Smudge,
You awaken memories of my own gliding days (very few in number) in RAF(G), in the weeks before Mrs D. and baby daughter were able to join me out there. The C.G.I. was W/Cdr Crowshaw ("Joe the Crow"), C.O. of 11 Sqdn (Javelins) at Geilenkirchen. He instructed me on the "K-2" (I think), and turned me loose on a Grunau "Baby".
First solo, turned downwind all right, turned in as briefed (400 ft). But the ground looked awfully close for that height ! Brakes in (did the "Baby" have brakes ?) and just managed to scrape in, coming to rest abeam the Master of Ceremonies' trestle table.
"What did you do that for ?", they said. "Why didn't you turn in at 400 ft, as you were told?" "I did turn at 400", I retorted indignantly. "Were you tapping the altimeter ?" they said. "No, should I have been ?"
Now they tell me !
Danny.