Just to update y'all on my quest for engineless enlightenment:
Back at the end of June, I decided to give the
Derbyshire & Lancashire Gliding Club a try. This turned out to be a wise move, and two months later, I was a converted gliding fanatic.
"What have you been doing in the holidays" school essay style thing:
My first impression I got of the site, through the heavy mist was "Airfield?... What airfield?". Camphill is a very daunting sight to a power pilot, accustomed to long stretches of flat tarmac to land on. I generally found the flying qualities of the Puchacz quite pleasing compared with the Tomahawks I had been used to, but the training was far more thorough at the most basic level than PPL training. My boundaries were pushed from the outset, and in particular, my circuit planning and general handling have improved no end since this summer.
From turning up with a PPL, it took about 30 winch launches to get to my first solo/cable break/near death experience
, but not before being put through copious amounts of spinning, stalling and an occasional loop and chandelle (altitude permitting
). I am now slowly working my way out of the
early solo bracket.
I have made many new friends at the club, and now return as regularly as I can, regardless of whether the conditions are flyable. If PPRuNe rules allow it, I would like to recommend the D&LGC in particular, as well as gliding in general, to anyone who is up for a more challenging flying experience.
The End
(Well, hopefully not, in fact!)
Thanks for all the encouraging comments.
Pie.