I did my A +B at 618 GS West Malling, on the 7th May 1977.. 31 launches to solo.
Best 3x3 minutes of my life! Especially landing on the last one as it started to rain hard....open cockpits make rain quite painful!
The nest day, there was a Hangar flight going at close of play...I asked if I could sit in the back, as I had never been in the back of a Mk3.
"sure" he says..."I will take off, you can have it in the climb, when you release the cable, I will take it, and throw it around a bit"
"but you can't throw a Mk3 around!" says I...

"You wanna bet?"

WE999 - great pictures! When did the colour scheme change? I don't recall the yellow scheme in my day (1969 - 1972) but that could just be my failing memory.

Prangster - 644 went to Spitalgate

I only know that even that small amount of spoiler makes the Mk3 drop out of the sky at a high rate of knots!

Wikipedia entry about RAF Hemswell: "During 1967 the gliders of 643 gliding school Air Training Corps moved in from Kirton in Lindsey. No 643 GS operated from Hemswell until 1974, giving ATC cadets air experience and glider pilot training until moving to RAF Lindholme on 1 April 1974."

That accords with my own experience of 643 at Hemswell in the early 70's. 644 was never at that station. I remember visiting 643 at Lindholme as a 'visitor' in 1974.

WE992, love to see that fleet at Kenley one day - perhaps if - no, let's be positive - when 615 do get going again perhaps there could be some sort of celebration...

There was a T-21 with Surrey Hills but I haven't seen it for a while.

T21 at Kenley
 

There used to be a privately owned T21 at Kenley,I had a couple of rides in it with one of the owners back in (1991/92 ?).

I would say it was within the last ten years that I've seen it - quite a strong northerly and it was nearly hovering over the winch! Swear I could hear the hinges creaking! :p

Although I was a CCF Pongo (the school didn't have an RAF section), I soloed in the T21 with the RAFGSA, having also had some earlier time in the T-21, T-31, T-42 and T-49 of the Devon and Somerset Gliding Club.

The RAFGSA club with whom I trained was based at RAF Locking and came to Merryfield for an expedition week, which is where I soloed. But they also had a T-31, so I later flew that at Locking. Then a 'real' in a Slingsby Tutor, which managed to get me from 800ft to back on the ground in 2 minutes flat - it had a nigh-on perpendicular glide ratio and had even been fitted with spoilers, which it really didn't need.

Like many of us back then, I soloed a glider at 16 and got my PPL at 17 - both before I passed my driving test.

The Air Cadets organisation has lost a very great deal by abandoning traditional gliders for so long.... As for the PTT nonsense, that really is a crock from what ATC instructors have told us.

This brings back memories of West Malling in 1969. I seem to remember that a circuit was about 5 minutes downhill from pulling the big yellow ball at 1000 feet. The instructor bellowing down the voice tube and applying his boot to the errant student's backsides as required. I also remember the pleasure of flying solo at 16 and trying to imitate the instructors use of spoilers to arrive as close to the start line as possible so recovery by Land Rover was not required. We got to drive them too. Great fun, itchy uniforms and all. PPL etc. followed straight after school. Everyone should do it. Great for teaching self confidence and responsibility for yourself and others.

I know it's not included in the thread title,but did anyone fly the 'grasshopper' glider as shown in the group photo's above.My school CCF had one,but I didn't get a chance to try it as the CCF was dispensed with when we became a 'Comprehensive' after we (King Edward VI,Lichfield) combined with the 'Secondary Modern' next door,and all my gliding was done with the ATC.I seem to remember that someone flew one across the Channel many years ago !

I flew one once ex82 - it was some sort of open day at Lasham in the mid-90s and various vintage gliders flew in the early evening. I was the last 'act' and took a tow to 3,000ft in a Grasshopper behind a Super Cub. It was fine all the time I was on tow, but I've never forgotten releasing the rope and then grabbing the bottom of the seat with my left hand when I looked down. For just a second it was a bit spooky.

Hi Dave,if I remember correctly,the seat was something akin to a bicycle saddle,but I only saw it once,and it was over 40 years ago.If my memory is correct,I can understand it being a bit unnerving at 3,ooo ft.I guess they were only intended for short hops.

As I recall it was just a simple sheet of thick plywood, and yes, at 3,000ft it was slightly perturbing. Not sure I'd queue up to do it again.

We had one at Halton for a while. A winch launch took it to about 800ft agl from where it was just possible to do a wide 360 then land.
When they were retired from the CCF, long after I had left 613, my Sqdn Cdr heard there were some stored at Halton so we asked if we could have one as an instructional airframe at the squadron. HQAC were only too willing to oblige and it stayed in my squadron HQ for several years gathering dust until another squadron offered to take it off our hands.

Read Delta Papa about how Derek Piggott was towed from Blackbushe to Paris in, or rather on, a Grasshopper (or another type of primary glider)!

Ah yes,thanks tread,I did read that book a long time ago,I guess that's where I got the idea about the Xchannel flight.Again,if I remember correctly,DP did some of the flying for the film 'Blue Max'.

Indeed he did. I've just reread Delta Papa following DP's death and also Wally Kahn's A Glider Pilot Bold mentioned above...