The stinging rain in the eyes made me smile, as I remember exactly the same thing happening to me. Doing my A & B at RAF Upavon in the very early 80s (see, much younger than you'd think) I did wonder why all those smart-arses were posing around in their ski-goggles. Well, it didn't take too many British weekends and the associated crap weather, pelting rain and severely impaired visibility through almost closed eyes to figure that out and then it was of to a local sport shop to equip myself with the same.

Good ol' ATC. Gliding, PPL, free trip to the USA etc. What a great organisation :ok:

I'd forgotten about the back seat of the MK3 dakkg651 :ok:

Stacks of room compared with the front seat, but always bloody windy:}
I'll post the backseat and backwards facing pics when I get home...

I remember not being able to speak after many flights due to my face freezing in the winter :\, but soaring the sea breeze in the Barge on a summers afternoon can't be beaten...well apart from soaring somewhere away from the coast;)
The downside was getting grounded for staying up too long and watching everyone else having fun from the 'comfort' of the winch...at least a pile of 'winching manuals' kept you entertained between launches:E

The most fun was evening flying when the AEGs had gone home, and staff flying could commence- loops and beat ups were the order of the day!

ahhh, great times:p

621andy
 

I was at 621 as a staff cadet and did my A + B there.

I remember going backwards in a MKIII. Take off was interesting trying to stop yourself from crushing you bits in the support strut that was now between you legs! :eek: It was quite surreal going backwards around WSM for 4mins at 1000ft.

And then going to Halesland flying the barge and throwing crow scarers over the edge at the cows in the adjoining field :=(NB I found these Pics on Flickr)...I recognise the first two of the group shot

Or watching someone being towed on a moggi minor bonnet and diapering though the side of the canvas hangar as the landy took a sharp turn...

And then someone launching a remote control glider out of the barge only to find out that they hadn’t turned the model on so all they could do was watch it whistle slowly over the severn towards Wales :}

And then there was the summer camps…

Oh yeah and I learnt to fly!

Sumps-The dear government at my present location won't let me view Flickr :*:oh:
However I suspect that's the photo of Graham Bishop et al..

When were you there? I suspect just before me- I started there in 81/82 I think, but flew as an AEG cadet before that, and went through to '87/88 I think.

There are more pics on the 621 website. I notice they're all called Squadrons now instead of Schools:mad:

621 andy

Were those winching manuals entitled Mayfair and Playboy per chance?

I was winching a barge one afternoon when the cable broke just in front of the winch. As usual the cable drum brake wasn't working too well and the broken end of the cable proceeded to thrash the protective grill below my feet. Got the drum stopped eventually and climbed down to await the arrival of the Land Rover with the other broken end. I then became aware of what I can only describe as ball ache. I spent the next two embarrasing hours at the Cosford Hospital as a very attractive nurse picked shards of metal out of my thighs and scrotum. Conversation was rather difficult at this time especially as her mates kept popping in to see if she wanted any help.
That night, whilst sitting on a very soft cushion in the bar, I noticed two fragments of winch cable embedded in one of the lenses of the sunglasses I had luckily been wearing.
Now that could have had more than embarrasing consequences.

Incidently, one of the nurses mates helped me with equipment testing over the next couple of months. No Fault Found.

621Andy see PM

S

J1N. Many thanks for the picture of WB927. On page 18 of my Form 3822;

13 APR 69, WB927, Pilot J Chaplin
13 APR 69, WB927, Pilot Me! A&B qualifying soloes, 10 mins, 5 mins, 6 Mins

Happy days.

J. Chaplin- Would that be Jim(?) Chaplin from Sealand? I did my solo at Syerston and did my course with a Mr Chaplin- Great guy with wild red hair if I remember correctly.

DAKKG651-They might've been, the names seem familiar somehow:E

Had a laugh at your cable break incident:} Though they were bloody dangerous. The drums used to have perspex covers in them, but they'd get scratched and broken, so people would take 'em off...with the results you witnessed intimately;)

Sumps- I was at school with you as well! I'll PM you later;)

If only we had open cockpits now days! Where I'm doing gliding lessons, with no air circulation in the cabin and 30 - 35 degrees outside, it can get quite uncomfortable :uhoh:

When we swopped to the glass ships, there was a lot of talk about buying a barge, but after a few weeks under a lid, in gliders that actually did something apart from fall downwards, these ideas seeméd to take a back seat:} Although Webby and co have now got a Barge at Hullavington which is great fun:ok:

They've also got a barrage balloon single drum winch- I impressed the hell out of the Staff Cadet who was winch driver the day I was there, by getting straight into the cab and giving the barge a perfect launch after just watching one launch...like riding a bike;)

GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU- I remember on one day we'd thermalled up to 3800' and Mr. C suddenly realised everyone was packing up for lunch...Ever done a spin lad? Knowing full well I hadn't...Up goes the nose, crossed controls and down we went...3000' spin to 800':eek:, then round to a hangar landing! Absolutely bloody terrifying, but we didn't miss lunch:ok:

Taken well after her ATC days, but may kick the old grey cells - ZA634

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/CH2/Venture3.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...Duxford3-4.jpg

Just achieved BGA "C" Certificate in WE992 - hence the stupid grin!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....0e6382a004.jpg


Even the gliders were black and white in those days!

Anyone remember the Swallows? I only flew one of them but I think there were 5 at one point.

Discovered one of 'em -XS651 I think, in Cyprus in a sorry state:(

Just missed out on the Prefect, but probably wouldn't have fitted anyway...at least with the 'canopy' on:}

Hello Sumps

I forwarded your Flicker link to Mike Philpott - he says he'll sue! (although he headed the e-mail 'Happy Days').

He has a slightly more upmarket chariot than a Mk III these days, which he kindly let me borrow in South Africa last week.


http://i44.tinypic.com/21dprmf.jpg

Whoa there - thread drift alert!!

Wasn't this thread entitled Air Cadet Gliding pix in the 80s (pre glass)???

Come on chaps, it is getting to be more like Spacey Adventures!!

Get those old pictures out!

Fitter2-Is MIke P. still chopping wood for the Beeb?!
Met him once when he was instructing on an easter course @ 621 as a guest instructor from 615(?) I think. He was originally a Weston boy though. Went onto fly at Booker I think.

Other 'names' to conjure with;

Leigh Hood CGS/CFS- Did my C cat with him. Think his son is 'something' in gliding these days:}
Lloyd Paulton CGS/CFS - Did our RT course with this character:ok:

Duncan Freehold from 615- another character who used to 'guest' for us- Used to judge Barge beat ups by how close the tailskid was to his head:ooh:

..and many more...

Fantastic to see the photo of WE992. I currently own it along with Mk3 XA310, T.21 WB981, Eton WP269 and Grasshopper WZ793. All reside at Keevil Wilts should anybody have the desire to see them in the flesh.

I did my 'C' Cat with Leigh Hood - lovely guy, best of the Trappers. Lloyd Poulton showed us how to rig a G103 on our convex course and somebody asked what the little rings on the cockpit sides were for. "Parachutes", he said, in plummy Queen's English; "When the Master Race ejaculate they use a static line." :D :D