Ring any bells with anyone?
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Location: Sussex
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Tangmere
I was a member of 45F Worthing in the early 70s and did a course at Tangmere (623 Glding School I seem to recall). I had the tee shirt for years afterwards.
There was one insane instructor Mad Mase who used to take off with an air experiece cadet in a Sedburgh, stall turn as soon as the cable was releasead, perform a downwind leg back along the winch line at something like 10 feet sounding like a jet, climb stall turn and land to let the quivering cadet out. As far as I remember he was riding somebody's motorbike on the peri track and came off. I saw the ambulance leave whilst I was airborne.
Evenings at Thorney Island were great. One of the senior cadets had brought a music centre and we listened to Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album quite a bit whilst flying paper gliders made from a single sheet of RAF bog paper down the billet. We got some amazing distances out of them.
Lunch was either lukewarm greasy battered fish or FEC (Festering Elephant C0ck (spam actually)) brought in one of the yellow Land Rovers.
There was a train strike on Sundays so every Sunday Night I had to walk into Chichester to get the last 31 bus back home.
Take Up Slack.........
There was one insane instructor Mad Mase who used to take off with an air experiece cadet in a Sedburgh, stall turn as soon as the cable was releasead, perform a downwind leg back along the winch line at something like 10 feet sounding like a jet, climb stall turn and land to let the quivering cadet out. As far as I remember he was riding somebody's motorbike on the peri track and came off. I saw the ambulance leave whilst I was airborne.
Evenings at Thorney Island were great. One of the senior cadets had brought a music centre and we listened to Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album quite a bit whilst flying paper gliders made from a single sheet of RAF bog paper down the billet. We got some amazing distances out of them.
Lunch was either lukewarm greasy battered fish or FEC (Festering Elephant C0ck (spam actually)) brought in one of the yellow Land Rovers.
There was a train strike on Sundays so every Sunday Night I had to walk into Chichester to get the last 31 bus back home.
Take Up Slack.........
Last edited by Badger737; 12th Mar 2014 at 23:27. Reason: more stuff
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ATC at RAF Hawkinge 1956 Feb T21 Sedbergs bloody freezing. Most of us were solo by Wed & would get to play with the spare, filling the right seat with snowballs & trying to bomb everyone. We had one instructor who would perform a series of loops ending by landing off the last one with the nose in the hangar. Another who liked to get below the ridge top at Folkstone & then let the student fight to get high enough to get home, power station at one end, railway siding at the other. Great fun.
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I was a member of 45F Worthing in the early 70s and did a course at Tangmere (623 Glding School I seem to recall). I had the tee shirt for years afterwards.
There was one insane instructor Mad Mase who used to take off with an air experiece cadet in a Sedburgh, stall turn as soon as the cable was releasead, perform a downwind leg back along the winch line at something like 10 feet sounding like a jet, climb stall turn and land to let the quivering cadet out. As far as I remember he was riding somebody's motorbike on the peri track and came off. I saw the ambulance leave whilst I was airborne.
Evenings at Thorney Island were great. One of the senior cadets had brought a music centre and we listened to Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album quite a bit whilst flying paper gliders made from a single sheet of RAF bog paper down the billet. We got some amazing distances out of them.
Lunch was either lukewarm greasy battered fish or FEC (Festering Elephant C0ck (spam actually)) brought in one of the yellow Land Rovers.
There was a train strike on Sundays so every Sunday Night I had to walk into Chichester to get the last 31 bus back home.
Take Up Slack.........
There was one insane instructor Mad Mase who used to take off with an air experiece cadet in a Sedburgh, stall turn as soon as the cable was releasead, perform a downwind leg back along the winch line at something like 10 feet sounding like a jet, climb stall turn and land to let the quivering cadet out. As far as I remember he was riding somebody's motorbike on the peri track and came off. I saw the ambulance leave whilst I was airborne.
Evenings at Thorney Island were great. One of the senior cadets had brought a music centre and we listened to Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album quite a bit whilst flying paper gliders made from a single sheet of RAF bog paper down the billet. We got some amazing distances out of them.
Lunch was either lukewarm greasy battered fish or FEC (Festering Elephant C0ck (spam actually)) brought in one of the yellow Land Rovers.
There was a train strike on Sundays so every Sunday Night I had to walk into Chichester to get the last 31 bus back home.
Take Up Slack.........
Gosh names from a past life and by-gone era. The only name I can help you with is Dave Bellis who is still alive and kicking and living with his wife near Coventry; in fact it was they that introduced me to my wife 57 years ago and, yes, we are still good family friends
. He and I flew with 615 at Kenley before he left and moved West
There are 2 other threads about Air Cadet gliding running on Pprune:-
Air Cadet Gliding pix.... last entry 14 Feb 2023 in Aviation History and Nostalgia
Air Cadets grounded last entry 12 Jun 2023 in Military Aviation
plus one or two 'mentions' elsewhere.
Air Cadet Gliding pix.... last entry 14 Feb 2023 in Aviation History and Nostalgia
Air Cadets grounded last entry 12 Jun 2023 in Military Aviation
plus one or two 'mentions' elsewhere.
Hornchurch May/June 1960
3 solos after 32 launches.
8 in Sedburghs
Remainder in T31.
ATC gliding was left hand circuits.
RAFGSA was right hand circuits.
Army parachuting from static balloon in the middle of the airfield.
All simultaneous.
Where was "elf n safety"?
Happy days...
Instructors were Bartle, Tydeman, Denison, Bishop, Flowers.
8 in Sedburghs
Remainder in T31.
ATC gliding was left hand circuits.
RAFGSA was right hand circuits.
Army parachuting from static balloon in the middle of the airfield.
All simultaneous.
Where was "elf n safety"?
Happy days...
Instructors were Bartle, Tydeman, Denison, Bishop, Flowers.
