Top or bottom? Best site for a gliding club?
Now here's a question for glider pilots. Is it better to put your club at the bottom of the hill, like Dunstable (London Gliding Club) or at the top of the hill, like Sutton Bank or the Long mynd (that's Midlands, or Yorkshire). A hill, or better, a line of hills as in ridge, is useful for soaring when the wind blows against the hill. Can get crowded on a hill, makes me nervous, especially when the flying tablecloths (hang gliders) are there as well, you have to keep a VERY VERY VERY good lookout when soaring a hill. But a hill is good for popping off thermals, now that's the way to go places, from cu to cu. My longest flight in the UK was 511 kilometers, took 8 hours and 53 minutes - in thermals. These tend to die down at the end of the day.
Wave is good, go to Scotland for wave. Can be rough.
Shenington is at the top of the hill, and that has its moments! Sunday week, there was FOG, FOG, FOG....Oxford where I live was about 50 yards viz on the road all the way to the gliding club. So they got out a glider anyway, and the winch, and were ready for a clearing...if and when. And lo, the clouds indeed rolled back and the sun came out. So they managed to do 7 or eight winch launches....before the wind came round a few degrees, and the orographic mist began to creep up the hill again....the very very experienced instructor who took the last launch with a friend of mine, couldn't be seen from the ground, but he was keeping a sharp eye, and the easterly end of the runway still there. So landed safely. And then the fog rolled over the glider safely on the ground, we figured out where it had to be, and put the toys away. Absolutely SPIFFING, chaps!
I've done that game, at the Black Mountains Gliding Club, Talgarth, in Wales.
All airtow. Was messing around in their glider, a Junior, on the hillside, watching that cloud in the valley, slowly creeping up the hill...and just before it lapped over the edge of the landing area, I landed! to get told off by the locals.... I WAS watching it carefully, I insisted, but they were worried about me.
So which is better, chaps? top or bottom? I tell you what I think, and that is NOT being so close to London and Luton and LHR and Gatwick, that the cross country possibilities are limited. This is something not always considered when chosing a club.
My own preference as to the hill site, would be half way up, like Talgarth.
Amazing place to fly gliders, Wales. When it stops raining.