st as you don't you might want to take suns troke and spoili ng my fun," was his
run your car out. of fuel and ex pect it to with you on your a rgument, a nd quite right too. Ever since
work , the importa nce of your consuming early cross-countries then I ha ve been a vociferous advocate of
.fluids on cross-countries cannot be the s un hat, indeed of the baker's hat,
ovex-stressed. Wa ter (8) will do.
and what to leave behind which could have been purpose-ma de for
If the day turns blue and tricky, gliding: w hite with no brim.. Other types
usually at the furthest point on youx blue: it's just not obvious where it is . You a re ava il able, but for pity's sake please
task , the amount. of body fluid you lose is will almost inevitably be ho t with do not. wilfully reduce your field of vision,
incredible. So tak e lot s of water (22). nowhere to hide (remember those funny for exa mpl e, with a brim. If you 're about
There's no harm at all in arriving at your white fluffy things on that day two years to ge t. close enough to count the number
goal with it still on board. Similarly, ago?) So yo u'll be very glad of so mething of teeth on someone's turbulator strip ,
you'll be glad of it while you wait for your to pour down your throat, or elsewhere. then it's nice to have a few seconds'
crew should you make one of those r are Result: you'll have an extend ed fli ght, wa rning. Wea r a baseball cap and you
decisional errors and plank it. Any that learn about flying in the blue, be less mi ght not be so lucky. I've even seen
you don't drink will co me in ha ndy for intimidated, gain confidence, fly better so meo ne (who sha ll r emain nameless) fly
re moving those stubborn a nd unsightly a nd become world champion. Honest! with a pa ir of white boxer shorts on his
bugs which chose dea th by lea din g edge You can also use spare water to douse hea d. Granted: a bit odd, but under the
and probably contributed to your going your ... circumsta nces a practical decision.
agricultural in the fu·st place. Hat (13). You wouldn't put up wi th Map (23). You. must have an up to du.te
Plenty of liquid is useful even if you someone following you around, hour air chart.. Yes, even if yo u've got GPS.
valiantly decide to run away and live to after hour, with a sheet ofplexiglass and So yo u've found all the above plu s
fight another day (I mean , "acknowledge a hea t lamp two inches from your bead, something ap proxima ting to a glider.
yom limits, and stay loca l") . You may would you? Don't do it in a glider. A fine Anything else is ex tra , a luxury, or just
find there's some really stro ng lift in the expo nent of our chosen pursuit once showing off. Th at's it: don't com e back

38 Sailplane & Gliding

till yo u're a bsolu tely <.:e rta in there are no
more therma ls . (If you want to do yo ur
five hours th is is pretty much how it is.)
But before yo u set off, remember wha t
WIN a flight with Andy Davis
not to take. There's no sha me in using a
checklist (33), assumi ng most of us can MOST REALLY GOOD glider pilots will
cope with C-B-S-THINCY-WHATSIToff tell you that the best way to learn is to fly with
by heart. The thi ng you rea lly don 't want someone better than you.
to find you've got with you in th e air is And who better to fly with than Andy Davis
your ta il dolly. Ther e is only on e place (right), former Standard Class World
you're likely to find it, very shortly a fter Champion and now a British Team Coach as
take off, and I mean very shortly. I did well as an international competitor at the
have occas ion once to enquire about highest level?
ha ndling charac teristi cs with the tail British Team squad members benefit from
dolly on, ju.st after ta ke up sla ck had been Andy 's knowledge, skills and experience on
signa lled. The pilot, who released the team training programme.
qu ickly, see med gr a tefu l. So make su re Now Andy has kind ly agreed to fly with one
th e ta il dolly gets back to your car or lucky S&G reader in a high-performance two-
tra iler. T his a lso helps if it's a vital seat sailplane this season.
trai ler fit ting. There's no nice way to say How do you put yourself in the running for
to a stra nger who has just given up a this great opportunity?
large chu nk of t he weekend to drive Just answer the simple questions below
across seven counties to your fi eld: "So and tell us in no more than 25 words why you
you det idednot to bring my tail dolly, want to fly with Andy. The winner will be the
the n?" Go on, try it- withou t swearin g. person who gets alithe answers right and, in
The same goes for tr es tles .. . bu t if you Andy 's opinion , writes the best tie-break
find th at somehow you 've got. one of those entry. 11 could hardly be easier. You'll even
in the a ir with yo u, t hen you 've just find the answers to the questions somewhere
en tered Ap ollo 13 ter ritory and you really in this or the two previous S&Gs. But hurry-
do have a pro blem. we must receive your entry by April 30.
Keys (30). Leaving you r keys a t the
airfield hel ps you a void urban myth 1 What glider did Andy Davis fly in the 1999"\Norld Championships at Bayreuth?
sta tus . Yo u can probab ly imagine th e
'leaving your keys at the 2 How does he prefer to orientate the display on his palm computer: north up or track up?
airfield helps you avoid
urban myth status' 3 When, according to Andy Davis, is the time to do most of your flight planning?
confusion yo u ca n ca use simply by flying
-or, more impmtantly, la nd ing out -
whi lst still in possession of the keys to I want to win a flight with Andy Davis because:
your car a nd/or trailer . Thi s is pa rtly why
it is often advisable to leave your trailer
vi sibly open .. . Also, if you're still
una<.:counted fo r a t dusk a nd if your
friends aren't exper imenting with the
effects of a lcohol on th eir power s of
reason ing, so meone might just notice
your trai ler's still ope n and yo u're not Name
there. This ass ume», of cou rse, that you
ha ve friends . It is a lso a good way of Address
finding out who your friends actually are.
Retrieves offer limitless potentia l for
improbable tales largely based a round
hum a n fa ili ngs. You can, however ,
elimina te muc h confusion ·imply by Telephone
having two identica l road maps (2 3).
Then it you' re u tter ly wrong about your Email
glider's location relative to your ha lf mil ,
you're at least s.ingi11g from the sa me BGAclub you
hymnshect a nd contact with you r cr ew belong to
should be imm inent ... barring flood, fire,
pestilence and rolled trailers. Please send your cmnpieled entry to : "Win A Alght" Competition, Britlah Ghding Assoc1allon. Klmbe~ey House, Vaughan Way.
GPS retrieves are all well a nd good , Leicester LE1 4SE..to arrive no later than April 30, 2000.
but your crew can be just th e oth er side Rules: 1. Pilots ot any experience lavel Wll In ghdong may enter. 2 . All en rants must belong to a BGA member club. 3. Andy
of the hedge with no clue how to gain Davis and the winner will agree a sole. time and date where the 11/ght wJII take pi ce. 4. Thewlnner5hall pay any trav$1311d
access to the fie ld. Through a .farmyard is accommodation CO$ls for hi!Tlsellillerself but the launch, glider, fltghtllme and any rec•plllC$1 members~op cost wlfl be covered by
often the way a nd, as far as I know , very S&G. 5. Only one entry p r person is allowed. 6. Photocopies of lhis page are accepted. 7. Andy cs decision woll be f•nal and no
few GPS software puclwges show correspondenoo wllf be enlerad into. 8. The answers will be printed and the winner announced in a future issue ol S&G.
farm ya rds. ~
April - May 2000 39
 EAST of ENGLAND ~
TENTH EASTERN REGIONALS SAILPLANES ~-=-
Richard W. Kilham
Norfolk Gliding Club • Restorations, Repairs & Overhauls
Tibenham Airfield • Senior Inspections
• Competitive Insurance
27 May - 4 June 2000 Quotations
Competitive flying in a warm and friendly atmosphere • C of A for all wooden & fabric
Sailplanes
for botb new and experienced competitors • Trailer Servicing & Repairs
Details and entry form from Bonnie Wade,Tel: 01508 531 406 ~ Workshop: Market Deeping 01778 349098
Reserve No: Market Deeping 01778 342435

•
•
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OF SHAPES
AND SIZES
FOR GLIDERS
Designed to easily produce
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time with non-professional dri.v ers.
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•
Tel.: 44(0) 1939·235845 Fax: 44(0) 1939·234059 www.skylaunchuk.com

Bob Reece
SOUTHDOWN AERO SERVICES LTD
+ MAINTAINING AND REPAIRING GLIDERS AT LASHAM SINCE 1957 + I

Fast high quality repairs in GRP.carbon (skins and

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spars). Kevlar. Metal and wood. Gelcoat refinishing
to the highest standard. Competitive prices for C of School House
A inspection. Collection and delivery can be
arranged.lnstrument panels made and installed. Norton
Competition seals fitted . CAA approved welding. N r Worcester WR5 2PT
New for 1999: High performance winglets for Tei/Fax Worcester
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available tor hire (with winglets). Phone for (01905) 821334
details Mobile Tel:
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40 Sailplane & Gliding
Gliding and UK airspace update
Carr Withall, chairman of the BGA Airspace Committee, provides a brief assessment
of 1999, and the annual reminder on airspace knowledge that all pilots should have
OVERALL, 1999 was a relatively Exceptiona lly, glider s may cross sec- Leeds/Bradford CTR/CTA
quiet year with no proposals from tions of Class A airs pace by virt ue of a Liverpool CTR
the CAA that would significantly Letter of Agreeme nt (LoA) which will Lyneham CTR/CTA.
a ffe ct our operations. There were no have very deta iled procedures to be fol - London Gatwick CTR/CTA
changes to Class D airs pace and lowed. These LoAs will be s pecific to a club London Stansted CTR/CTA
changes to higher level airspace had operation . Camphill now has an agree- London City CTR
no effect on gliding. ment for crossin g a irway Bl. Ther e is also London Luton CTR/CTA
However, any airfield that oper- an agreement for crossing a irways B2 and Manchester CTR/CTA
ates power aircraft and also carrie s B226 in Scotl a nd whi ch a pplies nation- Newcastle CTR/CTA
out ab-initio training may apply for a lly. However , both these a greements Scottish TMA
a n ATZ and so be given a 2 or 2.5-mile require pilots to have read the detailed Solent CTA
radius around the airfield up to procedures a nd signed the BGA form Southampton CTR/CTA
2,000ft above the airfield for their which MUST be given to the CFI before Teesside CTR/CTA
protection. If such an airfield is close undertaking a cr ossing f1i gh t.
to a gliding club it may well have seri- There is a form to complete if flyin g
ous safety implications for that club. Class B Controlled Airspace through Class D a irspace, clubs should
GA aircraft will avoid the ATZ circle The entire airspace over t he UK above have copies. This will give the BGA and
on the map and possibly fly low clos e FL 245, compt:ising the Upper Airspace DAP statistics on how many gliders h a ve
to a gliding club that could be winch CTA and the Hebrides Upper Control been gra nted clea r a nce,; to continue their
launching up to 3,000ft. Area (UTA) , is Cl ass B Airs pace. flights a nd identify a ny ATC units that
Aston Down had 11 low level incur- Gliders are no longer allowed to fly may be unhelpful. There is NO restriction
sions in August 1999 alone, luckily in this airspace without restriction. to a sking a ny ATC unit in Class D for
without a collision. Speci£ied ar eas have been ag reed that • cleara nce to fly through their area. Most
Take a really good look around the ca n be activated by club s using the proce- are only 'bu sy' for short periods us ually
circuit before giving the all-clear for dure for glider opera tions i n Class B early morning a nd la te afternoon. Much
launching. a irs pace. The require ment for giving of the traffic is transiting ligh t aircraft or
All gliding clubs are being iss ued 24 hours' notice of activa tion of these flying school traffic.
with MOR (Mandatory Occurrence areas has been reduced to two hours. The code of conduct for glider flights
Report) forms so that we can report through Cla,;s D a irspace is still releva n t
all low level incursions of our Class C ControlJed Airspace as it sets out good airma ns hip practice.
circuits to the Safety Regulation No UK airspace currently falls in this Most pilots who ask for clearances obtain
Group. This wiU establish how much category, although it is pos::;ible some may t hem f:rom helpful controll ers but a few
of a 'problem' this may be becoming. be so redes ignat.ed in fu ture. are r efused clear ances. With more
educ ation a nd visits from pilots to their
ICAO Airspace Classification Class D Controlled Airspace local ATC unit, clear a nces should become
In November 1991 the UK adopted the Formerl y Special Rules Airs pace. All the norm.
new system of in ternational airs pace c l a~;; ­ Class D airspace now requires an
s.ifica tion developed by the Interna tiona l ATC clearance to enter and transit Code of Conduct for Glider Flights
Civil Airspace Organisation (ICAO) . The this airspace. Pilots will a lso be fl ying in Through Class D Airspace
sta tus of a piece of airspace is denoted by VM C conditions. Any pilot wishing to With the ever-incr easing size of Cl ass D
a letter which will be shown on all aero- enter it must: area s, the need to fly through them on
nautical cha rts , a nd it is this letter r ather 1 Contact the ATC lmit and pass deta ils of cross-country fli ghts will become gr eateJ·.
than the title of the airspace tha t will a ircra ft's position, level and proposed Pilots can ask for a clea rance to t1y
determine the rules applying to it. track. thl·ough Al\TY Class D a irspace. The Code
In the UK, for example, airways will a ll 2 Obtain entry cleara nce. of Conduct set ou t below is a guide to good
be Class A, but in othe r countries t hey 3 Listen out on the freque ncy whilst in airmans hip prac ti ce.
may be Class E. In order to fl y within t ha t a irs pace. 1 Glider pilots should pla n to route their
Contr olled Airs pace, gliders will often 4 Comply with ATC ins tructions. flights through Class D a irs pace when it
require 'legal exemptions, and the a va il- The above rules apply to glider s m all is clear that ther e a re adva ntage,; from so
ability a nd na ture of these will vary from Class D Area,;. dui.ng, such a s better weather a nd shorter
country to country . Aberdeen CTR/CTA track distance.
Belfast CTR 2 Flights should tr y to s pend the
Class A Controlled Airspace Belfast City CTR/CTA minimum time in. Class D air space. Pilots
Cotswold CTA Daventry CTA Birmingham CTR/CTA s hould avoid circling on or close to the
London CTR London TMA Bournemouth CTR runway extended centre lines, since this
Manchester Tl\'IA Worthing CTA Bristol CTR/CTA may well interfere wi th depai·ting or
All Airways - except whe1·e they pass Brize Norton CTR a rriving traffic.
through a TMA, CT A or CTR of lower Cardiff CTR/CTA 3 Keep the controller informed if, for a ny
status. East Midlands CTR/CTA r ea son, that is, massive sink, yo u have to
As from November 6, 1997, NO Edinburgh CTR change your planned course.
airways can be crossed by gliders. Glasgow CTR 4 Good lookou t is vita l at a ll times, >

April - May 2000 41

 > and glid er pilots should be prepared to

New look to air charts initia te a voiding action notwithstanding

the ir right of way priori ty. Glide rs a re not
always visible on rada r .
5 Compe ti tion tasks should NOT be set
t hrough Class D a irs pace. Where a task
leg has to be set close to Class D airspace
the ATC unit should be .informed. Whe n
possible, cont rol point(s) should be esta b-
lished, to help ensuxe that gliders rema in
outs.ide th e airspace .

Class E Airspace
The Belfas t TMA and pa1·t.s of the Scottish
TMA a re n otified as Cla ss E and permit
all aircr a ft (including gliders) to fl y in this
area without ATC clearance, s ubj ect to
ma inta inin g VMC.

Class F Airspace
An Advisory Rou te (ADR) is a route used
by a irline-type traffic but withou t the full
protec tion of an a irway.
Although depicted only a s a centreline
on UK ae rona utica l charts, it is nomina lly
lOnm wid e. Gliders may cross Class F
a irspace without r estriction but ca ution
should be exe.rcjsed.

Class G Airspace
Thi s is th e term given to th e "open" FIR
• (Flight Informa tion Region), which is the
uncontrolled a irs pace not s ubj ect to a ny of
the foregoing classifica tions. Within
Class G a irs pace there a re va rious non-
ICAO types of airspace which are
described below.
CIJart reproduced with the permission of the OS and CAA (Crown Copyright) Within Class F a nd G airs pace, a ircr a ft
AS A RESULT of the CAA's moves to Gliding, microlight and hang-gliding a r e sepa r a ted on a purely see-a nd-be-seen
harmonise its services, licences and sites change to blue, as do isogonals conce pt. A flight inform a tion service is
products with ICAO contracting states, and parachute DZs. AAIA and ATSU will provided by civil and milita ry ATC units,
and in particular with its European be shown in blue and both will feature if requ es ted. Most small light a ircra ft ta lk
neighbours, you will notice changes to new symbols. Controlled airspace from to whoever will listen a s they f1 y a round
the look of this year's VFR air charts. the surface will now be shown with a the country.
The aim is both to introduce changes magenta tint over the whole area.
recommended by ICAO and to incorporate Boxed information for nav aids, VRPs Visual Meteorological Conditions
suggestions from pilots in response to a and aerodromes will have a white (VMC)
"trial" chart issued last summer. The bacJ<ground to improve legibility. VOR VMC conditions for Class D, E a nd in t he
ultimate goal is continuity of symbols compass roses will change and the blue open FIR below FLlOO a re: tha t an a ir-
between all contracting ICAO states. coastal band is replaced by a total sea cr a ft sh a ll remain l ,OOOft ve rtically, a nd
So, what differences will you see when tint as used on the 1 :250,000 VFR series. 1,500m horizontally from cloud in a flight
you buy your new charts this year? The complete 1 :500,000 series will be visibility of 5km. Below 3,000ft AMSL a n
On pre-2000 charts, Controlled available in the new specification by the aircraft shall remain clear of cloud in a
Airspace was shown by a line (dashed, middle of this summer (see Maps p45), flight visibility of 5km a nd in sigh t of the
dotted or solid) accompanied by a blue and the eight 1 :250,000 charts by ground. Additionally, wh en fl yi ng in the
tint over the whole area. summer 2001 as follows (the year of Open FIR below 3,000ft a nd belowl40kts
The 11ew chart (see above) removes the current edition is in brackets): fli ght is permitted in f1i ght visibilities
the blue tint, and instead enhances the 1 N Scotland West: Nov 30, 2000 (1998) of 1,500m .
outer edges of the airspace with a 2 N Scotland East: Nov 2, 2000 (1998)
magenta and blue tint. 3 N Ireland: Aug 9, 2001 (1999) Local Agreements
By following the principle set by ICAO 4 The Borders: Jul12, 2001 (1999) A numbe1· oflocal agreeme nts exist which
of using magenta for areas or features to 5 Central England & Wales: Aug 19, 2001 modify the effects of some of t he a irs pace
avoid and blue for advisory information, (1999) li sted above . Letters of Agr eeme nt (LoA)
a number of colour changes result: 6 England East: Aug 10,2000 (1999) between a glidin g club a nd a nearby air -
aerodromes swap colours (military ones 7 West & South Wales: Jul13, 2000 port ca n make airs pace either mor e or less
now magenta and civil, blue); ATZ will (1998) r estr ictive than described a bove, depend-
have a magenta tint with a dotted bound- 8 England South: Apr 20,2000 (1999) ing on cil'cumsta nces . These arra nge-
ary; and MATZ, although remaining blue, For more information, see the CAA "s I ments are too num erou s to lis t in full.
will now have a matching blue tint. advertisement on p45. __j Copies ofLoAs should be ava ila ble from
your club.

42 Sailplane & Gliding

Aerodrome Traffic Zone (ATZ) except where they have been pre- Temporary Restricted Airspace
A glider pilot wishing to e nter an ATZ arra nged, or in an emergency. Majo1· a ir displays such as Fa rnborough
must first call the a irfield on the notified or the Interna tional Air Ta ttoo (lAT)
radio frequency. An ATZ is only active Military Aerodrome Traffic Zones display a t Fa irford a re often protected by
during the notified hours of opera tion of (MATZ) te mporary Restricted Airspace.
the a irfield. A few ATZs may only be T he rules applicable to the penetra tion of This year the IAT will be at RAF
active a t weekends and ba nk holidays. a MATZ a re not mandatory for civil aix- Cottesmore on 22/23 July, 2000.
Ma ny military airfields a re notified as craft a nd the same a pplies to the Local glidin g clubs u sually negotiate
perma nently active, though in reality th is Lal enheath Military Control Zone. limited access rou tes to and from their
is not the case. Nonetheless the ATZs However, radio contact is advised a nd s ites to enable non-ra dio gliders to
must be r egarded as act ive at all times. inside every MATZ there is an ATZ, t he continue opera ting, but a glider equipped
At a n airfield with an Air Tra ffic rules of which must be observed. with suitable ra dio may fly in the a rea if it
Control (ATC) unit. tha t unit is able to A sta nda rd IVIATZ comprises the contacts the ATC unit designa ted by the
give or refuse permission for a ny aircraft airspace within a 5nm radius of t he centre NOTAM a::; the controlling authori ty.
to enter the ATZ and to give cleara nces to of the a ir field extending fmm the surface Other types of te mpor a ry Restricted
take-off or land. to 3,000ft above airfield elevation. In Airspace are effectively closed to gliders.
At a n airfield with an Aerodrome Flight addition , proj ecting stubs 5nm long and They are esta blished to protect Red
Information Service (AFlS) or Air/Ground 4nm wi.de extending from l ,OOOft to Arrows' dis plays throughout the country,
(A/G) service, that unit is able only to pass 3,000ft above airfield elevation are plus major flypast forma tions, over even ts
information from which a pilot may judge a ligned with the a ppmach to the ma in of poli tical significa nce a nd over the si tes
whether or not it is sa fe to en ter t he ATZ runway at one or both ends . Some MATZ of major disa sters . The dura t ion a nd
or to tak e-off or land, tha t is, the unit may lack stubs or form part of a combined exte nt of the restriction can be quite s hort
cannot issue cleara nces or withhold MATZ (CMATZ) . a nd will be published by NOTAJ.\11.
perrmsswn.
The following categories of airfie ld are Prohibited and Restricted Areas Purple Airspace
protected by an ATZ: Government A Prohibited ATea (P -prefix) is prohibited Purple Airspace is esta blished from ti me
aeTodTomes a nd licensed aerodromes to a ll aircr aft, whe reas a Restricted Area to time on a t empora ry basis to protect
with one of the above types of service. (R-prefix) permits limited access by a ir- Royal Flights in fixed-wing a ircr a ft. Full
The ATZ comprises the airspace exte nd- craft under defin ed circums ta nces, for details a re only available by using t he
ing from ground l evel to 2000ft above the example, landing at a nearby a irfield. Freephone service 0500 354802. Clubs
level of the aerodrome and within a radiw; These area s include atomic energy should telephone da ily in order to obtain
of 2 or 2.5nm of the cen tre o£ the aero- establishments, security ar eas in • this information. Glider s are not permit-
drome, depending on t he length of the Northe rn Irela nd a nd sensitive milita ry ted to fly within Pmpl Airspace, even by
ma m runway. installations . contacting ATC . Royal Flight NOTAJVl s
At airfields withou t ATZs, including Most Restricted Areas should be covering roya l helicopte r flights have
most gliding sites, rega rdless of how busy consider ed as prohibited to gliders, but ceased. These a re not protected by Pur ple
they a re, a n it inerant aircra ft may legally the following are exceptions: Airspace but a ll pilots are required to look
penet ra te the airspace near a nd over the The Restricted Airs pace esta blished out for a nd keep well clear of the royal
a irfield, provided the. pi lot conforms to the a round high security prisons is a pplicable helicopter.
traffic pattern or keeps clear of the circuit only to helicopters.
airspace, a nd observes the normal rules of Rl05 at Highgrove House in Royal Flight NOTAMs
good airma nship to avoid conflicting wi th Gloucester shire a pplies only to heli - Postal distribution of NOTAMs has
other a iTcra ft. copters and microlights. ceased. Information on Royal Flights
For la nding a t a irfields with or wit hout R313 at Scampton exis ts for the pur- and temporary Restricted Airspace
ATZs, it should be noted tha t ma ny are pose of protecting the Re d Arrows' display is obtainable on the Freephone
listed in the UK Air Pilot as "PPR", "PPR tra ining. The area is a circle of 5nm service (0500 354802).
to non-radio a ircraft" or even "not avail- ra dius extending to 9,500ft AMSL a nd is
able to non-ra dio a ircraft". PPR (Prior active only during Scampton's norm a l Danger Areas
Permission Required) means that la nding operating hours, which are weekdays a nd The UK is covered wit h Danger ATeas of
permission must be obta ined in advance a s notified by NOT AM. ma ny types, shapes a nd sizes. They a re
of the fligh t, for exa mple, by telephone. All During these times, a glider may enter active pa r t- time, perma nent ly or when
military a irfie lds are effectively PPR and t he a rea by permission of ATC notified by NO'rAM. Full deta ils will be
will not permit landings by civil a ircraft Wa ddington. found in the UK Air Pilot, RAC >

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* Modifications ROGER TARGE'IT
* Motor glider engine approval
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* Competition sealing Tel: Workshop {01453) 860861
* BGA and PFA approved Home (01453) 860447 (Portable {0850) 769060

April - May 2000 43

;,... Section. The cha1·t of UK Airspace Areas of Intense Aerial Activity contact with an ATC unit Teport to them
Restrictions is also useful. (AAIA) at once, or if not possible, telephone
The UK Air Pilot lists only the type of An AIAA is airspace which is not other- straight after landing. Call 0800 515544
activity most likely to be encountered, but wise protected by regulated airspace but or call AIS (MIL) at LA TCC West Drayton
in practice various hazards may be where the activity of civil and/or military on 01895 426153, who will start tracing
encountered manoeuvring outside t.he flying is exceptionally high or within action at once and inform the Airprox
confines of the Danger Area, especially if which aircraft regularly participate in board. Follow this up with a written
it is a Weapons Range Danger Area. unusual manoeuvres. report on form CA1094 to the UKAB
Many Danger Areas contain areas over Gliders may penetrate these areas but within seven days. Always use GMT (UTC
which flight is prohibited at times within in view of the hazat·ds, a sharp lookout is is the same) in reports.
the period of activity of the Danger Area essential. UKAB can be contacted in working
by reason of bye-laws made under the hours on 01895 276121/2/5 or fax on
Military Lands Act 1892 and associated Military Low Flying System 01895 276124. Their address is:
legislation. It is also worth noting that the Low flying by high-performance military The Director
UK Air Pilot does not list Danger Areas aircraft takes place in most parts of the UKAB
with upper limits 500ft or less above the UK up to 2,000ft agl, with the greatest Hillingdon House
local surface, to which prohibiting bye- concentration between 250ft and 500ft. A Uxbridge
laws may also apply. chart is available denoting the system Middlesex, UB10 ORU
With these exceptions, flight
through a Danger Area is not Use of Radio
prohibited, but may be fool- A glider pilot possessing a radio
hardy. operator's licence (R/T Licence)
For certain Danger Areas, a is entitled to use all the avail-
Danger Area Crossing Service, able aeronautical frequencies
most notably for Salisbury of a 760 channel radio. This
Plain is available: call permits seeking access to the
Salisbury Plain Control on following types of airspace that
122. 75Mhz. A Danger Area may be otherwise closed to glid-
Activity Service is available in ers: the new Class B airspace
other cases: this should be areas; any Class D airspace;
viewed as a means of establish- Aerodrome Traffic zones; some
ing the state of activity of a types of permanent and tempo-
Danger Area at a particular rary Restricted Airspace ; and
time, not as a clearance to some Danger Areas.
cross it. Radio cannot be used to
A convenient summary of request entry clearanae into
these two services and the ATC Class A airspace (except by spe-
units to contact is printed at cial arrangement) or into
the foot of the 1:500,000 series Purple Airspace.
CAA charts. All clubs have a copy of where
Particular care should be and with whom one can take
taken to avoid Weston on The lleW Birmingham airspace (see Air pace Changes, opposite page, top) the R/T licence test. The licence
the Green (D129) which is used exten- ( UK Air Pilot, RAC Section). Most gliding will be valid for ten years.
sively for military paratroops train- sites are notified to the MoD, which
ing. Brize Radar on 134.3 will confirm affords them the status of a Military Notams
activity status. Avoidance Zone, usually with a radius of The Notam system has changed over the
1.5nm. last few years. Essential flight planning
Parachuting information is obtainable from several
There are many sites around the country Radar Advisory Service Area (RASA) different sources:
and a few operate every day and are A RASA is airspace in which a pilot may, UK Air pilot AIRAC Supplements are the
extremely busy. The list of parachute if he/she so chooses, avail him/herself of formal method of notifying permanent
sites and the appropriate contact the services of a radar unit. There is no changes to airspace but can on1y be
ATSU/ATC for transit information is on requirement to do so, and a glider pilot obtained as part of a subscription to the
the maps. See Parachuting drop zone should not assume that other aircraft are entire Air Pilot . Airspace changes have
procedure, S&G, Feb-Mar 2000, p16. being separated from him, nor even that also been announced by way of
The airspace is contained in a circle the radar unit is aware of the glider's Aeronautical Information Circulars
radius 1.5 or 2nm from the centre of the presence. (AICs), major changes by way of a dedi·
drop zone' up to a maximum ofFL150. You cated AIC and minor changes via six-
will NOT see a free fall parachutist 111 The Airprox System monthly summary AICs . A bi-monthly
time to take avoiding action. An airprox may be filed by a pilot who con- GASIL summary also covers minor
siders his flight to have been endangered changes.
High Intensity Radio transmission by the proximity of another aircraft. All Temporary Nauigation Warnings (TNWs)
Areas airproxes are investigated by the United are published twice weekly, giving notice
These contain powerful radio emissions Kingdom Airprox Board (UKAB), whose of airspace warnings such as air displays,
which may cause interference with glider deliberations are confidential so as to pre- military exercises etc, and outline details
radios, electric variometers, electronic serve anonymity. The purpose of a UKAB of Royal Flights and Temporary
barographs and loggers. investigation is to determine what lessons Restricted Airspace .
In particular Fylingdales is so powerful can be learnt, not to take punitive action. All the above are available from CAA
that prolonged exposure may be injurious Prompt airprox reporting is vital if the Printing and Publishing Services
to health. other aircraft is to be traced. If in radio (01242 235151).

44 Sailplane & Gliding

Airspace Changes and meetings with all parties are contin- If a pilot is los t there is a service to call
1 There have been changes to the ually taking place. at any time. It is the VHF AUTO
Birmingham area where the western side TRIANGULATION SERVICE on 121.5,
base has been raised to FL65. See map Maps the distress frequency. This service can
opposite. After much consultation, with all user very quickly find an aircraft as long as it
2. ATZs for Kemble and RAF Wyton. groups, new maps with different colour- is about 2-3,000ft and anywhere south
3. Please remember that in the North of ings that show controlled airspace more and east of Manchester to the south coast
England a corridor has been established clearly are being produced. Please read of England. In particular, if you think you
between Pole Hill and Newcastle which is the article based on information from the may be lost in controlled airspace t hen
Class G, uncontrolled, airspace. It is CAA Maps and ChaTts Department on give this service a call. They are there to
l'eferred to as Northern Off-Route p42 of this S&G. Publication dates for the help and can locate you almost instantly
Co- Ordination Area (NORCA) and along new editions of the 1:500,000 maps are: on 121.5.
which flies all traffic to and from Southern England and Wales,
Newcastle and Teeside. It is wise to call Edition 26: March 23, 2000. References
Manchester if crossing this corridor. Northern England and Northern The information in this article is only a
These changes will be on the new edi- Ireland, Edition 23: May 18, 2000. brief synopsis of the airspace rules as they
tions of the 1:500,000 maps. Scotland, Edition 20: June 15, 2000. affect glider pilots and is believed to be
Other changes still under discussion accurate at the time of writing.
are south ofDidcot., north of Birmingham Airspace Infringements In case of doubt, authoritative
and in the Daventry VOR area. If, clue to the difficulty oftrying to stay air- references should be consulted. These are:
borne, you drift into controlled airspace Air Navigation Order 1989; Rules of the
Future airspace concerns then PLEASE call the ATC unit and Air Regulations 1991; UK Air Pilot,
Luton has applied for a s mall addition to apologise giving your good reason for the RAC section. BOA Laws and Rules, 12th
their Class D a irspace that will affect the intrusion. They do not care if you do not edition, May 1996, reflects the CUlTent
London Gliding Club. have an RIT licence but they DO CARE if legislation, with the exception that glid-
Farnborough has plans to expand that the airspace that is in their control is ers may not enter any Class D airspace
will impact greatly on Lasham. The Air infringed. without obtaining a 'clearance'. Previous
Show is now to be held in July which is With the requirement to obtain an R/T editions are obsolete.
also going to have a serious effect on their licence, to fly within Class D airspace,
operation. pilots should become more confident to Abbreviations
In the north of England the proposal to talk to other airfields that they may be fly- CTA- Cont.rol Area; CTR - Control Zone;
open Finningley as a commercial airpoxt ing close by. A brief courtesy call is wel- • TMA - Terminal Manoeuvring Area (the
will require some Class D airspace in the corned by most controllers and will lower limit of a CTA or TMA is an altitude
future . reinforce the position that we are "profes- or flight. level above the surface, whereas
All these issues are being addressed sional" pilots. a CTR extends to ground level). ~

Official CAA VFR Charts ~~-··

New Specification charts available from 23 March 2000
To ensure that our mapping is in tune with ICAO specifications, and
to further satisfy the demands of the user, major changes to the
VFR chart symbology has taken place. Our main aim is to increase
chart clarity, especially with regard to airspace boundaries.
All charts will be amended to the new specification upon their
next publication, the planned dates for these are as follows:

Current edition
25 Mar99
20 May99
21 May98

CHart No./Name Next publication Current edition

1. N. Scotland West 30 Nov 2000 18Jun98
2. N. Scotland East 2 Nov2000 18Jun 98
3. N. Ireland 9Aug 2001 4 Nov99
4. The Borders 12 Jul2001 15Jul99
5. Central Eng. & Wales 19Aug 2001 17 Jun 99
6. England East 10Aug 2000 25 Feb99
7. West & South Wales 13 Jul2000 26 Mar98
8. England South 20Apr 2000 22 Apr99
(Publication dates are subject to change)

Charts available from CAA Chart Sales 0161 499 0013

and usual Stockists and Flying Clubs.

April - May 2000 45

 New for 2000 -
the DS-16
available in de-lu~e or standard format

<=_o_c:=:>E!c:::l<=r-1E::

~ =,.,...-=="""'•""T'E:
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Purpose built glider workshop on a SOOyd grass strip
2 nautical miles SW of Warminster
Currently maintaining over 15 motorgllders
Please fly lo, call or write 10
Tlm Dews, Alrbome Composites, The Hangar, Wing Farm, Longbrldge, Oeverlll,
Warmlnster, Wilts BA12 700.
Tel: 01985 840981 (workshop) or 01985 841125 (home)
Fax: 01985 841126 • Mobile: 0378 963277 • E-Mall: [email protected] .Ma..tift ~
You'll lind all you want to know
about repairs and maintenance at
www.svsp.co.uk
To advertise in Sailplane & Gliding, Workshop phone or tax 01452 741463
Home 01453 544107 Mobile 0860 542028
phone 0116 253 1051 or email [email protected] Passage Road. Arlin ham. Glos Gl2 7JR
Email:

46 Sailplane & Gliding

 AVIA STROITEL

AG 4c

Tired of waiting forever

and paying high prices?
Call 01432 851886
April - May 2000 47
 Records ...
Listed below are the UK and National records
as at 22/02/2000 (see also www.gliding.co.uk).
World ones are at www.fai.org/gliding/records
The FAI asks would-be world record-breakers to
contact [email protected] or fax + 41 21 345 1077 The record-brHahing 500km by Mike Young (seen right, with JVJihe Bird) shows
for the latest information- before their attempt there is a substitute for span. Carr Withall describes the flight (opposit.e, below)
Record Categories: (1) National or UK. The latter are flown in the UK,so no location is given: (2) Open to both sexes. except where
identified as Feminine: (3) Classes- Open or 15 Metre for National records; Open, 20 Metre, 15 Metre and Standard for UK records

National, Open 500km 0 /R 148.38km/h Gill Spreckley S.Airica LS-6C 23/ 11/1999
Gain of Height 10,545m C Rollingsi8ryony Hicks UK DG 500 22 08/ 10/1995 750km 0 /R No current record
Absolute Allilude 11 .500m Nrck G oodh arl USA SGS 1-23 12/05/ 1955 fOOOkmOIR No current record
Straight Distance 949.7km Karla Karel Australia LS-3 20/01 / 1980 1250km 0 /R No current record
Goal Distance 892.1km Robin May/P Rackham USA ASH25 06/07/1995
0/R Distance 1127.68km M TA Sands USA Nimbus 3 07105/ 1985 UK,Open
Triangle Dislance 1362.68km R L Robertson USA Ventus A 0210511986 Gain ol Height 10,545m Chris Rollings/8ryony Hicks DG-500 22 08/ 10/ 1995
Free Distance 1362.68km R L Robertson USA VentusA 02105/ 1986 Absolute Altitude 11 .570m Chris Rollings/8ryony Hicks DG-500 22 08/ 10/ 1995
FreeO/R Distance 1127.68km M TA Sands USA Nimbus 3 07/0511985 Straighl Distance 827.9km Justin Wills LS-6 29/05/1986
1OOkm Triangle 166.38km/h 9ruce Cooper Auslralia LS-69 04/01 / 1991 Goal Distance 579.36km Nick Goodhart Skylark 3 10/05/ 1959
300km Trlangle 157.96kmih 8rian Spreckley S.Airica Nimbus3 10/12/1997 Oi R Distance 80t.3km Chris Garton Kestrel19 22/07/ 1976
500km Triangle 15t.37km/h Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus4T 04/01 / 1999 Triangle Distance 770.5km Chris Railings Jantar2A 28/05/ 1985
750km Triangle 136.92kml h Pam Kurstiens Australia Nimbus4T 02/ 12/ 1999 Free Distance 1008.54km Chris Pullen/Chris Railings ASH25 22/07/ 1995
1OOOkm Triangle 122.42kmlh Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 25/ 12/ 1998 free 0/R Distance801.3km Chris Garton Kestrel 19 22/07/1976
1250km Triangle 109.01kmi h R LRobertson USA VenlusA 02/05/ 1986 1OOkm Triangle 133.97kmlh Phil Jeffery LS-7 WL 01108/1995
300km0/R 159.20kml h 8rian Spreckley S.Airica Nimbus 3 12/1211997 200km Triangle 119.07kmih Robin May/ P Town send ASH-25 18107/1990
500km 0 /R 167.59kmih 9 rian Spreckley S. Africa ASW22ble 21 / 1111999 300km Triangle 117.14kmi h RalphJones Nimbus3 28105/ 1985
750km 0/R 130.16km/h Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 0610111999 400km Triangle 114.3kmlh RalphJones Nimbus 3 1/08/1984
1000km 0 /R 116.27kmih Pam Hawkins Australia Nrmbus 4T 11 / 12/1998 500km Triangle 106.9kmih RalphJones Nimbus 2 31 /05/ 1975
1250km 0 /R No current record 600km Triangle 94.94km/h Robin May/S Lynn ASH-25 19107/ 1990
750km Triangle 98.46kmih AI !(ay LS-6C 18W 21 /04/ 1995
National, 15m 1OOOkm Triangle No current record
Straight Distance 949.7km Karla Karel Australia LS-3 20101 /1980 1250km Triangle No current record
Goal Distance 402km min No current record 300km 0/R 1t4.5knvh DaveWan ASW22 18/08/ 1983
0 /RDistance 676.68km 8rian Spreckley S. Alrica Ventus 2 28111 / 1998 500km 0/R 111.83kmih Ralph Jones/Simon Marriot Nimbus 3D M 13/08/1 994
Triangle Distance 1362.68km R L Robertson USA VentusA 02/05/ t986 750km 0/R No current record
Free Distance 774km min No current record 1000km 0 / R No current record
Free 0/R Distance676.68km 9rian Spreckley S. Africa Ventus 2 2811111998 100km Goal 173.32kmi h D Hiii/John Gorringe ASH-25 08104/ 1990
1OOkm Triangle 166.38kmih Bruce Cooper Australia LS-69 04/0111991 200km Goal 127.1kmlh All Warminger Vega 12/05/ 1984
300km Triangle 152.71km/h David Allison S. Africa Ventus 29 16/ 11 / 1998 300km Goal 132.8km/h All Warminger Kestrel 19 24104/1976
500km Triangle 149.85kmlh Mike Young S. Africa LS-6A 15/1t / t999 400km Goal 198.36kmlh All Warminger Ventus 16.6m 07/0411990
750km Triangle 119.42km/h Jill 8urry Australia Discus 9 04/0t /1999 500km Goal 90.7kmih Nick Goodhart Skylark 3 10105/ t959
1OOOkm Triangle 112.15kmih G E Lee Australia ASW208 25/0t / 1989
1250km Tnangle 109.01km/h R L Robertson USA Ventus A 02/05/ 1986 UK, 20m
300km 0 /R 147.88kmlh Mike Young S. Africa LS-6A 19/01 / 1999 Straight Distance 827.9km Justin Wills LS-6 29/05/1986
500km 0 /R 148.38kmih Gill Spreckley S.Africa LS-6C 23/ 1111999 Goal Distance 579.36km Nick Goodhart Skylark 3 10105/ 1959
750km 0/R No current record 0 /R Distance 801.3km Chris Garton Kestrel 19 22/0711976
1000km 0 /R No current record Triangle Distance 801 .3km Chris Garton Kestrel 19 22/0711976
1250km Triangle No current record Free Dislance 827.9km Juslin Wills LS-6 29/05/ 1986
Free 0/R Distance80 t.3km Chris Garton Kestrel t9 22/0711976
National, Feminine, Open 1OOkm Triangle 133.97krnth Phil Jeflery LS7-Wl 0 1/08/1995
Gain at Height 9119m Anne Burns S. Africa Skylark 38 13101 / 1961 200km Triangle 96kmlh min No current record
Absolute Altitude 10,550m Anne Burns S. Airica Skylark 38 13/01 / 1961 300km Triangle 95kmih mln No current record
Straight Distance 949.7km Karla Karel Australia LS-3 20/01 11980 400km Triangle 93kmih min No current record
Goal Distance 687.58km Pam Kurstjens Australia Nimbus 4T 10/01 12000 500km Triangle 87kmlh min No current record
0 /R Distance 1002.83km Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 11112/1998 600km Triangle 88.8km/h ChrisGarton Kestrel 19 t0/06/ t976
Triangle Distance 1036.56km Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 25/ 12/1998 750km Triangle 98.46kmih AI Kay LS-6C 18W 21 104/ 1995
Free Distance 1037.29 Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 25112/1998 1000km Triangle No current record
Free OI R Distance 1002.83km Pa'Jl Hawkins Australia Nimbus4T 1t / 12i 1998 1250km Triangle No current record
1OOkm Triangle t 36.25km/h Grllian Spreckley S. Africa Nimbus 3 2011211997 300km 0 /R 93kmih min No current record
300km Triangle t 53.67km/h Pam Kurstjens Australia Nimbus 4T 03/01 /2000 500km 0 /R 101.46kmlh Mike JeHeryes DG-600 17/08/ 1983
500km Triangle 151.37kmlh Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 0410111999 750km 0/R No current record
750km Triangle 136.92km/h Pam Kurstjens Australia Nimbus 4T 02112/ 1999 1000km 0/R No CUfr!Jnl record
1OOOkm Triangle 122.42kml h Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 25/ 12/1998 100km Goal 150kml h Justin Wills LS-4 12/05/ 1984
1250km Triangle No current record 200km Goal 127.1kmi h Alf Warminger Vega 12/05/ 1984
300km 0 /R 140.57kmih Gillian Spreckley S. Africa ASW22ble 17/ 12/ 1999 300km Goal 132.8kmi h All Warminger Kestrel19 24/04/1976
500km0/R 148.38kmih Gillian Spreckley S. Africa LS-6C 231111t999 400km Goal 98.36i<m/h Alf Warminger Ventus 16.6m 07/04/1990
750km 0 /R t 30.t6kmih Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T 06/01 / 1999 500km Goal 90.7kmlh Nick Goodhart Skylark 3 10105/1955
1000km0/R 116.27kmi h Pam Hawkins Australia Nimbus 4T tt / 12/1998
1250km0/R No current record UK, 15m
Straight Distance 827.9km Justin Wills LS-6 2910511986
National, Feminine, 15m Goal Distance No current record
Straight Distance 949.7km Karla Karel Australia LS-3 20/01 11980 0 /R Distance 617km Chris Garton LS-6 28/08/1989
Goal Distance 402km min No current record Triangle Distance 633.27km Tim Macfadyen ASW20WL 1310511996
0 /R Distance 620.31km Jill 9urry Australia Mosquito B 04/01 11994 Free Distance 827.9km Justin Wills LS-6 2910511986
Triangle Distance 814.01km Karla Karel Australia LS-3 09101 / 1980 Free 0 /R Drstance617km Chris Garton LS-6 28/08! 1989
Free Distance 814.01km Karla Kare Australia LS-3 09/01 /1980 1OOkm Triangle 133.97kml h Phil Jetfery LS7-WL 01108/ 1995
Free 0 /R Distance620.31 km Jlll 8urry Australia Mosquito 8 04/01 / 1994 200km Triangle 114.95kml h DaveWatt ASW24 03108/ 1990
1OOkm Triangle 134.93kmih Gillian Spreckley S. Africa LS-8 t6112/1997 300km Triangle 115.85km/h John Gorringe LS-7 03/0811990
300km Triangle 132.54kmlh Gillian Spreckley S. Africa Ventus 2 21 /12/ 1997 400km Triangle 99.39km/h Phi I Jeffrey LS-7 13108/1991
500km Triangle 134.07km/h Gillian Spreckley S.Afnca Ventus 2 22/1211 997 500km Triangle t06.06kmi h Dave Watt ASW24 21 /0411995
750km Triangle 119.42kmlh Jill 8urry Australia Discus 8 04/0t / 1999 600km Triangle 88.1kmi h AI Kay ASW24 09/0S/ 199t
1OOOkm Triangle No current record 750km Triangle No current record
1250km Triangle No current record 1OOOkm Triangle No current record
300km0/R 134.33km/h Gillian Spreckley S.Africa Ventus 2 12/ 1211997 1250km Triangle No current record

48 Sailplane & Gliding

300km 0 /R 104.09km/h AI Kay ASW24 28/04/1989 1OOkm Triangle 114.67km/h Jill Burry LS-8 31 /07/1999
500km 0/R 96.09km/h Chrls Railings Discus BW 13/0511996 200km Triangle 93.38km/h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW20F 19108/ 1996
750km0/R No current record 300km Triangle 83.57km/h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW 20F 04/08/ 1996
1000km0/R No current record 400km Triangle 89.00km/h Julie Angel I Duo Discus 1310611996
TOOkm Goal 150kml h Justin Wills LS-4 12105/1984 500km Triangle 86.21kmlh Sarah Harland ASW24 15/0811997
200km Goal 127.1km/h Alf Warminger Vega 12/05/1984 600km Triangle No current record
300km Goal 131.1kmih Justin Wills Std Libelle 24/04/ 1976 750km Triangle No current record
400km Goa No current record 1OOOkm Triangle No current record
500km Goal No current record 1250km Triangle No current record
300km 0 /R 84.80km/h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW20F 15/0811 997
UK, Standard 500km 0 /R No current record
Straight Distance 718km Justin Wills Std Libelle 01 10811976 750km 0 /R No current record
Goal Distance No current record 1000km 0/R 135.39km/h Jane Nash Ventus B 11 /06/ 1989
0/R Distance No current record 100km Goal 135.39kml h Jane Nash Ventus B 11106/ 1989
Triangle DisTance 609.9km AI Kay ASW24 09/05/1991 200km Goal 85.5kml h Anne Burns Olympia 419 02106/ 1963
Free Distance 7 T8km Justin Wills Std Libelle 01 /0811976 300km Goa l93.16k!Tl/h Jane Nash Mini-Nimbus 07104/ 1990
Free 0 /R DisTance No current record 400km Goal No current record
1OOkm Triangle 133.97kmi h Phil Jelfery LS-7 WL 01 /08/ 1995 500km Goal No current record
200km Triangle 11 4.95km/h DaveWatl ASW24 03/08/ 1990
300km Triangle 115.85kml h John Gorringe LS-7 03/08/ 1990 UK, Feminine, 15m
400km Triangle 99.39kml h Phil Jeffrey LS-7 13108/1991 Straight Distance 324 .4km Jane Nash Ventus B 15104/ 1989
500km Triangle 106.06km/h DaveWatT ASW 24 21/04/1995 Goal Distance 324.4km Jane Nash VenTus B 15/04/ 1989
600km Triangle 88. tkmlh AI Kay ASW24 09/0511991 0 /R Distance 386.3km Geralyn Macfadyen Sport Vega 30106/ 1994
750km Triangle No current record Triangle Distance 524. 5km Geralyn Macfadyen Sport Vega 22107/ 1995
1OOOkm Triangle No current record Free Distance 569.93km Geralyn Macfadyen ASW 20F 13106/ 1996
1250km Triangle No current record Free 0 / A Distance386.3km Geralyn Macfadyen SporT Vega 30106/ 1994
300km 0/R to4.09km/h AI Kay ASW24 2810411989 1OOkm Triangle 114.67kml h Jill Burry LS-8 3 1107/ 1999
500km 0 /R 96.09kml h Chris Railings Discus BW 13105/ t996 200km Triangle 93.38kml h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW 20F t9/08/ 1996
750km OIA No current record 300km Triangle 83.57kml h Geralyn Macladyen ASW 20F 04/0811996
1000km 0 /R No current record 400km Triangle 67.83km/h Geralyn Macladyen SporTVega 3010511994
100km Goai150km/h JusTin Wills LS-4 1210511984 500km Triangle 86.21km/h Sarah Harland ASW24 1510811997
200km Goal No current record 600km Triangle No current record
300kmGoal 131 . 1kml h Jusl in Wills Std Libelle 2410411976 750km Triangle No current record
400km Goal 73.8kmih JusTin Wills Std Libelle 0710611976 1000km Triangle No current record
500km Goal No current record 1250km Triangle No current record
300km 0 /R 84.80km/h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW20F 15108/ 1997
500km 0 /R No current record
UK, Feminine, Open 750km OIR No current record
Gain ol HeighT 7,833m Alison Jordan Astir CS 08110/ 1978 1000km OIR No current record
Absolute Altitude 8,701m Alison Jordan Astir CS 08/ 10/ 1978 1250km 0 /R No current record
Strarght Distance 454km Anne Burns Skylark 3A 10105/ 1959 100km Goal 135.39kml h Jane Nash VenTus B 11/06/ 1989
Goal DisTance 324.4km Jane Nash Ventus B 15/0411989 200km Goal No current record
0 /R Distance 386.3km Geralyn Mactadyen Sport Vega 30/0611994 300km Goal 93.16kmth Jane Nash Mini-Nimbus 07104/ 1990
Triangle Distance 524.5km Geralyn Macfadyen Sport Vega 22/0711995 400km Goal No current record
Free DisTance 569.93km
Free OIA Distance386.3km
Geralyn Macfadyen
Geratyn Mactadyen
ASW20F
Sport Vega
13/0611996
30/06/1994
500km Goal • No current record
1OOkm Triangle 114.67kmlh JIJI Burry LS-8 31107/ 1999
200km Triangle 93.38kmlh Geralyn Macfadyen ASW 20F 19108/ 1996
UK, Feminine, Standard
Straight Distance No current record
300km Triangle 83.57km/h Geralyn Macfadyen ASW 20F 04108/ 1996
Goal Distance No current record
400km Triangle 89.00kmi h JulieAngell Duo Discus 13/06/ 1996
OIR Distance 386.3km Geralyn Macladyen Sport Vega 30/0611994
500km Triangle 86.21km/h Sarah Harland ASW24 15108/ 1997
Triangle Distance 524.5km Geralyn Mactadyen Sport Vega 22107/ 1995
600km Triangle No current record
Free Distance 524.5km Geralyn Mactadyen Sport Vega 2210711995
750km Triangle No current record
Free OIR Distance386.3km Geralyn Macfadyen Sport Vega 30106/ 1994
1OOOkm Triangle No current record
1OOkm Triangle 114.67kmlh Jill Burry LS-8 3010711999
1250km Triangle No current record
300km 0/R 200km Triangle 76.68km/h Sarah Harland ASW24 2710711998
84.80km/h Geralyn Macladyen ASW 20F 1510811997
300km Triangle 83.69kmlh Sarah Harland ASW24 05108/ 1998
500km 0/R No current record
400km Triangle 67.83km/h Geralyn Mactadyen Sport Vega 3010511994
750km OIA No current record
500km Triangle 86.2 1km/h Sarah Harland ASW24 1510811997
t OOOkm 0 /R No current record
600km Triangle No current record
100km Goal 135.39km/h Jane Nash Ventus B 11 /06/ 1989
200km Goal 85.5kmlh Anne Burns Olympia419 0210611963 750km Triangle No current record
1OOOkm Triangle No current record
300km Goal 93. 16kml h Jane Nash Mini-Nimbus 07104/ 1990
1250km Ttiangle No current record
400km Goal No current recond
300km OIR No current record
500km Goal No current record
500km 0 /R No current record
750km 0/R No current record
UK, Feminine, 20m 1000km 0 /R No current record
Straight DisTance 454km Anne Burns Skylark 3A 10/0511959 1250km OI R No current record
Goal Distance 324.4km Jane Nash Ventus B 1510411989 100km Goal No current record
OIR DisTance 386.3km Geralyn Mactadyen Sport Vega 3010611994 200km Goal No current record
Triar.gle Distance 524.5km Geralyn Macladyen Sport Vega 22/07/ 1995 300km Goal No current record
Free Distance 569.93km Geralyn Macladyen ASW 20F 13106/ 1996 400km Goal No current record Two record-holders (from left):
Free 0 /R Distance386.3km Geralyn Macladyen Sport Vega 30/06/ 1994 500km Goal No current record Gillian Spreckley and Janc Nash

and what the flights that break them feel like

WHEN I arrive at the European Soaring Carr Withall describes the flight with Irish voice " lt really is quite a nice day" . Mike
Club's base at Mafikeng, South Africa, Mike Mike Young and Paul Crabb when repl ies: " lt is a bloody fantastic day and the
Young (lS-6) and Paul Crabb (LS-8) are they broke, respectively, British and best day I have ever flown on".
planning a record attempt. Irish National 500km triangle records Paul is 20km ahead by the second turn
Monday dawns bright and clear so a and only one climb is needed before it for
516km triangle is declared. A long wait for flight but it's impossible to get away from the final160km. I cannot find the big climb,
the cumulus to appear, with cloud base these little gliders and I wish I could reduce which costs me precious minutes. Paul is
expected to be at least 15,000ft. As the flight my Nimbus 3's wing span. home at 156km/h, Mike 149km/h and I come
is only likely to take a little over three hours The first leg average is about 145km/h, not in at only 145km/h ! What a wonderful day!
there's no hurry to get airborne. Far better to good enough for a record- but cloud base is Gillian Spreckley adds that more than ten
cool off in the pool and have lunch. now 17,000ft. We must get faster. British, Irish and Feminine records were
We launch when cloud base is 14,000ft, We are continually running into strong broken from Mafikeng in November/
wait until a good line of lift lies along the first thermals, only turning if they are really off December 1999, including Brian Spreckley's
leg and speed off cruising at 110kts and only the clock. Paul Crabb calls that he's had a National Open Class 500km 0 /R- and Mike
accept a climb if it's 10kts. This is a dream 14kt climb to 17,000ft and says in his soft Young also secured his 1,OOOkm Diploma.

A pril -May 2000 49

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50 Sailplane & Gliding

 Please se nd your club n e w~ entries to number of glider on our fin;t t h rmnl day in firs rof the new ha nga r · is a l last co mplete.
helell @sandg.dircon.co.uh or Helen Evans . mid- February. Our a nnu a l co urse for loca l and we are moving- bac k in . I~um our control
6 Salop Close. Shrivc>nham. Swindon schoolchildren has been boo ked, a nd in Jun e ,;ays that th b next dnor h ~111gar will be
SN6 SEN. to a rrive by Aprill8 for we hope to repeat th e ·ucces:; of last yea r's demoli shed in Apl'iL whe n we will gain so me
th e .June-,July issue. Thank you. BGJ\ cross-coun t ry course. refugees f(Jr a coupl e of month>'. Our
Joy Ly nch r egionals date is July 22-:JO: we may still
Angus (Drumshade) have a few vaca nci es, even a t this da te. We
THE: LAST fli ght of 1999 wa s a soaring fli ght, Bidford (Bidford) regret to report the death ofBa rry Amos
and pl enty of la unches were ac hi eved on THE BOGGY airfield was out of act ion for a (.~ ee obituaries, p :i 7) .
winter weekend:. Co ngra tulations to 1()-yea r- while a part from th e odd wee ke nd t1ight but RogerNeal
old Dcrek Hussell, our first soloist of the year, it's now drying out. Rob ,J arvis and , latthew
on ,January 16. The SF 34 und ercarriage has Weinle bucked th e trend in ea rl y Fe brua ry Borders (Milfield)
bee n modifi ed from gas to sprin g, thank s to with a dual 7.000fL, 2hr 1l5 min wave f1i ght. in SOME OF our pilots were soaring in wave on
CFI All an Bla~k , so our glass two-. eater will the club K-7/l :~. Tha nk s to Stc!Vl' Holb for ,January 1. Unf'ortun at ly th climbs were
be on lint• aga in . Good news: th e club's new orga ni sing J a nuary\; annual Dinn er Da nce, limited: only one pilo t ha d oxyge n on a nd as it.
co mmittee decided lo rQduc c.: winch b,lllneh wh ere th e followin g received prizes : Peter was running out. nbandon ed his climb at
fees to £3. 00, with a furth er reduction from Freeman (club ladder novi c , Woodenships for 14 ,000ft in ~l-4kt s . We soared every WClek n d
the third launch of th e day.We nonn a lly oper- S9km in th e Swallow); Rob (Bob) Jarvi s (club in January with fli gh t>< ranging from on lo
ate wee kends a Ll .Year round and a rc planning ladder interm ediate) ; Fran k .Jey nes (club four hours . Our club st.alistLc show a lm ost a
a f1yin g week a ga in thi s spring - probably in ladder pundit, Bidfin·d site ladder); J ohn ma ny hours f1own a ' launch es. incl udin g Bl
early April. For furLlwr details. call Evelyn Watson (CFJ crook , >JI1d Tu ggy One); Roger and b·a inin g fli ghts. Ernie Mills h(ts two
.Ma nd s on 01575 572994. Wilso n (ab- initio of the yea r); Ri cha rd Pa lm er Bron ze legs. Our wave wee ks a nd bank
Wolf Rossmann holiday wee kends are fillin g up fast wi t h
visitors and it looks like being a record ycnr
Aqu ita (Hinton-in-the-Hedges) for th e club.
THEHE has bee n lots of a ·tivi Ly for th e • Bob Cassidy
sea~on ah ead, and even so me good flying. The
wee kl·nd of February l:'l sa w ·uper soarin g at Bow land Forest (Chipping)
Hinton, a very s uccessf'ul group in Ta lga rth. EVE NTS a re being organised to ma rk t he
and the return of a coupltJ of de:;e rt ers from 50th a nnivErsa ry of the fi1Lmdin g of our club:
Aus tralia. Bryan Sea rl e did his aoo t.here, see www.users.globalnet. co .u/i 1-cllit tier/
spurred on by a 12km wa lk in t he wrong Cordon Bleasda le. who joined th e club in
direction wh en he la nded out t he previous 1950, is our lon ges t standing me mb er a nd is
day. That's gliding! still f1ying with us tod ay. Bob Pet.tifcr ha s
Mel Eastburn bee n making tlw bes t use of the recent foul
wea th er by delivering a very well-attr:nd cd
This syndicot e·own('d 1'1[{ 2()/) came to Borders GC
Bannerdown (RAF Keevil) lrom l!clgwm Bob Cussi dy se ri es of Bronze lectures. Clubhouse
SIXTY memb et·s attend ed th e AGM in improvements are nea ring completjon.
Chippenham wh E'l.'e th e following award i\ mentoring scheme is being St't up to help
werP made: Jon Arnolcl (hog of th e yea.r and (Caimgorm Shield for 12.800ft height ga in , new member:; and ab-in.itios to integrate more
bc,st competit.ion res ults) ; Simon Foster (bes t Shobdon); lvor Enock, John Ta tter,;d ill , Will E'a sily into th e r;'luh, a nd Wt! hope· to in c t·ea ~e
f1ight): Nick Hyde (m ost progres:;); 'haun Britton, Rob ,Jarvis, Warren Dav is and Adrian t he a mount of cross-country fl ying by
Wi_ckh am (dt'dicntion to club enginee rin g Burt (prop bend ers); Jvl att hew Wt>inle (pilot encouragi ng cross-country training flights in
proj ects) : ,John .Burn (develop ment. a nd most lik ely to ... ); <mcl finnll y Morris Cole man dub twO·Seaters.
successful runnjng of th e Log tar Oight-log (Pi ~ tons) . Derek Littler
tiystem). We have a self-lau nchin g .Ja nus CM Nigel Howard
on loan , which has wid ened members· f1yi.ng Bristol & Gloucestershire
cxpc:ric·nce a nd macle th e most of getting into Black Mountains (Talgarth) (Nympsfield)
wea k wavE!. We have a K-1 8. ex-Kinl oss. t.o WELL DONE to the working pa rty on our Ri CHARD Smith won th e Wnk efif'id Troph y
replace the K-8. wh n th e fu ~;dage has bee n s uccessful Lottery bid for fundin g towa rds an a nd the EW Avionics pri ze for the best fli ght
re-cover ed a nd the whole given a npw colour M· ~ tug han.,.ar and a glider store. Work is of 199H- his 720 km in Ve nt.us 188. Rob
sc h em e ~ i\ recent wea k ridge day led to a cx peeted to start this summe r. Our ta sk WE.ek Thompso n did his Gold height in the club
f1urry of outlanding~ and con~ e qu e nt muddy has bee n brought forward a week and will ASW 1fl on Februa ry 2. Derek Ve nn ard and
re trieve~. now begin on Augu st 19. A club ladder is Richa rd Smith did nn early-season 2:10km
Derek Find lay being run t his seaso n to try to enco urage a 0 /R to Welshpool in Nimbus :3DT on Fc.b 1:i.
few more cross-country excursio ns. The Chri ·tma s dinner run by the Lcmin
Bath Wilts & N. Dorset (The Park) Mike Tomlinson family was a bi g SLLccess , and a great
TUHI:lO engines see m t.o be beco min!l' mill ennium party was org·a nised by fiv e cLub
fashionabl e. Another arrivt•cl rece ntly, bringi ng Booker (Wycombe Air Park) m e mb e r~. On Februa ry 12, Geralyn and Tim
l.lw total to four. and a fifth i promi."ecl . WE l'Li\N several expeditions this s pring: to l\llacfadyen ran nn excellent Spani:,;h evenin g
Although \VC> have had a di sma l winte r we a re Shobclon , th e Long Mynd , and to Ontur, for 44 pO()ple. Unconnected with an thi ·
lucky W have• a wccll-drain Nl fiPlrL loca l rid ge,; Spain, taking our DLWDiscus in late April w nd erful ca tering, tht' search is on for a new
to soar. and occrn;ional wave to make things with Bernie Morris and John Dob son - om cantee n fran chi see.
morP LntcTc.:sting. l\1any hours were fl ow n by a first overseas club expedition for a whil e . The Bernard Smyth

April - May 2000 51

 performance in the Women's Europeans. is our CFl fo r the coming year. Our annua l
Steve Longland will receive a Certificate of dinner wi th spc;oaker .John Stewa.rt-Smith of
Merit.. Our winter lecture 8eJ-ies included Flight Safety Bulletin (and, of course. a fo ndly
Buckminster (Saltby) talks from Brian Spreckley and Can· Wi thall; remembered ex-member) was we ll attended
CLUB MEfv!BERS enjoyed a prizegiving our thanks to t.hem. We have now introduced with representatives from other c.l uhs.
evening in January in the clubhouse with a booking system for all training, which we Trophies were pre~e ntecl to cl serving
excellent food from our untiring lady hope will reduce the frustration of queuing. members a nd presentations were also made
members. Cup-winners were Sarah Aldridge John Birch to J ohn Shaw, reti ring CFl - a watercolour of
(longest tlight in a club glider); Mike Cook t he Tiger Moth he is rebuilding- and to Iv1111
(club member of the year, league 2); Chris Channel (Waldershare) Foster, reti ring Chairman. A good time was
Davison (longest cross-country distance); THE ANNUAL dinner was a great success: certainly had by all- which is wh at we offer
Lawrence Gerrard (lOOkm achievement); thanks to all who attended. Silverware nncl to a ll corners to our seven-day- week with lots
Dennis Hubbard (best improvet·); Graham engraved glasses were presented to Sandra , of flying, courses and SLMG training.
Kench (winner of club ladder); Dave Sharp Nic, Ron. John (CFD, fa n and Colin. Well Dick Gillow
(Pocklington two-seater competition result); done and thanks for all your hard work over
and Ron Web, ter (CFI's award). Club visits the past yea r. The winch hangar/workshop Cotswold (Aston Down)
to Parham, Pocklington and Portmoak are doors have been fitted. the l'Oof sheeting has WE WELCOME the University of the West of
planned for the seation. been ordered. We hope it will be up and England GC who have been f1yi ng with us
Dave Brinkworth running sh ortly. s ince New Year, and who turned out in force
Colin Harwood fo r our dinne r dance, resplendent in
Burn (Burn) sombreros. We hope they will not be pursued
WE ARE ve ry concerned about proposed Clevelands (Dishforth) u nder the BGA big-brimmed hat rule. Arou nd
developments at Finningley (Threat to sites OUR ANNUAL wave camp started with a a hundred members atte nded a nd heard
and epic (lights, February-Mar ch, p10) a nd splendid Christmas lunch, tha nks to chef for mer club chah·man Derek Vennarcl recall
are repr esenting ourselves as best we ea rly days befor w e purchased the
ca n. BGA support will be inva luab le. airfield. At the AGM, Roger Bagley
Runway repairs continue, with a and Richard Parker were elected as
smooth tarmac strip t he whole east- chai rma n and projects ma nager
west length. Our tug is expected back respectively. Miles Wigfield and Dan·el
soon from its major refit. Thanks to Tucker were t hanked for their ha rd
Paul Etherington and the Rallye group work. Silverware went to Alistair
for bailing us out. Jill Goodison organ- Harrison (best pre-Silver pilot). Robert
ised a civilised soiree to celebrate St MacLachlan (achieve ment over-50s),
Valentine's. Some of us cnme straight Nlike Oliver (best dista nce), Oliver
from the winch but no one seemed to Ward (best competition perfor mance).
object to the style or bouquet. Michael Brian Birlison (club 100km triangl e),
Forman a nd Gregory Rybak are solo. David Blackwell (best junior) . Gary
Stan Kochanowski Fryer (club ladder), Ken Lloyd a nd
Danny Goldsworthy (best two-seater
Cairngorm (Feshiebridge) f1ight), and fina lly Frank Birlison
MEMBERS have enjoyed some superb (height gain).
Keeping up an Edwards family tradition: Catharina (left) gave grand-
winter soaring with wave climbs to Fr·ank Birlison
daught-er Susanna Edwards her first flight , for her 7th birthday. Ann
12,500ft QFE being the norm . Badge Parry, Catharina's daughter (see page 23) also first flew at Cambl'idge
claims include Jim Riach and John GC, as a seuen-yeur-old, in "Bluebell, '' a T-21 whi.ch is still there Deeside (Aboyne)
Whyte (Gold he ights) a nd Samuel Paton THREE club members cla imed the first
(first solo). We are looking for a nother two- Andy Causer, and t he unf1yable clay mea nt UK soaring fli ght of t he millennium. Tug pilot
seater to join our fleet for what we hope will there were plenty of kitche n helpers. It waved Terry Caw t hol'l1e and Puchacz }'YL pilots
be on exciting new season. DRtes for your almost every day from then on. RolfTietema Dave and ,Jack Pirie took off from runway 27
diary include ou.r task week (May 6-12) and a managed to work his way to the top of the Aboync Airfteld at 08.36hl'S on January 1,
PFA fly-in (May 13-14). Bookings a re being stack in his Libelle most days. Barry Smith 2000. Sunrise was seen from 2,()Q0ft over the
taken for our celebrated Octoberfest wave gained Gold height, this time with a working a irfield. FYL released at 3,000ft in wea k lift
camp. Please phone for details (01540 barograph, as did Chris Bryning in the club's t hen contacted 'off the clock' lift, climbing to
651317), Everyone welcome. We look forward Atitir. Richard Foster took the club K- 18 to 10,000ft. Congratulations to Craig Robb.
to seeing our old friends and making new ones around lO,OOOft on only his second solo wave Bruce Herkert a nd Dave Bull on their Gold
with the annual spring migration of vis itors. trip, and ~a me away with Silver height and an height, Alex Maitlancl on his Silver height a nd
Chris Fiorentini awful lot more hours than he started the week Mjke Whyment on soloing. We extend a warm
with. (Yours truly was this day fighting the wekome to visiting pilots and hope that the
Cambridge (Gransden Lodge) Millennium bug at work and feeling very hard year 2000 will produce as many, if not n ore,
AT OUR prizegiving, trophies went to John done by!) Dish forth wave can work a ll year height gain awards than 1999!
Bridge, Andrew Warbrick, Sarah Hal'land, round , so drop in with your glider for a Sue Hea!'d
Mike Young, Steve Tu m er, John Dadson, launch. Please check our web site -
Paul Brow ne, Fraser Hayden. Phil Jeffery, www.dish(orthair(ield.freeserve. eo. uk - for the Denbigh (Denbigh)
Stuart Craws haw, Peter Baker, Alan Head latest news on our proposed relocation. OUR OFI, John Ox.ley Dean, is a pretty cool
and Mark Evershecl. Paul and Stuart are from Polly Whitehead guy. But all that changed when TV
the university; it. is good to see their pilots presenter Lucy Cohen appeared at the club-
progressing so well. Debbie Thomas (also from Cornish Gliding and Flying Club house door complete with film crew: the poor
the university), Bryan Hooson and John (Perranporth) guy was completely lost for words. We Ll, after
Rogers are instructors. Sarah Harlancl is one ALL CHANGE in Cornwall: the new compa ny a long wait the great day arrived a nd HTV's
of the three pilots awa rded the Prince of is up and running, with Cliff Clarke as Away Days magazine programme !'ea Lured
Wales Cup by the Royal Aero Club for her ch a irman until the elections. Cordon Hunter Denbigh. Lucy had a couple of f1ights wit h

52 Sailplane & Gliding

John and her screa ms ca n still be hea rd to wave took a number of us to FL55, one pilot
this day because John hasn't stopped converted to a K-8, some winter checks were
replaying the video yet! Congratulations to: completed and a new member joined! Would
Steve Butler (Silver height - this time with that all days were as good. Plans to level and Pickersgill and Pete Stafford Alien; Pete also
barograph); Robin Filer (cross-country drajn the field are complete; we await the won the speed trophy (338. 7kms at 95km/h)
endorsement); a nd Mm·tin Jones (Bronze and contractor's final decision. Winter lectUl'es and the longest CI'OSs-country trophy (375km).
cross-country endorsement). We look forwal'd were very successful. Trips are planned to The Darwin trophy (aka the T messed up
to welcoming Essex & Suffolk. East Sussex, Talgarth, Denbigh and the Wolcls. Our trophy) went to Mitch Middleton, who thought
Midland, Cosford and other clubs in the next Chipmunk tug has returned from C of A and he was towing the LS-8 when he went under a
few months. See our new website at we look forward to a safe and productive 7ft bridge towing a 7.5ft high caravan. Tim
www.DenbighGUdingClub.welshnet..co.uh soaring season. Edmunds walked away with best newcome1·,
Martin Jones AWL the ladder trophy and member of the year for,
among other things, his enthusiasm, good
Derby & Lanes (Camphill) Enstone Eagles (Enstone) quality flying - almost full Silver in less than
AFTER 11 years as club manager ,John ANOTHER mild winter meant no problems a year. We are looking for a new home: our
McKenzie is moving on. Also moving on after with frozen pipes in the clubhouse or clubhouse is being demolished to make way
six years is CFrDave Salmon, who has radjators in the winch a nd vehicles. 'vVe have for a new paint shop and we are going to lose
handed over to Dave Martin. Our thanks to a good number of people booked on our five- our hangar space when two squadrons unive
John and Dave for all their wm·k. Dave Olivcr day courses, held the first week of each from Germany. At present we are keeping ou1·
has gone solo. Due to the high winds the month, May to September. We will offer trial options open. Watch this space.
winter wave wus good in quantity. The club is flights to prospective members on April 8-9. AJ Padgett
indebted to Bob and Miranda for keeping us Visiting pilots will be most welcome to join us
well entertained for the last couple of years as for om th1·ee summer flying weeks and enjoy Four Counties (Syerston)
our stewards. Catering is now courtesy of t he Cotswold countryside and freedom from After a long absence from S&G, Four
Mm-tin. We have a variety of events planned ain;pace resttictions. We are arranging for a Counties is back' Also returning is Graham
for spring and summer so if you fancy paying second tug to be based at Enstone to Heady, who has taken over as our new Deputy
a visit to enjoy flying and socialising, please su pplemen t the Dimona and give us more Chairman. Thanks go to Noddy Knowles for
contad us on 01298 871270. aerotowing, which we run alongside winching. his hard work in this post over the past couple
Tamsyn Cook Cross -country pilots should note that of years. Our new airfield control wagon is
although the club is mainly weekend-only, now operational and the club has just
Devon and Somerset (North Hill) there is usually a tug pilot on site during the purchased a new t.ractor for eable retrieving.
EACH WINTER we lea rn a little more about week who can help with those long retri eves. • Photos of both can be found on our new web-
wave soUl'ing possibilities a round our site. Geoff Di..xon site: www.{'ourcountiesglidingc.freewire.co.uk
\".'hilst not in the big league, iL appears to Congratulations to Al Craggs, who joined us
abound around North Hill, apparently Essex (North Weald/Ridgewell) in October 1999 and has made excellent
emanating from Exmoor, the Quantock hills, WE NOW have a father and son on our tug progress to his first solo. Chris Gildea has just
the cliffs at Br:wscombe and Lyme Regis and, roster: David Callow joins his father Lionel. returned from Benalla where he raced arou nd
of course. Dartmoor. Whilst we wait for the Well done to those members who have worked 750km under a 9,000ft cloud base. Our club
spring. experienced membe rs have amused hard on more improveme nts to OUT RidgBwell Astir has been based at Dishforth to make t he
themselves exploring these new frontiers; site. Our hangar doors suffered in the recent most of the winter wave and, although no
lesser mortals have been brushing up on their gales, resulting in superficial damage. The badges have been claimed, the members
theory and rules in preparation for their fittings have since been strengthened. who took advantage of it all enjoyed
Bronze exams; and the more astute have bee n Features in the Sunday Express and Essex themselves immensely. We are all looking
planning an early expedition to Cerdanya in Lile led to a number of enquiries. Ollr two forward to the approaching soari ng season
Spain~ We enjoyed the dinner organised by delegates attending the recent Chairmen's although we got a reminder of what it's like on
Dave Brummit and attended a series of Conference found the subjects raised and February 13 with a 4,000ft cloudbase and a
lectures on R/T techniques where we learned cliscussed very interesting and informative. few hours' soacing.
that we shouldn't start each call with: Peter Perry Sue Al:·mstl·ong
"123 - 'ow you'm doin' me 'andsom!".
Phi! Morrison Essex & Suffolk (Wormingf'ord) Kent (Challock)
WE FLEW on December :31 and on New Some enthusiasts flew on ,January 1, although
Dukeries (Gamston) Year's Day. Winter is, for flatlands clubs like most of us were not airworthy until the next
NEW ROLLER gear has been fitted to the om:s, a quiet time, but very useful for doing day. February provided thermal soaring, with
winch without any break in flying activity, annual checks and taking P2 flights to brush a 4,000ft cloud base once. The usual Cs of A
thanks to Mick Burrows, Glen Ban·at.t, Roy up on specifics. There has been the odd are keeping us busy and, as in previous years,
Lunn and others. John Tal bot has gone solo opportunity to soar and we have seen at least. John Hoolahan has kindly let us have use of
and yours truly has now been cleared to fly two flights of 20mins-plus duration, which for his Robin 400 whilst our Paw nee is in for its
basic instructional flights. The number of very ea rly Janu ary in this part of the world is annual. Being a mere 40-minute drive fro m
courses an d flights booked as a result of our a rarity. Our CFI is busy refurbishing the club the Channel ports with easy access to the
successful advertising campaign is well above K-6E and our T-21 is off site being completely iVI20, Challock is well worth considering as an
expectation, more than compensating for the rebuilt ready for the coming season. The club overnight stop for pilots heading to or from
costs incurred. The numbers of Brs at the club continues to grow and we have acquired land the continent. A call to the office on 01233
will more than double this year, which should for a new trailer park. 740274 will reserve you a room, or better still,
reEeve the extra load on the already over- Steve Jones stay an extra night and fly with us. It's a nice
worked instructors. friendly club set in a lovely part of Kent and
Dave Hall Fenland (RAF Marham) yo u'll be spoilt for choice of good local pubs for
OUR AGM was well attended. The efficiency an evening meal. After much work by John
East Sussex (Ringmer) trophy for outstanding hard work. for the club Berry we now have a new website:
WfNTRY gloom and desl)ondency were went to Mark Pickersgill. The Au Vache www.kent.-g/iding-club.co.tth
dispelled on February 6 when rare Ringmer trophy (humorous retrieve) went to Mark Caroline Whitbread

April - May 2000 53

 G rob Acro and the Du o Disc us. Raci ng groups Mendip (Halesland)
will be form ed , wi t h two to fi ve pilots includ - WE HAV E ma naged to keep t he a irfield opa n
in g one coach . Our K-1 3s are be ing e quipp ed in o; pi te of record ra infa ll. Th e severe fl oodin g
Kestrel (RAF Odiham) with LX lOO a ucliova riometers. Th e Grob Acro clown on t he Some rset Levels has given
WAR TIME glidin g hi sto ry w a~ recreated a nd the Duo Disc us wiJl be fit t ed wit h t he me mber s a n inte resting cl.rive to t.h e club. This
whe n we we re honoured to meet so me of th e la t est L- Na v. The fi rst iss ue of the In Th e Air year 1s t he club 's 25th a n n iversa ry. Amon g
ori f::1 na l Colditz PoWs a nd hos t. the maiden news lette r a pp eared. Th e marketin g t as k t he acti vitiBs planned are a Ra rn Danccl and a
fli ght of the replica Colditz glide r. As scJ'ee ned group is dev(dopin g a d ata base to s t imulate specia l Daw n to Du ~ k to which me mbe rs fro m
.i n Ch a n mo>l 4's Escape fr om Colditz , th e fli ght eve ning tri a l lesso ns. ,J e ff Smithe rs de velope d ''th e old cla y ~ " will be invi ted. The club
proved t he ori gin a l concept a nd des ign a nd is a ques tionn a ire se n t to a ll me mb er s. A third expedition will fa vour th e Long Mynd with its
a testa me nt. t.o th eir achieve me nt. We will re plied and 68 me mb ers the n too k pa rt in cw;t om in M ay. It is my sad duty to re port
neve r moan a bou t lack of works hop s pace seven foc us groups . th at. a fte r a long ill ness, Lew Ancler son di e d
aga in. Ma ny t ha n ks to CFI Ma rc Morley for Tony Segal at the end of J a nu ary (see obituaries, p .5 7).
co-ordin atin g the proj ec t , to RAF Odi ha m for Keith Simmons
t he ir s upport, to Sou t hdow n Ae ro Ser vices for London (Dunstable)
rec reating th e ori gin a l a nd to Rob Ma rtin for CHOOSING to ignore t he fact tha t our Midland (Long Mynd)
hi s excell e nt. winch la unchin g. W e t ha nk fa n prc-sea so n dinner is not un t il April l , eigh t of l'vfEMBERS wh o joined on our t·ecruit me n t
P a ttingal e and Mark Bus hn e ll for a ll t he ir our pilots in mid -Febru a ry co mpl eted Didcot- wee ke nd back in May 1999 have flown more
h urcl work as th y re lin qui s h t he reins from Bicester-Dun stab le (1 80km). Ou r a roba tic t ha n twice the hours of t he a ve ra ge la id -bac k
Ai rcra ft mem ber a nd Treati u rer to th eir comp etit ion for th e Oa n Smi t h Me morial My ndite. So co me on, t he r esi. of you , get
un s u ~ p ec tin g s uccesso rs Ama ury ci 'Otrepp e Trophy is on Ap ril 1-!,!, co me o. nd join us; the la un chin g- or a re you a fra id of th e checks 0
a nd Brian Ga r8ton. The weat her AGM is on April 29 a nd a n ope n cl ay on May 7. Co u rses are boo kin g well. Th e tu g has
co ntinu es to bee kind: t he numb er of return ed a fte r its e ngine t ran s pl a nt.
fli gh ts is we ll up on t hi s t ime last yea r. We now have fi ve instru ctor s wh o ca n
Simon Boyden ofle t· fLe lcl-lanclin g, cross -coun t.ry a nd
na vi gation tra ining in th e mot.orglicl e r.
Lakes (Walney) vVa ve d ays were a ra ri ty for so me t ime
FORC ED by t he demi se of lea ded bu t ma de t h •ir be late d a pp eara nces in
petrol , we now have a huge bowse r wit h Fchma ry . Our dinne r da nce is at
f\vgas on ta p for th e t ug , th a nks to th e Ludl ow racecourse on Ap ril 1.
e ffm·ts of ,John Burdet t. The club tleet Roland Bailey
Cs of A ha ve aLl bee n co mpleted; our
tha nks t.o all involved . Fly in g has been Need wood Forest (Cross Hayes)
a bit s par se, bu t we've had a few decen t NOW W E'R E full y esta blis hed at C ros
ridge and wave day,; , one a ll ow ing Haye;; a nd ha ve got our fu·st f1.tl l seaso n
Grah a m Welch to fl y to Chippin g to unde r our be lts we'r e loo kin g a t. wAys to
retri eve the picture whi ch ha d been recruit a nd retain new me mb ers. By th e
aw a y for fa r too lon g! Mea nwhile, w e t ime yo u read th.is we'll have ha d our
hear that John a nd Ly n Ma rtind a le fixs t brainstorming s ssio n to draw u p a
have completed va ri ous 300s and 500s ma rk eting plan. W .' vc lso se t up a new
ove r in Au strali a . T wins Niel a nd S hawl McLau!fli n u(l er th eir firot "' toes on J an uary .1 at
inte rn ee site. You ca n find us on t.he we b
Peter·borough & Spaldir~g GC. N iel's the one in th e cocl?p il. Th ey gained
Alan Dennis wiclesp reaci co~·erage 011 local TV a11d radio al!d in local llewspapcrs a t www.GoGlid ing. co.uil
Grant Williams
Lasham Gliding Society
(Lash am) Th at's a lso the rev ised da te for the 70th Norfolk (Tibenham)
O UR SYMPATHY on t he sad loss of Bill Scull Annive rsm y photograph of presen t and past WE !VIADE a promis in g start to t he seaso n,
goes to Yvonn e a nd Wendy (see pp 7 and 58). membe rs of t he cl ub . lt pmmises t o be a great with carin g fli ghts in ,Ja nuary ofJ' th e winch.
Co lin Short is cha iri ng t he t1yin g commi ttee. d ay, so p ut it in your dia ry now. We've Congr t ul a tion s to Tony Li cence, who has
Congr a tul a t i(lll.' to cadet Ada m Pm·vis, who pe rsu aded that brilli a nt tea m of las t yea r , gone so lo. Entries for both t he Easte rn
went so lo on hi s 16t h birthd ay. T he yea r 2000 J ohn ,Jeffrie:; a nd P a ul Robinson. to co ndu ct Regio na ls a nd th e Vin tage Ha lly a re co ming in
fl ying progr a mme s hows increased tr a inin g our regul a r a nd in te ns ive courses throughout n.icely. We ha ve a bi g promot ion plAnn ed for
opportunities co mp a re d wi th previou s years. s prin g a nd summ er. Phone Val to get a pl ace. Norwich city ce n t re in F ebrua ry, ce n t red
Cross-co untry t ra inin g will ta ke place in the AH rou nd our Junim', a nd we hope to a t t ract
new me mbers.
BonnieWade

Northumbria (Currock Hill)

M8MB EHS a tte ndin g J ohn Gree n we ll 's wa ve
lecture we re able to pu t t heory into prac ti ce
t he following wee ke nd wi t h climbs to
r1gg rs lO,OOOft.-plus on bot h d Ays , includin g S il ve r
he igh t for cadet Ma 1·k Sto bo. Hopes a r e now
hi gh for next month ',; lecture on the nn a ls !
O ur publicity dri ve co n t inues with a di Hplay
in Th e Me tro Ce ntre on April l. Vi s it us at
UK PARACHUTE SERVICE LTD www.northum bria -glid ing-cluh .eo. uh
Old Buc enham Airfield, Attleborough. Norfolk, 71PU Martin Fellis
(01953) 861030 F : (01953 861031
umpOukparach uk North Wales (Liantisilio)
WE HAVE had to cease ope ra t ing at the new

54 Sailplane & Gliding

field pending a planning appeal. Councillors Shalbourne Soaring Society
went against the recommendation of planning (Rivar Hill)
officer /\neurin Phillips. who was reported in AT THE annual din.ner, attended by over 60
the local paper as saying: ''The nature of use p •ople, the club me mber of the yea r award division one title, with his 414km at lOOkm/h
and scale of operation would not. in my went to ex-CF1 Ca rol Pike for a ll his hard flight on a ridge day, from a winch launch.
opinjon, impact ~o adversely 011. the landscape, work. New CFI Li z Spanow won the Club Mike Brady won the most promising young
the amenities of residents or local wildlife in Ladder. Trophies also went to: H ugh pilot trophy and Dick Thirkill the Men·itt
this attrad ive rural at·ea to merit a Harwood and Clive Harder (for task week Shield (best tlight in a wooden gl ide r). The
recommendation of refusal". Three local eo m· achievem ents); Mjchael £dmonds ('You longest single-seater flight was by Les Blows
m unity councils opposed us. Concern;; voiced landed wh ere' trophy for the most unu sual (420km) and the two-seater equi valent by CFI
induded ''the possibility of crash la ndings, retrieve); Dave Draper ('get a bloody move Brian Bateson and grandson 'l'i m (280km).
noise pollution, road ,;a fety and flight safety". on' trophy for 24 7km at 91.5km/h): and ,January brought much rain but plenty of
Gill Pennant Martin Jones and Liz Sparrow (Bernie northerlies- timing was everything for ridge
Schackell Memorial Trophy for the best two- running. Vis itors could believe Parham to he
Oxford (Weston on the Green) seater fligh t). Darren Arkwright's name was in the La ke District with the view west, on
IT'S THAT time of yea r: Cs of A, sweeping the mentioned but we fe lt he had had more t-ha n occasions, a sheet of water. Simon Horman
hangar, mending the trailers and wondering if enough recognition. We have a K-H to resoloed after ATC dayti. Bob Ada m did a
you'll know what to do if you ever meet a restore it. to flyin g condition. We are also con- lengthy run a long the Downs in a Pegasus,
thermal again. But F:mma Cuthj]] hl'ls got he r sidering buying a K- 1:3. Thanks to our new without floats, his K- 8 being unava ilable.
Bronze and become the third OGC recipient of Equipment ofl'iccr Ke ith Lovesy and others Peter Holloway
n Mobil Churchill Award, which pleased her we have two gas-power ed winche~ and plan
dad'' hank manager no end. ThAnks to The Soaring Centre
N il and Paul, we have a new la unch- (Husbands Bosworth)
point vehicle. F:veryone is enjoying the CONGRATULATIONS to Brian iVIar. h
novelty of a 360-degree panoramic view on the first. lOOk m f1ight of the year on
of what's outside as well as the ample February 13, and also to Da ve Booth,
~ea tin g (rom which to wateh the poor who completed the fu·st lOOkm from a
freezing cadet holding a wing. CFI Cri winch launch on t he sa me day. Club
EmBon and crew are packing a picnic members gave a successful lectu.re
for the trip to Germany to pick up the series, and Bronze lectures are under
dub's new DG-50ii. way. Many thanks to a ll speakers for
Steve McCurdy their time and effort. The AGM will be
on Apr il 29. There will be a task week·
Peterborough & Spalding end from April 21-24 with the tug pilots'
(Crow land) party on the Saturday night. The club
THE NF:W year hmught a crop of solos , website has moved: it's now at
including the fir~t twins to fly solo on www. thesoaringcent re. co.uk
their 16th birthday in the year 2000 Siobhan Hindley
(January 3- can a nyone beat this?).
Congratulations to Sh:wn and Niel Trent Valley (Kirton Lindsey)
Mc:Laughlin, as well as to Annie F:wer. L·:arly morning at Milfield. "Visitors from Staffordshire GC were WINTER gloom was just too much for
The club thanks Norman Brown , who (ren2iedly rigging. for some reason . .. says the photo{!raher, Brian Brown Ray Parkin, Pete Rocks, Vin Geragh ty,
has hung up his Full Cat rating a[t.er Col in Metcalfe a nd Alister Reil so they
many years' service both as instructor and to convert our old Tost, too. Michael decamped to Oz, as you do. A great time was
CFI. Members spent Cht·i,;tmas at Aboyne Eclmonds is in charo-e of this year's strong had, especia lly by Ray (300km). Rex Flint
and were wave flying on Boxing Day a t more inter-club team. managed our first soaring ride only 19 days
than 9.000ft. Gerry Pybus, despite a valiant Clive Harder into the new year. The Bronze lec ture~ are
but humiliating display of creeping, fail ed t.o going well - wo all now know our aspect ratios
get his behind into t he Duo Discus - better Shenington (Shenington) from our occluded fronts. We a re a ll pleased to
luck in October, Gerry. Despite the muddy CORDON Burkert. ha s gained his Full Cat see Carole Baxter and John Williams back to
field, we havo flown on all winter weekends. rating, and Kath Barnes has completed her flying fitn ess a nd say thank you to V in
More than :n launches were ma de on one day, Bronze. At our Annual Dinner, prizes were Geraghty, who takes a break from instructi ng.
with many pilots doing spin checks. awarded to: Leigh Wells (bt~st flight), John John Kitchen
Pete Goulding Rogcrs (Clubman of the year). ,John Vella
Grech (CFl's award), Paul Gibbs (Rich;ud Ulster (Bellerena)
Scottish Gliding Centre (Portmoak) Cranium nward) and Bruno Brown and Lu A CONTRACTOR was due in February to
WE EN,JOYED some unseasonably warm, Kennington (GcoffWebster awurd). January levd, grade a nd seed the re maining badlands
sunny weather wit h several good wave days. has been better tha n normal: we arc keeping ntour western, loughshore, end. integrating
Over New Year we were visited by junior our fin ger!; crossed for the long-awa ited good into the main field a huge a nd latterly
nationals pilots. Smpri ·ingly. having summer' We ha ve a BGA soaring cour ·e in redLmdant sheep pen. When the grass ha s
celebrated Hogmanay in Edinburgh, a iVIay and are planning a Task Week on Au gust grown the entire fi e ld will be usable. Our
number were fit to fly on New Yea r's Day! 14·18 in anticipation. We f1y throughout. t he latest soloist is Colin Graham. Recent auivals
Recent-gliding achievements include a Gold week, a nd our course season starts in March. Are Joe Tagga rt's turbo Discus And La urence
height fm· Ne il lrving. Si.lver he ights for Dave Visitors a re welcome at the s ite or at McKelvie's DG-400 self-launcher. Mike
Hanlon and Guy Ha ll. and first solos for Slevc ht.tp: I free.~pace. virgin. net I lis her. m / sgc I McSorley's paid job is currently taking him
Hartley and Jim Mattocks. Colin Hamilton. Tess Whiting th e len gth and breadth of mainla nd Britain.
Eoin Mac.Donalcl a nd Mih Ward are running He is r acking up a weekend "sites tlown" lis t
a ·ruesday evening group from Ma rch 7. We Southdown (Parham) which would be the envy of pilots wit h ten
look forward to the start of om visitor season. The club a wards were presented at the ti mes his experience. He may drop in on you.
Neil Irving Christmas dinnet·. Dick Dixon won the league Bob Rodwell

April- May 2000 55

 We lland (Lyvede n) Wyve rn (Upav on)
WE HAVE a new CFI, Nigcl P er ry, who has A Tl M ELY bli zzard ~et a n a ppropria te scene
been awarded one of the Ted Lysakowski for ow· enjoyable Christmas pa rty, t hough the
Unive rsity of the West of England scholarshi ps for cross -coun try train ing t his s hort drive from the club to the pub was
(As ton Do wn) ti ll m mer. We wish Nigel every success. somet hing of a n ell:p erience. T he Hnow-covered
UWE GC has now moved from Keevi l. We Werner Leutfeld stepped down a s CFI so t hat countrys ide was wor th seeing (rom the ai.r the
wou ld like to thank Bnnnerdown for t heir he could do h is own flying as well as be a next day. The New Year party a lso went well.
s uppor t, through t he yea rs, and express our Regional Examiner. Tha nks to Wern er's T he Cs of A on a ll our gliders a re now done
gratitude for the time and effort shown by efforts , the cl ub has see n an increa se in the a nd t he Motor Falk e wings have new skins.
their club to ou r students . We are now £1ying instructor team a nd more members prepa red After a complete engine overhaul, one of our
at Aston Down and thank Cotswold GC for t he to f1y cross-count ry. Werner is still committed Land Rovers is serviceable again. We don't
warm welcome. We hope to build a s trong to tra ining We lla nd pilots a t cross-co un t ry jus t do ma inte nance t,hough. We fly every
founda tion for future VWE s tudent,;, and and inst1·uctor level. Club ins t r uctors have weekend fJnd Wednesday from our site on the
thank everyone who ma de t he move possible . give n a series of Bronze lectures. edge of Salisbury Pla in. Occasionally t he
Anna Gu n n Jane Coope r da nger a rea keeps us grounded, but. Salisbury
Ops (122.75) will tell you if we a re ope ra ting
Vale ofWhite Horse (Sandhill Farm) a nd we a lways welcome visitors.
THE YEAR began well: the fi eld, us ually Ga v in De ane
pretty soggy in the win ter, was qui te dry- but
recently we have been back up to our ankles York Gliding Cent r e (Ruffor th)
in mu d. One of ou r K-1 3;; and our K-8 a re OUR PILOTS are looking forward to the
having t heir Cs of A. The other K·l3 and the newly-established Inter-club League for
K-18 a re busy making the most of t he unny, Yorks hire, a nd given good soa r ing weather
and som etim es t hernu c, days bet.ween t he
should enjoy some competitive cross-country
commoner grey, wet, windy days of winte r.If
f1ying. There was a series of good wave flights
you fly north-wes t or ~outh-Nls t between
Many clubs f1ew Oil New Yea r'~ Day :!000 but- as in Februa ry, with severa l flights over 1.2,000ft
Brize a nd Lyneha m zones, remember we a re
Bob Holroyd 's p1:cture of Andy Ath.erton proves - only a nd one to over 15,000ft. The DG-500 has
just a few miles nort h-ea st of Swindon. If you
want to drop in, we offer a warm welcome,
Wolds has the right glider registration: Discus ,fAN been very well used this winter a nd given us
and help with your re trieve or relight. some cross -cou ntry flying in wave.
G raha m Turne r Wolds (Pocklington) Mik e Cohler
FOR S TX wee ks we moved en masse to Sutton
Ve ctis (Sandown) Ba n k, who made membe rs very welcome. BP
• Yorkshire (S ut ton Bank)
DESPlTE some ve ry mixed weather th e club Che micals ar e busily laying pipework t.he full TH E FIRST fl igh t of 2000 was won by J i m
ma na ged t.o fly weeke nds thro ugh Decembe r length of our own r unway- and a re picking Hill at our Christmas bash. Jim and Dave
and J a nua ry and succeeded in a ttracting a up t he costs of members' flying t ime a t VVatson took off at lO.OOhrs on J an 1, swiftly
nu mber of would-be pilots . Tra ining Yorksh ire. Our ma nager Simon Pa rker did a followed by a la rge n umber of club members
proceeded in January, with ~o m e solo flyi ng, good job negotiating this dea l. Ga r reth eager to get 1/1100 in their logbooks! The first
t he longest flight being 50mins. Membership Ca rru t hers ha s soloed . I an McCaig, wa ve weekend of J a nuary also provided t he fil'st
increased by five in 1999, though we lost one soa r ing, was ou r first la ndou t of t he year . la ndout - David Ash by paid a visit. to Bagby.
of ou_r t hree lady me mbers. a nd we hope to Glider owner and friend Dave Smith said that. Welcome to our Poc klington guests who a re
gain more full members in 2000. Three new wit hou t fam ilia r Pocklingto n pubs, lan was having work done on their airfie ld ; we hope
privately-owned gliders have joined t he tota lly disorien ted. Anna S heldon a nd Dave you a re enjoying the flying a nd facilities. The
f1eet . Several ideas for club expedit ions a re Tagg begin their instructors cou rse in March. Yor ks hire Inter-Clu b League will sta rt mMay
being considered, including vis its to Spain Ma intena nce work on the Supacat a nd the with me mbers from five loca l clubs taking
in June/J uly a nd to UK s ites in May K-8 continues despite t he upheava l. We pla n part. Court<e places a rc still avaiLable: fo r
a nd August. expedi t ions to Portmoa k and Aboyne. more informa tion, con tact Beryl a t the club.
P eter Seago Ged McCan n Marian S tanley

Oxfordshire Sportflying Club

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56 Sailplane & Gliding

 at Camphill , la ter t ra nsferring to Burn and Roy Illidge- Derby & Lanes GC
Obituaries buying a Pi ra t share. Despite suffering
arthritis badly, he set h is sights on Silver
R.uy I ll idge ('I 924-2000) bega n gliding, in
Daglings at Camphill in 1949. He got. his
- which he achieved in J 999. Silver in 1956 by flying an Olym pia from
Barry Amos - Booker GC Brian was a willing club helper, assi ting Camphill tu Boston, Lines, cloud climbing
[1' IS WITH a great sense of loss that we with t he upkeep of the winches, repai ring 5,000ft a nd emerging a t 9,000ft with ice on
record the death, after a gallant battle with radios a nd doing more than his fair share of the wings.
cancer, of BatTy Amos (1946-:WOO). winching duties. Roy instructed for many years from 1962,
He was at l3ouker for over 15 years, a A complete gentleman, he will be surely and most enjoyed in t roducing summer cour ·e
member of the club and the BBC Group. missed by all those who came into contact members to his beloved sport. He gave me my
Whet her driving his much-prized Citroen DS, with him. first fl ight when 1
Oying his equa lly-loved H301 f1upped Libelle, He is survived by his wife Connie and sons was just four.
or chatting on the trailer line, he was a Paul and Mark. In 1957 he
character. A highly-s ki lled motor mechanic by Danny Me Neill bought a share in
trade- as many members will vouch - he was a Gull 4. the first
really an enqu iring child at. heart, with a huge Sir Arnold Hall - Imperial College GC of a series of
natural curiosity. SIR ARNOLD Hall FRS (191 5-2000) came to gliclero which
Although it wao a n increasing struggle, his .Imperial Col lege in 1945 as Za haroff Prof"~ssor included a
cheerfulness and ent hu!>iasm fur gliding of Aviation . Whe n we broke the club's Cadet Skyla r k 3B,
remained undimmed; indeed, some of his most in 1949 at Redhill, he was instrumental in Libe l! e.
memorable Bights were made in t he last year. persuading th" College to provide us with a Skyl::n-k 4 a nd
Barry is s urvived by his wife Tricia and two new T-21b - on condition t ha t it could b" used fina lly the fam ily
young da ughters, to whom we offer our to explain the mechaniL:s of flight to college LS-3 (50). He
heartfe lt sympathy. s tudents. 1 did most of the dis playing. He then played a major
Roge r Neal hecame L:hairman of the BGA Technical ro lE> in developing Camphill's facilities, for
Committee. which he was made a n hononn-y life Oying
Lew And e r son - Me n d ip GC The committee developed a difier enL:e of me mber. Even when his h~eal th deteriorated,
WE: LEARNT with great. sadness of the death opinion with ARB, the UT< a irworthiness he continued to fly regu larly wit h me in our
of Lew Anderson (1926-2000) a fter a long regu lator, whose test pilot had declared the K-7. If you have Ouwn at Camp hill in the last
illneso. Lew joined i\·1 endip with his son prototype Sky to be "laterally unstable" 25 years, spa re a though t for Ruy - you
Lawrence in 1!186 when we were a t 'vVeston- (after a couple of very una dventurous winch launched on one of the s hock ropes he spliced .
super-Mare. He quick ly beca me one of the launches). 1t obviously wasn't, but the Test
• Ray will be greatly missed - especia lly his
c.lub stalwarts , a lways willing to get involved G1·ou p wer" struggling with officialdom. So we welcoming smile and gr eat sense of humou r.
if a job needed doing. When we moved to asked Prof Hall to talk to t.he understanding J o hn lllid ge
Halesland in 1988, his woodworking ski lls chaps at the top of ARB - a nd quite suddenly
helped transform a I'tHHlown ex ATC shed the lateral in;;tability disappeared. Dennis Dawson : oar apologies fur the
into a very comforta ble clubhouse. Lew was a Tne S ky went on tu Spain, where Philip typing error in the headline of his obituary,
real character and his d(y sem;e of humour Wills won the World Championships in it. in the February-March 2000 issue of S&G
and rapie r-like wit will be greatly mi~sed. Prof Ha Ll then became director ofRAE
Om thoughts a nd condolences are with Joan Farnborough, incidenta lly resigning from the
and the fami ly.
Barry Hoga •·th
technica l committee.
He subRequent.ly had a most distinguished
BGA Certificates
No Pilot Club Date
ca reer as a n engineer, scientist and Diamond distance
Brian Cooper- Burn/Derb y & Lanes GCs adm inis trator, becoming Sir Arnold Hall in 1-809 Siotler. Ann Soaring Clr ( Benafla) 2112
BRlAN Cooper (1937-1989) first developed a 1954, and culm inating in be ing Chairman and
Diamond goal
taste for flying Juring 12 years' service as an Nlanaging Director of Hawker Siddeley Ltd. 2-2710 Starmer. Robert Bidford 9/6
RAF electrical engineer. He took up gl iding, Frank [rvin g
Diamond height
3-151 0 Stacey. Alien Bannerdown(Aboyne) 29/10

THE SCOTIISH GLIDING CENTRE

TALGARTH 2113 Hills. Robert
GOLD BADGE
London (Sugarbush) 1018
p~ I Gold distance
Slarmer. Robert Bidford 916
Increase your airtime
Gold height
The best of Ridge Soaring from Herkeri. Bryce Deeside 27110
Tusar. Elizabelh Midland 28110
Southerly through to North Easterly Wilson. Afasiair Scotlish Glidmg Clr 611 1
BLACK MOUNTAINS Scratch the Ridge with confidence
Rubb, Craig
Hills. Roberl
Deeside
London (Sugarbush)
29110
1018

GLIDING CLUB Large Airfield at the base of the hill

Smith. Barry
Bryning. Christopher
Clevelands
Seahawk (Dishlorth)
311100
26112
The Airfield, Talgarth, Powys LD3 OEJ
UK CROSS-COUNTRY DIPLOMA
THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND
Scotland's Premier Training Site No Pilot Part Club Date

We have more ridge, wave and thermal soaring

Training Courses for 2000 554 Fosier. Jonalhan Pt 1 Lasham 1/6

than any other site. May to October SILVER BADGE

No Piloi Club Date
For ab initio and advanced course details, Clubhouse accommodotion, caravan and camping space 10698 Brick wood. Richard Cambridge 2219
expedition bookings or any other enquiry 10699 Wilson. Alas1a1r Scoltish GI1dlng Cir 611 1
Call lrene on 0 I 592 840543 10700 Cummings. Martin Borders 30!7
please phone: 01874 711.463 The ScoHish Glid ing Centre
1070t Aidridge. Sarah Buckrninster 2818
Porlmoak Airfield, Scotlandwell KYI3 9JJ
e-mail [email protected] 10702 Southworth. Roger European Soaring 14112
Web http://www.partmoak.force9.eo.uk
10703 Morrow. John Lasham 25/7
Web: http:fly.to/Talgarth e mail: [email protected] 9 .ea.uk
10704 Bennen. Simon Borders 3 1112

April - May 2000 57

 A true champion
lt has been an honour to have been
Bill Scull
OR thousands of past and present

F
associated and to work with Bill. lt has
been a privilege to be able to say that he glider pilots , WiJliam Granvi lle
was my friend. We shall not see his like Scull FRAeS wffilN (1934-2000)
again. Gliding has lost a true champion represented a tireless propone nt of the
-Bill Walker OBE. Vice President , BGA spMt. A giant of a man - standing head
and shoulders above most, at 6'6"- his
Bill Scull was a giant- in stature, and in enthu siasm for improving the s port and
his influence on gliding over more than its safety continued until his death at 65.
40 years- David Roberts, Chairman, BGA Bill, the son of a police inspector , was
drawn to gliding via ae romodelling at
His great knowledge of operations in the age of 11. He beca me single-minded
gliding , and his sense for human relations, about flyin g and never looked back. He
made Bill one of our best. I am proud to particularly enjoyed gliding, with its
have known this warm, friendly and yet demands on pilot responsibility, and by
modest man. Eternal soaring for Bill- he 1964 was a professional gliding
deserves it- Fransois Van Haaff , EGU instructor at the Avro GC at Woodford ,
Chesh ire. Within a year he was Chief After retiring, he continued to chair
I enjoyed working with Bill and always Flying Instructor (CFI). Two years at the Association's safety committee and
admired his organisation and the depth of the Yorkshire GC preceded a spell as an was its Chief Accident investigator. He
his thought- John Williamson aerop lane instructor. In 1967 he moved also chaired GASCO (Genera l Aviation
to Lasham and became CFT. Safety Committee) and the General
Bill helped immeasurably with advice and In 1969, Bill was a ppointed BGA Aviation Navigation group at the Royal
support when we were attempting to National Coach, developing the role to Institute of Navigation , until hi s death.
secure a permanent gliding site. We shall s uch an extent that a second coach was Hi s work was 1·ecognis .d many times:
not forget him; his spirit is welcome to employed. In 1979 he bet:ame Director of in 1984 he was a ppoin tecl a Fellow of the
ridge soar at Binevenagh in perpetuity Operations, a post that he held until hi:; aoyal Aeronautical Society and granted
- Bernard Silke , Ulster GC "retirement" in 1996, after 26 years the Freedom of the City of London. In
serving the BGA. 1989, the Federation Ae ronautique
Bill Scull was well known internationally Leading by example, Bill held Silver, lnternationale (FAI) awarded him the
for his pioneering work in instruction Gold, and two Diamond qualifications, Diploma Paul Tissandier. The Royal
and flight safety, and for his enormous gained in the days before modern gliders Aero Club presented him with the Silver
contributions to gliding as an author, made these easily attainab le , and Medal, for services to gliding, in 1999.
instructor, organiser and administrator logged almost 6,000hrs in the air. He He was recently presented by the Duke
- Max Bishop, Secretary General, FAI represented the BGA nationally and of Edinburgh with the 19B8 Grand
internationally. including establishing Master's Commendation from the Guild
Those of us privileged to know him will mandatory ope1·ationa l safety s tandards of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.
recognise his imprint on the record of the for gliding. Thi s led to his creation and Bill will be remembered most for
Association 's operational and international chairmanship of the Training and Safety d1·iving the ' port forward on both
interface with those in authority. So Panel, a forum for international gliding grassroots and political levels, being a
although he willr be severely missed, we coaches which was adopted by OSTlV, believer that the long hard slog for
shall often remember him by the legacy the international gliding researc h higher standa rd s through nationa l and
he left us in those relationships- Vie Carr organisation. His regular, mature and international uommittees paid off.
sen "ible a rticles on flying procedures Above all, Bill r etained the human
The world of gliding has lost a fine and safety were legend. He helped many touch - hi s presence demanded
ambassador. Bill had a long and valuable new gliding clubs commence operations, attention, but he always had time to
association with the Directorate of guiding them through planning encourage glider pilots or at:quaintant:es,
Airspace Policy, in particular representing legislation and enquiries. sharing their triumphs and pushing
the BGA on the National Air Traffic Bill's work as chairman of the BGA them ver onwards . He reve1led in
Management Advisory Committee. Always Safety Committee in recent years, and ·eeing people gain in skill and confidence.
courteous, he nevertheless got his message his onerous role as fatal gliding accident Yet he was extremely modest , and
across whilst maintaining a level head investigator brought his wealth of continued to trive to learn new things,
through what at times were particularly professional knowledge to a focu s of embracing computers and the internet
knotty problems. We frequently found making gliding safer and training more in recent yeaxs.
ourselves accepting his wise counsel on thorough. He represented the UK's Bill wa s an accompli. heel musicia n,
many diverse issues. As a host at gliding gliding interes ts on ,JAR22 (Glider s portsman and active in supporting the
championships he was charming and Design Requi1·ement..·), Airspace and the lot:al community and local Cheshire
attentive, while never missing an Civi l Aviation Control Advisory homes. He was one of life's gentlemen
opportunity to promote gliding- although Committee since 1972, as well as the -a true gentle giant. The world of
I am sure he would have much preferred to International GLiding Commi sion , the gliding could not have had a better
have been aloft. Bill was always a gentle- Europea n Gliding Union , and severa l representative. 'vVe mourn his loss .
man and widely respected; we are all the other international committees . He He i s s urvived by Yvonn e, his wife for
richer and privileged for having known him wrote seve ral papers on gliding coach- abnost 40 years, and their daughte r
-Air Vice Marshal John Arscott , ing, sa fety and techniques, and his book \Vendy.
Director Airspace Policy, CAA Soaring Across Cou.ntry is still in use. Jonathan Mills & Anu Welch

58 Sailplane & Gliding

 We're only human answer the ques tion why. indeed. the more

Confidential experie nced or used to a task that you

become, the more Likely you an• to s uffe r a
YOU'VE DONF: it lots of times before and you lapse or a slip.
incident reports ' know what you arc doing'. That. in fact, is
part of th e proble m. Just ca rrying nut pos it ive
OK. so it's obviou~ bow this re lates to
incorrecLly riggin g glider;;. bu l what is th e
control checks is no g uan1ntee of s ucce;;s. remedy? The a nswer is to adopt Lhe sa nw
for glider pilots Di traction, complacency. the cold. a br ak in
routine or s imp ly failing to understand tbe
sort of discipline w hen conn cting flyin g
controls that ts mandHtory in the world of
WHILE IT IS a legal requirement to l'l'port limita tions of we hu ma ns ... an y of these can airaa ft maint nam:e.
all accidents, the BGA also C'ncoumge~ the contribute to your mi:;sing so me s mall but After r igging a glider, ALWAYS (not just.
open reporting of incidentR that could vital part o[ the process of rigging the ave ra ge when you had a proble m. or somebody is con-
indicate a snfc t.y lapse or t.he potential to glide r- with di sa s trous res ult- . veniently close by) gel a nothe1· pe rson who i ~
cause a n accide nt. Last year in the UK alone, five pi lots fa miliar with the glider type to vi;;ua lly check
Such reports arc normally submitted m a n ag1~d to get airborne and. nearly lost t heir all aspect of the r ig - and get that pe rson lo
through the dub safety officer but may be li ves having discovered- after take-off- the~t sign for doing so in the glider Dl book .
Sl'nt directly to t he BGA, where they arc a control had not bt•e n con neeted or ha cl Signing fo r a task te nds to concen trate the
reviewed a nd acted upon. disconnected in fli ght. This is despite a grow· mind.
Now there is an additional way that glider ing fl eet of more modern glide rs. Then carry out a positive control eheck.
pilots can 1·eport safety issues (not Why does it st:ill happen° And what. can w e ca refully hold[ng each individual nyin g con trol
accidents) involvin g human factors which do to be fairly confident of preventin g th is tiurfuce while applying a light pressu r . on t lw
they may feel unable to submit. tl:trough stupid and entirely avoidable type of accident'1 a pp ropriate con trol in the cockpit.
normal channels. We a ll make mi sta kes- it's a human lf you thi nk getting nn independent check is
The UK Confide ntial Human Factors characteristic. Jf you ca n accept that you ar e too difficult. try landing· with out an levator.
Incident Reporting Programme - CHIRP - not. imm une f1·om making errors (i~ . you have Pete Stratlen
has been operating s ince 1982 for people in a pu lse). you will be a ble to very lJLLickly Chairman, BGA Safety Committee
thE' air transport industry. La ~t year it was

j Accident/incident summaries
extended to general aviation - including
gliding. This i ndependent :;ystem permits
safety information t hat may not othe rwise by Dave Wright
be available t{J be reported, assessed and i\IR RAFT DATE PILOT(S)
ReJ Typ£" BGJ\ Nn Domag£' Time • Place t\gt• Inju r y Pllluurs
publis hed for the benefit of others. 'o
CHIRP invite,; no~ports on any safety· 0()9 c:rob G 109 G -!'\DCC' \ l inM 0:!/1 1/99 C:lwllock 07 Non•· 2700
related incidents when: motor glide r 1400 :'Jon(' .120
Thf> t wn (·:qwri(•Jwed p i lot~ we re ,·isit ing thu ~!id ('r ~itt~ in :1 mo tM~Ii d e r. Durin g tho take-ofT run the m ai n wht.'l' l:-; '"'' <m l
- others could benefit from a lesson you through a ro ugh ,.;,IJft ;It'{':l :n1fl tlw laillift.Pd " li gh tly too h1gh . Ah the prnp hnd rouchc<l rhf' J..'1'0und t· h ~ pilot nb;wrloncd
learned; ht- wke-off. Hot.h pnlJH.'Jie.,· 1ip~ Wl'r<' d amH~wd.
- othe r re porting procedures arE' not 01 0 l'alke G-.\XJ>:O 1\linor 07/ 1 I I~J~J Mi lli e ld
appropriate or avai lable; mutol' •lide r 11:\ll ,1!!
During- rn ot on~lidl• r t r:1ining tllf' ~ tlldent was inst ructed tu go-uround frorn nbc:.ut ::oft nn n IH)n n nl t:lfi1Jl'0<1Ch . "~.rt er u
-you arc concerned to prot.ect yOlll' identity dcJu_,. \.ill• :'tudt:JH responde d- do:;cd tlu· spoik·r~ nnd nJWtwd t hl' thrnlllt•. The engi ne [n ltL·rt·d :md so PI told P:l to
(note: anonymous reports urc not accepted); dosu tilt' Lhl'OIIi<.• and I:Jiltll:dtt•:H!. Till' laud in!! wa!-i not' full y lwld off ;t mllht: proJX'llt..•r tip~ hil t.hl' ~round .
- you have• uxhausted club and other
011 t\ S\\ ' I~) ·II SG Sub~tantial l0/11/9fl :-.lurw 279
reporting proced ure'~ without the i ~s u e l ·IIG
having- bee n a ddressed . T lw pilot ~:SL·t up n. normal cin:uit for a hangar lnncl ing- t hPn m i:-aakt·n l.v upcnttl·d tho undc rcarrioo:e ll•\'l'J' in. t(•nd ufthl!
n.irbr~•kt•,.:, rl'h.t':ti.}Wl'd s t nrtNI h u ild ing ond t l1l'l'lld nft.he nirfield wa.s appron<!h ing fas1. .-\pilot -i nduced Ol:iCJllat'lon
Do not report: d~,~ vt·lop~ci and lht.' J,.dirler ];.lndPd \'<·ry fas t.. kk iddNlt o a halt ~ick·ways. lll't·nkln g t lw f'u:-icl:tgl'.
- inciden ts or evcmts with no safety conte nt;
012 1<-1 3 1753 ~linen· 2:J/ I ()1~19 HowJoncl :\lorw (i80
- i~sues involving conflicts of pe1·sonalities: Forest ~one ()
- indus trial re lation><, lega l or commercial .\ftc.r t.wp ~ue t.!SSfu l :;imu ln tN I ctJble bn:•;Jk :; a t hird w as c.a nit·d o ut. rh is t imf' c111 n dil'ft•J'f'I'H c::thk•. Ollring the re.C0\'0-l'Y
problems. l hL· l'nhk ehutt· wa!--i !--it•t•n diruct ly ovnh<·nd. P 1 took contrnl tH!d lurned to try ami rt\'Oid t lw cnhlc. which touclwd tlw w ing
lwf'Cn' :t· llw gli clPI' l:tnrh·ct !;ilft·l y. Thl,: b ind ing a n tlw Cllhk· was missing. :dlowing il (11 fully inflllll' and n)' .
Reports are validated an d, after
extracting releva n t data, all personal details 01 :1 Discu s UT .VIinor 13/ IU/99 NnrthumhPI'inncl :\'on~:· ;179
se l f-su~tnincr 1051
are returned to the sender. 'l'he reporter can The.: sp ) f-::i tt :;llli m~l' wns towed to 1 .000ft in hill lift. App:..ll't:nt ly t.ht• glidt•l' tlw n dri fH.~d hack on.· r Lhe hj\1 so the pilot
get in touch for additional informattonusing dl!t.:ided lo t.·xtt•!Hltlw t·nginc•. [htring th is pl'OCl':':-< \.)w t:anop_\' !lc w off- hitt ing llH' \\'ill1-!. t·nginr• :1lld tailplllnt.·.
Hl'tai n ing cuntrol the p ilol madl' a :-<Hfrln nding bm·k a t tlwairfiP!d .
a reference nu mber but CH !Rl' ca nnot
contRct them. 011 .\S\V I~! l~lB Writ r·ofr 2.1/0D/D9 J>or:unouk !\linor
1."):;.\0
Depersonalised data is databased for
Witil<· :Htt•mptin g- tolnnd .'-'hort to avoid a eongl.'stc-d ac rotow bunchpni nt the pilot f~dlt•d to full.'' round-ou t and bnck·d
analysis of key topics and trends and :some is hcav il)~ - houn<:ing high i-rllc) 1hP nir. Ourin~ 1 he impat·t till' hnml'.~:-> ma_,. h:WI 'l'Orne loo~() I'C..':-$Ult in g. in 1lw pilot lu.-.in ~
made availab le to other safety systems and r-an t rol. 'J'h(• glidl•J' divf.·tl l(J tlw right :md into LhL· h'l'OU ncl ancl Wflf< wri tt vn·tJIT. TIH" pilot suf'fl'n·d h;H~k injurit·:-;.
professional bod ies. 111 3 1{. 11 20/11/~9 :\'one
\VhL·re appropriate, t.he issues arc 1620
Thl· pil11 wm• givPn ;t !'jUCcd.:.-;fu l c.:ht·<·k lli~hr nnrl wa nwd nf the· vcr~ · cnld 1;onrlition~. L::1t01· in tlw dny slw n,.,,. nn hour on
di;;cussed with re levant agenc ies to under· the ridg L OI'L ' lllntli ng. t.'{.)!d and ti r •d. at tiUndown. Th<· g-lidl'l' was :--L'I'n 1o fly ; t ratiH·r fn~l and hi gh circu it throu~h
sta nd t.he safeLy is;;ues a nd reso lve the t urbu lcnal' on iU.l u p-:>hlpint;;" p url <Lf tlu: nil'fil'ld. F l~·ing th n ~ lid t•r on l't'liHited i·n a bounct·d. lw:l\·y l;mding.
problem. A newsletter, CA Feedhach, con-
0 10 t\ SW 1911 .Vt inm· :2~1111/BH J\ho~rnl.' .\ionL' :Ill
taining information releva n t to li ght a ircraft 16 15
and lei:sure flying, is distribute d. On h i ~ downwind 1<.:-J.t till• p ilnt ('h cc.ketl lhnt thcrt.: Wl'l'l' no l.":LII lt· on llw ruuwny ;1:-; th~y had heen de...ln·cl ,._~ff it SC\'L'I': d
time.s enrl i~·1· intlw dny. It look I'd 1'11.-'Hl' hut u!=i he t.urnl.'d fi_nnls bt· ;-;aw ~oil\(' had mon·d llt>;11't'l' ;-;o dwng1•d hnulin l!
CHIRP, FREEPOST (Gf 3439) Building 1'\I J Jwa~·- I h.' laudud s hort to a\'oid rno r<.! c:at tl hut h;.Hi to,. "<~ r into n1U)..d1 ground oil t,lw runw;ly t.o m i~.-: mw in h · pa\ h .
FIJI , Room 129. Farnborough GU11 6'BR:
Sub:-il.nntin l ·l /1l/99 Dunstnb iL' NtJlll..' 212
sewrc phone: 0800 21464.5 I 01252 37076'8; :\one 0
sm1re (w:: 0 / 2.''i2 .54386'0; .\1 about l<)O· l iiOft. on tht• ;wrot ow a VL'I'Y slight bow dcvdopud in Lht• ropL' which lh(·n brokt• :ts it hl't.:LL I111d tnut ::lR<i iO. As
tiJ) I io11:--: n ht·rtd Wl' l'l' not good tlw pi lot dt•cidc·d t n 1um back uvt•r luwcr lltJl(l besiUt• I bL• uirlield . .Spl'l:d wu.'l ltl!=lt 1lul'ing
email: confide ntiaW:chirp.co. uk
lhe tU I'll ftncl tht•J?IidPrktll llt:d hl'; tvily on to tlw ups-loping fic·ld. Tlw mpt• h:-Hl f::.iiL·d tH·ur tht· ring ~ p i ita:.

April - May 2000 59

Classifieds Rolex Western Regionals
Nympsfield 5-13 Aug 2000
Get away from those landing out risks anJ inconvenience
German ASW20 TOP fitred with detachable sell launch engine
pod t omr.le!e with GRP traile r, tow ou t kit and sell rigging aid
Beautiful st.: cn t:ry, e.xcc.llolt clubhouse anLI gond puh;; Panel includes usua l plus Artificia l Horizon an d Zon de r Vor io .
P l ~u&~ :wnd tht:.> tc_xt of _v vu r a dvl'rt. pnd yo ur paym ent, lo
Some coaching from r\ndy Oavis • Superb pdzt·s PPL required (SlMG)ta fly unless engine pod detached . Idea l
Debbie Can at the BGA office (nr) tu Lbe t!.di to r). l-'l ea&c
n:_: lll !.. '- llllH.:r that , if you nn~ emo.tilin g te xt. your adv ~: r l nu.t y not Entry: £100/Junior~ £50 mixed experience syn dicate machine.
u p p l·(I J' un'lt..:S.;·; w1· havt ~ r t..:t:l~ i vl'd JJ:J,ymc.n t b,y Lh ~ deadlin e.. Apply to Sue Gillell Tel/Fa.~ ()1285 6'56713 Only 40; I self launcher under £30K. Asking pnce £28K.
Tht-! (kadline fur da~~i fled:-i tn ta~ in.i.:J ud cd in thl' -Ju ut.•-.JuJy Suemgill<~ll@bolnuliL<;o,, Ring 0 1566781332
iss u u vf S&G is May 5 a rtc r whid1 any nch· L· r L..; t•ooci ved wiJI
00 p ublished in the t'vllvwing i ~S"U e.
Tt•x t.: SO p/word. minimumtw ~..; n t.y wonh (Ll!i).
Black and whitl~ photog: raph ::;: .£ 6 i:,\XI ra MrNI Nli\•IBUS complr•t e o utfit. no radio. LX 1000 fli gh t DG 400 ! 5/ J7 m #4/lHI total hours : 9HO- t•n gl1w: 1:1 :2 AT R
Box numbe:.•r:J J t.:xtru ..\1\ pri ces inchtdc Vi\T. dirtlt:Un, parachut.o, haxog raph. nxygt·n, tow out gea1'. radi o-nunhridgC' .S- N.-\ V new ign it·ion ~ y ~ t"f •m ~ always
m to ) tt·n il ur. Cni)\. fl(i 000. Tcl: 01432 7-1 1022 h a n,£Z£l red - pa rac hut e - ox yge n - cov(: rs - a erog ragh
bnro . gro und. lwndling cq uip em e n t - e xc.: eJl e nt co ndition
OLYMPIA 2b with clo<cd trailt'l'. Dart c-annpy .
Rnt ut"tnnl sak of u tru:-;tl'd friend. Snk firs t. solo gl idc·r. '!': OO. Sd (0)24:J.-1002 •3 2_c-m:mazc la'$wanadoo.fr
FOR SALE :< 12!)0 ono. T r: l: 0 I ~9li 7 L2:024
LS6<~ l f)/t7}l m 190:1. .·\11 mod liJJ nsldes rc• ::;lc·xt'rn s , will ASW 20 L. ',J F K' (i c rman Built. Ui.ii:\1 t ips . Exce lle nt
AS W 20 Gernwn buil t , OP::;, Van;om. 720 radio. Ba 5.ud Pini:1 h. V ry Lo w I lour ~ . Kom(•t li ft-top traih·r. Full tn\',· -
consi dt~ t' o f f(~ rs fnr Hull!'l'rail Prllns trunwn t.~ or tota l
S hnlbourn t;? , c~; mplut e nut fit £ ~{) :lOO or ~ hares. Co ntn cL out gt:ar. l· u ll Pan<.:! including 720 radio. CPt; 89 .
p;tck a ~~- One nwn cr. ux.cdla nt. ni ck. Contact Pet~r·
01 341 1~ 7756 or 01 790 -120092 (l~v e;; ) Pnrn~.;hut(: , Ba rogrA ph. :\vai !ab k• to view <-l t
HC'd.c.h o.Y.t(g m sn. co m or 0 12298SQJ:HJ
l_-liRAT, 197fi . I'X C:dk·nt cnndi ti nn, luminiurn t r;;ti lur , Ny m p,;fi l' ld. £ 19 80() ono. '!'cl: Ol -15:1 R:l2061. Em Hi l:
COBRA 15 :ll:i: I, Lr;clle nt condttHm, bu cQJ:ml ph, tigging- nicb. barogruph. full pc1nd. ra di o, Cof:\ . Heduce d shou.sd e n1f:t e.a c.h e rs·~ roup. co.u k
CambriclqE· vari(J , ox_ygt.: n. a vruhatic ._ nw tal tnll l Or. Bus: d price \>1200 L\ no. 'l'e l: 0122•1 7•10707 or 0 12·118G- t38:J
;~tl!u s fJo,. 1:4$UU Td: Ul 1n ~;;n : l :i84 oc 111 509 G2012 5 DG 100 1DIG. 2ROO hou rs . 12\ '0 h1 unt:lw~ . Cond co ndition.
LS6C 15W/18W. Comp :>lo. LS6 .. ·ew in M~trch 19~-'i. Aluminium trail e r, t:ow-o.u LgOat·. <iP:::;, lo gge r/barograph,
STD CIH.RUS in v e ry good d JIHi.iti.on \>V ilh go(Jd pant:! 450 l1rs. Full p:;m e l ($;:1.ge v:1ri o. C;J , HC Allen h OI'i :t.rm .
includin g Spe(•d [) il'C::c.; tor & Di uc.l 720 . E. xce.llt--: nl t,rai le t ox ygen and pa mchutc. OF'V (;;.Hs. Tcl/l~ nx: (Ol 339H)
Di tt:e l radio. G::n·min Il) E.\V., oxs'gen , tow nul ~ear and 82fj 7,S
end pn rnchut e , N <'W CofA Big ai>•br~ka> . i'J 0 iiOU, Tel SchoCie ld tra iler. Full kit fur f 'IO 000 or will op lit. Te l:
13ob l'\l x 0148 ~ ,ltil~/ Ba ~il Oll.li 277fl 1GU or 0 7D7 7:'.7448H
LIBELLE 2018. Good condition. Top a nd botto m a.il'-
MOSQUITO A 1 5M flap. ~0: I, rd i ni s hed. ful l pancd, alu - ZOGVOGEL lUll, 17m (Ktic: pe dimn u nce) instntm ut1 t.!; brake:-;. Full in ~t rum e ntatiun includ.in g dectri c vario &
Ininium trail ('r, exccllonL cond ilw n . .l.:lfi HO O. Tel: 0117 in c lud ~ Turn and Sllp. artl nc ia l horizo n. Nleta l tr;l i.l t:' r, ave rflgu r. (~arrn i n f)f) and one :vear old parachute.
:J7/(l~l27 or U14 5:l 1:3 14 07 hf1rog1·aph.. pHruchu te, rn tlio. fiLt t:•d ox,..,:gc.m ;,;yslt:~m. .:\luminium t.ruill-= r. Om~ Ow1wr for liJ:->t 1:1 )'l: :tr~ ~ illne::;s
DG800 Club Elan r•: >rad a ble u/c. (Wa tec bnlln.ot ca n be ,1',)(1(10. () 1/il :J :] 197 5ti). I<Hn'' sak. f8000 Tl'i: [J 1844 ~:,110 11 >
fitt ed). Bu il t l988- 6flfi hmn " i111d :l72 Jaunc·he:.o.;,, e xn• l-
l.e n t c;o nriiti on . A V ( h o:\:ygf•n, full ~l·l .Jax idn cov(•r ..:;,
tin l ~ d canupv, Cobra trailer, LXJOUO, Mech Vnrit), AS !
Altimete r. Cu mpa!-i 8. , l"() \V out gt;ar. £::2~ ono. T PI: Oifl OR LOGACCESS
(") t\6790

IS28 N 2 - Co mpld.P wi t"h hn s ic ins tnunc•n t.';i. parnchut e.s

THE COMPLETE LOG KEEPING A ND 141141141.1'ilDfParachules.ct~.uk
BUSINESS PROGRAM FOR GLIDING CLUBS
nnd clo::;t·d a luminium trn ilt•r. Col'.\ tinnu ary 01. L l ~ 000
ono. Tei: (evt•) 01 2 ~9 S3030l;:J Em a il: £lwp q rbhr.J·Jj m'91W nN, JJOWNf.OAD FlWE f)f:'MU For 'Strong' TSO approved parachutes
frum \\'Ww.pcacc css.co.uk/glider
PAWNEE 235. 1100 engine hours . fnu.r blade prop and
Ucl m nl zig :;ilencer. Excullt·nL conditi tlll. Offc·r:; around Ciortltm Pcl<...T~ . Ilurts I I miSt:. \Vcllington.S omc.:r ~cl T.\2 t t)l'ti Tel: 0797 4-106190 Fax: 01462-713665
l'IHmc !!ltl2 j 6(J18.l() !:>null (iorclon W r cacn.:::i~ . t:n.q k
.c ~o ono. 'Tc·l; 0797 1 27052:i

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60 Sailplane & Gliding
 Sky\lvings
is the officia l monthly magazine of the
British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.
£27 per annum subscriptions from
BHPA. The Old Schoolroom. Loughborough Road,
Leicester, England LE4 5PJ. Tel: 0116 26 11322
hllp!ltest.ebrd.cornlskywingsihorne.html
--·-- NEW' TOW'BAR LAW'
FOR ALL CARS RIGISTIRID FROM AUOUIY 1 998
e Only EC Type Approved Towbars con be fiHcd
e Extcm.ivo rongo ovoiloblc- {ol~o for Pre ·S Rcg modd~J
e A tting dcx.-s not e ffect the vohide warranty e Gt.:Crontoc-d for life
Sec Ydlaw Pages. for your l"'fJQr t'ISt ~pcciolist finer or l>locki ~ r
WlniR TOWBARS, CNISTER CHI :ILL
Telephone: 01244 341166 • Fox: 01244 341243
Gir
Aviation Ltd.~
d __/[_

1 Questen Mews, Copthorne Road, Crawley, West Sussex,

England, RH10 3PA
Tel: 01293 888185 • Fax/Phone: 01293 881764

* Having trouble with your releases? *

* Wan t to change yo ur own springs? *
IS28132 Dual s utcr t rai ne r. Full pane l. a lumi nium
trailur. (Also ta ke" 1<1 3), towing out. gea r. h angnred for
ASW l5b. Good condition w ith basic i11s t rumc nts .
parachute. trai ler etc. One man rigg-m g and tow--out. gear, * Need a more cost effective release? *
last 1:2 yc•urs. Excellent condition , new CofA l:i llpplied. cxccllt'nt performance a nd handling. Hal f s.ha r·e ava il -
n;;ooorto. Te l: 01~~2 5 12952/39ao67 abl e, based a t Bidfo rd . .£4500 ono. Phone Ro b 01905
773901 or ,John 0H)26 •197068
''NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE"
PIK 30 (!7m PIK20e) Thi brillinnt soaring SL:VIG is in
excelle nt condi t ion. VJ>4 co mputer. AMF traile r , SHK Ve ry good condition. :-Je e ds lObe vicw.,d. Be s t l/0 Change to the new CW "Ottfur" release
GI'S&I' \V logger. 19/l(i !150hrs/ 105hr" e ngi ne. Re duce d :Jti: l. Knows its \vay round u ~WOk triangk·. Complete
pricc £24 OOOTcl: 01 n4066!885 Ema il: a mossn11rnt<i!ht.in- with trailt•r, s tandard inslrunlE'n ls plus borgclt
* Now in se!Vlce after tv.ro years of extensive successful testing in
club tv-Jo seaters
~ vario/avera ger and winter hctrograph. t6.5 00 ono. 'l'e l: * Tested to JAR22
K6t'r. E.xcellc•nt c<mdition. Nearly n l'W lift·top t.rnilcr. e- 0797 •I 7624 96 * BGA Approved
\'axio. radio. towou t genr. wing & fu sclnge covers . Flic•f.i * Manufactured and supported in the UK
bea utifully. f:lfliiO Td: 01785 258303 DG100G Ela n , fix ed tailplane. hinged canopy. E . vario,
T& ·. DitLCI 720, tow-o ut gl:nr, Fihn:glas~ lraile r. good
* Development of the original well trled and patented "Ottlur"
G ROB 1098 T ouring :VIoto rglidc r. 117 share. ~50 per release
month shtnding charges . £:25p/h eng·ine only . Nice aero-
condition. £11 99ii. Y01·k 0 1904 330 107
* Compatible with "Test" ring•
plane. wl'il r un syndicatt·. l:lased !:looke r . Tc l: N ic k 0 1923 IS29 glid" angle :l8: l. Low hours. To ta lly rcco ndition t'd . * Compatible with most modern glider release mountings
'146508 Complete wi t h trailer. Offers owr .£5000. T c l: 01903 * In service continuation by "' on condition" inspection
!j917.'i3 (West Sussex) * Supplied with service manual and test report
K6c r . Good co ndi tion. F ir·;;t Cla ss me tal trailer. £:1>>00 * Recondition exchange se1vice available
ono. Tel: U1202 740890 I 0 139;; 5 1,t3n9 OGIOO Com plcle, Turbulato r·tnpc . E/Va rio. radio. bar-o- * Spring kits with instructions
ASTIR CS .Jeans. 1979, ~200 h o ur·s. good condition . graph. tow-out. dusl o lwct~. traile r . Cofi\ :l·l uy 2000. £11
Contact Cair Aviation for full information on the ne"' CW "OttfuJ"
standa_rd inst.rumrnts incl I·> vario. £6000. 8m~1 il : 500 ono. Tcl: 0 I 70:l6 14 935 releases and support for the original British 011/ey Motor~Siingsby
.J Mimwma:utjsa la nl o r Tl'i: 0031 527 ~51674 (home). "OM" series "Ortfur" releases
1992 VENTUS CT 400 hn•, comple te outfrt including
K6cr. ExcPllcnt condition, rlf'rot.ow hoo_k, dosed nu~ tal Cobrn trailer. c;q pQrochute, oxygen e tc. All in cxccllenL
tr<iiler. pnrachule. barogritph, XK 10 vario. Di::;banding condition. Devon 0198-t 6~32~7
syndicate .£~500 '1'1'1: 0 1952 72779 1 K6E. <iood condition. radio. parachule, tow-out g "Ar,
KESTREL 19 T59F. lmmm:ulalo condition with cu rrent barog ra ph. NC'w ofA.. Around £5500 or s htu·es. Swindon
CofA. Pull panel comple t0 with audio. averuger , T&S. 720 0!793 725265
radio and ac-commodat ion for Garmin/E\!V. Also includes Choice of 2 LS8-18's For Sale SKYLARK 4 V.G.C. , >tanclarrl pane l. radio, good metal
refurhi.:;hL-'tl tnti ler. row out g~ai' . pnrnchut('>, oxyg<:n Competitio n numbers "LS8" & "OP8". LS8 is 4 years old with a ll
Hncl covt•r,. £ 1 ~750 ono. T e.l: 046 60:l240. l'mnil: ~ tra ile r. 2 ma n t•iggi n g aid o. £:3500. C>lll Bob OL2880
mod s and reproliled wings. OP8 is only one year old. 8oth
dh~1cdlfm .com. Picslin!O: www.cdlfm.comlkc.!itn:l/19.ht:ml 7048 12 (wot·k). 0 ! 280 704fi38 (hom e) or Stove 0 I86H
have never been damaged. Whichever glider is sold, it'll be
a38009 (home)
AS\V20L Fabulous value for mont'y pe rformance - c•xccl· with full competition panel, tow oul gear, new C of A and
lent anyl ic fini sh. G erman built, 16.5Nl tips. R x:cnt excell ent !win axel Shire newlon trailer. Conlact Oavid Al lison
ASW24WL Fully equipper! including C3 Vario a mi F light.
Sch(Jfield t.-ailet·. Vie w [)unsta ble. U 9 .100 on o. Tel : - 01367 860787 or e mail, [email protected]. uk.
TAKE YOUR PICK!
compute r. integrated Filse.r GPS. 13t>cker radio. Cohn1
OIH28 - 18:32~7 tra ile r. £ 28 000. Me t calfe 01-1 9 ~786Ua

L'\K l2 ~0. 5M. 48: l. 300 hrs. with trailer. im pe rial

ins trume n t s inc l. LX•IOOO. Becke r radio. pnrachute oxy-
gen , riggi n l( aids on BGA rcb<i.sler. £ 19 000. T e l: 00335
5 90~4258

BIDFORD GLIDING CENTRE N imbus 2b L-Na'' · Dittc l 720, Bohli. oxygen. parach ute,
bai'Ograph. t ow out gear. Schofic ld trailer. .!' 17 000 Tt'l:
J ess ica o n 01865 3 79:394 or jessicape nnn n tL.:yahoo. co.uk
Regionals 15th - 23rd July 2000 Ka6e Nuw pan(-!1, aluminium trai.l(;>r, panlehuw, huro-
graph, riggi ng and low-outaids . £6750. Tel 0179 ~ 73 1394
This competition has just been announced or 01793 740403. orE-ma il osmentj@h alcrow.com l>

and has D..Q waiting list.

GLIDING OPPORTUNITIES IN SPAIN
Come and fly in a relaxed atmosphere and the DISCUS B (w inglets) with Towing-Ca r available for
beautiful vale of Evesham! rental, gives you !he opportun ity to fly over and fly
from any cenlre.
Further information o r entry forms available now from: CROSS-COUNTRY TRAINING and Familia risation
Bidford Airfield, Bidford on Avon, Warwickshire, 850 4PD • Tel 01789 772606 Flights w ilh Nimbus 4DM
For fu ll inform a lion contact: [email protected]

International Sailplane Services

Now with the British Pound at an all time high, sailplanes from Europe are the lowest costs for years. Beware
of the pitfalls possible and contact our company. With twelve years experience of importing gliders from
around Europe and exporting them World Wide our office in Germany alway has about 300 Sailplanes for
sale. Guarantee service and delivery, excellent after sales service.
No more travelling around, just to be disappointed. CONTACT THE SPECIALISTS.
Simple as that, no travelling around sites, aircraft quality guaranteed, full back up service.
Some gliders available from stock. PW5, Astircs, Nimbus 3T

Terry Joint, No 8 Old Aylesfield Buildings, Froyle Road, Shalden, Alton, Hants GU34 4BY • [email protected]
Telephone: +44 (O) 1420 88723 • Fax: +44 (0) 1420 542003
April - May 2000 61
 BOOKER GLIDING CLUB COVERS FOR SAl LPLAN ES
Why be afraid of dust, rain, snow or ice?
---n-· -~ Protect your sa il plane with effective covers
from Confurn Design. Price example: LS4
~~---2~~.
outdoor cover: 6 375 SEK.
All covers are made of white waterproof
web, 120 grm. Double tread. Under side

BOOKER REGIONALS 2000 with condensation net. Easy to wash.

For more information contact
to be held
ConFurn Design AB
22nd- 30th July 2000 Lars-Erik Blom
Tel46504-13320 46504-14927 mobile 070-4545146
For application form please contact: 01494 442501/529263 e. mail [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected] • Internet: www.bookergliding.co.uk interne! www.confurn.se

C4 COMPETITION Flight Computer

PosiGraph Documentation &
with new software update Navlgadon
W1 nd calculation - d~rect1on / streng th New 12 Channel GPS recewer
fast ce~tenng 1n thermals w1t h tendency arrows Com fortable pus~ fastener
GPs Interface as standard Motor ru nn<r-9 record1ng
C omplete nilV1gation display
w tth emergency airfle!ds
E uropean waypmnts
500 prcgrammable waypo1nts
100 orogrammable routes
S torage capacity approx 1 GO h
C ompact 99 x 59 x 34 rnrn
C urrent use approx 100 rnA
Interface NMEA 0183

• Best weather conditions fOr your 1,000, 500 or 300km badge claim. • English speaking instructors, tug pilots and administration
Fifteen 1,000km flights were made in one day in July 1995! • Easy access from Madrid, Bilbao and santander !Ferry arrivals
• Special low rates for May, June and September. Even in mid-summer place from Southampton!. Tourist Area
rates are cheap • Briefing Meteo and unrestricted airspace. Plenty of outland
• onsite camping and bungalows. Hotels nearest the Airfield space
Visit our web site: http://www.redestb.es/personal/fuentemilanos
Reservations: AERONAUTICA DEL GUADARRAMA, SA
C/Antonio Machado, 6 Bajo D. E-40002 SEGOVIA, SPAIN • Phone and Fax: 0034 92142 6963 • E-mail: [email protected]
62 Sailplane & Gliding
 British Gliding Association
THE 1000 CLUB MONTHLY LOTTERY
A great chance to win substantial cash prizes and at the which will go into the draw. lt is hoped that members will
same time enable the Phi lip Wills Memorial Fund to mal<e purchase 12 months' worth of tickets at a time. Winners
loans to clubs for site purchase and development . will receive their prizes direct from the BGA and a list of
their names will be published in S&G.
1000 is the target number of members to participate .in this
monthly lottery which started in July 1992. When 1000 Please complete the form below and return it to the BGA
members subscribe £1.00 a month each then the monthly with your payment. Please note that only BGA members
first cash prize will be £250 .00. and their families may participate and that the BGA is reg-
istered under the Lotteries And Amusements Act 1976
HALF of the proceeds go to the Philip Wills Memorial with Leicester City Council.
Fund to help with its work in developing BGA clubs and
the other HALF is distributed each month in the form of 6 Barry Rolfe
CASH PRIZES. The more participants we have , the Promoter
greater the prize money pool. r----------------------------------------------------
To: Barry Rolfe , British Gliding Association , Kimberley House, Vaughan
1st PRIZE- 50% of the prize money pool . Way, Leicester LE1 4SE
5 Runner Up Prizes of 10% each of the prize money
Please include me in the "1 000 club" and I enclose £12 .00 (payable to
pool.
BGA) for twelve month s of entries, or multiples thereof.
Chances/numbers can only be bought from the BGA at Name Signed
£1.00 each. Those whose money has been received at
the BGA by the end of each month will then partioipate in Address .
the draw on the first Wednesday of each following month.
Tickets will not be issued in order to keep the administra-
tive costs low but each member will purchase a "number"

AS\V 17, i\ I y nd bai->ed tihar es. Double a i rbrak c~ . 2 m;:J. n S KY LARK 4. BG,\ 10G6. Wea th e rproof meta l t ra ile r . LS7 I::xtell ent co ndition . Full Cam p pa ne l:- glide co m-
rigging, good truil e.r. la ndin g c hHra uteris ti c~ si mila r to us ual ins t.r um cnt.t' plus C ross fell va ri o. r a dio. pa rac hu te, pute.r. UPS. !VH . New Coff\ . sea l!=>. zig zug ta pe . wax po l-
K:ll. fully in !:> t nl mc nt l'd. pn r: 1chu tc. oxyge n. ra di o. £ 1:J port a ble oxy~c n . s~ n s ib l t• offe rs. T e l: 01;!4 :3 5•17 701 Ol' is hed. No p1·a ngs. 'obratra ile r" read y to Lly" - pa. rnchutc.
OOU open to offe rs. Tel: 0 1.-,1';4 82:J6 ..10 ra\O::li! d a lfnhqr . glnbaJ ~.k ozygen & charge r . Pr iced to sl'l l£25 950 View a t Purha m
Te l: Ol:!fiO 4(i9939
ClRRUS 17.7 Excull u nt condition. 1:40. gp <. oxygen. PIK20 IJ[) <12: I. good v"lue a t l' I 0 750. Good co n d ition .
.-VH . new pa rachu u•. barograph. gonrll r uil e r . rig and tow- Cambridg-e· va ri o. Fac torv fiiJI"eg la s~ t ra i l~ 1· . Sw in do n
LIDELLE 201B o ut.fi t in ·xce li Pn t co nd i tion . Orlgi n a l
out gear. r ;uTi <>:; wu1 <•r . n t've r c ra~ h ed . .t I 0 300. PhoiW 0 I 793 7252G5 - ... t.ra ill' r . no <-Ta:·dw~. comprdw ni'ivc· pa neL pa rad n lt t'.
barogrnphll ogg('r . lowo ut/ r iggin g aids . -£94 95 o no. T ul:
Inn 0 112:1 ~01588 or pl'll<'" ~ lid e rpi l ot.n<:t.
LS6c Co ns idt·nihle dfllnage. S<'nti ihle offer s. T >J: 0 160, 014 ~~ ,-,2 1787 or <ll :-ln S77774
AS\""\' 20L. 16.5M. Gl' rm a n bui lt . G(10d eondition . in ~ tru­ 685790 SF27A Sd1 c ibc. Hu ill 196ii. only I :JOU hrs. L/IJ :J1 . Cood
JJll'llt~. ox;.r!-{en , me ta l t. l'ui lc r. Ne w Cof:\ . ;..Jo reFtson a bl • cnndi t.io n. \oVin gs recove1·E>d and 1·e pain te.d in 1998. fu be -
ASW I 5B ba,cd Lash am . (;ood co ndition . I vea r CofA.
offo•· •·cfn "<·d . Tc l: 0 125G 893970 lngc O K. f:lHOO. Con ta ct : (fn x) +:1 29 :129 9069 or
r.,colle n t val ue fo r mon ey w ith full pn oe l. GQ.Silhoue tte
<l'tJ\' Hildcm\' n(li pttndo r a he (BeJgiu.m )
DART 17R w ith trai le r . i n s tl ' llm <mt:-~. ra d io plus l:l P<.n achute. aluminium trai le r . low-out. l·ig. £1 0 500 . To-1:
mont hs CofA . S'cn Ouns ta hl e. £5000 or o iTet·. T e l: 0 18 1 :l=!i ke 0 12·13 71:!23 J.:J ASTLR CS. 197ti, l028hr>. 907 launcheo. Prcfe.l'l'ed
ii50 804 (i woode n u /c (ram<.' . Gel-coat c.= xcf.• lil·nl. Rt1dio. e vario. t/o
KESTREL SE lU ES 4 19!\L Same ' yndi ca te si nce new gea r . pn rH chut e. \! .g-ood fibrcg-l uss trail(:r. Co f A to ,JanO 1.
DISCUS B Vc .-y good <=o ndi tion . never d n ma !{cd . fres h 1975. Only nao hrs. S up el'b co ndition wilh UH :; ic ~ a nel .~9. 7ii0 on o. Tcl Paul 0171 2 H u9G7 (w). 0171 •l:JI 7\!96 (h).
('of;\. I mn n r ig w ith Schofit•ld t rn il c r .£ ~ 7000 To l : 01 95 ·1 a nd n ow CofA. New muttl l t rail e r HJ99. £1 :1 600. T el: AS\.Y 20F 19HO, ba."'ic ins tJ·unHmt.s . .\IH:d trailt~ r. ne w
~1 14 1 ~. 0 1 2 ~ :1 ~7333 1 0 I ~\!5 7 ~0 7 •14 Co li\. For q ui ck "Hl <! ,£ 1a 750 ono . 0 J4 7:l 41 JI:l . J. 0120G
VEI\TUS b 15m/16.6m hull wi t h !\~IF trai le r. We ll LS3 - 17 (ECI') in outstanding condition. Totally 2•11967 or 01 ,173 (i.'i230 1
ma inLa in ed f'Xarnpl l'. £22 000 . T el : tfon Bast.in U\'enin gR acc ide.rtt-free history. Excdlenl AM I' trai le r. He-gelled LS(ic t.)f17 .5 m . 1 9 9 :~ S ingle owne r from new. 29t)
on 0134•l 3G080:1 or Emn il: ha~ tioj Q'ilc<•nlricaeo tt k twd ta ilwh ue l Cilted in 199 ~). N e w Cot'.i\. Good in s t.ru- launC'h es $:l0 hours . J·:xer.J\(•n t r.o ndi tion w ith n w CofA.
nw nls. A much -loved uin:raft which ha ~ been carefullv B a~ i c instrum e nt s + j'lesch ges VP:3E. Tow in g- ou t ge ar
LfBEI.I.E 2018 Ex cellent co ndition with very good mwd and lovin!!lv mnin ta ined. View Parhnm. \:19 230. and Uo bt'a Ll'~_lil c r . \iuw glide r ha.s :.nTi\' e d . pric.t..•d to ~d l ­
pnnc·l incl udin g Ca mhri dgu S peed Direc tor a nd Dit,Lr l 720 T ei: oJHo3 89 3sa ·;; Circ.:a t :l:) k. 0124 2 2 5ii 9~M. Tn.•vc:n· 8 ttta l'U" Vir gi n ~t>t.
radio n nd oxyg-e n . Purpo:;e built.. Alumin ium u·aile r. A FLAPf'ED VEGA J 511 7 with win glets. Co mpl ete o utfi t
very ni ce outfit. £ 9000. T d : Bob Fox 01 4~ ~ H'l6 127 ARRlVAL of Ouo Oi scus tbis year m Pans the sa le of in ~ up e rb co ndition wi t.h nlut..a llca ilcr . T el: 0 14;) :) 5S2H:1o
my mueh lovt>d Discus B. 1986. full pane l. ma m· (home)
V EGA 15/17. Un e own Pr s ince new. Good co ndit-i on ,
ex tra s. lift-top t.r:·liicl'. All iu ~upl'rb cond ition. O ffe r ~ ove r JANTAR 2 15:\11. Low hulll'S. ru.fi n i ~ h ed. full pa nel. fil.n·c·
nwlal t.miiL·r. tow ou l 1-!:t:a r. bas ic ini"itrum t: nL:;. (;Jls. £25 ooo. T c l: 0 7Ro7 oi0214 3
parachu te. CofA to :lluy . .1: 12 000 ono . Mi ke Po p ~ 0! 4.'il ~ I ns:-; tr a ile r , excell e nt cunditi o n . \::12 ;)00. 1\•l: 011 7
H:!O,J/7 - 0:170 G:i 8,138 AS W 24 W/L l\ov.flO. Self launchin g. low h ours, full : l/ 7 69 ~7 or Ol •lii:{ 7:11 < 10 7
pnn ul, C.:l Flig ht comput er . Hec ke r ra dio , Cobr a tn\il er , KA6CR llll<' rh ~:onditi o n . 12 mon t hs Cofr\. no ch a nn e l
PI RAT SZD :10. Bea u t iful co nd iti on . S t a nd a rd pillll' l, all win g COVl' r ~. !"ow in g o u t, g ·•Hr . E. xcPliPnt <;oodit.ion. Price Dittc l. audio. Pic(; tri c: vnrio, la r gp r C'fl nopy. g l n s.~cd wood
ri gging aids . .spare Ci:W OP! '· new Co fA . i\o trail l• r . and do t a il s cu nlat t I::rn s t : Tei/ Fax 02,\7 6 :11'\2 190 t•·ail cr . £ 47ii0. T t' l: 020R •1<19902•1
HantTarc d ut Port moak . fl.h1 s t 1:1cll - n l•w glid('r 11rri vi n g.
ASW20L (Ge rman) Tips. Gr ea t. pe rfo rm a nce. excelle nt
£2500 negotiable. 0 1 as~ 72~ 76 7 1993 KIRBY KITE MI< I with trai!t' r. Horcopportunity
to purchase t.hi s ori gina l nnd benut.iful g lider .•J ohn
gol. H /wnxed . Bohli . E\-V. Cn mbricl ~e \' nri u. 720 r ndi o.
DART 17R :J.5 :1 perform a nce. New:- Alumi nium t nti lc r . VH . T/S. St hoti e ld tra iler. tow out g~m·, Comp "'o. "~O L".
A ll iso n. T el: Ol :J67 860787 Ema il : Allison ist'4a ol.com
GPS. pa ra ch u te an d ca nopy. Also LX I 00 vn rio. r:ul io nnd 1.: 21 0 0 0 ono. Vi ew Hing mcr 014·4 ll ,1,1055 1
b:]l'O~ra ph . :\11 mod s co mp le ted . Full yea rR ColA O nl y DAI{T 17R S upe rb condition . s par ins pection recently K6cr 1964 na ~ i c in st rum e nt:; Ine ra d io. GCKJd cond it io n .
1150 hours. f(i4ii0 ovn o. Stevc 0 1466 7 730 I 0 or H1·ia n co mpl eted. new ColA :.!ew t rai ler . based at Bidford . 2 l/:1 with trajl e r . Reco\'er ed 199 1. 2,.100 hr<. .1:2800 . MIOO
01~9 1 GZ! HO~ ,;h a re'S fo r s ale £~000 pe r s hore or con s ider sale of hull. 196 4 bas ic in!-\tl'Utn Qnls. Ve ry good conrlilio n. w it h
Phone 'ht·is on 01 8:12 85:32 12 or AI on 0 1784 434 745 t rai ler . £2500. K7 196 1 re pa irable <la nutgl· LU fu ~e l age
TRAiLERS FOR SALE. Offer s a rc in vit~d to r tlu: fol·
!owing two fu ll y 5(:•tTi cea hlc traik•1·s now :-'Ul·pluti to STANOARD C IRR US built. in 1972. 2056 hour:;, 1977 £850. Tel: OlH H 6 1:1401 ur Ema il:
requ ire m Pn l.:->. Op<•n Trailer desig ned fur 131 a ni k~ hut la unch es . .r\ir brake mod a nd wat er ba llast tanks. mo r k trdc•\·o ra lk d Pmon <
1l.J.!..!i
wou ld s uit. other 2 ~C.<H C' r::>. E xcL• llc nt cond iti on. l.5m MI!C h::t nical a nd e lectric vari o~ . A/ H and n-ulio. GHP GLASFLUGEL 604 . O p~ n Class. 49:1. motu! u ·ail t· r·.
Closed Trailer s uitabl e fo r S tcl. Cirru s 0 1· ~ iJnihn . t rai ler. tow o ut gc.a r. i\vcra ge condition. £9000 ono. in ~ trunw nl ~. oxygv n. ri ggin g a id:-; & eo\' t·~ . .£ 1:1 ?)00 (1 11 0.
Enq ui•·ies tO ~'l ik e on 014 62 711 934 o r 0797,.1 106190 Contuc t Steve 01 608 730:J4(j m · ,John 01~ 8 0 70:20;lJ Vi,•w a L Oun >tn ble. Td: 01 4()2 G72ii32
April - May 2000 63
 c Gransden
All glass fleet
Regionals
Motor glider
A great ailfield August 19th- 27th
Winch & aerotow
7 day operation (5 in winter) 200 0 1

Gransden Lodge Ai1:fleld, Longstowe Road, Little Gransden, Sandy, Beds, SG/9 3EB
Call }an ll'ory on 01767 677077- Fax: 01767 677616- email: o.ff'[email protected]

Holiday courses with professional training at the renowned Long

Midland Mynd deep in the heart of the beautiful Shropshire countryside
start from £125 plus £22 per day full board, inclusive of all launch
and flying fees . We even guarantee your flying time whatever the
weather. Our modern glass fleet and powerful retrieve winch
system combine to give you the max flying time for your money.
Courses cater for all levels from beginner to pundit. For full
tong Mynd, Churdt Stretton
details visit the club web site or contact jan in the office by
Shropshire, SY'6 6TA
phone. You can send email to: [email protected]

IVISA I ... ··.

•
~ •
iiJ
;HoMAs

~
•
•
•
Pop-Top Glider Pilots Parachute
State of the art in emergency parachutes
The Pop-Top. External seated pilotchute providing the fastest possible deployment.
Fully encased risers resulting in a snag free parachute container system.
Steerable parachutes in a range of sizes to suit all sizes of pilots.
Soft, slim line design for the ultimate in comfort
• British built, quality assured to BS 5750
• Reliability, comfort and efficiency when it matters

THOMAS Sports Equi1p ment Limited

Lofty's Loft· Pinfold Lane· Bridlington ·North Humberside· Y016 5XS • T~l: 01262 678299

YORK GLIDING CENTRE

WHERE ONLY THE BEST WILL DO!
Brilliant site • Quality, mud free runways • No airspace restrictions • 2 Pawnee tugs •
2 winches • 3 x 2 seat training gliders • 3 x single seaters • 3 motor gliders for faster
glider training • Approved site for glider pilot to PPLSLMG • Plenty of caravan and
trailer spaces • Full time staff • 7 day operation

RUFFORTH AIRFIELD, YORK • TEL 01904 738694

64 Sailplane & Gliding
 K ESTREL 19 '1'591'. Immaculate cond.ilion with current ASW201 German pane l c:Jsd i. j(f'"· ?20de lcom, EW IOI!·
OMARAMA N.Z. "oft\. FuU pnnel complete wit h nucbo, averager . T&S, 720
rudjo and uccomodat.ion for Ganuj_n/E\\'. AJ:-:;o include:-:;
ger. wing cover~. tow out, oxy·gcn le. fuse needs wQrk tiO
either\: 18 (){JQ a.J'> ~t u n d s 0 1· £:19 500 after work. new CofA
Discus B in pristine condition available l'efurbisherl tl'aii ~J·, tow out gea r. p:.u·nchntt>, oxygen ond Feb2UOO. Tel O l ~6:l7 :l4 049
for charter at Omarama, New Zealand, covers. £127~0 ono. Tel: (),168 (iO:l~-10. F:nmil: JANTAR 1 19 :vletrP - affon::lahl f• hi gh p<:rforrnan ee.
dh(a t:d lfm .Coln. Pics/info: www.cd l f'Jn.c:omi K<·~tn·l/19.htm l Fl wn hy C FI for la s 1 10 yea rs. r·:xc.;t! ll <· nt t.ra il<"' r. l e I:
during our coming Southern Hemisphere
DG300 CLU13 ELAN t'1? tractab le u/c (W»Le r ba llas t can 01fi6:3 7:J3G9:1 Emni l: in.nrf!...tJPok·tt-·nnf-:latjon R.C'o.qk
summer (from October 2000 onwards) .
be fit ted) IJuilt 88. 3721au nc.h es. 656 hou rs. excellent cnn- DC300. ih·gi5t.('red I 9fl4. I~() how·s. I 00 latmdll·"· i\eVf'l'
Equipped with Cambridge GPS loaded ditjon..Av -Ox. fuU s t .Jaxida ('Over~. t.inted canopy. Cohra damag..~d . .superb cond ition. CoUr a l rai ll' r . tow -ou l h , r .
with all the relevant Omarama u·ailer. LX!OOO. :VI ~<·h vario. AS ! Alti. rCimpa"'· Low-out Rcl-racta blc und crcnrriag-c. Borgel l vario. good insr-ru-
information, and fully crewed with daily gear. View in England ~~0 000. T PI: 01~3HR S:la 2 ll.ll·nls. de man d o.-..:ygcn. tin ted ca nopy. wa l<'l" ball st.
weather briefings and task options. High N IMB US 2B. l'llntchu te, oxyg"en. L· ·av, vi'S. EW. Easy righring and fly ing. wn h self <:ouncctin~ con lrols,
quality accommodation by way of an metal traile r . Great performance. OnJy C15 995. Contact pow('_ rfu l airbntkes. excd lcn l \'i,:;:.il>ilit y. Offers m·uund
Jes"ica 07989 32892 .t~(i 000. Mike, Thorne 0 1794 8840 H7. Email:
airfield chalet .i s also available. mik eo:utmikl' thornl' <·o uk
VI, NTUS H !6.6M Exccllcnl oondition incl. l.. ull panel. oxy-
Contact Richard Hatstead , gen & parachute. '18: I g lide with easy lighlweigh t rig an d
sd f <:onnect ingco nlro l. New cunopy & A~\I F t.rai lcr. ,£:22 000
Omarama, New Zealand. ono. Td: Tim Hurn 01420846,14 Ema il : t.hurn(ti hrmwr co.qk
M ISCELLANEO US
RE CREATIONAL TYPE AIRSTRIP WITH FULL
Tei/Fax ++64 3 438 9621 . DG I 00 197fi. 2860 hours. 1280 lauuchcs. Good condition . PLA)IINTNG CONSENT. GO :ten• f'nrm. a nd property for
email: [email protected] Alu minium t rni lcr. tow-out gear. GPS. log~c r/barograp h . salP w e~ t. of Birm ingh ;_l m. For de l .a il ~ and lnfor mH lion
oxyge n a nd parachute . OFFE !Ui. Tci/Fax: (013~98) 8257.) ring Mo bi le Number 07702 077996 or cnntnct FIC:A
P IK 20B. Good co nditio n. 8ii0 houn<. Full pntwl im:. O ffice.
nol'geit 1350 Flight, DircctOI'. T&S. l'a rlio. CH lllCI'I;l'~. ha i'O·
~raph a nd Co mp No. F'nctory tl'ailcl·ltow-out. gear. £10
300 or near offer for qu ick sa le. Holt'oyd 01•18~ 3~6666
"Please dad, can we go on a gliding holiday? (W) 0 HI:!~ 665861 (le)
can we? Please?"
Dream on .
Or come to Seminole Lake for year-round soar·
ing in Cen tral Flori da . GARMIN GPS SYSTEMS
l2XL- 12 MAP- 11 - PLUS-
And drag the kids off screaming to Disney, only Ill - PLUS Ill- PILOT, ETC.
15 miles away, when you feel they've had too
much of a good thing. CAMELIBAK DRINK SYSTEMS
Insulated . The best! Variou s sizes, from £27.95 .
• Florida's premier gliderport
•
•
Excellent fleet - DG505 demonstrator available
Basic and advanced instruction
PARAGLIDING and PARAMOTORING
The UK's leading tea m- all tuition is to British
• Accommodation • Swimming pool Associalion syllabus.

a SEMINOLE-LAKE GLIDERPORT
PO Hnx 12U45X,Ciermont, Florida 34712
SKY SYSTEMS LTD
66 Woodboume Avenue, Brighton BN I BEJ
Tel(012731556695 • Fax: 01273 566330
Tcl (00 I) 352-394 5450 Email : [email protected]
Our tiny Solario solar-powered acoustic variometer weighs
www ....:;oarO.tmn cmail: soarfl @aol.com Online shop at: www.skysystems.co.uk just 38gm! it operates whenever it is bright enough to fly in
thermals, and the absence of any batteries makes it the per·
feet back-up vario. But many top pilots use it all the time,
because it you mount it close to your head it is like having a
vario inside your brain!

BIDFORD GLIDI NG CENTR E 1 1 "My favourite little bird that sings to me in therma/s".
Bruce Goldsmith,
'99 Paragliding World Serial Class Champion
announces the following competitions
Turbo/Self taunch Comp 2000 • 3rd - 11th June The Solario provides twelve different operating modes.
allowing the pilot to choose an ideal combination of volume
This is the 4th successive year for this popular BGA Rated event. and sink-tone threshold. Damping is also adjustable.
Novices to Pu ndits ca n enjoy the competitive spirit in a relaxed atmosphere!
No Crews - No landouts - No Hassle! Yesterday was the first time I used mine in anger and
I was mightily impressed. /! was faster than the cock·
Entry Fee £7 20.00 pit vario. More accurate. I was getting 2 up, when
the cockpit vario read 1 down. /thought for a novice
Wooden Ships Comp 2000 • 26th - 28th August like me to get 30 mins (off a 2,500 foot launch in
Bring along your K8, K7, OLY, Swallow, SF27, K13, Skylark o r whatever windy conditions), is pretty good.
and fly against your peers in the beautiful vale o f Evesham! Laurie, Sailplane pilot
Entry Fee just £20.00 In strong sunlight the solar cell delivers up to 40 times the
Bidford Airfield, Bidford on Avon, Warwickshire, 850 4PD • Tet 01769 772606 current needed, surplus power charging a buffer condenser
which provides power for those tricky times -when there are
cloudy skies around sunset, or the sun disappears behind a
mountain!
RENSCHLER SOLARIO:
-~

/~~
"Brilliantly simple ... simply brilliant"
Joe Schofield, Solaria review, Skywings August '99
Chosen by thousands of hang glider and paraglider
Cotswold Gliders
http://www.cotswoldgliders.co.uk
pilots, including: '99 PWC Serial Champion Bruce
Goldsmith, '98 World Hang Gliding Champion Guido
Gehrmann, and '99 British National Cross-country
Champion Justin Needham.
HIGH QUALITY SPECIALIST WORK IN
Carbon, kevlar and glassfibre , wood and metal. Alloy airframe repairs a speciality. £99.99 (+£2.29 p&p)
All types of repair work undertaken , from minor trailer rash to large insurance claim. For full details of the Renschler range (including the Sol 7
Kestrei /Libelle rudder and aileron drive rebuilds , also NOT testing of rudder drive. with barograph and GPS access for !470) visit our web site
Motor glider engine approval . Machining facilities for wing pins, axles, etc. Tig welding. 'liWWfublul.l~Mwn

If you require any of the above services, please contact Trade enquiries welcome
TONYCOX Sole UK Distributors:
Tel : Workshop 01993 779380 Fax 01993 779380
Em ail: [email protected] FIREBIRD UK
Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA
or The Old Dairy, High Cogges Farm, High Cogges, Witney, Oxon. OX8 GUN Tei/Fax: 01404 891685 e-mail: [email protected]

April - May 2000 65

 AUSTRALIA FOR GLIDING?
BENALLA SF 25C Rotax-Falke Advertisers' Index
Airborne Composites
Page
46
WE'VE GOT IT ALL! Bailie Sailplanes 62
THE IDEAL MOTORGLIDER Benalla 66
A site so consistently good that it 1s thn only p!a • n Australia to
have had a t OOOkrn flight for each at t h~ last 3 years. More than a FOR TRAINING, SOARING, Bid ford GC 61 & 65
dozen records broken here last summer. Over 25 successful UK
badge !lights lrorn BenaJia last seasor'J. CRUISING AND AEROTOW Black Mountains GC 57
If it's 5 hours or 1OOOkm that's your aim then Benatla Is the place to
Booker GC 62
do it. Need a hetp along? Th join one of our Cross Country or Bristol & Gloucestershire GC 24, 60
NovEx courses.
Thermsl Soaring· Paddock Landings- Photo Techniques
Brilish Gliding Association 8
Badge and Racing Tasks Bruno Brown 56
Fleet now updated to tr.clude IS28 x4. T6tC Falke. PW-5. Juniorx2.
Hornet x2, Std Cirrus, Mosquito. DG200. Nrmbus 2C. Otscus 8 , LS8. Cair A via lion 32.61
LSB/ 18, lS68 , Ventus 2C 18m and Ntmbus 40M {not for solo h•re). Cambridge lnslruments 5
Weekly packages available
Cambridge GC 64
Inexpensive on-site accommodation or nearby motels ava~ebfe.
Easy travel from Melbourne or Sydney.
Civil Aviation Aulh<irity 45
For delatls contact SCHEIBE-FL.UGZEUGBAU Clacton Aero Club 40
General Manager Fiymg Operallons. Andrew Ward al: Clowes TUCumulus Inside Fronl Cover
Gliding Club of Vicloria GMBH ConFurn Design 62
PO Box 46. BENALLA, Vie 3672, Australia
Tel:.61 357 621058 • Fax +61 357 625599 D-H~221 D:tch;nt, A ugu.~ t -Pi'alt7.-Str. 25 Cotswold Gliders 65
Check our Website for full details: 'l d : 00 1') Hl.)I-720H:I or -720H4 • Fax: -7.1il'JH~
www.home.aone.net.awbenalla_ gliding/
Crabb Computing 25
Email: [email protected] UK Contact: Peter Serge Fink Deeside GC 33
BE='JALLA- We've got 1t All! Tel: 01293 885141 • Fax: 01293 813214 EW Avionics 24
Easl of England Sailplanes 40
Anthony Fidler 66
Firebird UK 65
Flighlmap Software 33

KENT GLIDING CLUB GLIDERS SPECIAL Fuentamilanos

Hill Aviation
62
50
FOR THE WAVE SEASON lnternalional Sailplane Services 61
~ Challock, 7 NIGHTS BED and BREAKFAST Joint Aviation Services 25

M_
Kent GC 66
Ashford, from £105pp
Kent .. Lasham Gliding Sociely
Loch Kinord Hotel
47
66
K·E·N · T
GLIDING CLU.
TN25 4DR London GC 50
Marsh 4
Come to Kent for courses to suit all McLean Avia lion 5
Midland GC 64
grades of pilots from beginners to
Nevynn International 15
cross country. Situated on North Norfolk GC 40
Downs thermal and ridge site. North Yorks Sailplanes 50
Meals and accommodation in The Loch Kinord Hotel Omarama 65
comfortable fully licensed (formerly Profci" llotd) in Hoyal Oee,ide Oxfordshire Sportflying 56
Only I . S mile~ from the
Clubhouse. DEESIOE GLIDING CLUB
Pilot Flight Training 56
Offering comfon ahlc accommodation. good food.
Premier Eleclronics 14
For details, write or phone : RD Avialion Inside Back Cover
Real Alt:' and a fine ~ei<:c tion of Malt Whi,ky to
01233 740274 enjoy hc,ide real log firt:s.(Daih· r.ttc~ available) Rem a tic 40
Fax 01233 740811 ~ Telepho11e 013398 85229 for resertillliOIIS Roger Targell 43
Russia Sai lplanes 47
Scollish Gliding Centre 57
Schofield lrailers 46
Scheibe Falke 66
Seminole Lake 65
GLIDER/AIRCRAFT Severn Valley Sailplanes
Shenington
46
13
INSURANCE? Skycraft Services
Skylaunch
24
40
Contact: Sky Systems
Southern Sailplanes
65
Oulside Back Cover
COMPUTER LOGKEEPING Tony Fidler Southdown Aero Services 40

* GLIDING ClUB
Management System
Glider pilot for 30+ years
35+ years insurance
Specht Erns!
Slemme Motorgliders
Task Nav
62
13
32
Proven, tested and in use by 4 UK Gliding Clubs The Soaring Centre 33
experience Thomas Sports Equipment 64
*LOGBOOKS Glider or Power Turnpike Technics 66
Personallogkeeping packages £25.00 each Telephone/tax/write to:
54
* PC Glidelog Conversions
UK Parachule Packing Services
£s.oo ANTHONY FIDLER & CO Wells Design 14
INSURANCE CONSULTANTS WoldsGC 14
Turnpike Technics 27 High Street, Long Sutton Xi mango 32
73 Old Turnpike, Fare ham, Hants, UK P016 7HF Spalding, Lines PE12 9DB York Gliding Centre 64
Tellfm~
01329 221992 • Credit Cards Welcorn~ Tel : 01406 362462 Yorkshire GC 47
E·MAil: turnpike~1e<hnics17 . f reeserve. co. uk
Fax: 01406362124 Zulu Glasslek 46
I Also available from Nevynn International 01623 634437

66 Sailplane & Gliding

 fFl {Jj) AVIATION LTD ~
CLIMB FASTER
CRUISE EFFICIENTLY
850 Vario/Director £582.98 +VAT= £685
• Smooth responsive vario • Audio 'significant lift alert'
• Different sounds for vario and speed • Relative/netts vario in cruise
• Altitude compensated to 20,000ft • Control unit 57 mm, Vario 57 or 80mm
• Installation easy- no flasks • Win Pilot Pro compatible

857 Glide Computer £553.19 +VAT= £650

• GPS or OR glide computer • Remote controller if required
• Wind-auto or manual GPS drift derived wind speed/dir, actual component in cruise
• Operates with NMEQ 0183 from ant/source • Modular expansion, buy 850 now, B571ater

840 Basic Vario £254.47 +VAT= £299

• Smooth, responsive display • AIMude compensated to 20,000ft
• Audio sink/climb, or just climb • Switchable to glider power or own battery
• Averager- push button, or switched • Installation easy- no flask

Colibri FAI Approved Flight Recorder

The Colibri, from Filser Electronic GmbH, is probably the
smallest, cheapest and best featured fully FAI approved
Flight Recorder with an integral GPS on the market.
Compare its specification and the full range of features
shown below against any other approved Flight Recorder.
Compatible with Win Pilot Std

Only £497.87 +VAT= £585.00

• lntegral11 channel GPS • Recording time up to 100 hours at 12 sec fixing rate
• Electronic barograph with 3 feet resolution • TP sector can be set to FAI quadrant or cylinder
• Navigation display with 2 line, 8 character LCD • Audible warning when within the selected TP sector
• Integral engine noise level sensor for turbos and MGs • Calculates and displays vector wind while circling
• Size only 59mm x 98mm x 35mm and weight 200 gms! • Electronic task declaration
• Ergonomic intuitive 7 button 'k eyboard • NMEA output for Cambridge LNAV or SDI C4
• Supplied with database of up to 5000 aerodromes • Full task analysis statistics function
• 600 BGA turn points pre-loaded • Needs external power of 7 to 20 volts at 100 mA
• Holds 100 pre-programmed tasks, each with 10 TPs • Supplied with antenna, PC lead & software

• • • • I

-
\I1SA
RD Aviation Ltd.
25 BANKSIDE, KIDLINGTON, OXON OX51JE, ENGLAND
Web Site: www.rdavlatlon .com .. E-Mail : [email protected]
Tel : 01865 841441 • Fax: 01865 842495 *Shop Hours 0900-18.30 Mon-Fri 10.00- 12.30 Sat
-
VISA