Many years ago at a very flat norfolk airfield.... most of my gliding experience up to that point had been off the winch,but I had a couple of dual aerotows and was cleared for solo (in a K13)....anyway in those days this club used Condors for towing - not overblessed with power LOL
So I am sitting waiting for launch when the tuggie saunters over and asks 'hows your thermalling on tow? ' - well I'll give it a go says I :)
The most frightening thing was that we had to use the short rwy which had a big pile of torn up rwy just off the end of it LOL - so we cleared that by at least 10 feet - phew ! and the thermalling on tow went really well and probably doubled the Condor climb rate :)
So I returned to my own club where they were surprised to find out I had gone solo aerotow and had done a bronze leg - it would have taken me weeks there probably !
I had not gone to norfolk with the intention of flying - I was just keeping my gf company whilst she was doing an SLMGPPL course !

Whilst I can see the initial climb rate being better with a paraglider - at Combe Gibbet near Hungerford we always seemed to be higher than the hang gliders and paragliders whilst local flying :)

The first 'aeroplane' I flew was T21 (known as 'The Barge'). It could out-thermal anything on the filed, being slow and able to centre in the thermal (like a paraglider!).

But when it topped out (a lot lower than the proper gliders!) its angle of glide precluded it going anywhere!

O yes, Longer Ron, you wouldn't be thinking of Tibenham, Norfolk, perchance?

I flew there for their first EVER regional competition. The organisation was a bit nervous, wanted to tick all the boxes the first Briefing, and by the time we were all lined up and ready to launch, alas, the sea breeze had kicked in, and the fluffy cu was now some distance away to the west.

I had a bright idea and passed it on to the Director; there is no reason you couldn't let us be towed up to say 4,000 instead of the usual 2,000.....for reasons of safety, of course, the director can be quite creative.

So the first glider took off, and like penguins on a cliff, we all peered up to see what happened to the bold pilot. Ten minutes passed.

And he called down by radio the following message:

"There's four knots of wave up here!"

Wave? over Norfolk? where the hell were the mountains kicking off wave over Norfolk? ours not to wonder why, we all buckled in and took off, I was behind the Condor so it took quite a while to get up there....and we all vanished on task. Except for one pilot who when he reaslised the cumulus had moved inshore, went shopping; when he returned and found us all departed, he jumped in without making enquiries, and thought he was on to a good thing when the tuggie neglected to wave him off at 2,000 - so he was quite smug about getting away from a 3,000 tow.

O yes, one more thing. Don't worry about the pile of rocks at the end of the short runway, what counts is the airspeed of the tug, not the obstacle clearance! I asked Brian Spreckley once, long ago, what should I do if I think the tug isn't going to clear the hedge?

He answered "wait until it hits the hedge, and then pull off.'

Of course it never did. The only time I thought the tug was not going to clear an obstacle I dumped the glider....

Spot on Mary
And the 'Sheriff of Nottingham' was still there :)
Actually - Alf Warminger (sheriff of norwich) - lovely guy

Main Runway

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...psb6d2d9c5.jpg


My scanner keeps thinking this pic is B+ W LOL


http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...psda4c37c2.jpg

That pile would have long gone :) - it was only worrying because with only 2 aerotows under my belt - it was just one more thing to consider - but the tuggie was doing it right and keeping the airspeed up :)

There was a good article in Pilot several decades ago about tugging with a Condor from Tibenham... wonder if I could lay me mits on it...?

Ahhh, the “Condor moment”.

Plenty of time to savour it...

Hi Mary
Well yes T21 at RAF Cosford and another machine at RAF Wattersham in 67/8
but was also doing PPL at that time. However my first love was Austers followed by Tigre Moths and as I wanted to be a Lightning driver thats the route I tried for but never achieved (apart from a T5 ride in 68). Remember some good days on the field and also some very good beer ups in the evenings. Have looked at the 3 North Essex clubs and there 1/5 day offers,
but think that will be one of my '''roundtoits'''.
Happy Landings
***

That would be interesting if you could find it .....

Obviously the tuggies would have liked a little more ooomph and istr that the wingtip on at least 1 condor had ' half scale Pawnee ' written on it :)

I never liked being towed by a low power tug - but did enjoy being towed by a Large engined Pawnee when flying a lightweight single seater - twas almost like a winch launch lol and impossible to get a 'bow' in the towrope !

Actually you'd be surprised how often we connect with wave over East Anglia. Not strong but consistent 2 - 3 Kts and quite smooth. I went to 8500' the other day and dropped out as it was getting dark.

Sometimes it's not actually wave I think but a strong but slow moving sea breeze front that eventually pushes through and leaves you behind - thinking 'where did the wave go.... ??'

Arc

Many, many years ago in Sailplane and Gliding magazine there was a picture of a high powered tug towing two gliders. Alongside the picture was another (made up) of two Condors towing one glider. Wish I had saved it.

180 Degree Thermals
 

At this summer's Cowley [What] Wave Camp, there was quite a bit of discussion about 180 degree thermals where we climb like mad for 180 degrees, then hang on for another 180 degrees until we connect again.

On the last day it looked like we were in the crosshairs of an approaching thunderstorm; so threw the gliders in their trailers -- and drove into a hailstorm to the north.

Now opening hail claim with auto insurer:\

Gliders and trailers OK:ok:

A few years back (yes this is another gliding story!) I was climbing in a nice thermal near Boscomb Down Empire Test Pilot School, and inadvertently invaded their airspace. It does get your attention when a couple of fast military jets appear on either side of the glider! They quite enjoyed my reaction, getting the chance to chase an intruder made their day! I only wish I had been switched on enough to snap a photo with my turning point camera.
Didn't get round the 300k attempt that day, but did get back to Booker without landing out.

Mary, I am glad you deleted the post blaming sexism for the removal of your story from R&N. In fairness it was probably removed as it did not contribute to the thread.

I have it be honest and say I am glad it was removed as it doesn't paint the gliding community in a great light, being intercepted after busting airspace isn't really a good wheeze and a giggle.

The airspace is there for a reason.

RBF,

Be fair, the Cowley Wave Camp is in the Fall - the week before (Canadian)Thanksgiving. I've always known the camp you attended as the Cowley Summer Camp.

Having said that, I did my Diamond altitude climb on a blue wave day in July. Thermaling over the Porcupine Hills and reached 13,000' when things suddenly went very smooth! Climbed to 16,000' in the secondary and then penetrated west towards the primary. Ran into horrendous sink and turned and ran back to the Porcupines and started again!

This time I climbed to 18,000' in the secondary, which enabled me to fly upwind to the primary, which I contacted at about 12,000' and then went up to FL240.

I've also had the Cowley hail experience. I was driving from Pincher Station back to the field when I drove into a hail storm of such intensity that I thought the windshield was going to break. Had to stop due to zero visibility. Luckily, at the field, everyone had de-rigged before the storm hit.

I had a nice Easter in Aboyne flying the club Vega in wave and thermals but the last flight I landed back into a snow blizzard that was just dumping on the strip. Everyone was huddled in the caravan and no one was prepared to come and help me shift the glider off the runway. Softies!

Aboyne. Autumn wave. Tops out of available climb and dumps brakes for quick return to let someone else play (I know. Why?). Canopy mists and freezes. Cue BIG slowdown and sideslip peeking through the DV panel for only visible horizon. Note to self....

Thanks for the stories so far Lady and Gents :)

What got us interested in gliding ?? :)

One of the stories that got me hooked on gliding was the 1953 Derek Piggot T21 height record - 'The Ascent of Red 31' - this is an excerpt from 'The Powerless Ones' by Michael Cummings...




P165 onwards

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...513dg1kwO4teCQ

Perhaps of interest - the 'Austin and Bedford' gliding record was actuallyA W Bedford was 'Bill' Bedford - he was an accomplished glider pilot and holder of at least 2 records...later of course better known for his 'Unter and 'Arrier flying :)

Terrific story, Ron. Thanks for posting the link to the book. I must try to get hold of a copy.

Camphill is my club so I'm going to send the link to the editor of Camphill News, our in-house magazine - I think he might enjoy the story, although he was probably around at the time of the 1953 Nationals and may know it already.

It reminded me of a tale told by one of our top pilots who flew into a promising Cu only for it to develop into a CuNim once he was in it. He wrote-up the story for Sailplane and Gliding magazine who printed it - anonymously, of course. Whilst in the cloud he was thrown around so violently that, although he knew what heading he needed to get out, he couldn't do anything about it. He topped out above 21,000 ft. - and he had left his oxygen gear in his trailer!!! His maximum recorded vertical speed was in excess of 34 knots. He had come out into bright sunshine and landed back at his departure field only minutes later in a deluge.