chris n, Booker is an all aerotow club. In fact that's where I learned to fly. Since then transferred to a club near Banbury, and now I am in my declining rather than ascending years....
Can't resist another yarn. Instructor told me that this would be the last launch for a chap on an intensive course, and asked me to tow the two seater up to one thousand feet over the airfield, rather than the usual two thousand (actually, glider pilots, nobody insists you let go at 2,000, I strongly recommend you wait until you are in LIFT before you let go....the erks who let go at precisely 2,000 and find themselves in heavy sinking air, have just wasted their hard earned money).
However, on this day I suffered brain failure, and completely forgot the gliding instructor had requested the 1,000 foot tow, and after dragging it into the air, carried on northward without remembering to turn back over the airfield....got a couple of miles away, and at one thousand feet, the GLIDER RELEASED!
O heck! I forgot to turn back! There was no way the glider could get back to the airfield, not high enough and too far away. I circled above and watched events unfold, expecting to have to return and inform the club that a field retrieve would be required....
The two seater turned and headed back. Getting low. getting lower....lower....and in the way, our ridge....they arrived just below the treetops on the ridge.....and scraped and scraped and scraped away......and climbed, just agonisingly slowly, just just enough to lob in to the airfield downwind....(there hadn't been much wind anyhow...not really a day ridge soaring, but it does kick off the odd thermal).
I apologised and said how foolish I felt...the instructor said "Not as foolish as I felt when I pulled off at one thousand feet and realised we had a problem..." Cost me a few beers, that did.