Originally Posted by
Onceapilot
Pobjoy and Olympia
Your last posts are both good descriptions of some of the best points about cadet gliding in the open cockpit era! The important element was that it was an immersive process. The cadet doing the course was totally involved...RAF bus at 7am, until RAF bus home at the end of the day. TBH, I get the impression that a cadet today could do the whole thing on their computer...OH! Apparently they do!
OAP
It's an immersive experience at a BGA club, though without the open cockpit and the bus, and I can't see any reason why it was different with Vikings than T21/T31 gliders.
Gliders have to be got out and taken to the launch point, the log has to be kept, gliders that have landed have to be retrieved, the winch has to be driven (but only after suitable training), cables pulled out and a great deal can be learnt by observation including seeing DIs - the introduction to airworthiness paperwork.