Gliding

[bigflyingrob]

Any up to date glider pilots in the UK out there? The reason I ask is I used to glide ( Silver C) but drifted away. I thought I might do a gliding holiday next year and would ask about the good the bad and the ugly. I am out of date but as I recall Lasham was not that set up for post solo courses and the advanced soaring course I once did at the Mynd is best consigned to the history books!

[Flap 5]

Post solo out of Dunstable is also quite poor. They do good courses for initial training but post solo is neglected. It would seem that they are all pretty much the same. Getting dual on the K21 can be quite tricky as there is the dreaded list to get on to (early) in the morning! Once you have overcome the hurdles then getting on to a syndicate for a decent glider seems to be the best way.

[bletchleytugie]

How long is it since you last flew a glider?

The reason for asking is that things might have changed in the recent past that you might not be aware of, ie revised circuit patterns, launch failure training etc. When did you you last do any spinning etc.

Might be worth considering some of the above and revisiting them




Bletchleytugie

[bigflyingrob]

When I last flew at Dunstable they used to frig the list. People who got there later but claimed they were going for longer flights ie Silver C distance etc were given aircraft and those who had got off their arse ang got there early were not. It was one of the reasons I packed in gliding there.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Couple of folks from Europe head out to Mmabatho in SA each December for some great gliding. 4000m runway, good hotels, game parks and huge thermals. Contact Dick Bradley of the Soaring Society of South Africa for more info. I did a few tugs for them and mostly launched around 10am, not seeing them again until sunset at around 7pm.

Perhaps you can fly along as crew or rent a glider locally for some soaring closer to base.

[shortstripper]

bigflyingrob

I joined Dunstable for a year back in 1989 , but left them for the same reason!

SS

[18greens]

I think things have changed for the better in gliding. They have acknowledged the issue with people drifiting off after solo.

Lasham have several post solo courses, cross country courses, trips. Its worth a visit to talk to them.

They are also a lot less snotty about power pilots that they used to be.

[ProfChrisReed]

Sutton Bank on the N York moors does courses - I visited the club this year and found it friendly, and it seemed that those on the course (I took my own glider) were enjoying themselves. It's also a good tourist area for the poor weather days.

I've also heard good reports of Nympsfield near Gloucester, but haven't flown there myself.

I don't think any of the East Anglian clubs (Wormingford, Ridgwell (both Essex), Rattlesden (Suffolk) and Tibenham (Norfolk) do much in the way of gliding holidays.

If I were looking to spend a week gliding I'd get some distance away from London (fewer airspace problems, more relaxed members) and pick somewhere with hills or mountains (possibility of ridge and wave lift as well as thermals).

One option is to find a smaller club than Lasham or Dunstable which flies week-round and give them a call. I would think many of these are fairly quiet midweek, so if you visited Monday-Friday they might provide you with an ad hoc course, possibly with more flying than you could manage on an organised course. For example, I also visited Saltby near Grantham, and there were only a handful of pilots on the two midweek days I was there and I had a check flight within an hour of turning up unannounced.

All club contact details are on www.gliding.co.uk

[shortstripper]

As there are obviously a few current glider pilots on here, does anyone know of a club in the south that still flies a Slingsby T31?

My T31m (single seat powered version) is nearing completion, and as I haven't flown a glider seriously for about 15 years I wouldn't mind a quick refresher. I could just do it in any glider, but it seems a good idea to do it in a T31 if there is one out there. Thanks

SS

[astir 8]

I don't know of any clubs with a T31 these days (a few have got a T21 lurking in the back of the hangar for sunny days) but they are mostly in private hands.

Try the Vintage Glider Club forum

www.vintagegliderclub.org

[18greens]

I understand Parham has a T31.

[Nimbus265]

I Understand that there is a T31 at Bannerdown, and if you contact them they may just be willing to give you a flight.

[shortstripper]

Thanks,

I'll try Parham first as it's not very far away.

SS