5 day Gliding Course
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the West - Black Mountains Gliding Club, Talgarth. The ONLY club in the UK that logs more hours than launches. East side - Buckminster GC, Saltby. Am a member of both. two fine clubs.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: across the border....
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll second Saltby - did a 5 day course there (a long time ago!) - just one downside, the CFI's jokes are terrible!!!
Free airspace, good fleet, aerotow and winch, good pubs in the local villages and if you give them a ring they'll fix you up with some local B&B's.
7700
Free airspace, good fleet, aerotow and winch, good pubs in the local villages and if you give them a ring they'll fix you up with some local B&B's.
7700
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ASI - no use on aerotow because you're going where the tug goes. Rather important when winching. Needed on approach. The rest of the time don't look at it.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Backpacker:
For training, yes, you are wrong. You learn to fly by attitude, and therefore trim for that attitude. The variometer tells you up or down - don't watch the damn needle! No need to get technical at this stage.
The attitude will give you a speed, so you can then check the ASI to see what speed you have and, if necessary, correct the attitude.
For XC flying the speed can be critical (and it's not lowest sink rate you're looking at but optimum speed for what you're trying to achieve, which is not a fixed value). By then, you can probably set the speed +/- 2 or 3 kt without looking at the ASI.
For learning to fly gliders, the instructor will show you the "normal flying attitude" - that's pretty much all you will need until you start the approach (or wherever in the circuit your instructor likes you to put on approach speed, which varies with the type of airfield).
Watching the instruments makes glider flying harder. Lookout, and fly what you see.
I would imagine that the ASI would be used to trim for, and to maintain the optimum speed for the lowest sink rate, and thus would be rather important to check? Am I wrong? Or is this something that you derive primarily from the variometer?
The attitude will give you a speed, so you can then check the ASI to see what speed you have and, if necessary, correct the attitude.
For XC flying the speed can be critical (and it's not lowest sink rate you're looking at but optimum speed for what you're trying to achieve, which is not a fixed value). By then, you can probably set the speed +/- 2 or 3 kt without looking at the ASI.
For learning to fly gliders, the instructor will show you the "normal flying attitude" - that's pretty much all you will need until you start the approach (or wherever in the circuit your instructor likes you to put on approach speed, which varies with the type of airfield).
Watching the instruments makes glider flying harder. Lookout, and fly what you see.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: UK
Age: 49
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks again
Hi guys, been away for awhile. - thanks again for all the replies. The list of clubs with good recommendations seems endless!
We have all done quite a bit of powered flying but are completely new to gliding. We've been looking mainly a ridge sites for no other reason than ridge running looks like fun ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aumO0ZHwAro - I'm sure most of you have seen it before).
Regarding landing/soloing at hill sites - my landings are never that good anyway so any excuse for a ropey one is welcomed!
We have all done quite a bit of powered flying but are completely new to gliding. We've been looking mainly a ridge sites for no other reason than ridge running looks like fun ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aumO0ZHwAro - I'm sure most of you have seen it before).
Regarding landing/soloing at hill sites - my landings are never that good anyway so any excuse for a ropey one is welcomed!
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 1,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you hunt around on YouTube, you will find videos from a number of the sites you are thinking about. Health warning: Some of them show items of 'airmanship' which will get you in deep trouble with the CFI...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kernow
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just a note that has not been mentioned, that doing a gliding course is a really good way of launching yourself into gliding. Getting to solo stage can be really frustrating with weather delays and queues meaning that week by week progress can be slow. A course, weather permitting, will pack in the early instruction to great benefit.
Have fun - gliding is surprisingly different to power pilots - see the worried look on instructor's faces when you tell them you can fly!!!
Have fun - gliding is surprisingly different to power pilots - see the worried look on instructor's faces when you tell them you can fly!!!
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Witney
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ridge sites I can personally recommend (both for the ridge and bar facilities) are:
Long Mynd (excellent ridge & bar, essentially winch only, bungee in exceptional conditions, interesting approaches & landings - on top of ridge) - Midlands Gliding Club
Sutton Bank (excellent ridge & bar, aerotow & winch, landings less interesting than the Mynd - on top of ridge) - Yorkshire GC
Camphill (ridge a bit small but good bar, winch only, interesting landings from some directions - on top of ridge) - Derby & Lancs GC
Portmoak (good ridge & bar, definitely winch, probably also aerotow, fairly easy field to arrive on - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Scottish Gliding Centre
Feshiebridge (wondrous ridge to over 3000' amsl, nice bar, winch & a/t but I'm not sure whether they do 5 day courses - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Cairngorm GC
Talgarth (glorious ridge, don't recall a bar, a/t only, interesting landings - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Black Mountains GC
Challock (good ridge & bar, winch & a/t, landings OK - airfield at top of ridge) - Kent GC
Parham (good ridge in northerly winds only, good bar, winch & a/t, landings ok - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Southdown GC
Failure to mention other sites just means that I havn't flown at them. If it's a group of you, the bar facilities will clearly be one of the top priorities!
Long Mynd (excellent ridge & bar, essentially winch only, bungee in exceptional conditions, interesting approaches & landings - on top of ridge) - Midlands Gliding Club
Sutton Bank (excellent ridge & bar, aerotow & winch, landings less interesting than the Mynd - on top of ridge) - Yorkshire GC
Camphill (ridge a bit small but good bar, winch only, interesting landings from some directions - on top of ridge) - Derby & Lancs GC
Portmoak (good ridge & bar, definitely winch, probably also aerotow, fairly easy field to arrive on - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Scottish Gliding Centre
Feshiebridge (wondrous ridge to over 3000' amsl, nice bar, winch & a/t but I'm not sure whether they do 5 day courses - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Cairngorm GC
Talgarth (glorious ridge, don't recall a bar, a/t only, interesting landings - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Black Mountains GC
Challock (good ridge & bar, winch & a/t, landings OK - airfield at top of ridge) - Kent GC
Parham (good ridge in northerly winds only, good bar, winch & a/t, landings ok - airfield at bottom of ridge) - Southdown GC
Failure to mention other sites just means that I havn't flown at them. If it's a group of you, the bar facilities will clearly be one of the top priorities!
Last edited by Sedbergh; 10th Mar 2008 at 13:43.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Talgarth is neither at the top nor the bottom of the ridge. It is approx 1200 ft below the ridgetop, and 600ft above the valley. It has never had a bar, but it is a beautiful spot for an evening BBQ.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Witney
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a) Feshie used to winch launch! Certainly 10 years back they only had a tug twice a year when Barry & Mo Meek brought theirs in for the October wave season - which is when I went there. They had a wondefully cobbled up Bedford truck for winching.
And I quite agree, it must have been a leap of confidence to go for the ridge over the trees from a relatively low launch, and cable breaks don't bear thinking about. But they did!:
The trees at the end of the strip were a lot smaller though!
I last flew there in September last year after a break of 10 years, they've now got their own full time tug so may well have junked the winch.
b) Well if Talgarth still don't have a bar, cross them off the holiday list!
And I quite agree, it must have been a leap of confidence to go for the ridge over the trees from a relatively low launch, and cable breaks don't bear thinking about. But they did!:
The trees at the end of the strip were a lot smaller though!I last flew there in September last year after a break of 10 years, they've now got their own full time tug so may well have junked the winch.
b) Well if Talgarth still don't have a bar, cross them off the holiday list!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the purpose of going on a course is to learn to fly a sailplane, then surely the fact that Talgarth is the only club in the UK that logs more hours than launches is of far more relevance than the lack of a bar?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 1,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: UK
Age: 49
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
still at the deciding stage, hopefully going to book something soon. I'll let you all know what club we eventually get round to choosing, and hopefully report back when it's done
