This thread just runs and runs........
@Auster fan - we probably do know each other then !!. Flew over Swanton Morley last week - it appears that the Army have removed some trees !!, however there is the hangarage issue. Also I notice now that on the 1:250,000 it shows microlights at Swanton (never seen any though). I am told that the GSA Club at Wattisham are considering running summer courses there this year (aerotow only)
@Chevvron - highly unlikely as Wattisham is too busy, even at weekends now. Note that the issues with winches and cables and active airfields, lighting and aerials still exists................. weekday ops are virtually zero for gliders and weekends can be a bit fraught I am told (see my comment above about GSA)
@A&C - it's been tried (AKA the Challock 'Experiment' for 618VGS). sadly summer is busiest time for civilian clubs also with many doing their own 'holiday courses' which are big revenue earners for clubs.They don't want any aircraft interfering with their own activities, Also it's the competition season so again, not really feasible for many sites to mix the two............. there is also rafts of paperwork from MoD and ACO so just rocking up with a winch, some gliders and a few people to a site really isn't feasible or a practical training proposition. Actually it wouldn't even get past first base................. (you should see the paperwork associated with the Portmoak 'detachments' for a few weeks in the summer - now discontinued I think.....)
@Thorr - I like your idea - when I was on 625 VGS and we shared Hullavington with 621 VGS we would often lend each other aircraft for courses. An extra 2 airframes pushed the productivity up for the course cadets and also we could so more SCT with the staff cadets to move them upo to 'AGT' or through to G2/G1 or doing some soaring training. Often our limitation was instructors to man them !! (So successful that they merged the 2 schools Doh !!)
Just my 2 pennyworth on a variety of subjects/topics..............
Arc