Great pics
 

Great set of pics Jim, pitty smart phones were not invented by then, would have a lot more
pics like this.
We have local air cadet flying group in Niagara on the Lake ,Ontario will
wander over this year and give them a hand and find out what they fly.

Spitalgate then became Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, my TA HQ

I went solo at West Malling in summer 1970 aged 16. Anyone here have photos of WM in those days?

In case any former follower of this thread has missed it, there is an excellent thread currently running on the Military forum concerning the T31/Cadet Mark 3

And lo I entereth the holy place that is 617 Squadrons hanger at Scampers and stop dead in my tracks. No 'tis not the ghost of a black Labrador I see but my youth passing before mine eyes. For there bretheren I commeth across not only 643 Gliding Schools name board and honours list but also a fully rigged Slingsby T21 known to the anointed as the Barge Sublime. Even odder same hanger contains the ATC official archive, get thee along friends B4 it for all vanishes

Ah the Barge! I seem to remember still being in the sky at 21 kts can that be right? (My memory is not nearly as good as it was) I'm sure we landed at a brisker rate than that.

Stalling speed about 25 - 28 kt depending on weight of occupants
Final approach speed should be :-
Stalling speed + 5 (= circuit speed)
+ 7 (= critical speed on base leg)
turning final + 1/3 of the windspeed (to compensate for wind gradient)
I think that's correct, but it was 50 odd years ago!

Went to a 613 'retired winch drivers' re-union a couple of weeks ago.
Learned that CR(Chris Rollings) made his last departure to the sky a couple of years ago having been a BGA National Coach and he also flew a display at the Farnborough Airshow one year.

That's sad news. I think his Farnborough appearance was in the 1990s with Tizi Hodson - can't recall what the act was but presumably one flew a tug.

Believe in the 1980s, at a Booker competition, I bought a book from him in which he'd published all the BGA numbers. Think it was him, flogging them to glider spotters from the boot of his car... :)

Knew Chris since 1962 when we were both members of 2204 (Chesham) Sqdn ATC along with the late Honey Monster and the late Brian Lecomber.
Chris started his gliding career by becoming a Staff Cadet at 613 GS RAF Halton and rose to the grade of 'B' Cat instructor as a CWO before he left; he was only the second person to put up 'B' Cat wings while still a cadet.
At Farnborough, Tizi flew a motor glider equipped with a retractable towing cable; she towed him up and when he released, she retracted the cable and they did a synchonised display.
Whilst at Farnborough, I had the pleasure of introducing him to the then CO of 613 VGS who was there with a Vigilant.

How on earth did you remember all that? I had a rather odd initial course. For some reason MK3;s were all grounded and we did most of our training on the Barge, you guessed it they then sent us solo on MK3's I only ever flew the damn thing twice before solo

I had heard that Chris lost his fight with cancer and pretty much his fight with Tiger Airways
as his Tiger Moth operation was similarly named or close to it.
I was waiting for the invite to the 613 sqdrn 'cable splicing club' dinner in Aston Clinton at The Bell.
The invite must have got lost in the mail!
Our local air cadets here in Niagara on the Lake is 809 Newark sqdrn and they fly a Schweizer 2-33A
out of the local airport.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....860b2cb421.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....38bfcc8f50.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d7f3740cde.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....cd027e5439.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fe02501ce1.jpg

809 Newark | Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron
Slightly different now
Q: Do cadets also teach summer courses?
A: Qualified senior cadets get to teach and get paid to be staff cadets

I can go better than waiting in the airfield caravan......I, and some other staff cadets used to sleep in the dam thing. We used the aldis lamps of a night time. Duty instructor the next day always wondered why the battery was flat ! Then we progressed to the Airman's transit accommodation. Mentioned our discomfort one day to the Station Warrant Officer. (Behind the back of the Gliding School CO of course. Flt Lt Bill Grey) He never found out. Honest !!!

Jim was an ex RN WW2 pilot. Instructor at 631 GS RAF Sealand. Set the airfield on fire , literally, in mid 1970s. Walking back with a Sedburgh after landing ….lit a cigarette and discarded it. The long hot summer it was.... YEP. Fire started and chased the Sedburgh with Jim and his aircraft back to the hanger. Station fire unit could not cope with the blaze, and Flintshire Fire Service attended to assist. Happy days.

Crashes
 

At 613 there was one mk3 solo that went into the field to the starboard side of the airfield. Not sure who the solo pilot was but he spun into the field from about 200 feet. Ambulance was called. They showed up but would not drive into the field through a gate as it would have bent the Arial on the roof, so they walked a stretcher in and picked up the pilot.

It was 631 GS. RAF Sealand. Pilot survived. later returned and went solo.

I have some 1960s photos but not able to upload for some reason. Will keep trying.

Solo at 631 GS RAF Sealand March 1968. Kept on as staff cadet. Later A2 Instructor.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7424f8d17.jpeg

The said Daggling.

Sure it's not a Grasshopper?