Little Grandsden+GFT

[modelman]

My GFT nav leg is scheduled to approach LG from the west and then turn north.I am a bit concerned about the very adjacent glider site with the 3300' tow height that I could overrun into.Plan to arrive at 3700'.
Do they really winch to 3300'?
Have been to LG's website and they have a nice pic of an approach from the west-thanks for that.
MM

[pistongone]

Well i did my training there many years ago and seeing as you are doing a test we can assume good VFR conditions? So look for Sandy tv mast, its about 5 miles NW of LG so you should see it ok, that si the best nav feature for LG as i must say it can be a little bit hard to locate occaisionaly. Whats your next heading? As the gliding site is a bit further east, on the way to Bourne. One other thing you could do to minimise your angst is to ring the gliding club and ask them what there activity is likely to be at your eta! And jot there frequency down on your knee board. Good Luck.

[modelman]

Thanks for responding-that was mighty quick.
Will approaching from the west (Northampton area) and turning north toward Wittering.Might ask the examiner if I can turn north early if I manage to ID LG in time

MM

[pistongone]

Are you sure this is a test? i only ask as sywell to lg is only 24.9nm and lg to wittering is only 29.2, and i thought you had to do a leg of 60 nm and not come back within 30 degrees of your outbound etc, all though it was a long time ago:} but coming in from sywell you should have the mast just off to your left and Little Staunton isnt little at all and it has a mast on its extended centre line to the east. Again good luck and when you have passed, little gransden is a great place to visit!

[crazyscot]

modelman, beware as LG can be very hard to spot if you haven't been there before! (Single grass runway, 10-28, hangars, a few aircraft parked.) My technique when returning from the west was to position north abeam the Sandy TV mast (A1 and East Coast Main Line make great line features) and fly east for the requisite time - there is (was?) a series of small wooded areas nearly aligned with LG. (Google Maps may help you see what I mean.)

The Gransden Lodge glider site is a lot easier to spot (triangle of runways). They really do winch to 3300' when they're active, you don't want to get too close - suggest you figure out some other features to help you pinpoint LG and not get too close. By the way the villages around LG are quite noise sensitive, though you should be OK at 3300'.

[pistongone]

crazy scott
you must be talking of the wood yard which was a turning point for going down wind on 10, then dont forget to bend your down wind leg inside the big house whose name escapes me! Also there is a water tower on the edge of the woods turning final for 10. I totally agree as i said earlier it can be a burger to find sometimes! Your not one of the instructors used to be there in the rex ford days are you ?

[modelman]

Are you sure this is a test? i only ask as sywell to lg is only 24.9nm and lg to wittering is only 29.2, and i thought you had to do a leg of 60 nm and not come back within 30 degrees of your outbound etc, all though it was a long time ago:} but coming in from sywell you should have the mast just off to your left and Little Staunton isnt little at all and it has a mast on its extended centre line to the east. Again good luck and when you have passed, little gransden is a great place to visit!

Not coming from Sywell-I am based at Coventry and CFI seems to think it is long enough ( I belive he said the minima was 40nm)
Little Staunton?
MM

[crazyscot]

No, pistongone, I'm no instructor - did my PPL there in 02-03. I was taught to do tight circuits at 800', I believe something close to mil style with a continuous curving base-to-final.

[pistongone]

Crazyscott, i am sure you'll agree it is a nice place to learn to fly. I only asked as there were two instructors who were scottish when i was there and one of them was deffinitely crazy! I might pop in there on Sunday as i am meeting up with someone at Sywell so a quick stop over there might be in order. Is Graham still there from Skyline?

[gaxan]

Whilst it is very unlikley that the winch at GRL will get to 3000 ft aerotowing in the local area is often to 3000 and higher. It is bloddy scary watching other aircraft come very close to the towing combination. As a tug pilot, it is very difficult to take fast avoiding action without ditching the glider and rope.

[BEagle]

You are not supposed to be given the route you will fly until the day of the test. The FE should give you a briefing, then allow 1 hour for you to plan your route before conducting the pre-flight brief.

The navigation section consists of 2 legs of 40-60 nm and will probably include entry into CAS or a MATZ.

Planning shall be completed without assistance from other students or instructors.

So, your CFI has invalidated your PPL Skill Test by giving you your route in advance - and you have already failed it by asking for advice from others.

A Coventry-based CFI. Shouldn't be too hard for the CAA to keep an eye out for any Skill Test application with a Coventry-Little Gransden-Wittering route.....

[pistongone]

Actually Beagle, you are right, it is called a skills test now and modelman is talking about a GFT which was the general handling test of old wasnt it? In the days when you did a Nav test and a GFT. But i must admit to not having much knowledge of the new testing systems, except when i had to re-validate a couple of years ago and he said i had to do a competency test which i was duly charged £50 for:sad:

[essouira]

modelman - Someone told me this week that Little Gransden has just become unlicenced and that the flying school has stopped training. You need to check this out as you could not land there as a student.
Does anyone know if there is any truth - or is it just one of those aviation rumours ???

[crazyscot]

pistongone, I haven't been there for maybe a year now but it was still Graham and Dawne running the show at the time.

essouira, it's not just a rumour - check the NOTAMs, they do currently appear to be unlicensed. (However, if it's a GFT nav leg, remember that they don't land downroute...)

[pistongone]

When i was in the early stages of training there, John Jefferies(brother of Mark) Decided to improve the drainage of the runway and so DUG IT UP!!! He was kind enough to leave a strip down the side for based planes, but this invalidated the licence. So i had to meet my instructor there and fly over to Bourne, and land to validate the flight. FOR FREEEEEEE:D :D :D All that circuit joining and nav when i was only doing the circuit:O :O And they paid for it, it was a dream come true. So have they just done something simmilar, or is this a more permanent situation:= := It would be a great shame if it were, wheres the petition form again:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

[cwatters]

I flew gliders there about 8 years ago and for some reason I allways had a hard time spotting Little Gransden. Basically just tried to avoid the area.

If memory serves me right I think most winch launches were well below 2000 even from the long runway but it's been 8 years. I heard stories of higher launches in wind but never saw any. Aero tows to higher were common at the weekends.

I do remember launch marshal had to look out for "sunday fliers". Usually throttled well back and seemingly oblivious to the gliding club below them. I recall the ones I saw were heading north/south. They were nothing to do with Little Gransden though.