Originally Posted by
VX275
Back in 79 I watched a C Cat as he launched two gliders with the two cables on the Bedford winch, he then talked me through the next pair, after that I was on my own. I don't think 'my course' lasted much longer than half an hour. These days it will be a week at Syerston.
Much the same experience here VX.
My '65 summer holiday job didn't materialise; there was a summer course on at Halton, so monday morning I hitchhiked there, having arrived home from camp on the saturday. They were pleased to see me as no other staff cadets had been able to make it, meaning the instructors would have to do winching, cable retrieve, Mk3 retrieve trolley etc.
My mate Chris, then still a cadet but a 'C' Cat instructor who later went professional becoming a BGA National Coach, took me to the winches. We had 2 x twin drum Wilds with Bedford engines parked side by side so one driver could operate 4 cables and they could be retrieved all together. Chris did a couple of launches, then watched as I did a couple, then he hooked the cables onto the back of the one tonner to tow them to the launch point and left me on my own!
Several hours later, Jacko, the CO arrived at the winch, saw me driving solo, said '(harumph) I see you're progressing Clark', watched me handle the remaining cables then took the next retrieve truck to the launch point. I guess that was my 'official' checkout.
My daily reward of course was a couple of Mk3 flights per day preceded by a check flight, plus on the wednesday, Jacko checked me out - in VX275! - and I did 4 solo trips in the Sedburgh! On the thursday, as I arrived at the launch point, Phil Plows, the CFI and OiC course, said 'take that Mk 3 Clark, we won't bother with a check flight, as far as I'm concerned you're P1 as from now.'