Air Cadet Gliding pix in the 80s (pre glass)
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Further to my last post there were 2 Schempp-Hirth Janus C's bought by the ATC known as Kestrel TX1's
ZD974 Schemp Hirth Kestrel TX1 Ex BGA2875. Delivered 12/04/83. Coded SY. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2875.
ZD975 Schemp Hirth Kestrel TX1 Ex BGA2876. Delivered 17/04/83. Coded SZ. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2876
And 5 Single seat ASW19's known as the Valiant by the ATC.
ZD657 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19348 Delivered 18/3/83. Ex BGA2773. Coded YW. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 631 VGS, RAF Sealand, 2/88. 662, VGS RMB Arbroath, 2000. ACCGS
ZD658 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19381 Delivered 7/4/83. Ex BGA2894. Coded YX. Delivered 7/04/83. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 625 VGS, South Cerney, 7/86. 614 VGS, Weathersfield, 2/88. 631 VGS, RAF Sealand, 2000. ACCGS. Sold as BGA4849/JWW.
ZD659 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19382 Delivered 8/4/83. Ex BGA2895. Coded YY. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2895/ERR.
ZD660 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19383 Delivered 12/4/83. Ex BGA2896. Coded YZ. Delivered 12/04/83. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 662 VGS, RMB Arbroath, 7/86. 626 VGS, RNAS Predanack, 2000.ACCGS. Sold as BGA2896/ERS.
ZD661 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19384 Delivered 14/4/83. Ex BGA2897. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA3956/HKK.S
Somebody please get us back on thread with some photos of the wooden era. Thanks.
ZD974 Schemp Hirth Kestrel TX1 Ex BGA2875. Delivered 12/04/83. Coded SY. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2875.
ZD975 Schemp Hirth Kestrel TX1 Ex BGA2876. Delivered 17/04/83. Coded SZ. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2876
And 5 Single seat ASW19's known as the Valiant by the ATC.
ZD657 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19348 Delivered 18/3/83. Ex BGA2773. Coded YW. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 631 VGS, RAF Sealand, 2/88. 662, VGS RMB Arbroath, 2000. ACCGS
ZD658 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19381 Delivered 7/4/83. Ex BGA2894. Coded YX. Delivered 7/04/83. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 625 VGS, South Cerney, 7/86. 614 VGS, Weathersfield, 2/88. 631 VGS, RAF Sealand, 2000. ACCGS. Sold as BGA4849/JWW.
ZD659 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19382 Delivered 8/4/83. Ex BGA2895. Coded YY. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA2895/ERR.
ZD660 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19383 Delivered 12/4/83. Ex BGA2896. Coded YZ. Delivered 12/04/83. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. 662 VGS, RMB Arbroath, 7/86. 626 VGS, RNAS Predanack, 2000.ACCGS. Sold as BGA2896/ERS.
ZD661 Schleicher ASW19 Valiant T.1 19384 Delivered 14/4/83. Ex BGA2897. ACCGS, RAF Syerston. Sold as BGA3956/HKK.S
Somebody please get us back on thread with some photos of the wooden era. Thanks.
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The Way We Were
We've got LOADS of cine film of the Way We Were - awesome stuff that keeps being dragged out at reunions and VGS parties. Only problem is that it's probably starting to decay - anyone know a decent company that converts a fair amount of film to DVD or MPG without it costing an arm and a leg???
Top thread - I flew Ventures to start with at 642, but most of my stuff was on the Vigilant. More fun in those days it seems!
Cheers all.
Top thread - I flew Ventures to start with at 642, but most of my stuff was on the Vigilant. More fun in those days it seems!
Cheers all.
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WT992
What an excellent list of the - Air Cadet Gliders you have managed to produce, - many of the registrations I remember From - Kirton-in -Linsey, - Hailesland, - Cosford. Etc. I was an Instuctor at 633 GS. RAF. Cosford in the 1960s. George Crump was our CFI. & What a task -Master he was. is he still alive? - are there any other staff instructors around or Ex. pupils who remember 633. GS RAF Cosford ?
I was an Instuctor at 633 GS. RAF. Cosford in the 1960s. George Crump was our CFI. & What a task -Master he was. is he still alive? - are there any other staff instructors around or Ex. pupils who remember 633. GS RAF Cosford ?<
George Crump became CO and I think he retired in 1978. His successor, John Bullock, is still in post. I believe George passed away relatively recently but unfortunately I don't have the details. The squadron is still going strong at Cosford with four mighty Vigilants and recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
George Crump became CO and I think he retired in 1978. His successor, John Bullock, is still in post. I believe George passed away relatively recently but unfortunately I don't have the details. The squadron is still going strong at Cosford with four mighty Vigilants and recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
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633 Vgs
I remember George Crump, John Bullock and Alan Robinson. Other names that spring to mind are Rob Ruscue and Neil Withers. I never flew with 633 but next door at the Wrekin.
> remember George Crump, John Bullock and Alan Robinson. Other names that spring to mind are Rob Ruscue and Neil Withers. I never flew with 633 but next door at the Wrekin<
The Wrekin is also still going strong. Neil is still with us, as was Rob Ruscoe until recently -- both fine aviators and gentlemen.
The Wrekin is also still going strong. Neil is still with us, as was Rob Ruscoe until recently -- both fine aviators and gentlemen.
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633 GS. Cosford
Thanks for the up date on George Crump - I am very sorry to learn he,s joined the Sqd. in the skies, he was quite a character. Dusting all the cob-webbs off my old logbooks - many names I am starting to remember. -
Alan Robinson
Geoff Robinson
George Potter
Alan Mc Lelland-Brown
Rocket Stevenson
Alan Skitt
Bernard Hunt
Laurie Walker
And a few more - All were good Instructors . - Do'es any one know if they are still around?
I am very pleased to hear 633 Sqd. is still going stong , - Also the Wrekin Club
Alan Robinson
Geoff Robinson
George Potter
Alan Mc Lelland-Brown
Rocket Stevenson
Alan Skitt
Bernard Hunt
Laurie Walker
And a few more - All were good Instructors . - Do'es any one know if they are still around?
I am very pleased to hear 633 Sqd. is still going stong , - Also the Wrekin Club
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Here's the first one....................
[IMG]<a href="http://s644.photobucket.com/albums/uu167/Arclite01/?action=view¤t=618VGS.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu167/Arclite01/618VGS.jpg" border="0" alt="618 VGS"></a>[/IMG]
[IMG]<a href="http://s644.photobucket.com/albums/uu167/Arclite01/?action=view¤t=618VGS.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu167/Arclite01/618VGS.jpg" border="0" alt="618 VGS"></a>[/IMG]
WE992,
I see that I flew in WB981 with F/O Pond at Swanton Moreley in August 1970. I was on my C Cat course and had two aerotows in 981. The course could not be completed because the winch broke down and we could not cover cable breaks. It did result in having a couple of aerotows in a T31 as well (WT869 and WT915).
Sorry I do not have any photos.
Anybody out there flown T.21 WB981 and have any photos of her in ATC use?
Sorry I do not have any photos.
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Old soldiers never die - they simply fade away.................
Kenley 1987
perfect end to a perfect day - Kenley Lincoln run - 1988
Glider graveyard 66 Cadet Mk3 and 34 Sedberghs in a hangar for sale (bird droppings included, sold as seen) - RAF Syerston 1986
Enjoy guys - and weep a bit..........
Arc
Kenley 1987
perfect end to a perfect day - Kenley Lincoln run - 1988
Glider graveyard 66 Cadet Mk3 and 34 Sedberghs in a hangar for sale (bird droppings included, sold as seen) - RAF Syerston 1986
Enjoy guys - and weep a bit..........
Arc
So lets try again................
Some others
Manston 1964
Arc
Some others
Manston 1964
Arc
Last edited by MAINJAFAD; 2nd Feb 2009 at 19:15.
I never flew gliders with the Space Cadets as our school only had a CCF(Army) section. But I did fly the T21 with the RAFGSA and with a civilian club, as well was the T31 and the Tutor. A couple of trips in a T49 Capstan and a T42 Eagle as well.
That cockpit photo of the 'Mark 3' brings back memories - I can almost remember the smell of wood and glue etc!
The ATC continue to be an excellent recruiting tool for the RAF and long may they do so! But somehow I think that the current SLMG takes some of the 'fun' away - no heaving cables and gliders about at launch points, for example!
I was once told that the T21 was based on the Grunau Baby, with obviously a wider cockpit and larger wingspan. True? Or tall story?
By the way, whatever happened to the 'Iron Chicken' - the Slingsby T53 which was supposed to re-equip the Space Cadets at the end of the 1960s?
That cockpit photo of the 'Mark 3' brings back memories - I can almost remember the smell of wood and glue etc!
The ATC continue to be an excellent recruiting tool for the RAF and long may they do so! But somehow I think that the current SLMG takes some of the 'fun' away - no heaving cables and gliders about at launch points, for example!
I was once told that the T21 was based on the Grunau Baby, with obviously a wider cockpit and larger wingspan. True? Or tall story?
By the way, whatever happened to the 'Iron Chicken' - the Slingsby T53 which was supposed to re-equip the Space Cadets at the end of the 1960s?
Red On, Green On
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Beags
Slingsby T53 - well it goes something like this................
Slingsby wanted to expand into metal aeroplanes and came up with the constant cord, all metal T53 as their first metal sailplane - told the ATC it was exactly what they wanted - cheap, easy to manufacture, easy to repair (RAF had plenty of tin bashers in those days) and produced XV951 as a prototype for the RAF to test - It was a pig !! with a taildragger config so the nose did not go down for easy of crew egress, a sprung undercarriage with duff springs, a pig to rig (the wings weighed a ton and were very unwieldy to move especially in the wind), it handled like a dog (poor control loads and balance) and to cap it all it spun like a top and was not easy to recover. After it had been 'handled' by the RAF a few times including investigation of the spinning characteristics they found that the wing skins were ripping around the rivet holes (apparently they had not been 'dimpled' before assembly) and the skins were removed to be replaced they found all the joints had been dry assembled !!
All in all a right dog. It's ground handling left much to be desired and the canopies were hard to shut and open. The RAF declined the product on the grounds of safety (spins were very iffy and not suited to low time first solo pilots in the circuit off a winch launch to 1000' approx) and general handling.
So what happened - Slingsby got the T53 back and it was re-engineering via some jig mods as the YS-53 Sovereign - a civilian version of the T53 - still a dog of an aeroplane with very few of the deficiencies fixed. Not many were made/sold and I think production ceased quite early on........... we derigged our last one with a big copper hammer...............
My source - Flt/Lt John Wynch (R.I.P.) from ACCGS who did the tests - I had mentioned it to him while I was on my instructors course at Syerston and the next day he brought in all his pictures and handling reports he had written - what a top bloke !!!
In case no one knows what we are talking about here - see picture below:
Sometimes you just have a lucky escape
Arc
Slingsby T53 - well it goes something like this................
Slingsby wanted to expand into metal aeroplanes and came up with the constant cord, all metal T53 as their first metal sailplane - told the ATC it was exactly what they wanted - cheap, easy to manufacture, easy to repair (RAF had plenty of tin bashers in those days) and produced XV951 as a prototype for the RAF to test - It was a pig !! with a taildragger config so the nose did not go down for easy of crew egress, a sprung undercarriage with duff springs, a pig to rig (the wings weighed a ton and were very unwieldy to move especially in the wind), it handled like a dog (poor control loads and balance) and to cap it all it spun like a top and was not easy to recover. After it had been 'handled' by the RAF a few times including investigation of the spinning characteristics they found that the wing skins were ripping around the rivet holes (apparently they had not been 'dimpled' before assembly) and the skins were removed to be replaced they found all the joints had been dry assembled !!
All in all a right dog. It's ground handling left much to be desired and the canopies were hard to shut and open. The RAF declined the product on the grounds of safety (spins were very iffy and not suited to low time first solo pilots in the circuit off a winch launch to 1000' approx) and general handling.
So what happened - Slingsby got the T53 back and it was re-engineering via some jig mods as the YS-53 Sovereign - a civilian version of the T53 - still a dog of an aeroplane with very few of the deficiencies fixed. Not many were made/sold and I think production ceased quite early on........... we derigged our last one with a big copper hammer...............
My source - Flt/Lt John Wynch (R.I.P.) from ACCGS who did the tests - I had mentioned it to him while I was on my instructors course at Syerston and the next day he brought in all his pictures and handling reports he had written - what a top bloke !!!
In case no one knows what we are talking about here - see picture below:
Sometimes you just have a lucky escape
Arc