Air Cadet Gliding pix in the 80s (pre glass)
re
The initial pics brought back happy memories of hitch-hiking from Lincoln to RAF Hemswell most weekends about 1969-1970, until (sadly'ish) girls became more interesting for a while.
I recall that just before my first solo in a mk3, two were being launched at the same time from the (4 drum?) winch. The lower one drifted into the cable of the upper one and said cable proceeded to saw through the wing. The winch driver realised what had happened so dropped the guillotine - unfortunately the wrong one, then dropped the correct guillotine but it failed to work so he had to run out with the axe. Whilst this was happening we saw the upper glider release and the lower glider descending quite rapidly with rather a lot of cable hanging out of its port wing. Fortunately the instructor managed to keep the wings level and it came to earth over the hump with a whoomp sound. There followed a brief "keystone cops" moment while we all hung-off the sides of available vehicles to charge over to the "incident". Fortunately both occupants were OK (by the standards of the times) but had sore backs. The poor old glider looked rather the worse for wear and I think was written-off> When we inspected the wing the cable had nearly reached the spar so they wee lucky.
(All the above subject to the vaguaries of hazy recollection)
HFD
I recall that just before my first solo in a mk3, two were being launched at the same time from the (4 drum?) winch. The lower one drifted into the cable of the upper one and said cable proceeded to saw through the wing. The winch driver realised what had happened so dropped the guillotine - unfortunately the wrong one, then dropped the correct guillotine but it failed to work so he had to run out with the axe. Whilst this was happening we saw the upper glider release and the lower glider descending quite rapidly with rather a lot of cable hanging out of its port wing. Fortunately the instructor managed to keep the wings level and it came to earth over the hump with a whoomp sound. There followed a brief "keystone cops" moment while we all hung-off the sides of available vehicles to charge over to the "incident". Fortunately both occupants were OK (by the standards of the times) but had sore backs. The poor old glider looked rather the worse for wear and I think was written-off> When we inspected the wing the cable had nearly reached the spar so they wee lucky.
(All the above subject to the vaguaries of hazy recollection)
HFD
Slight thread creep, but still R.A.F. gliding related.
I was a contributor to “BUKA” the R.A.F. Thornhill, Southern Rhodesia, station magazine and thought readers would like to see an article to which I contributed about the R.A.F. Thornhill Gliding Club in 1952.
Gliding at Thornhill
The Club was formed at the beginning of 1951 with the object of bringing this kind of flying to members of R.A.F. Thornhill. The active life of the Club was, however, delayed by the difficulty of obtaining equipment. Two second hand gliders were bought from the Rand Flying Club, Johannesburg, and these eventually arrived at Thornhill. They were assembled, and successfully test flown during March, this year [1952]. Since then, the weekend meetings of the Club have become a familiar feature of Thornhill life. The number of training “hops” made has been encouragingly large mostly by members with no previous flying experience. Flt. Lt. Woodcock has repeatedly shown that soaring is possible here, and other members have had less spectacular successes.
CLUB EQUIPMENT
One of our gliders is a “Primary,” probably the most elementary form of flying machine still flying; I’m sure the Wright Brothers would feel very much at home with it. But come and see it at a thousand feet; it really does fly! In it, you can experience to the full the sensation of flying. The other is the “Tutor” a more advanced type which has an enclosed fuselage and cockpit, with a few instruments. We look forward to the clay when the Club will have a high-performance sail-plane, to explore fully the atmospheric currents over Rhodesia, but that I fear, is looking a long way ahead. The gliders are launched by being towed across the airfield by a small truck, using a towing cable of steel wire, up to five hundred yards long. With this method, it has been possible to launch the gliders to heights of over a thousand feet. By the way, there is no truth in the rumour that the truck has more “airborne” time, over bumps, than the gliders. Unfortunately, both gliders and the launching truck have been “grounded” for repairs and improvements recently, but by the time this appears in print the Club should be operating at high pressure, with two launching; trucks, getting new members airborne, and making; longer flights in the “Tutor.”
Since both gliders are single-seaters, training is “the hard way.” In the first stage the “Primary” is used and the speed is too low for it to become airborne, but the pupil becomes familiar with the controls as the glider “slides” across the airfield. After a very short time, he finds himself flying across the airfield, in full control, first at only a few feel, then at greater heights as he gains experience, and learns to control the glider in turns. Promotion to the “Tutor” will soon follow, with further training in easy stages, leading up to the red-letter day when he soars successfully and the rest of the club, sitting on the ground, begin to ask, “Is he ever coming down?”
Club Organisation
The Club is led by Sqn. Ldr. Lamond, who has had considerable soaring experience in New Zealand and Germany. Instruction in the capable hands of Flt. Lt. Adams and Flt. Lt. Woodcock. We aim to be self-supporting, so funds must be raised from members. The entrance fee is £1, with a monthly subscription of 10/- (50p), and a further charge of 1/- (5p) for each launch; but we find it well worth the money. With only two gliders, we must limit the members, but this limitation will be removed when more gliders are obtained. If you have a liking for fresh air, and a sport that needs skill, and you want to fly, get in touch with the Club. It will always provide something of interest, even if it is merely the envious watching of birds soaring up and down the runway.
Finally, might I mention, to readers living in Gwelo, that gliders and sailplanes fly without making a noise.
Notes. We regularly ‘acquired’ petrol for the tow trucks by draining a little from an Anson or a Harvard or two! High octane aviation spirit and low-compression engines don’t normally go well together and as a result the high-octane petrol played havoc with the low-compression engines of the towing trucks; burnt valve seats etc caused lots of un-serviceability. Luckily two Gliding Club members worked in the MT Section and repairs were relatively quickly resolved.
I joined the Club in late 1952 and my first ‘flights’ in the “Primary” were hair-raisingly scary as one was tugged along the ground at 30-40 mph, having been told to keep the wings level with the ailerons and follow the towing truck with the rudder. With only a couple of inches between the seat bottom of the “Primary” and the baked-hard Rhodesian airfield surface, avoiding bumps on the ground, including nascent ant-hills (and there were many) was as much as part of learning to fly a glider as actually getting off the ground. No instructor alongside to get you out of trouble in those days, although I seem to recall the duty instructor had a megaphone to shout instructions from the ground!
Later as one progressed to short hops things improved and even more so when the instructors allowed flights up to a couple of hundred feet or so, cast of and then do a series of ‘S’-turns, real flying at last. Sadly in my case I never did get to fly the ‘Tutor’ as the Rhodesian Air Training Group started to close down shortly afterwards and the Club assets were sold-off. But it was all good fun with fond memories.
See the two photos of the club’s two gliders as they appeared in BUKA. After all these years I’m not sure what make of gliders they were.
Club members L.A.C Jukes, Flt Lt. Woodcock and Mr Hills.
I was a contributor to “BUKA” the R.A.F. Thornhill, Southern Rhodesia, station magazine and thought readers would like to see an article to which I contributed about the R.A.F. Thornhill Gliding Club in 1952.
Gliding at Thornhill
The Club was formed at the beginning of 1951 with the object of bringing this kind of flying to members of R.A.F. Thornhill. The active life of the Club was, however, delayed by the difficulty of obtaining equipment. Two second hand gliders were bought from the Rand Flying Club, Johannesburg, and these eventually arrived at Thornhill. They were assembled, and successfully test flown during March, this year [1952]. Since then, the weekend meetings of the Club have become a familiar feature of Thornhill life. The number of training “hops” made has been encouragingly large mostly by members with no previous flying experience. Flt. Lt. Woodcock has repeatedly shown that soaring is possible here, and other members have had less spectacular successes.
CLUB EQUIPMENT
One of our gliders is a “Primary,” probably the most elementary form of flying machine still flying; I’m sure the Wright Brothers would feel very much at home with it. But come and see it at a thousand feet; it really does fly! In it, you can experience to the full the sensation of flying. The other is the “Tutor” a more advanced type which has an enclosed fuselage and cockpit, with a few instruments. We look forward to the clay when the Club will have a high-performance sail-plane, to explore fully the atmospheric currents over Rhodesia, but that I fear, is looking a long way ahead. The gliders are launched by being towed across the airfield by a small truck, using a towing cable of steel wire, up to five hundred yards long. With this method, it has been possible to launch the gliders to heights of over a thousand feet. By the way, there is no truth in the rumour that the truck has more “airborne” time, over bumps, than the gliders. Unfortunately, both gliders and the launching truck have been “grounded” for repairs and improvements recently, but by the time this appears in print the Club should be operating at high pressure, with two launching; trucks, getting new members airborne, and making; longer flights in the “Tutor.”
Since both gliders are single-seaters, training is “the hard way.” In the first stage the “Primary” is used and the speed is too low for it to become airborne, but the pupil becomes familiar with the controls as the glider “slides” across the airfield. After a very short time, he finds himself flying across the airfield, in full control, first at only a few feel, then at greater heights as he gains experience, and learns to control the glider in turns. Promotion to the “Tutor” will soon follow, with further training in easy stages, leading up to the red-letter day when he soars successfully and the rest of the club, sitting on the ground, begin to ask, “Is he ever coming down?”
Club Organisation
The Club is led by Sqn. Ldr. Lamond, who has had considerable soaring experience in New Zealand and Germany. Instruction in the capable hands of Flt. Lt. Adams and Flt. Lt. Woodcock. We aim to be self-supporting, so funds must be raised from members. The entrance fee is £1, with a monthly subscription of 10/- (50p), and a further charge of 1/- (5p) for each launch; but we find it well worth the money. With only two gliders, we must limit the members, but this limitation will be removed when more gliders are obtained. If you have a liking for fresh air, and a sport that needs skill, and you want to fly, get in touch with the Club. It will always provide something of interest, even if it is merely the envious watching of birds soaring up and down the runway.
Finally, might I mention, to readers living in Gwelo, that gliders and sailplanes fly without making a noise.
I joined the Club in late 1952 and my first ‘flights’ in the “Primary” were hair-raisingly scary as one was tugged along the ground at 30-40 mph, having been told to keep the wings level with the ailerons and follow the towing truck with the rudder. With only a couple of inches between the seat bottom of the “Primary” and the baked-hard Rhodesian airfield surface, avoiding bumps on the ground, including nascent ant-hills (and there were many) was as much as part of learning to fly a glider as actually getting off the ground. No instructor alongside to get you out of trouble in those days, although I seem to recall the duty instructor had a megaphone to shout instructions from the ground!
Later as one progressed to short hops things improved and even more so when the instructors allowed flights up to a couple of hundred feet or so, cast of and then do a series of ‘S’-turns, real flying at last. Sadly in my case I never did get to fly the ‘Tutor’ as the Rhodesian Air Training Group started to close down shortly afterwards and the Club assets were sold-off. But it was all good fun with fond memories.
See the two photos of the club’s two gliders as they appeared in BUKA. After all these years I’m not sure what make of gliders they were.
Club members L.A.C Jukes, Flt Lt. Woodcock and Mr Hills.
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These are from the late 80s but at least they're not made of glass. Samlesbury 635VGS:
ZA662
ZA634
ZA662
ZA634
Last edited by False Capture; 28th Jan 2009 at 17:28. Reason: Thanks WE992, hopefully worked this time
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Good photo's of the Venture glider at Samlesbury. Now that 635VGS has closed down after 25 years at RAF Burtonwood and 24 at BAe Samlesbury, how about some more comments/photo's from folks who were involved there.
Referring to previous postings Doug King is very much alive as is Lloyd Poulton.
Referring to previous postings Doug King is very much alive as is Lloyd Poulton.
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When was 617 at Hendon??
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I was a Staff Cadet at 635 when at Burtonwood and Taylor & Griffiths were but boys. (One with a Saab and the other with a mk1 Escort) Got about 30hours in overall before joining up a fair ammount of which was solo. Sadly I had no interest in photography other then a visit to Halesland (Cheddar Gorge) one year and I have one somewhere of Swallow XS651 at that location. Cadet TX3 XA282 was my first solo cab and she still flies, albeit from the roof of the aeroplane museum at Carnofon Caernovo doh welsh unpronouncable with a castle. I think that the others were XA791 and barge XN185. Trunky (Brian) was boss, and had been a sqn member since gliders were invented, but it was a Mr Legget or Ligget that sent me skyward on my bill. Walking back to the HQ from the Motorway Services on a dark saturday night could be a well scary event, with the ghosts of aircrew past playing with your head.
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617 at Hendon
I was a staff cadet and CI with 617 at Hendon in the early and mid sixties. 617 moved to Bovingdon before I joined the RAF in 1966 and moved to Manston after that. Wonderful days, I used to take a short cut over the railway line behind the hangar about dawn and get everything ready for the arrival of the senior instructors. A mis-spent youth, weekends gliding and 2 nights a week with my ATC Sqn in the other half of the hangar which is now part of the RAF Museum cost me my A Levels, but the RAF accepted me anyway!! The CO was Bert Adams followed by Bill Williams. Other instructors were Ken Young, Colin Golding, Geoff Smith and Tug Wilson. A great start to a flying career which lasted almost 40 years.
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Tiger Mate,
It was xE791 (Solo'ed a+b on that) did quite a bit on XA282, Instructors Messrs Griffiths,Bell,and Beaver, W Taylor taught me up to solo! I used to drive past Burtonwood to work at Liverpool Airport, nostalgic pavlovian grin passing the bridge! I recently visited Carnarfon (sp)airport, pointed out to colleague I'd flown a mk3 like that one not realising it was actually THAT one! EEEeeeeee, the memories!!
Flag track
It was xE791 (Solo'ed a+b on that) did quite a bit on XA282, Instructors Messrs Griffiths,Bell,and Beaver, W Taylor taught me up to solo! I used to drive past Burtonwood to work at Liverpool Airport, nostalgic pavlovian grin passing the bridge! I recently visited Carnarfon (sp)airport, pointed out to colleague I'd flown a mk3 like that one not realising it was actually THAT one! EEEeeeeee, the memories!!
Flag track
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Hi all,
Few more photos at...
633 VGS - AIR CADET GLIDING SCHOOL
Enter the gallery section then go to 'Days Gone By'.
Few more photos at...
633 VGS - AIR CADET GLIDING SCHOOL
Enter the gallery section then go to 'Days Gone By'.
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Please forgive the intrusion of an RAF CCF cadet but here's a picture of me (then in the 6th form) heading towards the first floor of Grantham Hospital across the King's School playing fields (main East coast railway line embankment in the background). Fortunately, I didn't get as far as the hospital... We had the tripod stand for it, did grass slides and as I was flying with the RAFGSA East Midlands Gliding Club at Wittering I was deemed best qualified to see if it flew!
Must have been in the late 1970s.
Must have been in the late 1970s.