Gliding

[fantaman]

Afternoon All,

I'm going to be doing my Bronze Award in Glider flying next week and wondered if anyone had any tips or advice as I'm a bit nervous about the course.

I did gliding as an Air Cadet about six years ago and have flown regularly since. I'm hoping to take it up as a full time hobby and want to try and fly every couple of weekends. I live just outside Oxford, does anyone know any good clubs in the area?

Thanks for your help guy's

(Mod's, please feel free to shift this post if its in the wrong area )

[Blinkz]

Windrushers at Bicester is supposed to be good, but I haven't been there since the RAF pulled out. Nice airfield tho! good luck with your course

[hobbit1983]

Just spent my first weekend gliding....bloody awesome

Not really much to add from what you would have done in the Air Cadets, apart from the obvious, muck in and help with all aspects of the operation.

Have fun! Very much enjoyed this weekend.

[Legalapproach]

Are you talking about your Bronze C? If so best of luck and I admire your confidence that you can predict you will be doing it next week! Two half hour flights off a winch launch or two one hour flights from an aero tow - took me weeks after my first solo or was that months!
If you are going for you Bronze, best tips are 1- relax on each flight, 2 - remember to make sure the barograph is switched on.

[shortstripper]

You don't need a barograph for Bronze C as no height gain to prove.

Good luck and have fun ... which of course you will

SS

[Legalapproach]

May have got it wrong as it is 27years since I did my Bronze but I seem to remember carrying a barograph to show the time airborne once coming off the tow?

[OpenCirrus619]

For the 2 soaring flights the form states:

..... The evidence must be by a barograph trace to the satisfaction of an official observer or alternatively may be by continuous visual observation.

Since most people working up to Bronze have a little way to go before being allowed X-Country many of the flights are certified by observation.

The other point to note is that the Bronze is a BGA, not an FAI, award so you don't need an official observer - instructors can also certify the flight.

OC619.

[shortstripper]

My gliding days were nearly twenty years ago too, so I apologise Legalapproach. I never had access to a baragragh at my first club, so it was done by observation. If I'd taken a baragraph flying regularly I'd have got my silver C twice over. Once at Dunstable and once in Germany.

I moved over to power after that, but hope to return to gliding when the family are grown and time is more easily attributed to hobbies.

SS

[Sedbergh]

Gliding clubs near Oxford

Oxford Gliding Club, Weston on the Green - weekends only, winch launches only (but good ones), small, cheap, cheerful, launch rate sometimes inhibited by parachuting ops, 2 x K13, 1 x DG 505, 1 x T21, 2 x K8, 2 x Astir in club fleet (it's where I fly)

Windrushers (Bicester) - 7 day week (I think), winch (low) and aerotow (pricey). Nice place, their own site.

Aquila (Hinton in the Hedges) - aerotow only, mainly weekends but some weekday ops. Aifield also has GA ops & parachuting but it seems to work

Shenington (N of Banbury) winch, aerotow, own site seems to be a pretty good club

Upward Bound Trust - Haddenham - winch only, not to great heights. Mainly for teaching "yoof" - not ideal for general gliding I suspect.

Of course there are Aston Down & Nympsfield to the west of Oxford and Booker (expensive) to the southeast but I've never flown at any of them

Send me a PM if you need more info on Oxford GC. All the clubs have websites - see the BGA website for contacts.

[millerscourt]

fantaman I used to go gliding at Weston on the Green more years ago than I care to remember. Not sure whether it is still there. It was known as the Oxford Gliding Club. Got my Silver C Ht there in an Olympia. The place being an RAF Station was also used as a dropping zone for Parachutists from a tethered ballon and aircraft from Benson and Abingdon I seem to remember during the weekdays.

Just seen Sedbergh beat me to it. Shenington ( Edgehill ) I had a two week camp there as well years ago when I was in the Coventry Gliding Club. Good for ridge soaring when wind in the right direction.

[Piltdown Man]

fantaman - remember why you go gliding. It's for fun yes! It's not because you've joined an airline, there they pay you and here you pay them. So the first thing, enjoy. If anybody tries to make it an unpleasant experience, have nothing further to do with them! As for clubs, the advice given above is good. Finally, I have to agree with Legalapproach about your confidence on doing the badge when you are not sure where it will be!

Have Fun.

PM

[robin]

Originally Posted by fantaman

Afternoon All,

I'm going to be doing my Bronze Award in Glider flying next week and wondered if anyone had any tips or advice as I'm a bit nervous about the course.

I did gliding as an Air Cadet about six years ago and have flown regularly since. I'm hoping to take it up as a full time hobby and want to try and fly every couple of weekends.

Pardon me for saying, but in gliding, you can't plan on getting any award in any week. It took yonks for me to get Silver Height.

If you are getting to Bronze C stage, then you will already know what gliding is about, and the only issue is the off-field landings we did to prepare for cross-country. The soaring is a doddle if you are fairly current

Just prepare yourself for circuit planning away from your normal landing patterns

As for a club, Nympsfield is great, but suffers a bit from poor vis, on occasion

[fantaman]

Originally Posted by Piltdown Man

Finally, I have to agree with Legalapproach about your confidence on doing the badge when you are not sure where it will be!

Oop's, soory! I didn't quite get that bit across right. I'm doing my Basic Gliding course which will (fingers crossed) take me to solo standard. Im doing this at RAF Halton airfield with the RAFGSA over a week starting on the 25th of September.

I was looking for clubs in the Oxford area so that I can continue with the sport after I do the course. Sorry for any confusion

[thing]

Don't worry, chill and enjoy. Gliding isn't a race to get little stickers. It took me 9 years to get my silver C. Not because I'm crap, I just couldn't be bothered. I was happy staying within range of the airfield (which of course can be some considerable distance depending on glider type/weather.) I spent 9 years just getting that 'It's just good to be up here for a couple of hours' out of my system. When I decided I wanted to go further afield I did my silver. Simple as that.

[A V 8]

Fantaman,

If you're serious about getting back into gliding and carrying it on after your week at Halton; I have one piece of advice: TAKE A LOGGER WITH YOU ON EVERY FLIGHT! Because, the first time you get airbourne without one, you'll achieve something towards your Bronze, if not, your Silver height/duration, and wont be able to claim it!

Actually, that might not be such a bad thing as the robbing b*stards at the BGA commit daylight robbery in charging almost £10 for a signature.

Seriously, you'll enjoy your week at Halton. The staff there are a real friendly and knowledgable bunch. As for after your course, why not enquire about joining the GSA/Chilterns GC to continue your training. It'll probably work out cheaper too.

[Windrusher]

You'd certainly receive a warm welcome at Windrushers GC: winch (£5), aerotow (£21 to 2000' I believe) and a fairly large mixed fleet. I believe that, without trying too hard, we managed over 100 launches on Sunday, so the launch rate is pretty decent. It's a 7 day a week operation in the summer months, though most of the club members only appear at weekends of course.

Windrusher