Volume 40 No 4 Aug-Sept 1989.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

CLUB NEWS
•
mC¥1ner and Keith Dykes completed his Silver
badge with a 5 Y2hr flight. John Maddison won the
club's Horticultural trophy for the study of baby
beetroot in their natural habitat.
Visitors are always given a warm welcome.
MA
NORFOLK (Tibenham Airiield)
There has been a lot of activity with members
endeavouring to finish the clubhouse alterations
and prepare the new bedrooms and briefing
room for the Vintage 'Glider Club's first visit during
theMay Day Bank Holiday. The weekend was
a great success with ten vintage gliders, crews
and friends enjoying two good flying days.
The new grass - waterlogged the week before
- Ilad the first cut of the season making a much
softer landing for vintage machines. Ken Wallis
gave an enjoyable lecture on the Saturday evening
on his flying experiences with the autogiro
and on Sunday evening Gill and Charles Owles
prepared a steak barbecue for 80.
The season has started well with several Silver
legs and first solos.
G.E.
NORTH WALES (Bryn-Gwyn-Bach,
NrSt Asaph)
We have had an incredible start to the year with
March, April and May providing excellent thermal
and wave flying. For the first time from the site,
both two-seaters reached 10000ft and experienced
excellent wave flying.
Congratulations to Geoff Balshaw, Mark
Roberts and Geoff Glazebrook on Silver distances;
Trevor Mann and Dave Horgan on going SOlo
and to John McCormick, Keith lewis and GeoH
Balshaw on their AEI ratings. We also welcome
Bill Grey and Brian lomas who have become
regular instructors.
Our annual expedition to Cotswold GC was a
great success. Our thanks to Ruth Housden, CFI,
Mike Gribble and club members for their hospitality,
and to Swindon GC for all their help .and
for providing aerotows.
CA.H.
NORTHUMBRIA (Currock Hill)
Alan Scott is now a full Cat - a well deserved promotion.
We have another GRP glider, a DG-300
acquired by Norman Crawford, our treasurer.
Martin Fellis comleted his Silver badge with
distance and duration legs in one flight. The
spring has given many excellent wave flights
from the site, mainly the result of taking higher
aerotows than usual.
Jack Little is back from Kenya but still affected
by wanderlust - he is instructing at Connet.
RD.
OXFORD (Weston on the Green)
The season started well with 16 year-old Kate
Machin going solo and Peter Buchan, Neil Swinton,
Andy Butter/ield and Maggie Roberts gaining
Bronze legs, Maggie both.
Nick Barrett, Gordon Robinson and John Shirvall
have Silver heights; Nick Barren, Norman
Machin and Gordon Robinson 5hrs; John
Howard trew a K-8 10 Husbands Bosworth lor
Silver dislance and Graham Barrett, Glenn
Bailes, John Giddins and Richard Hall have
August/September 1989
achieved 3OOkms. Many shorter distances have
been flown, making the most of better spring
weather than for several years.
FB.
PEGASUS (RAF GO/ersloh)
We have again been to Sisteron with Diamond
heights for Robin Wills-Flemming, Brian
Rawlings, Mark Desmond, Paul Mclean and
Nick Garland and durations for Matt Golling,
Anne Mclean and Brain Rawlings.
The new Discus has rarely been seen on the
ground during the excellent weather. Simon
Duerdon brought a K-6cR from Bn:Jggen and
been on an instructors' course al Bicester.
Nine have gone solo since August including
Norman Stewart who visited us from Bicester.
Alan Duerdon and Pete Campbell have completed
their Bronze badges and Charlie Musson
his Silver badge.
Brian Rawlings gained I:lis SlMGPPl at
Tibenham. At the GGA AGM Mark Desmond was
presented with the Sue Cavener trophy for his
contribution to flight safety and completed his
Gold C last May with a 300km.
Mark Critchlow has gone to Bicester leaving
"Pooh Bear" as CFI; Dave HoIt to Achmer and
Roger Davies and AI Cleaver to Bannerdown. Pip
Barley has arrived from Wrekin, Richie Amall
from Fulmar and Ken Reeves from Fenland.
S.S.
PHERBOROUGH & SPALDING (Crowland
Airiield)
The year has been very kind to us and we have
achieved unprecedented levels of activity.
Malcolm Brown and Graham Kench bought a
Sky which Malcolm used to complete his Bronze
badge. John Crosse new Silver distance to
Swanton Morley and Steve Tumerspent an entertaining
alternoon in RAF Wittering's guard room,
alter landing on the perimeter track. Mark Jarretl
is linally flying his syndicate PIK 20E alter com- ,
pleting his SLMGPPL.
The BGA directive concerning non Silver
badge instructors has seriously affected us as
~ your home club operate only at weekends
At Lasham we operate aM week. e-oJery week which
means we could provide a use/uI supplement to your
Iraining. Whether you are not ye! sok> and would
benefit from a week's consolidated inslruction. 0< a
budding cross-country pilot needing soaring 0< field·
landing training. we have the expertise and lacililies
to help.
Apart lrom our large two'seater "eet and excellent
aerolaw and winch launch lacili"es. we have a
comprehensive briefing room for lectures 0<
instructional videolapes it bad weather prevents
Ilying.
On'site accommodation for dub exped~ions is
always available by arrangement.
Absolute begimers are 01 course always welcome ­
we have a laroe cI10ice 01 courses and lvoes 01
our instructor numbers were virtually halved
Qvernight. It should be remembered that not all
clubs have dozen of spare instructors and what
seems like a good idea at the larger clubs wlll
cause the largest single obstruction to operations
in the smaller clubs. Anyone fancy some
instructing
M.J.
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL (Lee-on-Solent)
A sad farewell was said to the Auster tug,
G-AGYT, Yankee Tango. She was our first tug and
has given many thousands of tows over the last
twenty years.
We have a rebuilt K·13, which will be a valuable
addition, .and two new syndicates with a Swallow
and a BG-135.
May brought some soaring instead of our
usual sea breeze. Congratulations particularly to
A1an Clark on a very hard won duration. We have
had our first AEI course.
Sadly Ken Stevenson is leaving to join HMS
Ark Royal. We wish him well in his new job and
hope "Nobby" Clarke finds some Diamonds during
his holiday in Minden.
H.e.
£lA£ (Famborough)
We appear to have gone cross-country mad this
spring, flying more than 1500km between April 2
and May 15. As a result Dave Pearson, Raphael
Fisher, Duncan Pride and Neil Emerson have
completed their Silver badges. Paul Stephens
and Graham Dakkers have gone solo.
Many thanks to lormer CFI John Stone (now
sadly medically retired) for being our 'guest of
honour at the dinner-dance. Some of the top
awards went to Inter-Services champ Nick Sanders
and club stalwart Jon Knowles.
M.T.D.
RATTLESDEN (Rattlesden Airiield)
Ourclubhouse carpel is down, the water is on the
verge of being connected and all we need now is
the furniture.
Our second K-7 has had a major and is now
resplendent In its orange and white livery - a
glowing compliment to the hours put in by Dave
King, Humlrey Chamberlain and Steve Wright.
We had an amazing day on April 28 with nothing
lelt on the ground. Several hundred kilometres
were flown and we congratulate Steve Wright
(K-6), Keith Lee (K-8), Keith George (K-6CR) and
Mark Wright (Skylark 3) for their Silver heights
and durations on the same day, Commiserations
though to Mark Wright whohaving flown 2100fa
planned 300km landed within 50km of the club
and couldn't claim Silver distance.
Congratulations also to John lee (our recent
16th birthday soloist) for completing both Bronze
legs and to Vince White and Brian lomax on
going solo.
We are'leading in our area's Inter-Club league.
Steve Wright (K-6) won both days in the Novice
Class at Cambridge and Roger Davis (lS-4) and
Mark Taytor (Astir) won the first day in the Pundit
and Intermediate Class in the second round at
Tibenham. Well done lads.
We wercome Dave Dowling to the instructor
force alter gaining his assistant rating.
RW ~
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