Gliding in London?

[KBaB]

Hello,

In a few weeks/months time I will be moving to London and Im looking for a gliding club in this area. However, when Im in London I will not have a car or my own transport, so I need a club which has good links to public transport. I also need a club, which is open most of the time. My current club is only open 3 days per week, and I find it hard to glide within these 3 days.

Thanks,
KBaB
:)

[PilotsPal]

KBaB

Go and have a look at the BGA website - that's the place to find out everything you want to know about UK gliding clubs.

[UhrCleared-Takeoff]

London Gliding Club near Dunstable
Booker Gliding Club near High Wycombe
Lasham Gliding Society near Basingstoke
Kenley Gliding Club near Biggin Hill

Trouble is, the London TMA gets in the way!!

As Pilots Pal said, try www.gliding.co.uk (http://www.gliding.co.uk)

[FNG]

Also gliding at Halton (frequency of activity unknown), at Thame (weekends), and at North Weald on Weds and Sats

[PilotsPal]

I can't in all honesty recommend North Weald (Essex Gliding Club). They only fly at NW on Wednesdays and the rest of the time they're at their site at Ridgewell. NW isn't good for public transport either.

[KBaB]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

i think South London Gliding club looks to be the best, SLGC (http://www.southlondongliding.co.uk/) and it seems to be really close to a train line.

Thanks again,

KBaB :)

[Mr Benn]

I can recommend Booker Gliding Club. Its 30 mins from Marylebone on the train and from there you can get a bus, walk or get a taxi to the club, which is around 2-3 miles from the town.
Its open 7 days a week, offers a full range of courses, you can book an instructor and do 3 flights in a morning or afternoon (aerotows).
The London TMA is not a problem, you can go to 3000 feet over the field, then it gets higher as you head towards Oxford. Excellent soaring, good instructors and a very good fleet, ranging from an old T21 to a Duo Discus and everything in between.

[New Bloke]

KBaB

Kenley is at the top of a VERY steep hill. If you intend walking from the station I would add at least 20 mins to make sure you get there. Also pack some oxygen eek:

A better bet would be to get off at Purley (the station before Kenley) and grab a taxi from the rank outside Purley Station.

NB

[KBaB]

Thanks for the replies and thanks New Bloke for the advice (saves my legs).

Mr Benn, does Booker have a web site? the link (http://www.bookergc.co.uk/) on the BGA website doesnt seem to work.

Thanks,
KBaB

[newswatcher]

KBaB,

Try - http://www.bookergliding.co.uk/

:D

[KBaB]

excellent, thanks.

KBaB

[yellowperil]

Kbab,

Kenly: on top of a hill, small traingle of airspace where they can go up, but not much else. They have a T-21 though... You can got to it by train, and I cycled up the hill

Booker: aerotow only = expensive. Dunno how easy it is to get to. Mainly thermal

Dunstable: train to Luton, cycle from there. Has a ridge, winch and a/t. Seems good, but known as a soaring centre (in more ways than one)

Halton: RAFGSA difficult for civillians to break into, unless you can offer the RAFGSA something they want; are you an aircraft engineer, instructor, have a 2 seater they can also use?

If you're willing to undertake a longer journey, try Lasham. Nearest station Alton, nd a 4 mile ride from there. Reputation speaks for itself...

I wish you well; I'm in the same situation (learnt to glide, not drive, and live in London)

[KBaB]

yellowperil,

excellent information, thanks alot!

I think Dunstable sounds one of the best, at the moment i tend to winch and very rare get a airtow, therfore, i need a winch at the club i join.

Thanks again,
KBaB

[Tiger_ Moth]

Yeah, Booker is a good place, theres lots going on and even a Tiger Moth, however, and correct me if I'm wrong it might be a tad expensive. I know the planes there are expensive ( £127 hour in a 152 with instruction or something very close to that) so I guess the gliders would also be expensive, although I dont know that for a fact, but its likely.

[yellowperil]

Booker is OK, but is expensive... it's aerotow only for a start, which bumps up the price. It's also very busy, gliders, powered aircraft and helicopters all using the same place, and the gliders didn't seem too bothered about radios. I'm told the gliders do a left hand circuit, power does a right hand, and the helicopters do something else again. Or it might be the other way round...?!? Depends on how good your lookout is...

Also your ideal site really depends on what stage your gliding is at, and how quickly you want to learn. The majoroty of places down south are flat, and therefore thermal only. Great for x-c, as you learn to thermal straight away, and all of that stuff. But it can make for lots of circuits, and the thermal season isn't that long or dependable in this country.

Ridge sites, like Dunstable are great for learning, because as long as the wind blows agianst the hill, you can soar. This is great for learning, and you can do it all yer round. But there is the temptation to stay on the ridge and not venture away,and learning to thermal is a bugger when you are away from the hill.

It might be best to get yourself along to the potential site before you commit to a decision; if you are a current member of another BGA club, you can get day reciprocal membership to see what conditions are like, and make a decision from there. When I went to Lasham a few weeks ago, they didn't charge me day membership because of the x-c restrictions due to FMD, so you might be lucky. Anyway, good luck with your quest...

yp