VGC News/Newsletters - Lakes Gliding Club

1938. and the 41 p No.3 was taken on strength at the Bahne
d'Ordanche Gliding Centre. Because of its military service, it
was named Avia 41 p No. M-3.
In the review Air Sport NO.10 of the 15th August 1943,
Max Gasnier describes his flight of 22nd July 1939, when
during the National Contest, he flew 168 krns to his goal (La
Banne-Lyon). " One took myoid No.3, a 41 p but all the same,
it was well tired".
For the whole war, the Germans having banned performance
flying, No. 3 was hidden in some farms near la Banne.
It was seen in 1949 stored derigged in a workshop together
with the Kronfeld AUSTRIA of the Auvergne Aero Club. It
never flew agai n after 1939 but it was found incomplete but
dry stored by the GPPA three years ago.
Because the AVIA 41 P was expensive to build, France's
only high performance sailplane in production before the war
was the much smaller AVIA 40p' about 50 of which were built
from 1935. One of these was bought in England by Fran90is
Ragot and was returned to France last year, after it had been
restored after th.ree years of work by Mike Birch at Wycombe
Air Park (BookerG.C.).
The G.P.P.A, is also restoring an SA 103 EMOUCHET to
fly. Its tailplane has. now been started. The rest of it is finished
and it should be ready to fly before Christmas. 5 Emouchets
were built by 1940 and so some of these must have flown
during the War. There is even a photograph of one flying over
La Montagne Noire in 1943, when all gliding in France was
supposed to have been banned in late 1942, because of the
war situatioD.
Therefore soon, the following pre 1940 designed gliders
should be flying in France. AVIA 15, EMOUCHET, CASTEL
C.301s and AVIA 40p.
The G.P.P.A. is also restoring the Fauvel designed AY.22
NoJ F-CCGK, which belongs to the G.P.P.A. Its wings are
finished and work is progressing on its fuselage.
GERMAN NEWS
OTTO GRAU's newly built RHOENSPERBER is now finished
except for its fabric, as also is KLAUS HEYN'S
MUSTERLE which he has bullt from scratch at home.. We
congratulate ,them for getting their projects this far. The
progress report on the new DFS RElHER in the previous
VGC NEWS was over optimistic. Although SIEGFRIEO
LORENZ has finished 261 new Reiher building plans, the
project has not yet been started by the Oldtimer Club
Wasserkuppe, although some details have been built. SEF
KURZ has been giving his time to further developing his ME
163 B KOMET. We believe that he may be installing a piston
engine power unit, but this has yet to be confirmed.
We have news of change of ownership of two Weihes in
Germany.
Firstly, D-3654 is now owned jointly by Gisela Oreskornfeld,
Gerd Hermjacob and Englebert Westerwalbesloh. It was
originally built in 1953 by Focke Wulf (works No 3) and was
first bought by Richard Kaselowsky of Biefeld, and it flew at
Oerlinghauseo and Windelsbleiche. Its last owners were
Adolf S,tick of Westerland, Sylt, and Jochen Kruse of
Ueterseo. The GrundUberholung will be finis'hed in the
autumn of this year by Karl-Heine Bienas (who did such wonderful
work on the Minimoa and Go 4 restoration for the
MUnster Old' timers Club.)
Secondly, 0-0301 which was built by the Flugsportgruppe
Zurich in 1962 is now owned by Gerd Hermjacob and Englebert
Westerwalbesloh. It flew at our 1997 rallies at Pont St
Vincent and Celles-sur-Ource. Its previous owner was GUnter
Solms of Siegen. ([t was not factory built, therefore it has no
works number)
Obituary
JOSTFREI
With sadness we report that Jost Frei died on the 11th of
August at the age of 86 after a long illness. Jost was one of our
first members who joined the VGC in 1974 when taking part
in the 2nd International Rally on the Wasserkuppe (Rhon)
flying his Weihe 50 and winning the first prize for best performance.
The following year he organised the 3rd VGC Rally at
Gruyeres in Switzedand and from there he did some great
mountain flights in the Weihe. Jost and his wife Hilde
attended nearly all of the VGC International Rallies trailing
the Weihe, and later, the heavy Kranich 3 as far as Sutton
Bank or Budapest and for the last time, to Schaffhausen in
1991. Flying at the faUies and meeting pilots and friends provided
pleasur.e and happiness to lost.
lost Frei. by Willi Schwarzenbach.
Professionally, he was in a leading position in chemical
engineering within the CIBA works in Monthey. But he was
also an experienced mountaineer, a skilled skier, a good
observer and he had a wide knowledge of nature, rocks,
stones and flowers.
lost became a passionate gliding pilot in 1960 and did
many flights in dle Alps, discovering again 'all the mountains
he had climbed before. No wonder that later he was the
driving force when the Gliding Club "Les Martinets" was
created in Hex. Under his leadership this club developed
rapidly, many young pilots discovering with Jost the beauty of
the great world of gliding.
Our sincere sympathy goes out to his wife Hilde and his
family.
Witli Schwarzenbach
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