And so-on, a majority that don't even publish their existence to powered pilots, and a minority who do publish their existence, but tell us to bu66er off unless we are glider pilots on gliding business.
I think that they are nearly all listed in Pooleys on in the list of glider launch sites.
Considerate Glider Training
My gliding club operates a training system where there are normally two instructors on duty and pupils book either online or by 'phone for a half-day session. A maximum of three pupils are booked each session so that one instructor has two pupils for half a day and the other one. This provides 'spare' instructor capacity for ad hoc checks etc. Every booked pupil will fly - weather permitting. Trial lessons are booked on a separate system and with a dedicated glider and instructor. This is to ensure that trial lessons do not disrupt the training of paid-up and booked members. Anything less than this means there are not enough people on the ground to launch the gliders.
This approach is considerate to pupils by allowing them to learn without too much wasted time. The morning pupils are expected to help unpack the hangar & DI the gliders and the afternoon ones to wash them, if necessary, and pack them away. It also allows them to progress quickly. Students with prior power experience are welcome and progress quickly once they find out what their feet are for! Several instructors are powered pilots and of those some are also power instructors.
Visiting Powered Aircraft
We permit access only by glider tugs and aircraft actually owned by members. In practise the latter are virtually all trained tug pilots. We do not allow even our established members to fly in with hired aircraft. This is mainly due to planning constraints which limit the numbers of movements each day and it would be unfortunate to have to stop towing gliders because we have had too many power visitors on a particular day.
We also have noise related planning restrictions.
Even if we did not have planning restrictions the airfield is not geared up for powered aircraft.
- The fuel installation does not meet Trading Standards criteria to sell fuel. (The pump is still calibrated in imperial gallons.)
- There are usually winch cables laid out on the field - which are virtually invisible but can hook-up on an aircraft's undercarriage.
- There are no runway markers, boundary markers etc. Rough areas are unmarked. We don't have runways as such - but a grass field that is used for take-offs and landings.
- No marked 'Control' point to book-in/out.
- Radio is not manned.
- No signals square.
- Landings and takeoffs are not always on the same part of the airfield.
- No clear demarcation between airside and elsewhere - people HAVE to walk and drive on the airfield to get themselves and their gliders to the launch point and to retrieve gliders that have just landed. Few power pilots are used to seeing mobile obstructions on their airfields.
- Non standard circuits: the tugs fly outside the normal glider circuit so they do not descent onto gliders below them and then join on a low base leg. Learning the power circuits in use is part of tug pilot training and done dual.
- No published airfield information.
- Etc.
In summary because the airfield is not intended to be used by visiting powered aircraft it is a relatively hostile environment to pilots unfamiliar with the airfield and mixed aerotow/winch gliding operations. This is simply a fact - and not representative of an attitude towards power pilots. In fact the club has a very significant proportion of members who are either private or commercial pilots or former RAF/commercial pilots. We are more than happy for power pilots to visit - by road or glider. We are very happy to train power pilots to glide.