ATC 'Training' (as was)
 

Yes, Thats what the Worlds best Gliding Scheme could achieve 'as the norm' back then, Syerston had replaced No 1 & 2 Gliding centres, but was still actually running weeks (A&B) courses whilst also backing up the 'schools'. The schools would mirror this on their Easter/Summer courses, and proved what was possible with 'continuity'. However the volunteer 'Week End Warriors' also sent shed loads of youngsters off solo which was quite an achievement considering the 'intervals' of the flights. When added to another shed load of AE flights for local Squadrons then it was quite amazing how it all happens so well with so little paperwork. Strange how it was 'screwing up the paperwork' by those who were supposed to be looking after it that lost that amazing Volunteer Training Scheme.

No. They don't.

I do not know but : Are they decoys? ( In the hope that the East European hordes will waste their ordnance on them & not the nearby gliders ? )

Totally agree. And those marvellous MGSP people were often there during week days to help with the maintenance and paperwork so that there were always aircraft available when the weekend arrived..

IOT main exercises take place there, the aircraft are part of the ex. Used to be Jags.

Max 'Hands On' No Clots involved
 

Another reinventing of the wheel that lost the plot, 'and no computers'. When does an organisation get to realise that when you have capable people in the system the system 'purrs' along despite clots at the top. When you loose capability you loose the lot as we have seen, and are still experiencing.
It is the same whether it is a Glider or an Ejection seat, the hands on guys 'make the system' that can not be replaced by box ticking and sheds loads of paperwork to cover it up. Hats off to those who still 'make it happen' despite the clots in charge.

POBJOY:-
I may have misunderstood your point, in which case apologies. The two examples you mention were rendered unairworthy by the combined efforts of the clots at the top as well as folks at the sharp end. You can't carry out unrecorded work on such systems without rendering them unairworthy. No-one knows what you've done and, in the case of gliders returned to the skies, they first have to be taken to pieces, carefully examined, and rectified if need be. Whether anything was found of an unairworthy nature or not I have no idea. It would have been incidental anyway, for without a continuous and audited paper trail it has to be assumed that the airframe (in this case) is unairworthy. You must ground it permanently, unless it is such a basic airframe such as a glider that it can be taken apart and rebuilt IAW the regs. Whether that makes any economic sense or not is of course down to the clots at the top.

As to the ejection seats, the clots excelled themselves. They closed the station servicing bays which were an essential piece of infrastructure for maintaining the airworthiness of the seats. Routine servicing IAW the regs now required them to be moved off station to do so. Fair enough, until the matter of the cracked beams emerged. Top clot says they must be inspected every 50 hours in situ! The moment the first scissor shackle bolt was undone that seat became unairworthy, because it couldn't then be done up again and drogue release demonstrated as the regs required. The man who paid with his life for this sabotage was Sean Cunningham. The top clot responsible was not held to account but rather the manufacturer, despite never having warranted such action and having advised the RAF of the correct servicing procedure for the very same system decades before!

Again, apologies if I have misrepresented the point you were making. I, like many here, benefitted from the dedication of volunteer gliding instructors sending me solo many many years ago. I have no doubt that the gliders involved were airworthy, and that all repairs and servicing were properly recorded to enable that. It was only after the attack on UK Military Airworthiness by RAF VSOs much later, to plunder its ring fenced Air Safety budgets, that the rot set in.

Last in the skies a custard
 

644 nine ship with smoke. Ridiculous though we did manage an unofficial 3 ship echelon port that staid together downwind

Ah, Syerston! First JP3 course and great memories! One other memory is that at the tme (1959 - 1960) the Eden Hall resort was actually a maggot farm with an aroma to match when the wind was in the right direction! Pointless information really - Happy New Year to one and all !
Bill

Hi Bill,
Yep a great place to learn to fly. A bit later than you, '65-'66, and we had the 4 as well as the 3. No recollection of the maggot farm though.

For which your memory and nasal senses should be truly grateful...an abiding memory from my 4C's visiting days.
Edited to add, a very gothic / Hammer House of Horrors looking building....which was apt for the aroma.

Whether they can repeat the flight of a certain QFI who extended the duration of a JP one day "by some considerable margin ".....seemingly the grown ups were not impressed with his flying skills....as he explained, contacting wave was too good an opportunity to miss...so he didn't...remains to be seen.

They were at Syerston this morning & afternoon.
Delighted to report that they overfly my house as hoped , though not as much as I’d like.
I got a great view of one of them fairly low level banking over the town & going directly over my yard back towards the Trent & Syerston.

Ditto Scampton, morning and afternoon.