Volume 34 No 4 Aug-Sept 1983.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

Pilots do itwith Props!'IERS\ONCOURSEGUOER P\\.01' coNOur Silver 'c' offer includes:­FREE membership of The LondonSchool of Flying for one year.15 hours of ground school3 hours of dual General Handling3 hours solo General Handling4 hours Dual Instrument Flying2 hours Dual NavigationThe PPL Flight TestAvailable at:LSFELSTREE AERODROME 01-953 4343/4BHSFBIGGIN HILL AIRPORT 09594 73583GSFDENHAM AERODROME 0895 833327'Phone us now!Camberley, Surrey(ON A30 TAUNK ROAD45 MINS FROM lONOON)Blackbushe AirportSpecial, Courses lor Glider Pilotsto obtain Private Pilot's LicenceBronze C and Silver C ConversionCoursesNonnal Courses lor P.P.L.Night - I.M.C. - RlT - Aerobaticand Simulator TrainingFlying Instructor CoursesC.A.A. Approved Courses 38 hoursBarclaycards and Access acceptedDiners Club Credit Cards acceptedLicensed BarTHREE COUNTIESAERO CLUBYATELEY 873747 and 872152BRIAN WEAREGLIDER WORKSDUNKESWELL AIRPORTHONITON, DEVONTels: Luppitt 318 (9-6 pm)Honiton 41679 (after 6 pm)MAJOR OR MINOR REPAIRS ONWOOD, GLASS-FIBRE, OR METAL.ALSO RESPRAYS GLIDERS ANDLIGHT AIRCRAFTC of A OVERHAULSB.G.A., C.A.A., P.F.A. APPROVALSPETER BOWERYU>\SA sealed lead-acid batteries are better.3-5 year Nfe expectancy.12 YOI1/3AH £18.50 + £2.50 p. & p.12 Yoll/6AH £22.50 + £3.00p. & p.12 .voI1/24.AH .£58.00 +£6.00 p. & p.CHARGER - automatic electroniC - our popclarCV12 - now only £29.95 post free.Refurbished RADIOTELEPHONES fined channels130. ~ and 130.4 MHz. Complete, 12 month guaranteeand N'A.'I'.5. certification.CAMBRIDGE AMlOD ('old re~able') .........•.. £70WESTMINSTER W15AM (sond state) £110GEC Kenlworth ACI165 (so'd state)[1'85AERIALS and bases in stock. SAE details, raquitements.An prices Include VAT.13 Kelvinslde Gardens EastGlasgow G20 68ETelephone 041-946-0441 (alrer 5 pm)';J.f,orizon Sailplane ServicesSend Congratulations to:JOHN CARDIFF1983 15 Metre CHAMPIONWe supplied the full instrumented ASW 20to this year's champion.Why not wing your way to success?Hire Britain's No. 1 Sailplane from us now!Quotations given on written request to:HORIZON SAILPLANESERVICES56 HIGH STREET, WINSLOW, BUCKJNGHAMMK183HBGlaser-Dirks DG-101, 202, 300 and 400ALL GLASS FIBRE TRAILERS NOW AVAILABLEOM 7400 - INCLUDING FITTINGSDG 300 has flownInitial flight tests show the boundarylayer controlled wing superior to allprevious wing sections. Look out forWorld Competition resultsAUSTIN AVIATIONSole Glaser·Dirks UK distributor122 MAIN STREET, STllLINGTON, Nr YORK Y06 1JUTelephone Easingwold 810255 24 hr. Ansaphone. Onlytakes 30 sec. messageD.G. 400 RETRACTABLEPOWERPLANT SAILPLANENEW STANDARD CLASSRACERDG 300. 15 metre.In production 1983.NEW TWO SEATERSDG 500.From Club Model to 22 metreflapped self launching twoseater.In production 1984.For repairs contactR. l. McLeanTel. 0302 535881146 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

8ZD-50 PUCHACZTwo seat all fibreglass training glider/COME AND FLY OUR \.DEMONSTRATORS\ \GLIDERSMOTOR GLIDERSLIGHT AIRCRAFTAGRICULTURAL AlCHEUCOPTERSENGINESINSTRUMENTSSPARE PARTSWycombe Air Park . Booker . Marlow . BucksOGARPZL-W,ILGA MAY IBE BOUGHT, HIRED OR LEASEDTwo-seater Training Motor Glider Limbach Pusher engine 68 HPGlide angle 1:27 supplied with lull set o/Instruments,Demonstrator at Booker NOWAnglo-Polish Sailplanes Ltd.(0494) 40911 (evenings and weekends 0628-39690)24 hour answering service~,'--""Telex: 848314 CHACOM GTHE CENTRE'FOR SCHEMPP-HIRTHSAILPLANES IN U.K.Come and experience the performance of the World's most'successful sailplanesDemonstration and Glider HireavailableHoliday expeditions welcomeAugust/September 1983 147

SAILPLAN,E/GLIDER/AIRCRAFTINSURANCE~IRVINEB75LOW-PROFILE PARACHUTETRY THE SPECIALISTSJ. A. Harrison (Brokers) Ltd.SECURITY HOUSE160-161 BROMSGROVE STREETBIRMINGHAM 85 6NY•RATES ARE REDUCED BYQUALI FICATIONSPECIAL SCHEME FOHEXPERIENCED PILOTSTelephone: 021·692·1245Telex: 335142Also availableThe IRVIN EB62and EB73• All-up weight 6.9kg• IRVIN lightweight1.24 Canopy• Contoured, 3-pinside opening pack:Length 550mmWidth 360mmDepth between65mm x 80mm• 3-point quicklyadjustable harness• Full packing and' servicing instructions• Suitable lor Aircraf-l, Gliders and HelicoptersFor full detaifs write to:Sales Department,lRVIN Great,Britain Limited, LETCHWORlH,Herts. SG6 1EUTel. Letchworth (046 26) 6262 Telex: 82198IR D Aviation Ltdformerly Ricardo AvionicsTo reflect the extensive service wellow offer our customers In both gliding and general aviation, we have changed our name. Youare still assured of our responsi'veand efficient attention. And remember, our comprehensive, expert advice Is always free.A comprehensive selection from our wide range of equipment is listed below. Remember when comparing prices that all ourslNCLUDE VAT but not including postage.RADIOS (The ATR series of radios are 'designed and produced by Waiter Dittel's current company - Avionic Dittel GmbH)AlR 720A/BTR. 720A 720 channel transceiver ............................................ , .. £580.75, ATR 720B/BTR 720B As above with tCD display and 4 channel memory ...................... , £699.20,ATR 720C As above with keyboard entry and 10 channel memory ................... t899.30Mounting cradle and connectors for ATR 720A and C .', ....... , ......... £29.90AIR 720GS1 720 channel ground station completely self contained ..................... £796.95pye Westminster (Refurbished) complete with :3 gliding channels .... ',' ................... £159.85IVARIOMETERS RICO 3000 Series VA Vario, averager, dual audio and variable damping ..................... £256.45VAS as above plus netto and flight director ........ , .......... _.......... £437.74Wi:STERBOER VW 711 Electric vario with superb Up/down audio ........................ £239.20CAMBRIDGE The full range is available ............................................. POAWINTER o- 10 kts 80mm speedring and 'heat sinked capacity .................... £149.500- 10 kts 5~mm speedring and heal sinked capacity .................... £168.25"BAROGRAPHS REPlOGLE 8 hour, j:)r$ssure sensitive paper, 30,000 f1 ••••••••• i •••••••••••••••••••• £219.65WINTER 10 or 12 km ,-, ......................... - .......................... , .. £2·58.75OXYGEN AIR APPARATUS Complete oxygen system, mask, regulator, choice of bottle size and hardware £198.95Gell Cells 12 voll6 A1H .......................... £16.95 Charger for gell cells .............................. £23.00Boom microphone ........................ ,....... £33.93 Aifpath Compass ............................. , ... £37.95Magnetic base, high gain car aerial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. £24.90 Glider aerial with co-ex cable £15.81Wing Covers - wateillroo! ................... .from £189.75 Peakin Parac'hutes ......... .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.' .. .'.'.'.'.'.'.' .'f~om· t295.00 IWater Ballast tank for car roof ..... , ....•.......... £133.29 Water Ballasl Trolley .............................. £270.25Brochures, Advice and Price Lists from:John Delafield Cotswold House, Mill Street, Islip Dickie Feakes 23 Orchard Way, Offord, HuntingdonOxon, OX5 2SY Tel: Kidlington (08675) 2357 Cambs PE18 9RE Tel: Huntingdon (0480) 811931148 SAILPLANE & GLIDING,i

COMME~CIAL C~EDITFINANCEforGliders and Motorgliders* UP TO 10 YEAR TERMS AVAILABLE- ADVANCES EXCEEDING £5,000* COMPETITIVE TERMS ON NEW ANDUSED AIRCRAFTTelephone or write for written creditdetails to Darryl Plumridge or PaulPotgieter, who are both pilotsCommercial Credit Services LtdCapital House1 Houndwell PlaceSouthamptonSOl lHUTelephone: 0703 333822Telex: 4n333 UNKSTN GA gigantic outdoor 'Jumble Sale' ofeverything to do with aviation.Aircraft, gliders, micro's, models, parts,relics, radios, balloons, parachuting,books, photos, prints, paintings, clothing,films, videos, clubs, schools ...There's never been anything like itbefore. It's for everyone interested inaircraft and flying.To book a stall ring (0935) 840565SATURDAY OCTOBER 1st 1983. lOam-.Admission to Museum includes Aerojumble.£1.50 Adults, 75p OAP's and Children.~~.lA :rArm R.N.A.S. Yeovilton.Fleetilljust off the A303 near IlchesterMUSEUM ANDCONCORDE Somerset. Tel: (0935) 840565.To Club Chairmen from ALEXANDER SCHLEICHERSFledgelings don't learn to fly by standing on the ground.And neither will your pupils.To give them the right tool for the job - a glider specifically tailored to theirneeds, designed to be soared in the poorest of conditionstheASK 23With its very low sink rate at a low flying speed, easy to rig, easy to groundhandle, easy to fly features. The ASK 23 will "keep 'em flying".So get your members off the 'up-round-and·down' treadmill.Get them up. Keep them up. Keep them.with an ASK 23 .LONDON SAILPLANES LTO, TRING ROAD, DUNSTABLE, BEDSrei: Dunstable (0582) 63419August/September 1983 149

THE WORLD'S LONGEST GLIDER FLIGHTTOM KNAUFF describes his world record goal and return distance flight of 1647km ina Nimbus3 on April 25, flying along the Appalachian ridges from Williamsport, Pennsylvania to Knoxville,Tennessee to beat Karl Striedieck's 1977 record by 12.3km. His average speed was155.3km/h. Tom has 14 national and two other world records, is the only pilot to have gained AllThree Diamonds in a Schweizer 1-26 and the only one to fly a 1000km speed triangle in the USA.Preparedness: World record flights arenow so great a distance that a pilot mustbe assured of enough daylight hours tocomplete his task. For this reason, therecord season in the eastem UnitedStates is limited to early fall and latespring. Flights begin during (he twilighthours, and sailplane prepara'tion begins inthe predawn darkness. Typical take-offtimes will be around 5am so the pilot andcrew will begin their tasks well beforethat.Social life nilA serious pilot will develop a disciplinedregimen of very early to bed, veryearly to rise, exercise, and diet during theweeks before and during the record season.Friends and relatives are understandingwhen it looks like a possible record dayand pilots and crew go to bed at 8.30pmand social engagements are broken theday before a cold front comes through.To reduce the preparation time on themorning of a record flight, the sailplane iskept assembled; antifreeze for the waterballastis measured; batteries arecharged; warm clothing, maps and flightdeclarations are organised and any otheradvanced flight preparations that can bemade are done,Weather: We watch morning and eveningweather programmes on television andkeep a close watch on favourable weatherpatterns as they approach the easternUnited States. If an especially good systemdevelops we go to the university Metdepartment to look at the maps and data.The head of the department has evenissued us our own key to the building sowe can get in during hours they are normallyclosed.Early startThe morning of a record flight beginsat 3am by listening to a weather alertradio. If this sounds promising, we thenphone the FAA flight service station toget the weather reports along ourintended flight path.All of this is how it is supposed to work.Sometimes a weather system sneaks in, ordevelops in such a way that we don'tTom after his epic flight.expect record soaring conditions.We had kept the Nimbus assembled,ready to go, for ten days before therecord day. It was scheduled to rain allday Sunday, ·as a low pressure areamoved up the Atlantic coast, so we tookthe four outer panels off the wings andput the Nimbus in the hangar.Five after recordsSunday it did rain so we took a day off.Sunday evening several of the pilots wentto the Met department. There were fivepilots at the glidcrport who were aspiringfor their 1000km flight, plus KarlStriedieck who was watching tlile weatherfor a long triangle flight. They all decidedthat Monday's winds would be too north- .erly. pilots who lived distances away \Calledtheir flight service stations and got thesame forecast.I knew about the low pressure systemand didn't expect anything great from itso didn't watch the weather. Several of uswent to a play and then had a late dinner.I got to bed after midnight.At 4.30am my internal alarm went offand I woke to a strong wind blowingagainst the hOllse. The weather ·alertradio was calling for strong winds and aquick phone call to flight service confirmedthat the winds were blowingstrong all along the mountains clear downto Knoxville, Tennessee.We were getting a late start, but DorisGrove and I rushed to ,the gIiderport andwoke up the pilots who were staying inthe bunkhouse and our mobile home onthe gliderport. We alsoca'lled the localmotels where p.ilots were staying. Thanksto other practice runs over the years,things went quickly and I was able tobegin the aerotow to my remote startpoint 91km away at Williamsport before7.30am. I could have launched llhhrsearlier.Snow showerSnow showers obstructed our flightpath as we towed towards Williamsport.The tow pilot mentioned tha;t we mighthave to turn back. We descended toabout 700ft above the ground to maintainground contact as we flew through a snowshower at Lock Haven. I released fromtow at 7.50am and raced tbe tow,planeback towards Ridge Soaring Gliderport.The map oftne route.Alan Sands from Ireland, in a Kestrel19, and David Noyes in an ASW-19took-off from the gliderport at 8am as Iwas approaching Howard dam. Alan was,150SAILPLANE & GLIDING

KAYSEKnobblyMountains:?L1ttle FlatCreek church.. IHouao MountBlnallempting an IIOOkm goal and returnfor a new British record, and Dave wastrying for his IOOOkm distance. Theyboth took a 3000ft tow and released inwave. I stayed on the ridge to Tyrone,slowed to 80kt and gently rose first inrotor, then contacted the wave.I was able to maintain 80kt while thewave lifted me to 7000ft ms!. When I passedBedford I moved downwind to thesecondary wave, then moved downwindagain as I approached Cumberland towhat bec0mes the primary wave again.There were no lenticular clouds but lotsof rotor clouds to indicate where thewave was.Breaks far aheadThe wave was strong enough to ,permitcruising at 110kt and still be lifted to14500ft. A cloud layer had formedbelow with tops at 9000ft but I could seebreaks' in them far ahead. Small ho'lesall0wed me to see the ground beneath meas the wave ended and I gentl'ydescended. 1 arrived at Mountain Grovewith an average ground speed of about193km/h. I had flown 450km.Descending below the clouds, I againbegan to cruise at high speed in ridge liftpasl Narrows and Bluefield. My averageground spe,ed for the entire flight toTazewell (about 600km) improved to202km/h. At Tazewell there is a large gapin Ihe mountain chain. This gap, and aproblem at Gale City slowed me downand I flew a cautious IOOkt to the end ofthe ridge where I climbed in a thermal tofly oul in,to the valley to my TP, LittleFla't Creek church just north of Knoxville.I was sorely tempted to continue for aAugust/september 1983straight out distance attempt but decidedto go for what seemed like a sure thing.The trip back was uneventful as Iretraced my flight path past Gate City,Tazewell, Bluefield and Coy;ington. As Iapproached Seneca Rock I could talk toAlan and Dave who had made theirrespective TPs, and were only 'IOOkmahead of me. They had encountered ahigh overcast and snow showers.There was a huge area of snow'a'headof us that seemed to be passing to theeast. I slowed down since I was so farahead of schedule, there was no point incharging into the storm. There was a lineof rotor that carried me across the KeyserKnobbly mountains. Now there wereonly two mountain gaps to cross.Alan was forced to land after flying930km because of severe snow showers.Dave reported snow showers but not sobad. Dave transitioned to a downwindridge to avoid the two gaps but wouldhave to make a difficult transition intothe strong wind to regain the proper BaldEagle ridge.Sky clearedI continued to the 18km Bedford gapwith intentions of making the samedownwind dash, but found a line of rotorto take me directly across. Visibility w,aspoor but not impossible. At the Altoonagap, I was able to climb in a wave andcross with no difficulty. It was snowingquite heavily. As soon as I was safelyacross this final obstacle, the sky clearedand I could see all the way to my goal,150km away.As I roared along in the strong ridgelift, Kark Striedieck ca Bed on the radioand was the first t.o congratulate me. Wecompared notes and I told him the detailsof the flight.The total distance is 1647km and theflight took IOhrs 36min at an averagespeed of 155.3km/h. It was an extraordinaryday, perhaps the best that I haveever seen in the 18 years that I have beenflying the ridge. Karl's flights were about'I4hrs in length and he has always had togo very slow at the southern end of theridge.A first for CanadaDave made his 1000km flight, and thenext day, Brian Milner became the firstCanadian to fly 1000km. Brian is the] 6th pilot to attain the IOOOkm award on'our' ridge.Record flights such as this one cannotbe done without the help and cooperationof many people. Doris Groveand her daughters, Rosalie, Maria, andElizabeth, have helped me for manyyears. On numerous occasions we havemade the early morning preparations andthey have always been supportive. Their,enthusiastic optimism makes a personlike me actually believe that these flightsate possible. Wait 'til you see what theyhave planned for me next.* * *NB. Tom's book, Ridge Soaring the BaldEagle Ridge, is available from the RidgeSoaring Gliderport at $14.95 pillS shipping.III,please send all contributions to theeditor at 281 Queen Edith's Way,Cambridge CB1 4NH and not to theBGA office.151

RIDGE SOARING REVIVEDPETER SAUNDBY writes about Ha neglected art" and describes howin some areas distance flying Is possible by jumping from ridge to ridgeThe first soaring flights were made onridges but for many years this has been aneglected art. In the minds of many pilotsridge soaring is equated to pole squatting,and being subject to abuse by an instructorof limited experience if one slippedlower than the prescribed level on thepole. My news is that all that haschanged. Ivor Shattock from Usk andJohn BaBy in the Black Mountains haveshown us that ridge soaring is exciting,demanding and is only tedious to pilotsconstrained by their own limitations.Just as modern sailplanes with theirhigh speed penetration and flaps for lowspeed handling have expanded CFOSS-'country thermal soaring, so the sameaerodynamic improvements make it possibleto jump from ridge to ridge, makingdistance flying practicable in suitableareas. But in addition to a high performancesailplane, the pilot requires 10learn new skiJ.ls in order to return to ridgesoaring,Sound sense of directionThe problem is to recognise from lheshape of the ground and the direction ofthe wind those areas which will providelift. Here the most valuable asset is astrong sense of direction because it is alltoo easy to follow the curve of a hill to apoint where the wind no longer provideslift. For the major and higl1er r,idges thewind direction will be ,the forecast geostrophicwind, but lower down, below thelevel of the upper hills, tlile wind may bedeflected and the lift generated by thesmaller ridges will v,ary accordingly. Solong as the wind blows, and the hills exist,there will be lift.However ridge lift can be destroyed byeither thermals or wave, both of whichprovide lift in their own right. Theincawtious pilot, and most of us areincautious at times, may fail to recogniseand exploit these other energy sourcesand find himself sinking in their downdraughts. When flying cross-country,ridge lift can be used in one of two ways;(,irsl, and traditionally, by flying slowlyin front of a powerful ridge in order toob,tain maximum height, or cruisingabove the face of a ridge covering groundIn the shortest time. Even a very gentleridge will allow long distances to becovered with minimal loss of height,where it would be impracticable to soarany single beat. If the ridge is steeper onecan fly faster, and in some locations themaximum is set by the limiting rough airspeed. At the high speeds obtainable thelongest ridge passes only too quickly,however one can always turn back andrun it again!Flying from ridge to ridge means thatone is liable to arrive at the neJ(1 ridge at arather lower altitude than wou'd traditionallybe considered desirable. To avoidlanding out, or worse, it is necessary tocarefully plan the entry to the ridge andọBRECONSoarable Ridg,es10 ,KmDISTRICTkeep in mind escape routes to the valleyfields should one have miscalculated.Mountains in these latitudes were gougedby glaciers during the last ice age and thecarries or cwms formed by the upperparts of these glaciers concentrate thewind and form excellent generators oflift, even in quite light breezes. If sunlightilluminates the bowl, anabatic lift willincrease the energy available.A typical cwm is a bowl, more oftenthan not facing north and usually containinga small lake. At about a kilometre indiameter they allow enough room tomanoeuvre inside. The problem is that atthe lower levels the slopes are gentle sothat the lift is weak and only to be foundclose to the surface. When entering acwm, especially when below the anticipatedheight, it is necessary to fly alongan arm. One of the ridges will be facing tosome extent into wind and because theground is rising, no height should be lost.On entering the boWl!, ripples on the lakewill confirm the wind. Matching the bankangle to the slope of the hill and flyingabout half a span clear of the groumdmakes the best us,e of availab'le lift. As ,inall soaring it is important to fly accurateturns and to keep' the speed under control.Unlike other soaring, nearby rocksprovide distractions which tend to inhibitaccuracy and hence rate of climb. Whenlow in the bowl, or in light winds, speedcontrol is all important.Ideally one should fly at the speed for\:i:/ -,,\tCl,.,~-$' 0",~ ~."Talggrlho ", \.~ River -Lay on:eBRECON .' Black "L~ors.~t•. ~"'" Lake ~Bryn \ \~Llongottock u/~~~;~20 .':, Mountains "\\lVer Usk AJlt ,,~..,,~ Pen-y~ \ .•~~Gihirych Fon

SOARING TRANS AUSTRALIAEven before completing the soaring flight across Japan in his PIK 20E, featured in the1982 issue of S&G, p162, TUG WILLSON was thinking about his next project - TransAustralia. This he achieved at the beginning of the year, collecting the world motor glidersingle-seater straight distance record during the 4000km trip which he describes below.Correspondence had been exchangedwith Mike VaJentine of the Gliding Federationof Australia and the response hadbeen most favourable. A detailed studyof computer readouts of Aussie weathershowed January and February to be thebest months, and quite surprisingly eastto west to be the best direction. My masterwarning alerlt flashed at this snippet 0finformation. Every Australian airlinepassenger knows that the jet streamblows like fury west to east! However thecomputer told me that it only i1ies whengarbage is fed into it and Wally and his lotare fair dinkum*, so Sydney to Perth wonthe day.What actually happens is that the lowerlevel pressure pattern for the Australiansummer normally shows lows oyer theCentral and Northern mainland and highpressure over the Bight. When I latertackled Mike Borgelt on why it blew likehell the other way, he told me it wasn't anorm11 summer, and even if it had beenthen a Pom* would have got it wrong inthe southern hemisphere - these Metmen stick together!January 2 was the big day for departure,but would you believe that afterfour years of droug~1t in New SouthWales it rained. J'an~ary 3 was still notsoarable, but j,ust good enough under agloomy sky for Australia to beat Englandin the one-day cricket match at Sydney.Was there no end to this gloom and doom!Bingo, on Jal1luary 4 the sun shone andoff we went.• ,took-off in Solarbird al 1030, climbedto 3280ft, stowed the engine and passedthrough the start gate over the airfield atJ04 J. The first two hours produced verydifficult conditions as the cloudbase wasonly 4500ft asl and the mountains of theGreat Divide rose to 3000ft, leaving onlya narrow band for thermalling. Soaringtbe Blue Mountains at such low 'levelgave a truly spectaoular yiew of Ihis wonderof nature - mile after mile of beautifultree-clad mountains with deep blueI'ak,es having sheer cliffs rising verticallyfrom them to 2000ft. Eagles frequentlyjoined me in serene silent flight, soaringonly feet away from the cockpit. This wasundoubtedly the mOst spectacular countrysideof the whole cfOss·ing.One day I will return 10 linger andagain savour the beauty of these m0untains,but on January 4 it had to be speedas the world record for type stood at on'ly324km. and that was the larget. As theday passed, the mountains gave way tothe agricultural plains, and finally as thesun lowered into the wes,lern sky the surfacelemperature fell and the thermalsdied. I landed at Leeton ,in New SouthWales after covering 395km, a new worldrecord.Ground support teamAll day I had been in radio contact withMarlene, my wife, Dennis Gorton andHal Sutton, who together formed theground support team, towing the glidertrailer and spares over the GAFA.*Thermals started a littre later, at 1115.on January 5, The second leg continuedacross the d'rough·t area of New SouthWales. The devastaloing effect had turnedarable fenced land into desert with huge154SAILPLANE & GLIDING

sand drifts. Thermals rose to 5500ft but a15kt headwind persisted from the previousday. However another long flying dayextended the record to 430km, landing atMildura.The weather pattern remainedunchanged on January 6. Thermals roseto 6000ft with the 15k t headwind becominga beam wind. This day took us to PortAugust3 via Waikerie - 480km, we haddone it again!low over reservationThe seventh day promised to be somethingspecial. Hot surface air from thehinterland pushed the afternoon temperaturesup to 45°C with thermals boomingup to IS OOOft. Unfortunately the windswere westerly at 25-30kt. Neverthelesswe made 580km over the first of the rea'lGAFA, landing at Ya'lata Mission on theNullabor plain. As the thermals died atthe day's end, I was low over anAborigine reservation.My very wise adviser on Australianaffairs, Dennis Gorton, convinced me byradio that if I landed I should quicklyjump out of Solarbird and stop all theinstruments required to validate worldrecord claims, then quickly take-offagain. I landed with no one in sight butwithin seconds I was being charged downby about fifty of the most horrendouslooking indigenous gentlemen. Twoworld records that day - 580km and thequickest ever take-off! Once airborne Icontacted the crew by radio and flewback 50km to rendezvous at Nundroo forthe night.Solarblrd at high speedJanuary 8 was a day of sheer joy. Norecords this time, but a memorable flightof 385km to Mundrabilla, mostly flownalong the sea cliffs of the Nullarbor plain.For 2Hlkm I ridge soared the sea clifffrom Nullarbor to Eucla then inland, still,following the ridge to Mundrabilla. Theridge is south facing, between 175 to300ft high. It 'has a steady south-westerlysea breeze of 15 to 20kt blowing onto it.Highway I runs along the cliff top formiles, and Solarbird raced along at highspeed at cliff top level right beside theMerccdes which, whilst being driven atthe llOkm/h speed limit, was no matchfor the sailplane.After the previous day of optimisingevery effort to achieve maximum distance,it was great 10 relax and enjoy thesteady, reliable lift. of the ridge, sharingthe sky with hundreds of eagles andwatching numerous 'sharks clearly visiblein the water below.Mi5Sioll complete. The team. left 10 right. Tug and Mar/ene, Dellnis Corton alld Hal Sulton.A cold front passed through on January9, thus preventing further progressthat day. On the 10th we continued,planning to follow Highway I to Norseman.Unfortunately the SW wind carriedsea air to the highway, so t had to moveinland into the wide open space of theNullabor plain. For the next. seven hours Ididn't see a single recognisable featurefrom which to map read; no roads, rivers,salt lakes, hills - nothing but flat sand.Thermals were to a max,inlum of 4S00flso I had a close, long look at that sand!Throughout the day I knew I hadHighway I on my left and the Trans­Australian railway on my right. The two,being mostly 150 miles apart, converge tomeet at Kalgoorlie, and that was where Ifinished. Throughout those seven hours Ihad been out of radio conlact with theground party, however Qantas Fright 24,east bound from Perth, k,indly relayed myprogress to them to allay their concern.The 650km flight lasted 9hrs 15min.At long last on January I1 the weadlercame good, as the hoped-for high pressuremoved into the Bight. This producedthe first tailwind and although thermalswere still only 4500ft we covered the414km to Cunderdin in 3hrs 56min. Onthat day it would have been possible tohave completed the task and reach thecoast, but the Standard Class Nationalshad their final night party and there wasno way we were going to drive past allthat beer!And so, on January 12, Solarbirdlanded at Mandurah by the Pacific tocomplete the first ever flight acrossAustralia. The entire flight had been donewithout ever using the engine after havingpassed the start gate each d:;lY. Theworld motor glider single-seater straightdistance record of 324km had been resetfive times finishing at 652.7km. TheAustralian media interest was enormousthroughout and the arrival was coveredby satellite on the national televisionnews of 130 countries worldwide.The potential Is thereMy only disappointment was at nothaving had the opportunity to fly theIOOOkm. Certainly the potenlial is therefor very long distances. Given the goodday with ,the regular 1000ft/min thermalsto 15 OOOfl, a 30kt tail wind across theNullarbor, a high TAS from cruisingabove 10 OOOft, an extra I Ihhrs sun timefrom chasing the sun and a waterballastedDG-400, then 1500km wouldbe a distinct possibility for the future.Sadly this time, with one exception, it wasshallow, blue thermals into a headwind.Dennis said I flew iltlike a real Pom - Inever did find out whether that was acompliment or not. What I do know isthat it was a truly wonderful experiencefor which I will always remain indebted toeveryone who helped the project on itsway, especial'ly Marlene, Dennis and Ha!.They know for sur,e just how long a4000km retrieve really is!Now for the rea'\ly big one of soaringfrom Hong Kong through China and overEverest - but 'fhat will be another story.*Interpretation: - Pom - an Englishgentleman (oft married to a Rose); Fairdinkum - description for truthful EnglishMet gentleman who has gone downunder but feels no pain and GAFA­Great Australian Vast Open Space.August/September 1983155

TfllL fEflTHERS '*byPLftTYPUSNEVER AGAIN!To clubs thinking of ways to raise extra funds, this recent speechat a club dinner comes as a warning:It may just be old age seeping into my bones, Mr Chairman, but Ifed that life at Dunst

simultaneously' and plunged into the side of the hill which wascovered with spectators. There was no fire and the cut andshaken pilot was rushed to the luton and Dunstable Hospital.His wife rushed in shortly afterwards, shouting' Don't worrydarling, I've found your false teeth under the wreckage'. 'Whatdo you mean' he says 'I've got all my teeth right here!' The onlyway we will ever discover how false teeth came to be discardedon the Downs is by asking the dub member who is always watchingthe goings-on 011 the Hill through a telescope. The TechnicalCommittee chairman actually was in no position to criticise thisperformance, since while joyriding he managed to bounce theT-21's wheel on the wings of !1ot one, but two, parked Blaniks,creasing them almost as badly as the aforementioned car. AfterIhis the numbers of joyriders fell off somewhat. Since joyrideswere the prizes ill a raffle, the club did quite well out of thissudden loss of nerve on the pan of tbe winners. Our T-ZI wasunmarked and tbe two Blaniks belOl ged to other clubs, so againGod - or somebody - was on our side.amongst a mass of cars and people, The ~mwd attacked theballoon as though it was Moby Dick, and had to be beaten off bythe balloon's distraught owners. To lose one balloon is a misfortune.To lose two, as Lady Bracknell would say, was bloodycareless. A schoolmaster, who had built a huge envelope out ofclear plastic bags and Sellotape, planned to do a brief fl'ight on atether using a hand-held flame thrower as a heat source. Ofcourse the lousy tether breaks again and off he goes - withouthis flamethrower.Timetable In some disarray"The spectators were having a grand time. The parachutistended on the e1ubhouse roof with a broken leg, and in the midd.leof what was supposed to be a solo a,erobatic display in the Jaskolka,Ralph Chesters looked down through the top of hiscanopy to see the LlIton Flying Club pass through the middle ofhis loop as they strafed the field, the Itimetable having go't intosome disarray. The crowd went wild. John Hands was goinground like Gregory Peck in '12 o'clock high' muttering about'Iivin' on borrowed time'.A huge envelope built of clear plastic bags and Sellotape"From the spectators' point of v,iew (they were get:ting realvalue for money) it was a brave sight: tbe tiny figure crouched inan open steel tube frame dangling under wha't looked like agigantic prophylactic' drift,ing across the setting sun towards, Totternhoe.As he got low in the valley and the sun finally set, someonesaid 'I hope he knows about the power wires' though whatgood tha't knowledge would have done him is beyond me, sincehe had 110 rip panel, no trailrope, no burner, no~ing. Anyway,hardly were these words uttered when we saw a big blue flash ­and all the lights went out for miles around, ruining a planneddinner at the Golf Club that evening and endangering the tropicalfish at Whipsnade Zoo. The pilot - jf that is the rightdescription for a completely passive piece of ballast - wasunscathed. Indeed, in the whole display no one was maimed orkilled, and our fleet was intact. The end of a perfect day, we allsaid, but please, Mr Chairman, Never Again!"Sudden 'oss of nerve on the part of the winners"Finally, there were those pestiferous hot-air balloons. ThankGod they will just be a short-lived fad. First the unmannedMontgolfier replica broke loose from its tether in an east windand, belching smoke and flame, skimmed over the Tiger Mothswhich were refuelling and crashed 20 yards from the clubhouseAugust/September 1983157

158 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

PROOF OF THE THRESHOLD THEOREMTHE ARM-CHAIR PILOTNearly twenty years ago, in an article called "The Arm ChairPilot" (S&O, October 1964, p364), I introduced what may (;on- T( R'veniently be called the "Threshold Theorem" of cross-wuntryflight in these words:The best speed to fly between thermals is found from thestandard theory, but the "average rate of climb" is to bereplaced by the chosen "critical rate of climb".Up to then pilots had set the MacCready ring to the averageratc of climb in thermals, but in my article 1 gave reasons wby itwas preferable to set the ring to the critical rate of climb, ie thatrate of climb above which one would elect to circle. I pointed outthat the selection of this rate would depend on factors other thanthe thermal strength, such as thermal spacing and one's heightabove ground.Keeps being rediscoveredLike all good theories, this one turned out to be more generalthan was at first apparent because it got to the heart of thematter. In 1964 competitions were still won in Skylark 4s and noone thought seriously about the theory of dolphin flight, but assoon as the basic rule of dolphin flight was understood ("fly tothe ring") it became clear that the Threshold Theorem was morerelevant than ever. Indeed, it keeps on being rediscovered, mostrecently by our very own Platypus (S&G, August 1982, p 156)who called the critical rate of climb the" Minimum AcceptableInstantaneous Rate of Climb".The importance of the theorem is that it holds quite independentlyof why one has chosen a particular ring setting. Whateverone's reason - good or bad - it implies that it is a waste of timeeither to climb more slowly than the current ring setting or todiscard lift stronger than the current setting. If you insist ondoing either of these things then you have chosen the wrong ringsetting.There Is simple proofBut has the theorem ever been proved? It has seemed to mesufficienUy obvious from considerations of polar diagrams, andin particular "'dynamic" or "virtual" polars (see S&G, February1980, plO), but since there is a simple proof we might as wellhave it It can be given equally well by algebra or geometry, butmost readers will prefer the latter.Suppose we are flying through some air (which may be risingor sinking; the wind, of course, is irrelevant) with the MacCreadyring set at r. Sink,ing air just depresses the polar (it is equivalentto buying a worse sailplane), and since we are going to arguefrom an arbitrary polar it (or, similarly, rising air) will thereforebe taken into account automatically. Then the standard constructionfor determiFl ing our best speed v is that shown in Fig 1. P isthe glide point.If we encounter and use a thermal of strength r' > r we must,according to the theory, subsequently fly at the point P', whichcorresponds to a speed v' > v. The combined climb-and-glidepoint will be on the line R'P' at a position which depends on howlong we stay in the thermal (see "Why does the Best-Speed-to-Fly Construction Work?", S&G, June 1980, pI26), and stayingjust the l'ight time enables liS IQ achieve the point Q 0/1 rheoriginal glide pal" bUI corresponding 10 a higher speed v" for theclimb-and-glide since Q lies to the right of P. It therefore pays tocircle if we encounler a thermal stronger than the current ringsetting.Converse!.y, if we dally in a thermal of strength less than 1', asimilar cO[lstnlction (which I leave to your imagination so as notto overload the diagram) shows that no mixture of climb andglide can ,then improve on the point P. It therefore pays to ignorethermals weaker than the current ring seuing.This comp,letes the proof of the Threshold Theorem; an equivalentalgebraic proof may eas,ily be given.The theorem reduces cross-country speed strategy to the quest,ionof choosing the ring setting. In an infinite-depth atmosphereof known thermal strength and profile this would be easy(choose the highest setting that will get you 10 your goal and stickto it), but in the real world we have to tune the setting to the skyahead. Too high an initial setting may lose us time when we haveto reduce it later as we get low, and much too high a setting willmaterially reduce our probability of completing the flight at all- as happened to me last Saturday (as if I didn't know thetheory! See" A stochastic cross-country", S&G, February 1963,p 12).Finally, many thanks to S&G's correspondent Garry Speightfrom Australia (October 1982, p230) for prompting thesefurther thoughts.IIILeeds City Council have given George Price £1500 to help him go intobusiness manufacturing a low-cost simulator he has designed himself.Working from his bedroom at Middleton, Mr Plice has made three andhas orders for a further five. To build from scratch they would cost about£10 000 but by using inexpensive materials and ingenuity his version isonly about £600. His newly established firm is Simulaire.August/September 1983 159

THE BATTLE FOR ASTON DOWNor AD 1980·82-DAVID ROBERTS, chairman of the Cotswold GC from 1980-82, describes the complicatedprocess which eventually led to his club being one of the few in the UK to own their own site.Perhaps one of the more neglected problemsin gliding has been site security.Many clubs have thrived since 1945 byhaving available disused Governmentairfields providing ample space and runwaysat probably a nominal rental. By1975 the scene was changing when theNugent report was published, indicatingthe Government's intention to dispose ofsurplus airfields. Then the CotswoldGliding Club (CGC) had a licence fromMoD for the RAF active lIirfield atAston Down, half way between Stroudand Cirencester.From 1973 the then chairman, JohnHolland, scoured the Cotswold area foran alternative runway based site, but tono avail. Any alternative of a '"greenfield situation" had to be rejected on thebasis of cost and protracted sitedevelopment problems.By 1977, the Committee decided tobuild up liquid funds whilst not compromisingthe operations of the club.Many hours were spent in improving theautotow reverse pulley launching equipmentto achieve higher launch revenue.A public relations programme wasdeveloped to ensure that influential peoplein the area and the general publicwere aware of our sport and good soaringlocation. Secondly, through JohnHolland's early initiatives, certain politicaland Civil Service contacts weremade by him in order to prepare ourcase for whatever eventuality.In early 1980 we learnt that AstonDown would be auctioned later thatyear. The complication was that the originallandowners with Critchell Downrights would be offered first refusal ofland that had been compulsorily purchasedto create the airfield, and thusthe airfield would be divided into eightseparate lots conflicting with the needsof a runway based gliding site.Much of the political lobbying at thisstage was directed at the MoD and theMinister of Sport and was aimed at pursuadingthem to allow CGC to offer forMAP BCurrent Clwnership(June83)~ Cirencester Park Poto ClubCotswold QCrnn:=t~~~g~~kEstate)~ .... W Clark(f.rmef")• Mr R Tuck (farmer)mt.andlng iitrlp availw" tor cot'-----~certain areas by private treaty ratherthan public auction. This was no't possiblebecause of the Critchell DQ,wn r'ightssituation involving four separate partiesand also the Government were bound bvthe precedent to sell at public auction i~order to realise a "market price". Oneconcession was given whereby the originalplan to sell the whole of the 110 acrenorth end of the airfield as on,e lot (vasmodified at the request of the club ,intolots 1 and 2. The club didn't need to buythe land comprising lot 2 but lot Iincluded our landing Mea, the ex RAFcontrol .tower and the small hangar. Inthis pre-auction concession the eastboundary of lot 1 was dfawn some 130fton the east side of the main NE-SWrunway, allowing a narrow landing stripor cable dropping area. Thus the picturepresented to CGC ,in the last monthsprior to the auction was shown in themap with eight lots.We had learned there would be severalrestrictive covenants in the sale,160SAILPLANE & GLIDING

including no powered aircraft. CGC wasnot concerned about this as it had alwaysfelt toat its low cost reverse pulley autotowsystem on a 4800ft runway wasmore profitable than aerotowing andsecondly, the covenant would precludecommercial aviation interests bidding.The counter to this strategy was, howevcr,that to continue autotowing wouldrequire the full main NE-SW runwayand if possible the E-W runway. Thethird NW-SE runway has a poor surfaceand would only be suitable for winching.This operational requirement meant theclub also nad to secure lot 8, the lynchpin in tile middle of the airfield, and lot4 at the south end. In total, lots 1,4,6and 8 amounted to 206 acres which, atan assumed price of £1200 per acre, was£247000. .Must be In correctseque.nceLot 8 was subject to CritcheU Downrights which leading up to the auctionwere still ulHcsolved, but even if res'olvedin our favour, or made available, atauction, we would have to be ,certai, ofsuccessfully bidding for all three or fourlots in the correct sequence at auction toachieve a viable site!A ,local landowner, Col Lowsely­WiIliams, had the Crilchell Down rightsto lot 8. He was approached by JohnHolland ami willingly undertook to lookafter the club's interests as regards thelot 8 runways. He took up his rights butthen sold all of lot 8 to us at nO profit.This deal was struck immediately priorto the auction on December 4, 1980 andvery importan,tly, was no,t disclosed bythe auctioneers, except to the extent ofsaying that lot 8 was not available forsale at auction. Other bidders were leftin doubt who their neighbours would beif they bid for olher lots. Lot 8 of coursewas the key to the CGC plan for withoutit there was no viab'le runway system.If there were not enough complicatingfactors already, then the CirencesterPark Polo Club was to provide the piecede resistance. Although we had receivedseveral calls from possible counterbiddersand had also liaised as much aswas sensiblc with local landowners, aphone eaU 1 received about ten daysbefore the auction set in train a sequenceof events that was on the one handnerve-racking and complicating but onthe other hand tuned us up to a highdegree of concentration to achieve ourobjective.This firs,t phone call was anonymous,inquiring about the nature of the club'soperations. It was difficult to guess whatthe potential interest was. The Minish'ycovenants in the sale were that the landcould only be used for non-powered g'liding,model aircraft flying and agriculturaluse, but excluding public I::questrianevents or shows. I perceived a loop-holehere as regards cash crop operationswhich would fall within the definition ofagriculture but \vouldbe a public accesssafety flroblem for the club. My imaginationwas misplaced since a few d'lYs laterthe mysterious party phoned back andtold me that he represented the po'loclub wh@ were interested in purchasingthe north end for development of somepolo pitches.Their intent meant lhal thcy would bean opposition bidderfor lot I, which would,if we los,t it, destroy our whole plan forthe airfield. The next seven days werehectic with meetings with the polo club'sagent, culminating in our realisation thatthey were scrious, but at the same timeclearly did not want to deprive CGC ofan opera tional base. This latter factor ofa degree of sympathy for our requir.ementwas largely due to our PR work in,earher years. It was clear that thefinance behInd the polo club could outbidus for the 'land, assuming the restrictivecovenant in the sale - "no equestrianevents or shows" - did not affectthe playing of polo by a private club.In the early hours of the morning ofthe auction a deal was thrashed out anda few hours later it was put into legallybinding terms 'by our ,solicitors and at1.30pm I made a mad dash from Swindonto Cirencester armed with a threepage document to be signed by the agentand myself prior to the auction at 2.30.The document was signed by both partiesat 2.28pm.The essence of the agreement was asfollows:I. The polo club were not bidding forlot I and CGC were not bidding for lot2.2. If CGC acquired lot 1 and the poloclub lot 2 at auction, then CGC wouldsell to the polo club the part of lot Inorth of the old road across Aston Downat auction price. This latter sale, however,was dependent on CGC being ableto acquire after auction the runway andsouth field in lot 4 and the west runwayin 'lot 7.3. The polo club would extend the mainrunway within lot 4 by 300 metres attheir expense before developing thenorth end.4. Until such time as land swops took,place after the auction, the polo clubwould pay CGC interest on certain landfueld for their benefit. This clauseunderwrote part of CGC's financingcosts.5. The polo club, in selling the southernpart of lot 2 after auction, would create a130ft wide free, permanent grass rightslanding strip for CGc.The auction was well attended and thelots were offered in numeric order. Havingsecured, unbeknown to anyone else,lot 8 by private treaty on the back ofCritchell Down rights, our only brief tothe agent bidding on our behalf incognito,was to bid for lot I to a maximumof £84 000 guessin,g that the reserve wasaround £69 000. With this under ourbelt we could not afford at that stage tobid for any other lots availab'le at auction,even though we wanted some ofthem. Bidding for 'lot I (65 acres) soonreached the reserve price and beyondthat was between our agent and anotherbidder in £500 jumps ~and with,in lessthan a minute we had secured lot 1 for£72 000. The price per acre was keptreasonable by high interest rates at thetime (17% base rate!). Lot 2 (45 acres)was knocked down for £44 000 to thepolo club after some opposition biddingfrom local farmers. The remaining lotsavailable, namely J, 4,5,6 and 7, wcreunsold, but lot 3 outside the perimetertrack was sold afterwards.Following the auction, 1981 was takenup with long negotiations with HM theQueen's land agent and a local farmer,both of whom were interes'ted in acquiringthe lots 4 to 7 unsold at auction. Theairfield lies adjacent to the GatcombePark estate,the home of HRH PrincessAntie and Capt Mark Phillips. The netresult of these negotiations was thatCGC acquired the balance, of itsrequirements by selling the grass areas oflot 8 in a consortium arrangement withall the parties mentioned (see map).Problem of weed controlMuch of the negotiations concernedthe definition of the boundary of themain runways in order to protect therunway drainage system from overploughing.SUbsequent experience hasshown that weed control is a major problemwith cereal crops adjacent to the runwaysand has to be dealt with effectivelyto avoid erosion of the runway. Theprincipal s'trategic factor ,in all thenegotiations subsequent to the auctionwas that CGC, thmugh ownershi,p of lot8 in the first instance and also throughthe medium of the agreement with thepolo club, was in a strong bargainingposition to place restriclive covenants onthe land at ,its disposal. Thus nearly allthe land within the perimeter track areacan only be used for grass and cereals,thus precluding livestock, fencing, buildingsor other obstructions that couldjeopardise gliding operations.The cost of this net acquisition of 78acres, including the control tower, was£107000 including legal fees, stampduty and rolled up interest.At one stage COC was committed toAugust/September 1983161

gross expenditure approaching £200 000albeit with back-to-back on-sales. Tofinance this comp:Jicated acquisitionprogramme required some nimblefootedness and also a very understandingbank manager. Our bankers prior to theauction were frightened off by the complexityof the situation and the perceivedrisks. At the 11th hour Larry Bleakenfound a new banker willing to back us(Lloyds, Bristol). They were extremelyhelpful and saw us through £100000worth of bridging finance. The finalfunding structure was as follows:Club surplus funds at December 1980Club surplus funds 1981 and 1982Sports Council grantSports Council 5yr interest free loansBGA Phillip Wills Fund loanMembers airfield loan fund -interest freeLife membership soldMembers debenturesAeromodellersBank loan (after bridging finance paid off)t Available before auction:j: Promised before auctionBATTERY SAVERTERRY JENVEY£30000t£25000£20 000£8000£5OOO:j:£7000t£6000t£4700t£2000:j:NIL£107700What is the yearly cost to your club ofdry cell batteries for the club fleet? Thechances are you don't know. Petty cashitems like these are not usually itemisedon the balance sheet, but the standard4 t h V Bell batteries are about £1.20 eachand with five or six to a glider the cost isquite sigliificant. Very often the batteriesquietly flatten themselves while theglider is sitting on the ground waiting inthe launch queue, or worse all week longin the hangar with the vario left on!Flat on sunny morningslOne solution is to fit rechargeable battcrieswith a high initial outlay includingcustom built chargers, not to mentionfinding someone to be responsible forcharging them. Someone else made a lawstating that rechargeable batteries willalways be flat on sunny summer mornin!!s!Not the best answer at all.The fol1lowing circuit was designed as atrouble-free, even foolproof, solution tothe problem and has proved successful ingHders at my own club. With a cost of lessthan three Bell batteries per unit to build,the device should soon pay for itself.The drcuit shown is for a typical two162The Spor.ts Council assistance was ofconsiderable help and at the time of ourapplication, backed up by a 28 page"prospectus",the maximum gran! availableunder the rules was £25 000. Wehave subsequently learnt that otherregions of the Sports Council havebeen more generous (S&O last issuepl12). Bill Scull's help, particularly inthe pre-auction stages of political lobbying,was invaluable.Throughout this process we haveobviously made a few mistakes, such asallowing the plot boundaries fixed bythe PSA prior to auction influencing ourthinking after the auction when negotiatingfurther purchases and on sales. Wewere also a little naive to start with concerningthe negotiating abilities of farmersand their agents. Legal and taxaspects had to be looked at carefullybefore commitments were made andgenerally this aspect has worked outsatisfactorily, although we did end upwith two companies holding the landbecause of a change in legislation inDecember 1980 as regards companieslimited by guarantee.Perhaps one of the most importantfactors in our success was that in theJ±I... IIBatteryIBattery2 1I--L~SwitCh 1IN 4148instrument (variometer and T &S indicator)system with independent batterypower supplies. If you have only onebattery powered instrument simply omitone of the MCR102 thyristors and itsassociated resistors, and with a one batterysystem the 1N4148 diode isunnecessary. If you have more than twoinstruments, add on more thyristorlresistor combinations and include adiode in each circuit as shown.SWI is a micro switch, or better amagnetic switch of the type used in burglaralarm systems, fitted to the fuselageso that it is switched on when the canopyis closed. SW2 is a push button switch,non-locking, mounted on the instrumentpanel. SW3 and SW4 are the existinginstrument switches.With the pilot in position and thecanopy closed, press the push buttonautumn of 1980 the club membershipgave blanket authority to John Holland,Larry Bleaken and myself to deal withall aspects of the auction and negotiationsand finance without reverting tothe club membership for ratification ofeach stage. This meant that a small teamcould act discretely and quickly in thebest interests of the club and take criticaldecisions. There is no doubt that itwould have been totally impractical tohave referred to the club's membershipon all the important points that aroseover the course of a year and a half.That is not to say that the club membershipwas not kept informed from time totime on where we had got to.On a personal note I have found theacquisition a most satisfying experience,obviously with its frustrations, but thesense of achievement at having securedthe site is perhaps only tempered by thethought that we could have retainedmore of lot 8 had we had more equityfinance from within the club before theauction. The three team members aremost willing to pass on their experiencesto any club that is contemplating anacquisition and of course can be contactedthrough the BOA. ItInstrument 23kIN 4148switch. The MCR102 thyristors will nowbe held in the conducting state via the Ikholding resistors and the instruments canbe switched on and off normally. Whenthe canopy is opened to get out after theflight, the circuit is broken and the thyristorscease to conduct even when thecanopy is closed again. The instrumentscan only be on when the canopy is closedand the push button pressed. The1N4148 diodes are included to preventone battery discharging through the othervia the thyristor gate resistor chain.A word of warning - the thyristorsused can only handle 800mA, more thanenough for variometers and T&S indicators,but if you want to include yourartificial horizon in the system use aCI26M or similar thyristor, and replacethe 1k holding resistor with a 300n0.5w type. 111kSAILPLANE & GLIDING

GLIDING SPONSORSHIPBILL SCULL, BGA director of operationsOver the years (here bas been a modestamount of sponsorship for gliding whichhas obvious-ly been to the sport's advantage,Attracting sponsorship for sportdoes not happen by chance. Someone,somewhere, has undertaken a considerableamount of work. In ,the past fewmonths the BGA has had a WorkingGroup led by Joan Cloke -looking at thebenefits gliding could offer a potentialsponsor and the advantages of promotingOllr sport more positively.The past record. There has only beenlimited sponsorship for gliding in thepast. The WD and HO Wills Capstanused by the coaching operation from1963-69, tile inter-club competitionfor the the best trained student for whichthe main prizes were two Swallows(the first occasion) and the followingyear two K-6s. More recently AlliedBreweries promoted their new productArctic Lite using the National Championshipsas the venue as well as sponsoringthe British team in the 1981 WorldChampionships at Paderborn. Less obvious,'but 1'101 to be forgotten contributions,bave been team cars at WorldChampionships - Range Rovers fromBL in Yugoslavia (1972) and Saabs inFinland (1976) to mention but two. *All of this support has of course beenof considerable benefit to the movementdirectly 0f indirectly. Even if supportdoes only defray the costs of sending ateam to the World Championships itdoes reduce the direction of team managementeffort to fund raising.Recent considerations. If the supportwe have received in the past didn't justhappen then clearly a corporate associationplan might enable us to make thenecessary contacts and attract new sponsors.The need for sponsorship to supportsending a team to World Championshipsis evident when the cost for ateam of four (whether in a uniform ornot!) is in the order of £28 000. Clearly alevy on the movement at SOp a headmakes on,ly a sma'll contribution.One of the first questions to ask is"how attractive a package is gliding to apotential sponsor?" Before attemptingto answer that it is perhaps appropriateto consider what a sponsor might beseeking from gliding.Sponsorship on the grand scale costsbig money ancl it will be evident to anyonewho walchessport on television that('Also nor forget/ing The Kemsley Flying Trusr. SeeDecember i9'79 issue, p278, for an accowl/ ofits valuablecontribution. ED.'the benefits a sponsor gets are exposur,eof his name andlor product in the media- television and press. There is a limit tothe amount of exposure to be gained andsince the sponsor cannot get a directmeasure of the effect (as he would with:astraight adveItising or promotion campaigfl)sponsorship funds are likely to bea relatively small proportion of theilwhole budget. Further, the potentialfunds a sport can attract will be Tela tedto the exposure the sport can offer.In this respec gliding is a minoritysport which does not lend itself to TVcoverage, at leasI so far as competitionsare concerned and in any case isbelieved, quite wrongly, to be elitist.Despite the fact that George Lee hasbeen three times World Champion weare not able to raise the level of mediainterest in our sport. To make it moreinteresting requires more positive promotionat every level -press and local radio.Must "sell" the sportstarting with localWe know we've got a good productand we have got to try to sell it!* That"selling" the sport is possible should notbe in any doubt. The extent to which themovement rallied to the airways in Scotlandissue (239 MPs lobbied) is testimonyto this.The practical step necessary is a positivepromotional plan - guidelines forclubs - and these are in the course ofpreparation by the Sponsorship WorkingGroup. Once these are published we willneed an active person in every club tostart the plan rolling. Everyone shouldrecognise that any plan will not produceresults overnight - five years might be areasonable time scale if the plan isdynamic and well-managed. However weshould all recognise that we are in thebusiness of promoting our sport.What if each of us introduced five newpeople a year to the sport with a view toincreasing the general awareness of gliding?Given that this could all beachieved then improved awarenesswould gradually improve gliding'schances of sponsorship.If we recognise that we may neverattract the big time support we mightdream of, there are still a lot of opportunitiesat a level to be of value. Glidingas a promotional medium may well be• The need for positive promotion has becomeapparent in recent years with a decline in membership.Previously demand had always exceeded supply.This aspect alone warrants a separate studywhich has already beell initiated. Remember "Where isgliding going?" (S&G, April 1982, p68)? This is 1I0Wthe subject of a separate study group under ChrisNicholas.limited but much of the sponsorship isshort term and aimed simply at using thesporting venue, not so much for advertising,but simply as an interesting and differentopportunity 10 entertain or promotea product and a name.Identifying gliding potential as apromotional medium has been one ofIlhe main tasks of the working group andbefore long we will have a packageexplaining gliding and its potential 10 aprospective sponsor and this, obviously,will be followed by further efforts toattract potential sponsors. Although onlyit small step it is one which has not, tomy knowledge, been properly dealt withuntil now.Unlike many aspects of gliding managementwhere the real professionalexpertise is misdirected (such as 'solicitorsbuilding winches and engineersdrafting club constitutions!) the SponsorshipWorking Group has people usingrelated skills. The starting point for thegroup was actually the article previouslymentioned - "Where is gliding going?"A response to this came from three peoplein the form of a paper "Furtherthoughts ...". The trio are key membersof ADA - Anthony Dicks Associates.Tony is the "words" man, Alan Austinthe graphics - (he was the guy whodrew the pictures used on TV during theFalklands crisis) and Jeff Smithers is theMD who constrains the artistic talentsinto a money-making organisation. Thistrio all fly at Lasham and bring a greatdeal of clear thinking and enthusiasm tothe Group.John Alway is an up-and-comingcompetition pilot who flies at Booker.John's business is marketing and hiswork involves him in sponsorship andpromotion. Other inputs have beenmade by people with real experience insponsorship, such as John Jeffries whowas instrumental in getting the AlliedBreweries sponsorship of which I onlysaw the sharp end as a director of one ofthe sponsored Nationals,Identifying a suitably qualified teainarose from responses to S&G copy andthe peripatetic nature of my work. Thereis a lot of talent lurking around the glidingmovement - identifying it is theproblem! If you feel you have somethingto offer get in touch with Joan C10ke viathe BGA office. If you feel that youcould contribute at club level then speakto your chairman and watch this space!a, Joan C10ke says solicitors enjoy building winches!163

1983 15 METRE CLASS NATIONALSBooker - May 21-30NIKKI CAMPBEll with photographs by Geoff BrownThe spectre of Greenham Common loomedgloomily over the opening of these Championshipswhen the clouds built up until lightningtore apart the dark grey sky spread outover the soggy airfield and thunder rumbledaround us in menacing circles. Neverthelessplenty of laughter was ihea,rd as Val Doonicanopened the competition. Eyeing the blisterhangar uneasily he said it reminded him ofsome of the barns, huts ete he had clonesome ·of his earliest gigs in; but quick1y reassuredus he wouldn't sing today. Much chortlingand innuendo followed Brian Spreckley'sexpressed concern a.t gaining a reputation forbeing Val's "special friend", having spent 11flights in the K-21, being filmed whilst Valsung love songs to him! (This filming wasdone for the beginning of Val's new TVseries.)Dur.ing these proceeding·s the cunninglyIntricate Iim Newport-Peace PA systemdemonstrated to Quests how they could hearthe telephone in the gliding office ring whilstsitting in the blister hangar.Cheery atmospherewhatever the weatherIt says much of the organisation under thedynamic and imaginative direction 1 clubmanager, Brian Spreckley, that this cheeryatmosphere persisted by and large throughthe whole competition, whatever the weather.Everything on the domestic and flying sideran with that deceptive smoothness that isthe result of detailed forethought and planning.The decision-making triumvirate 01 Brian,task setter Laurie Beer, and Met man PeterI Bayliss had their work cut out making themost of each unpredictable day, Flexibilitywas surely the key to success here: with glid-Windcones made in Minis!ryof DefenceHypalon ", also in nylon and cambric.Landing Marker Sets in bright orange.National, Advertising Flags andBanners.Canvas Covers for all requirements.Flagstaffs supplied and erected inSteel, Aluminium. Fibreglass andTimber - suitable for Windcones.PIGGOTT BROTHERS & CO. LIMITEDStanlord Aiyers. Nr. On9al. Essex eM5 9PJTel 0277 :)63262ers towed o'Ut first and briefing given at least30 minutes prior to first launch.The Met was .aided by the loan .of a silver,dish with antennae which picked up satellitepictures which were then turned into a constantlyevolving video .display. Peter Baylisssaid this was a great help, although interpretationof the picture was tricky - you couldeasily be fooied into thinking the cirrus wasthicker than it actually was being an, infra-redpicture. Competitor~ might have been forgivenfor thinking later in the week that it wouldserve them better as a silver umbrella or anyETs around as a telephone to 'phone home!The start (but rarely finish) line was efficientlyand expertly run by Dilys Vates, aidedand abetted by Tim Newport-Peace. Althoughall departments deserve praise, I'll just mentioncontrol who remained "in control" andcheerful in spite 01 what must have been arecord number of outlandings.Saturday, May 21Task: 187.6km Membury, Calvert junction, S.Goring.Gliders were towed out and a task was set.However, thunderstorms as mentioned aboveprecluded any flying and the day was scrubbed.Consolation was offered with the showingof "Aces High" in the afternoon.Sunday, May 22Task: 204.4km Blakehill farm aerial, Chilboltondish aerial.The very moist airstream covering the areawas to be the main problem for the wholeweek. The over-convection leading to 7/8,8/8 cu and strato cu and showers today andthe following days was due in part to thismoist air and in part to the wet ground. Mostdays were quite unstable and would haveproduced moderate thermals had the overdevelopmentnot occurred.Airtour •InternationalGlider pilots' logbooks, charts,computers, scales, protractors,dividers, rules, pencils, gloves,sunglasses, flying suits, caps.Free catalogue on requestELSTREE AERODROME, HERTS, UKPilots' Shop open Monday-Saturdayintema/iona/Mail Order specialists01-953-4870/6064ILaunching took place at 1200hr$ when itwas reasonably soarable; bvt it was to be anafternoon of relighting and relaunching. Onceon their way' a shower line approaChed thefirst TP and brought 28 gflders down OnSouth Marston airfield, the rest were spreadalong the first leg. At one stage, with five tugsand our own runway at South Marston, it wasdifficult to be sure whether the competitionwas still being 'held' at Booker.Miraculously Dave Watt managed to finishthe task; but as no one else had passed "y"he received no points for his efforts. Pressedto tell us how he did it at briefing next day, heput his finish down to an early start, thusbeating the shower line to the first turningpoint.Day 1, Monday, May 23Task: 205.8km OIR Stoke Dry reservoir.Although launching began at 1135 it wasagain a day for many relights. As the cu andstrato cu spread out rapidly giving 8/8 cover,many found they couldn't get away again andspent the afternoon anxiously scanning thesky for signs of improvement. The sun cameout at 1700hrs and the weather perked up butby then it was too late.Those that had remained airborne struggledalong track to land in very muddy fields. Ninepilots passed "y", although none finished, soit was a contest day.Ralph Jones, the winner, flew 144.3km anddescribed the flight thus: "It was like walkinground the edge 01 a muddy pond, knowingthat eventually you're going to slip in."Leading pos Dlst pts1 Jones 144.3 1232 Dixon 136.8 1163 Hodsman 128.3 1074 Star1

Saturday, May 21 Sunday, May 22 Monday, May 23 Tuesday, May 24 Wednesday, May 25Day 2, Tuesday, May 24Task: 202km OIR Westbury chimneyAt last a sunny morning; pilots and crewwashed and polished optimistically. However,Peter Bayliss spoke of thin high cloud andshowers by afternoon. The best part of theday was clearly to be the first part, so launchingcommenced at 1115.Almost immediately the sky clouded overand a sense of "deja vue" overcame thecrews, many of whom had done two muddyretrieves already. Although the sun appearedAll ASW.20 sporling winglet5.for a few minutes now and then, the cloudnever broke up and once more pilots landedout all along track. The first three, MikeThrossell, Dave Watt and Steve White flewmost of the way round and another fourpushed on past "'I" making .it a contest day.The rain duly arrived at tea-time to soakcrews and pilots derigging in various far-flungfields.Mike T1hrossell, the winner, attributed hisdistance to cloud climbs short of the TP andlong glides out along track.leading pos1 Throssell2 Watt3 White4 Garton5= Jones5= Heames5= HodsmanDlst164.3160.5148.5"'7.5106.5106.5105.8Pts Ov'II pts Ov'II pas62 99 10=60 60 2255 119 542 124 437 160 137 44 2637 144 2Day 3, Wednesday, May 25Task: 314.2km Silverstone, tasham, Didcot.Peter Bayliss and Laurie Beer were hopeful.The sun was shining and the air was cold,coming straight off the North Sea. 518 cuwere predicted witt:! thermals averaging 4ktand a cloudbase of 4000-450011. The gridwas formed early, first launch to be at 1045- at last a racing day ... or so we thought.But 1045 came and went, the sky was stillblue and the wind quite fresh. What was happening?By noon cu lbegan to appear rapidlyand' launching began. Over-development followedhard on its heels and the sky becamegrey and mucky with very poor visibility. By1600hrs some crews were already retrievingwhilst those left at Booker sat drinking tea inthe dr.izzle waiting for their number to comeup. Most pilots landed on the second leg toLasham; some managed: to grovel roundLasham to Oidcot, a few even turning Didcol.John cardiff surprised us all by finishing.Chris Starkey almost made it back, landing amere 2km short of Booker.Like winners on previous days and thosethat were to fbllow, John Cardiff slarted earlybefore the cu had spread right out, thus gaininga good leg to Silverslone and down 10Lasham. He then had a long glide out fromAldermaston to Didcot in ~he drizzle, climbedin cloud over the chimneys, another longglide out in drizzle and a marginal final glide. IAll 'Pilots can read -but the BeST 'PILOTSreadSailplane &Glidin'gThe magoazine can be obtained from most Gliding Clubs inGt. Britain. alternativ.ely send £8.15 postage included toran annual subscriptiQn to Ihe British Gliding Association.Kimberley House. Vaughan Way, Leicester.Red feather-cloth binders speciijlly designed 10 take copies of themagazine and gold-blocked with the litle on the spine are onlyavailable from the B.GAPrice £3.50 (£3.99, including .post and pac·king).OVERSEAS AGENTS'CANADA1. R. Beasley. Soaring Supplies. PO Box 4851St. Laurent. 'P.a. Canada. H4l 4Z5.SOUTH AFRICAPeter Eicn. PO Box 82707. SoutAdale 2135. Johannesburg. Transvaal.HOLLANDAeropress (Ary Ceelen) P Stockmanslaan 53. 5652 RB EindhovenUSA and all other CountriesPayable in either Sterling £8.15 or US $17 but International MoneyOrders preferred. direct to the British Gliding Association.August/September 1983165

Thursday, May 26 Friday, May 27 Saturday, May 28 Sunday, May 29 Monday, May 30Visibility was so bad he said he couldn't see Day 4, Thursday, May 26thealrlield untill'le was half a mile out. Task: 2t6km Buckingham church, Lasham,So what :had nappened to the racing day? Didcot.Peter Bayliss explained to Ille that a one Another promising start, fresh northerly airdegreepressure change allowed an, occluded stream, moderate thermals developing,front to move just a little farther than expected another spreading out of cu aM strato cu toie from Cardiff to Booker, which had brought 7/8 cove, killing off most of lhe lift.all the muck in.Competitors were launched at noon whilstit was quite soarable and made-off to Buckingham.By 1400 the familiar pattern of spread­Leading pos: DI8t Pta 011'11 pts 011'11 pOt585 650 2 ing out and l'anding out had begun to repealitself,1 Cardiff 64.60Km/h2 Starkey 230,33 Rollings 192.84 Watt 186,85 CurUs 183.16 Sheard 182.35704694524424406675795125324571310711Val Doonican with "special friend" Briall Spreckley.AI Kay came first, just rounding Didcot,while Cave Watt, Chris Garton, Mike Throsselland Oenis Campbell all landed ,just shortof Didcot. AI described his flight as "touchand go all the way". He went to Didcot for lift,forgetting ,il was a lP, was very low over thechimneys and thought a close-up picture oflhetallest coo,ling tower would look good inhis logbook, only later reaUsing that it wouldlook even better on the score sheet! "All inall, the worst flighl I 'have ever been involvedin."Leading pes Dlst Pts OV'U pis 011'11 pos1 Kay 185.6 431 876 52 Watt 181.9 421 933 43 Garton 173,4 399 950 34= Throssell 170,4 391 614 154= Campbell 170,4 391 815 76 Starkey 169,4 388 1055 1Day 5, Friday, May 27 "The DonkeyDerby"Task: 135,4km O/R Marlborough,The weakest day yet. There was thick highcloud over Southern England. The air wasunstable; but very moist. Not to be beaten bythe weather the competitors were dulylaunched at 1300hrs and many duly fell downagain not long afterwards. More hours werespent skywatching and dithering about furtherlaooches.By 1600 a number of pilots, mostly Bookeraces I have to add, had towed their glidersback to the trailers and given up. Even Brian6preckley's provocative combination ofabuse and flallery failed to get them back intothe sky.Shearline of cloudA number of pilots meanwhile had managedto stay airborne and were still eitherlocal, soaring or beginning the task. At 1700Peter Bayliss received a severe shock as hewas told junction 10 01 the M4 was closeddue to flooding' and went off to investigate, Atthe same time a shearline 01 cloudapproaChed carrying strong lift with it. Aboula dozen pilots still on the grid relaunchedand, joining those already airborne, got awayfrom Booker with it.All of a sudden it had become a contestday, ,nine pilots passed "y" and Mike Throssell,became one of the few finishers of theweek, having gone to senson after his firstlaunch and stayed airbome there for threehours, return...g to Booker to start againwhen he saw the shearline approach.The reason for a ,dramatic change in theweather, was the, development of a cold poolover Southerrl England (not predicted byanyone) setting off a line of thunderstormssoutn of the Thames. It suddenly becameSAILPLANE & GLIDING

An arresling shot ofthe slart ofIhe launching.very convective ·as the air was so unstable.Thai evening :saw the lormation 01 anexclusive club, Ihe Donkey Club, members ofwhich were instantly 'recognisable by theirlong floppy ears rolded in shame over theirfaces! Oh dear ...leading poe Dlst Pts Ov'II pts Ov'II pos1 Throssell 57.78 167 781 112 Garton3 Curtis4 Bishop5 Dixon6 ElliotlKmlh123.2 146113.9 133107.7 124106.9 123105.2 120109668649437967131525=3216Saturday, May 28, Rain • .• rain . .. rain • •.There was a choice 01 tasks sel: to watch avideo, have a sauna or play squash. At 1630to the disbelief of many, a Booker v Dunstablefootball match was held in the steadydrizzle - 24 players, one referee and RalphJones' dog could just be picked out in thegloom. Booker won 5-2. -The party and barbecue in the eveningwere a huge success and nobody seemed tocare about the rain.Sunday, May 29Two taSKS were set, 190km Oxford,Devizes and 152km Oxford, Marlborough; butthe cloudbase didn't rise above 25000, andthe visibility was poor. At 1400hrs the daywas scrubbed.However, as on previous scrubbed days,there was plenty on offer, including anothervideo and an air display. A contingent of theBooker mafia performed gliding aerobatics,then members of the real mafia gave a displayin two Hunter jets.Day 6, Monday, May 30, "A Day at theRaces"Task: 183.8km Towcester racecourse,Newbury racecourse.Once again pilots were launched into goodlift which was soon weakened by overconvectiondue to very moist air. Pilots weresoon sprinkled liberally over the task area,many on the first leg.Today it was the tenacious Denis Campbell'sturn to be the lonely finisher, havingflown doggedly around the task. Just howdogged is illustrated in his speed of40.73km/h! He said afterwards that his savinghad been to go east of track on the secondleg to Westcot, where the sun wasshining rather than along track Into the grot.With such unpredictable weather patterns:brief gaps in the cloud with strong lift followedby large dead patches, an element of luckinevitably crep( in,. This could have resulted ina pilot who struck lucky one day gaining anunassailable lead over the others; but due tothe scoring system, it remained a real contestright up until the last day. The poor weathersimply meant that the winners won byaccumUlating small quantities of points fordistance achieved rather than large quantitiesof points for speed around a task.leading poa Dlst PIs Ov'II pts Ov'II pos1 Campbell 40.73 123 938 62 Wells3= Heames3= Ellis5= King5= Camp5= PanyKm/h129.8113.8112.8100.399.699.8(Final results on p168)81696959595992829623480755455373337102223August/September 1983 167

FINAL RESULTS Day , 23,5 Day 2 24.5 Day 3 25.5 Day. 28.5 Day 5 27.5 Day 6 30.515 Metre Class205.lkm 0fR 202km CiR 232.3km 0 ~HS.1/11m 'butlerflw '35.4km OIR 143.lIkmScoring system; Chris RowlandStoke Dr;y Weetbury SlIverltone. lasham, Bucldngham, L..ham, Martborough Towcee'.r rc,'euNol, chimney Oldcot Oklcot Newbury reFin Pilot Comp Glider01., Po. PI. 01., Po. PI. 01., Po. PI. 01., Po. PI. 0111 Po. PI. 01.' Po. PI. TolPo. No. (Spssd) (Spssd) (Spssd) PI.I~2Cardiff. J.Starkey. C. G.709313ASW-20Ventus662126.82'446·9665.022.6-2442.9I(64.60)230.3•25ll:i570161.1169.47636738891.15.8.092310.5493.116.59·32540117211092 Garton.C. 3' Venlus 103.3 =7 82 117.5 4 42 '77.3 8 4U 113.4 3 399 123.:!: 2 146 37.0 .17 '3 11094 Key. A. E. 949 ASW-20 0.0 =28 0 74.3 0-17175.6 '0 422 185.6~ I• 43' 74.9 ":..15 78 35.0 -20 11 9655 Wall. D. S. 76 ASW-20 0.0 28 0 160.5 2 186.6 4 452 181.9 2 42' 0.0 26 0 35.0 =20 11 9446 Campbell. O. R. 170 ASW-20 ONF =28 0 63.0 27 '8 169.8 15 406 170." ·,4 39' 0.0 26 0 (40.73) ,'23 9387 Wells, M. O. 49 00-202 103.3 7 62 77.3 .6 24 ,.72.' '2 4.2 111..( 19 238 S..... 10 9' 129.8 2 6' 9266 Lysakowskl, E. R. 303 Ventu5 84.7 '3 64 64.5 ·24 '9 180.3 7 435 148.1 9 333 51.7 24 45 57.7 16 26 9249 COoper, B. L. 606 DG-202 40.9 25 .. 95.0 6 32 168.3 '6 402 , 16.7 '8 251 74.9 15 76 966 8 57 64,10 King, Sa'1y 714 Venlus ONF >26 0 73.0 17 23 177.3 8 427 134.4298 ONF >26 0 100.3 =5 59 60711 Whlte.S 944 Pegasua 101 84.7 '3 64 148.5 3 55 175.142' 120.4 17 " 26. ONF 26 0 19.7 -32 0 60.12 rh rosssll. M. G. 27 ASW-20 569 22 37 164.,362 65.6 28• " ,12-4 ~70.4 4 39' (5778) , .67 37.5 -17 '3 79413 May, R. C, 470 ASW-20 0.0 -26 0 79.3 14 25 16\.8 '6 3ll:i 167.5 8 '362 I 74.9 '5 7. 36.0 '9 .2 784.4 Rolling., C. C. '9' ASW-20 103.3 -7 82 ll:i.e· .0 20 192.8 3 469 93.7 22 • 17~ DNF 26 0 322 27 9 759.5 Cunis, C. J. 931 ASW-2O 84.7 ="'3 64 81.5 13 26 '83 1 5 442 28.2 36 2' 113.9 3 '33 19.7 -32 0 666.6 Elllon, e. 24 ASW-20 26.9 26 7 53.8 '·33 '4 142.9 2, 333 95.9 20 \97 '05.2 6 .20 19.7 '32 0 67117 Hodsman, O. A. 740 Mini Nimbus 128.3 3 .07 105.8 5 37 170 I '4 407 34_9 --28 39 1'4.9 '"' 15 76 0.0 32 0 66618 Walson, A. J. 704 Mosquito ONF =26 0 72.5 22 22 150.6 -20 354 122.9 16 2sa DNF 26 0 17.5 32 0 644'9 Jones. R. .66 Ventus 144.3• '23 lC6.5 5 37 52.5 " 33 88 126.7 14 277 92.4 8 .02 34,7 2063620 Jefforyes. M. B. 656 DO-202 49.9 23 30 69.5 23 2' 167.8 17 40' J3.7 3' 36 74'.9 " 15 78 26.7 29 " 5 57121 Monls. G. O. 172 ASW-20 DNF -28 0 24.0 =40 2 161.8 .6 365 83.4 23 113 60.5 '20 57 33.7 26 '0 56722 Camp, G. W. G. 206 OG-,OO 76.1 '6 56 34.0 39 6 52.5 "'33 88 134.4 15 '277 68.4 19 68 99.6 -5 59 55.23 Parry. N. 264 LS-4 96.4 '0 76 62.6 11 27 109.6 25 243 42.2 26 5ll 83.490 99.6 =5 59 55324 Malher. A. H. 323 ASW-2O 84.7 -'3 64 12.5 -45 0 1SO.6 =20 354 604 25 105 0.0 '26 " 0 34.5 =20 11 53425 Sheard" P. G. 3'0 Ve-Mlus ONF 26 0 61.0 29 17 182.3 6 440 41.7 27 56 DNF -"26 0 0.0 32 0 51326 Bishop, J. M. 227 Mini Nimbus 0.0 =28 0 56.5 30 \6 \50.6 ·20 354 19.9 39 0 107.7 4 '24 19.0 =32 0 49427 BrIdges, R. C. .57 LS·3 IDNF ·26 0 53.3 -33 ,4 16.3 48 0 134." -'11 298 95. , 7 '06 83.1 '3 47 46526 Stone, A. J. 266 LS-4 DNF ~26 0 73.0 17 23 68.1 27 .30 134." 11 298 ONF -"26 0 0.0 -32 0 45129 Cumner. G. M. 590 ASW-2O 69.9 20 49 23.0 -42 1 132.1 24 304 21.9 38 5 I 94." 12 ·89 17.5 -32 0 44630 OllCon, R, '6 Vanlua 13'6.8 2 116 53.5 33 14 57.9 31 '03 26.9 "3-4 23 106.9 5 '23 636 13 47 4263' AldoLlS. Ft F. .6. "S"'-2O DNF ·26 0 0.0 45 0 172.1 =-12 412 0.0 "39 0 ONF .... 26 0 0.0 32 0 4.232 Read. G. F. 69 ASW-20 95.2 I, 74 57.0 -30 .6 B.5 48 0 ':l9_~ '0 3'0 0.0 26 0 9.0 =32 0 400J3 Heames, C. 545 Mosquito 27.4 26 7 106.5 ~5 37 52.5 33 66 34.7 30 36 60.5 ·20 57 , 13,8 =3 69 29634 Redman. S. J. 56 LS-3 0.0 ·28 0 82.5 "-11 27 27.5 46 20 68.7 24 '106 81.9 :-,13 66 88.B '0 5' 29235 Murphy, T. J. 726 PIK 20 ONF =28 0 95.0 =6 32 41.3 41 58 87.9 21 .77 DNF :

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THE ORANGE MONSTER,THE SKULLSPLITTER ANDTHE fiRE ESCAPE11" BYMARTIN111 1 • SIMONS..........My friend Klaus Heyn. who lives very nearGoppingen Where the lama us Minimoa sailplanewas produced, is building a $ailplane inhis attic. It is a Rhonadler, a: H.4m spanwooden design which first appeared in 1931and was produced in large numbers in Germany.None of the type remain now, inEurope. The plans he is using were actuallyrescued some years ago from the damp,mouse-ridder:l lofts at the Slingsby factorywhere they had apparently been lying aboutsince pre-war times. That is arlother story.Wnen the 'Adler is linished, Klaus proposesto remove some of the roof 01 his houseto get it out. Since the wings will be nearlynine metres 'Iongl and 1.5m wide at the rootend, it seems that quite a lot of the roof willhave to go.Klaus is very keen on vintage sailplanes..The hallway 01 the house is decorated withbeautifully made scale models, on the wallsthere hangs a collection of instrument panelsand even a full sized rudder, the last being areplica of the rudder of Wolf Hirth's famousMusterle, the sailplane in which he discovered"blue" thermals and with which hesoared: atter a bungy launch from the banksof the Hudson in New York.The Rhonadler is just the latest project in along series of restorations, reconstructionsand replications that Klaus has carried outover the last two decades. Unfortunately themove into the attic brought problems. It isoften too cold up there for modern glues toset, and, worse, there is a very sensitiveneighbour next door who has complained sovigorously about the noise coming from therool, that work there has had to ceaseentirety, for the time being at least.Struts I'ook dangerousDownstairs, in the garage, Klaus keeps hisGrunau 9 primary glider. The Grunau 9 wasdesigned in Ihe 1920s by Edmund Schneider,for the solo training methods then in generaluse. Large numbers were produced at theGrunau factory in Silesia, and many werebuilt by clubs. It was ve,ry similar in oonceptionto the Uppisch Z

cial "banking" engines to push the trains upthe incline. With the Heyn family car still rightbehind us, it must have looked as if they weredoing the same service for us.The snow thickened and a strong winddrifted it across the road inches thick as weemerged from the long climb onto theexposed high plateau. At the summit a hugesemi-trailer had slid completely off the road.More chocolate. Not far from here Chris Wills,a few weeks earlier, had the wing of anothervintage sailplane blown clean 011 the opentrailer by the crosswind. It had landed,broken, in the fields off the road. The vanswayed perceptibly and' the family told uslater that it looked worse from behind. Theywere still there. We fumbled on southwards,descending gradually towards the Danube.The tallest church spire in the world, HerrSeufett the architect assured me, loomeddimly through the murk ahead. It was Ulm, andeveryone knows there is no place like Ulm.Harr 5eufert was anxious that I shouldHighness descended safely, if not quite soregally, to ordinary levels.Nearby, other huge halls contained exhibitionsof racing cars and a sort of open, butunder cover, market, while in the plaza outsidemodel racing cars buzzed round likefurious wasps. A couple of sad Polish sailplanesstood aloof surrounded by shrubbery,and the Luftwaffe showed off a helicopter, ranrecruiting Iilms, made loud bangs and set off,petml fires for the pleasure of pUlling themout again. More sensibly, they also servedcheap meals in a long khaki coloured tent. Inanother hall was a fine display of airshiprelics with some of the original dinner serviceused lor luxurious meals on the Graf Zeppelin,and nastily charred bits of some of theothers.The show we were really anxious to seewas in another great hall, evidently in normaltimes a tennis stadium with about ten fullcourts and a green plastic grass carpet, sothat the aircraft on display appeared almostSkullspliller, well displayed, hanging fromsteel cables, but quite out of reach. We ponderedabout it. How, at 6pm on Sunday,should we get it down? How had it ever beengot up? It seems there had been a couple ofH'yster fork lift trucks and expert workmenwith pUlleys, ropes and wire cullers. Wouldthey be there on Sunday evening? We worriedabout it all night and most of the nextday, even while watching the airshow. Theweather had, by Ihen, improved.The flying was, every bit as good as the resthad led us la expect. Some thirty ultralightaeroplanes assembled, as if ashamed ofthemselves, far away on the other side of theaerodrome. When the time came, a hot airballoon ascended and drifted away in statelybut gasping fashion, and shortly afterwardsmost of the ultralightstook-off and flew awaylike a cloud of midges, to disappear, low, overthe horizon. One of them came down in a fieldwithin sight, but soon got going again andhastened after the others. We then admiredFrom jets to, ulltaUghtsappreciate the fine ancient buildings, but wedidn't slacken speed. We crossed the Danubeani:! turned southwards past a Baumschuleor tree school, where young saplings stood toattention all in rows awaiting their instructions.More chocolate.Ahead it seemed the sky lightened slightlyand the snow stopped. The Lake of Constance,~ seemed, had some ameliorating effectson the local climate, but the· wind was stillstrong and the sky remained grey, soalthough, as we neared our destination wedid see a single aeroplane doing aerobatics,~ was soon obvious that there would be nootl-er flying. As the Austrian Alps became distantlyvisible, on our left with the Swiss,ranges directly ahead across the lake, we roiled~nto the town and rumbled round lookingfor a parking plaoe. It was nOl easy to find,snce the whole area was crowded and theshOwground was thronged with visitors.Robbed of the flying sbow, they had all cometo the static display.It was indeed a tremendous exhibition. Onevery large hall was devoted 10 hot air balloons,modern sailplanes and motor gliders.All the big sailplane firms had their displayshere, there were bookstalls, shops sellingpilot's gear and flying, clothing, radios, Tostwinches and so on, with a genuine hot air balloonin one corner. Opening the show,theMinister of Education. had been carried up tothe roof by the balloon. When It was time tocome down again, it seemed the electricalmotor which should have pulled him down,was not up to the task, so he was strandedaloft. Fortunately someone found a sort ofladder - a fire escape we were told, and HisAugust/September 1983He was stranded alof!as if ready to take-off from the field. Therewere several completed and partly-built smallaeroplanes, and a magnificent Bleriot monoplanenext to a Siemens World War 1 fighterbiplane. There was a small Dornier flyingboat hanging from the roof, and an. enormousSwiss man-powered aeroplane. The mainattraction, however, was ine sailplane display,with about thirty-five different types.There was everything 'from a reconstructionof the contraption allegedly used by thelegendary Tailor of Ulm, who essayed longago to fly across the Danube but didn't makeit half way, to the first and in some ways, stillthe most 'beautiful glass-plastic sailplane, thefamous PhOnill, which lodks, twenty fiveyears or so after its first flight, as perfect asever. In a prominent place stood what is,probably,theofdest sailplane in the world,built about 1929, a Lippisch Falke. This wasone of Klaus Heyn's earlier projects. Herescued the aircraft from the rafters of aSwiss mountain top ski lift.Years ago it had been carried up there tobe bungy launched from the mountain, but itseems the pilot lost interest SUddenly, andthere it remained, to be stoned from time totime and even shot at from below. To restoreit to flying condition was not possible, butKlaus brought it down and repaired it toexhibition standards, equipped' with instrumentsand a motor horn. The old pioneer andhistorian, Ollo Bellinger, was requested to sitin the cockpit for a TV interview, which hedid. Ten minutes after the filming was completed,he was asked to do it alii again,because the film 'had been stolen.Immediately above the Falke was thesuperb aerobatics and precise formation lIying.A Messersohmitt 109 flew rather gently toand fro, and a PSI Mustang made a somewhatmore spectacular demonstration. It wasexplained that Messerschmitt engine partsare harder to replace 'than Packard Merlins. ADornier 228 ,impressed everyone, and El La100, extracted from the exhibition hall, did itsbest 10 show that anything a Zlin can do, asailplane can be quieter. There were theusual parachute drops, a helicopter came inand I'eft a space capSUle behind and somemilitary pilots did ,their utmost to disprove theallegation that all the tun went out of flyingwhen the jet engine was ,invented.Al 6pm Herr 8eufert went for the orangemonster and we began to de-rig the old Falketo make room for our Skullsplitter to comedown. Klaus had found the fork lift operatorsand they promised to be with us in fifteenminutes. The Falke, with its highly complicatedwings and V struts, was graduallytaken to bits and laid out to one side, gentlyon the ,artificial tUrf. Other people broughttheir trailers in, de-rigged and drove away,,and still the Hyster did not appear. Klaus wentscouting, and Quickly returned. When theMinister was elevated, in the balloon, theyh,ad used a fire escape to get him down. 11was still there, and we. could steal it.We hastened to the other large hall, whichwas in chaos as everyone rushed hither andthither to clear away their Zeppelins, coffeestalls, winches, sailplaAes and so on. Nobodywas practising transcendental meditation atall. We located the fire escape, away in thecorner. It had a telescopic ladder which couldbe wound up and down by means of a large171

windlass. Then there was a larger windlasswhich allowed two men to hinge the wholeladder up 10 an angle, or down'lO lie flat onthe chassis. The chassis had four large rubberwheels and a hefty towbar. Screw jacksat e,ach corner allowed the wheels to belifted off Ih.e ground. The ladder was upwhen we found rt, so we cranked and woundit down till we h,it someone's caravan, andwound it up a bit again. When the busyexhibitors saw that we wanted the thing, theysprung to our aid. We all wound jacks andwindlasses, pushed and pUlled, until the thingthal had been out of the way, was moved welland truly into the way. The milling throngs,perforce, slowed down, stopped, and decidedthat more help was needed, though not all ofthem knew where we wanted to go and evenfewer knew why. At this moment, Silke camerunning from the other hall. "Daddy, the menhave eome with the lark litter, and they arewailing." Klaus ran 0'" at great speed, and Iwas left surrounded by strong, sweating,happy Bavarians and Swabians, who beganto ltiok somewhat less cheerful, and suddenlywere using the sort of German that I havenever been able to understand. They were allvery strong. "Moment, /;Jilte", I cried, and ranafter Klaus. We never wen! back.Wood and many nailsWith the help of the Hyster, we soon 'gotthe Skullsplitter down and with ropes, blocksof wood and many nails, stowed it safely inIhe orange monsler which Herr Seufert hadat last managed to get into the showground.He backed into the hall through the largedoors, across the green tennis courts. I hopeno one slips on the oil.Three hours later than we had intended,we were on the road again and Herr Seufertwas happily munching. The chocolate supplyran out as we were running swiftly down theAlb Scarp. Her Seufert demonstrated how,when driving a motor bike sidecar in a race,one had to take the most efficient line throughevery corner. He only hit the kerb a little bitonce.As we 'ground slowly into the home stretch,Klaus's touchy neighbours were just ending,their late night stroll and turned in at tlileirgate as we opened the monster's doors. Wetiptoed about arid whispered, silently extractingnails and gently laying wings, lail andfuselage, complete with dummy pilot, on theground' outside the house, before creeping inwith il to the garage. When the van wasempty, Herr Seufert, starving now, climbed in,Jet the brake off, and rolled silently down thehill like a ghost into the night. We' heard himstart the engine at the corner. The neighbour'slight had been oH for an hour, and Iam sure his slumbers were undisturbed.At breakfast next morning, I had a fit ofthe giggles. 11SITE SECURITYGremlIns got at Bill Scull'. article in thelasl Issue, p112. The section that wasunder attack should have read as follows:Cotswold GCAston Down is a beautiful air1ield. ns runways arein good condition and long enough to allow theCotSwold club to operate a reverse"pulley system oflaunching. This is good enough to obviate the needfor aeroiow (Which is just as well as the land iscovenanted against the use of aeroplanes).The prospect 01 purchase did not daunt the club(indeed they had been fund raising for several years)even though the planned disposal by auction didcomplicate matters. As if the purchase of the landthey wanted wasn't enough of a problem the clubwas faced with the need to buy parts of the runwayfrom other prospective purchasers with Crichei Downrights. One potential purchaser caused considerablealarm by not taking up his rights but fortunately hemade this decision in time for the club to persuadehim otherwise and pass it on to them.The tension as the auction day approached wasnerve jangling; some of us couldn't bear to attend.The upshot was that the club acquired the site butthe "selling on" and exchange of land went on forsome considerable time afterwards.The Ouse GCAfter many years of operatng from Rufforth thisClub moved to RAF Church Fenton. When Church'!=enton changed its (RAF) status they had to moveagain and for a time they were homeless. Withoutany site the membership number dwindled because,of oourse, one must go on gliding! Bu! many who didgo elsewhere maintained their commitment to theclub as events were to prove.When part of the origil'lal Rufforth s~e came up fordisposal the prospect seemed too good !o be true.The immediate problem was their resources werelimited because, l~ suspect, they had never conceivedof buying a site or finding one to buy. However theclub quickly raised funds by various ploys - loans'from members, life memberships etc. 'Eventually thecase they made to the Sports Council was goodenough to get a grant in aid of £40 000.Needless to say there was another team of expertswith Dick Boddy, the club's chairman, playing a leadingrole.Since the acquisition of the site there have beenproblems with footpaths, rights of way and anothermore critical faclar. A disused airfield does notrequire planning permission for its use. If you buy partof aA airfield there is nothing 10 stop someone elsebuying or operating from another pM 01 the sameairlield!. The "catch 22" in this situation Is that theplanning authority say it's Q maller for !he CM and:the CM that ~'s a matter for the plannngauthority(and neither will grasp the nettle!). Clubs that mightfind themselves in this situation be wamedlDoncaster and DIstrict GC (now Burn GC)It would be a serious omission 'not.to tell you aboutthis club. They typify the shrewd Yorkshire approach(the 'penny oank!) of steadily accumulating fundsfrom regular, healthy annual surpluses due in part tocarrying their own risks on club gliders and a goodsafety record. For a long time the, club has beenthreatened with the loss of its site - the Councilowned Doncaster air1ield; they had even won a Sec·retary of State appeal against attempts to move themoff.A new prospect appeared in the form of Bum airfield(near Selby) and negotiations with the owners,the Central Electricity Generating Board werestarted. The shortened version of the story (a saga!)is that the club now have a 21 year lease with anoption to purchase.So, it's all happened in Yorkshire (not forgettingthe Cotswold GC) thus bearing out the statementthat "where there's muck there's brass". The varioussecure sites are a tribute to the club managementswith the determination and ability to carry the jobthrough - let's hope there are more to come.Make Insurance problemsjust plane sailing .• •CONSULT THE AVIATION INSURANCE SPECIALISTSFOR AN IMMEDIATE QUOTATION CONTACT: MATIHEW BELL OR STEWART PEARCE,GLIDERS, SAILPLANES,MICROLlTES, BALLOONSAND POWERED AIRCRAFTFACILITIES AT LLOYD'SBolmes/BulbertMarine & Aviation Limited14 Devonshire Row, London EC2M 4RHTelephone (01) 247-7311Telex 8955708172 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

FIFTY YEARS AGO - German NationalsA. E. SLATERA transformation scene greeted visitors to the1933 German Gliding Nationals: Nazi uni·forms and swastika armbands were .all overthe place, and they did not really suit scientistslike Professor Geor9ii and Or Lippisch. WolfHirth was there with his huge new Moazagotl,a smaller version of which, called Minimoa,later became very popular.Wolf was not an enthusiastic supporter atthe new regime; he had travelled too muchand his general political outlook could best bedescribed as Liberal. But he had done toomuch for German gliding, with his visitsabroad, his pioneer llights, and his. initiative inselting up a high performance training schoolat Homberg, tor his services to be ignored.Nevertheless he had his nastres to 'cope with,.At this meeting he was aerotowed by a pilotwho flew round and round in a patch of clearsky, though there was plenty of good cumuluselsewhere, until' finally Wolf lost patience andonly just managed to glide back to the airtield.The Wasserkuppe Gliding Centre wasstarted in 1920 by a miscellaneous· collectionof individuals and societies; then Arthur Mar·tens, who made the first flight of an hour in1922, started a gliding' school. Then IheRhOn-Rossittell Gesellschaf1 took €lver t'heownership of Ihis school in the RhOn moun-AM F ENTERPRISESWithout doubt the mostestablished and. experienced glidertrailer manufacturersin the UKMost clubs bUy AMFOver 90 built to daleTalk to any AM F trailerowner before you orderThe best value for moneytains and another which had been set up atRossitten on the .Baltic coast.What happened when Hitler came to powerat the· beginning of 1933 was told me by ayOlKlg Englishman at Marburg University whohad taken a course at the Wasserkuppe, knewGerman v.:ell, was a "good mixer" and pickedup all the gossip. It appears that every Ger·man institution was asked to issue an addressof welcome to the new regime: but ProfessorGeorgii (another Liberal?l refused 10 do so.Issued Internallonal certificatesHe, like Hirth, had too much prestige to be gotrid of, so he was moved to Oarmstadt airtieldto become head of the DFS (GermanResearch Institute for Soaring Flight) whichhad already served as he·adquartersof theISlUS (International Research Institute for theStudy of SoarinQ! Flight), one of whose fLl1c,­lions was 10 issue international Silver (andlater Gold) C certificates.As to a Government SUbsidy to German glid·ing, it was stated in 1930 to be the equivalentof £16000 a year (about a third of a millionmarks). Hitler amalgamated it with his newbody, the National Socialist Flying Corps"YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE STYLE' IYOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTINGWITH AN AMF TRAILERCall in, ring or write for detailsMEMBURY AIRFIELD, LAMBOURN, BERKS048872224(NSFK) and gave an enormously greater sub·sidy (amount not stated).In England the BGA was becoming bankrupt:after August S&G was published monthlyinstead of fortnightly. Thermal soaring beganat Dunstable by Eric Collins and Philip Willswith much rivalry. Collins used the methodadvocated by Wolf Hirth at his lectures atDUl'lstable after Christmas 1932: on entering,lift you fly straight on and count the seconds; ifyou are still in lift after six seconds you knowthe thermal is big enough to circle in, so youdo so. Philip missed Hirth's lecture so had toinvent his own technique. On, erntering lif1 hewould make a complete circle to the right. Ifthis took him out 0. lift he would complete thecircle then performed €lne 10 the left. He tookseveral afternoons off from his City business.After landing from one ot these bouts he went10 lhe telephone and was told that his secondson Stephen had been bom. EventuallyStephen obtail"led his Silver C and then hisDiamond goal on April 12, 1963. tII BOOK REVIEWGarilands Galore, written and published byHugo Irwin, Prospect, Jubilee Road, Totnes,Devon, and available from him at £4.50including pap.The man who introduced gliding to the Eastwhile working for an oil company in SouthIndia, ,Hugo' Irwin, has written a fascinatingautebiography Garlands Galore_ Herecounted the gliding episode in, an article inthe April 1982 issue, p60, and while onlytouching on gliding in the book, it is a goodread.He is a born storyteller with an easy styleand a fund of experience spanning over aquarter 01 a century out East in, peace and inwar. I can Ihoroughly recommend the bookto anyone who likes adventure arid isintrigued by the final days of the British Raj.After retiring 10 the West Country, Hugotook up flying when tle was 65 and glidingtwo years later. but gave up both on reachinghis seventieth year.G.B-S.ShottmannTWO SEAT GAP MOTOR GLIDERDOCILE HANDLINGAVAILABLE IN UKFOLDING WINGSEXCELLENT PERFORMANCETHREE POSITION PROPELLERContact Airmark Aviation Ltd, 48 Crosslands Avenue, Southall, MiddxTeI01·574-1603August/September 1983173

BGA CONFERENCEWe are pleased to announce acceptance ofthe offer from Norfolk GC to organise the 1984Conference, including our AGM and thedinner-dance, at the Hotel Norwich during theweekend March 17-18, An interesting andvaried programme is promised and we shallrepeat the, successful experiment started thisyear of holding a small exhibition at the sametime. Furthe,r details will' be announced in thenext issue.The Executive Committee would like tolook further ahead and make advance plansfor the 1965. event to be held somewhere inthe London and sol,Jthceasl area, possibly inthe later part of February. We would bepleased to hear from any clubs in this regionprepared to undertake the organisatioD.Barry Rolfe, BGA administratorNOW OFF TO AUSTRALIAThe three World Champions following theirtriumph at Hobbs, USA are being invited tothe Australian Nationals at Benalla in January1984, with air fares, glider hire and 'accommodationprovided by Australia.Benalla, 200km north of Melbourne, is thesite for the 1987 World Championships.NATIONAL LADDEROpen LadderLeadi'6 pilot Club Pts Fits1. B. ooper Buekminsler 40952. F. J. Sheppard Booker 4045433. L. E. Beer Booke. 3398 44. R. C. Stoddart Yorkshire 3331 3Club LadderLeading pilot Club Pts Flls1. J. Walker Coventry 870 12. R. Goodman Coventry 840 13. R. Cowderoy RAE 675 14. L. Crawford Coventry 88 1SPORTS AID FOUNDAnONGrateful thanks are due to the Sports AidFoundation who at a late date came up withindividual financial grants to Andy Davis,Bernard' "itchett and George Lee to assistthem with subsistence costs d\Jring the earlyIraining period spent In Texas. prepa'ring fotthe World Championships.The SAF Is a voluntary organisation whichraises money from industlY and from thegeneral pUblic for the furtherance 01 Britishsporting achievements, and we recognisetheir valuable contribution to the British teameffort.,Barry Rolfe, BGA administratorGLIDER TRAILER SAFETY CHAINFollowing an accident to a glider trailer, Wg,Cdr J. A. Charlelt-Green, chairman of theRAFGSA, has discovered that the lawrequires either:a. A strong link - a chain or strong cablesuch as winch cable - which will prevent thetowing head of the trailer touching the groundIn the event of disconnection, orb. A weak link which locks-on the trailerbrakes In the event 'of a disconnection.COMPS COMMITTEE JOTTINGSTED LYSAKOWSKJI, chairman, BGA Competitions CommitteeMilling around at an unmention·able heightnear AylesbulY dur·ing yet another desperateday in the 1983 15 Metre Nationals I, remember the copy deadline and know atleast one task shall flave to be completedsoon: this cQlumn.The Committee which I currently chair is,responsible tQ the Execlitive for the coordinationand administJation of all mattersrelating to compet~ions, badges, records,annual awards ete and thus its work impinges,on all 01 us some of the time. The idea of thecolumn Is borrowed from Barry Rolfe (Fromthe Secretary's Desk) and the thought is togive you better insight into our activities.With heavy symbolism but otherwiseentirely by coincidence our current membershipis 12, a motley collection of names andfaces familiar to many UK clubs. The jargonrefers to us as the "Comps Committee" andquite unashamedly most of our work hassomething to do with compet~ions.An advanced systemWhy?, you may well ask. Primarily becausecompetitions, in this country and abroad, haveprofound effects on the way we do things inour sport and on the equipment we fly. It thereforeseems sensible to get our methods oforganisation and scoring roughly right. Giventhat nothing is perfect, this has generally been.achieved. We set out to reward good performanceand to minimise the chance effects ofunforeseen weather, mismatch of task andweather ete and an analysis of individual contestdays in any competition would show thatlour scoring system works very well iA practice;it is in fact one of the most equitable andadvanced systems available on the. internationalscene. No complacency, however: itseffects need to be monitored, reviewed andthe system updated if Meded.Is this heavy rwolvement in competitionwork justified? Is it perhaps the tall waggingthe dog? Let me throw in some statistics. During1982 a total of 343 pilots flew in Nationaland Regional rated contests, some of these inmore than one. In spite of Ih.e recession, thiswas 4% more than In 1981 and 10% morethan in 1980, which is all good news. The 343Club New. Contributors: Please notethe deadline for the next Issue IsAugust 9 and regretfully we can't printreports arriving after that date.amount to 3.5% of the total BGA flying membershipand this in itsell is nol a lot. Add to itthe Inter-Club league, CompetitiOn Elilterprise,and the National Ladder and the numbersof pilots Involved in some competitionactivity can be more than dOl,lbfed and thenthe percentages become significantThis brings me to competition write-ups InS&G which we do not write but which wewould like to be interesting and Informative toa wider audience. Should there be more orfewer 01 them? Are the form and substanceabout right? Do they contain information thatyou want to know? These are not rhetoricalquestions, your views would be of interest tothe Editor and to us.Other aspects 01 our w.ork are, by comparison,more routine and: structured. We overseetheimplementatiorl 01 the FA" rules relating tobadge and record flights and develop withinthe FAI various Ideas and matters close to ourhearts, the remote start and finish facility andthe 750km diploma being the recent exampleswhich specifically accommodate UK conditions.However, of necessity, the Iifespan ofthe FAI Sporting Code is typically five yearsand thus our creative input into it is relativelyInfrequent.The administration of BGA annual awards isone of the least demanding tasks. Taken as agroup, glider pilots do not appear to be "cup"conscious and every year some of the variousdistance/speed/height awards .remain un­Claimed. Apart from the obvious plea, "pleasesubmit your claims even if you thinkthey may have been bettered by someoneelse", the question arises have the awardsoutlived their usefulness? Or is the emphasiswrong? Your views would be most welcome.By the time you read this column the WorldChampionships at Hobbs will have takenplace, ditto the UK Open Ol'ass Nationals andperhaps we will have all benefited from goodsummer weather which must be just aroundthe corner! In the next issue we shall turn tosome more specific topics. In the meantimehappysoaring!LEAGUE FINALThe Inter-Club League final has been arrangedfor September 3-4 at Husbands Bosworth.174SAILPLANE & GLIDING

GLIDING CERTIFICATESALL THAEE DIAMONDSNo. Name143 P. G. Sheard1~ T. R. F. GauntCiubBooker(n Auslralla)Wyvern291,1.829.4DIAMOND DIST ANCENo. Name1/214 E. J. Crawfordl/215 J. D. Benoist1/215 T. R. F. Gaunt1/217 B. B'. C. Watson1/218 Trish Walson1/219 I. G. SmKh11220 S. N. HutchinsonDIAMOND GOALNo. Name2/1206 E. J. Crawford2/1207 D. H. Ramsay2/1208 D. M. Abbey2/1209 C. J. Terry2/1210 J. Granger2/1211 I. G. Sm~hDIAMOND HE IGHTNo. Name31574 R. G. Hanson31575 Ft C. May31575 R. M. Wilson31577 W. Aspland3/578 P. Shambfook31579 I. Smith3/580 O. J. Truelove3I~81 C. Marsh~2 D. L H. Sampson31583 J. P. Bartoli3'584 R. G'. Janes31585 G. F. Fist'erGOlD C COMPLETENo. NameS27 fl. C. May928 R. M. WlIson929 D. M. Abbeyt~ J. F. Thurlow131 J. Grainger932 D. L. H. Sampson933 C. A. Ellis9304 G. F. Fist'er935 N. F. Slrnger136 I. G. SmMh937 E. J. OrawfordGOlD C DISTANCENameE. J. CrawfordD. M. AbbeyD. H. RamseyJ. Gra"gerC. J. TerryI.G. SmilhGOlD C HEIGHTNameM. DuncombeD. J. BruceA. C. MayA. M. WisonP. TaylorO. J. TrueloveN. K. P. JonesC. MarshJ. F. ,hurlowD. C. Phi,psC. McAlisterD. L. H. Sl!J11psonJ. P. BartollR. G. JaMST. TnJlJridgeD. DenlC. A. Elli$G.F. FISherN. F. SlringerI.G. SmihB. W. DavidsonE. J. CrawfordClub 1983Cathcart (S. Alrica) 23. "2.82Clevelands 9.4Wyvern 9.4Surrey & Hants(in Australia)27.2Surrey & Hanls(n Australia)27.2Essex30.1Two Alvers(in Germany)30.4Club 1983Calhcart (S. Africa) 20.12.82Cranwell 9.4Coventry 9.4Four Counties 9.4Yorkshire 9.4Essex 30.4ClubChilternsLondonClevelandsBookerClevelandsChillemsChilternsStratfordDorselSurrey & HanlsFenlandBristol & Glos19839.322.327.122.36.39.39.314.414.4245.8214.414.4Club 1983London 22.3Clevelands 27.1Coventry 9.4Essex & Suffolk 16.4Yorkshire 9.4Dorset 14.4Midland 6.3Bristol & Glos 14.4Norfolk 27.3Essex 30.1Cathcart (S. Africa) 20.12.82Club 1983Cathcart (S. Africa) 20.12.82Coventry 9.4CranweU 9.4Yorkshire 9.4Four Counties 9.4Essex 30.1ClubBookerSGULondonClevelandsMidlandChilernsCotswoldSlratfordEssex & SuffolkSlratfordSGUDorsetSurrey & HanlsFenlandFenlandNorthumbriaMidlandBristol & GlosNorfolkEssexHumberCatheart (S. Africa)198322.324.322.327.16.38.314.414.416.414.415.414.424.5.8214.414.414.46.314.427.323.116.320.12AllaSI some good wealha for a compelilion. Th£ Weslerrt Regionals had seven good days and Ihe winner was RalphJone>' (Nimbus 3), 011 Ihe left ofour piClllre wilh ROil Bridges, compelilion direclor, alld Dwell Ha"is, chaimlllll ofBristol & Gloucestershire Gc. Dave Roberts (Nimbus 2) was second with Vave Hodsman (Milli Nimbus) third.Photo: Ray Brown.BGA ACCIDENT SUMMARYRef.No.23 K·2124 JadelD 14025 K·726 K·1327 IS·28M2A29 Aslir CSGliderType28 Skylarl< 430 Kestrel 1931323334K·8Molor FalkeK·8BK·18BGA ~ Dale PlaceNo. ~ TimeCl2764 M 19.02.83 Long Mynd15.30G·AROW M 13.0283 Challock13.302665 M 26.02.83 Old Sarurn11.002739 S 14.03.83 No~h Hill17.25G· M 15.03.83 Tiberlham'137 W/O 28.03.83 GUilsborough,16.25 Northanls23\l1 S 02.04.83 Long Mynd12.30P2P2All power1767 WIG 03.04.83 Long Mynd14.001451 SG·AYYKS2627 MRAFGSA S448P202.04.B3 Wigmore,17.15 Herelordshlre20.11.82 Perranpor1h13.4503.04.83 4 miles west14.05 Raglan.Gwent10.04.83 2 miles south13.00 of Auchlerarder,Penhshire48 N 24326 N 2521PilollCrewAge Injury P/Hrs47 N 127Pwr322gliders26 N 23054 N P1'12P23368 N 891? 5 ?47 N 1500p""85050 N 9000204741NMNMCompiled by ARTHUR DOUGHTY,2Pwr242gliders1030SUMMARYGlider slipped off trolley while being manoeuvredinto hangar causing a 6in diamelerpuncture 'in underside of tuselageAfter landing, aircraft lurned of! marked grassrunway at walking pace and sLKldenty stoppedas main wheels ran into a depression lhat wastilled with snow. Power was cui buI loo late fastop aircraft til1ing onlo propeller. Light snowcovering on ground.Post-SOlo pupil was makfig second Hight ontype. Approach was nonnal but roundoul wasfoo early and lOO high wilh full airbrake. Instructorfailed to lake over in lime and speeddecayed resulting V1 a heavy landing as gliderdropped onlo main wheel.Mutual l!ying and P \ allowed P2 I() do fhelaunch. launch tailed between 10-2011 whenwinch Slipped out 01 gear. Cable back releasedand P2 failed 10 Inrtiate recovery. PI was slow lareact and by the lime recovery action was takenthe glider had stalled. P2 sustained 'serlous spinalinjury.P2 Ilying with P1 as check pilot. WC se(ecfeddown and position 01 handle visually checked byP,. Green U!C lighl lif when Test bulton pressedand double check made by opening airbrakesand red light and warning hom remained oft. Asa nonnal touchdown was made Ihe U,:Cretracled.Drifted downwind and attempTed 10 return 6m~es to site trom 250011 aher breaking coud.Forward visibilily restricted due 10 heavy precipi­1ation Picked field at 1000fl but tailed toobserve eleclricily poles on approach until ondownwind leg al 700ft. Continued downwind totwo small fields hoping to land in second butfailed to clear dividing hedge.Final stages of circuit were apparently low andthe final approach and landing was made onto apart 01 Ihe sile whICh is 1'101 recognised as alanding area with a 5% downgrade.The WlOcn cable was re !eased at about 100ftand the glider assumed a sleep nose-downallilude trom which 11 did not recover. There isevidence that the starboard aileron was notconnected. Investigation conlinuing.While local soaring the early 50~ pikJt saw thesde become enveloped in a snowstorm soturned downwind to land Oul. A large tield wasselecled bU1 Ihe pilol failed la notice Ihe powerwires crossing il. Concenlralion was distracledwondering how many others had been missedand a heavy landing resulled.Approaching 10 land" a 12-15k! wind the pilot'sjudgmenl was aHected by Ihe glare 01 Ihe lowsun dead ahead and ttle roundoul was loo high.He realised ttlis and eased Ihe Slick forward butflying speed had been lost and (he aircraft droppedonlo Ihe runway.Pilot gotlosllocal soaring wilh 20 miles visibility.Picked field with sheep wtlicll ran when he passedoverhead on base leg. Approach was wellinto field so closed airbrakes and dived 10Slrelch glide to the next field which was beyonda dual carriageway and at higher !evel. Slruekbarbed wire lence and pOst.Wind shifted and hilllih collapsed. Fields at bottomSloped down 100 much a~d lalllrees e~herside made the field loo narrOw tor a landing intowind now parallel with ridge. Altempled a HWturn 1o land upt1ill and crosswind. Wingtip struckground in lum breaking off ouler third and thenpivoted about brOken wing 10 Slop facingdownhilLAugust/September 1983 175

SILVER CNo.63786379630063815382638363846385638663876386638963906391639263936394639563966397639863996400640164026403NameR. J. HistedA. G. LeachR. MatheS

FALse CLAIMS FROM SOUTH AFRICADear Editor,Recently an advertisement appeared In yourmagazine under the heading "Bloemfontein­South Africa" (April iSSlJEl, p94) in whichextravagant offers were made to attract gliderpilots to this country. Unfortunately the claimsmade in the advertisement are unt,rue and theIldividual who we believe placed the advertisementis totally unable to meet these commitments.We would, be very grateful ,if you could print adenial of this advertisement. At tihe same timewe would like to offer assistance to anyoneinterested Imooming to South Africa to,glide andsuggest that they contact us th'rough the AeroClubof South Africa office, Ventura House, 242,D.F. Malan Drive, Blackheath, Johannesburg,2195. Tel: 0111 678-5623.S. A. MURRAY.SNAKING WOESDear Editor,Martin Durham's article on the dangers oftrailet' snaking is a timely warning against an allk)o frequent phenomenon. (See last issue,p115.)However an extra cautionary note should beadded: it is particularly worthwhile to invest inthe insurance of a snaking stabilizer. Manyexcellent devices are available at modest priceswhich are insignificant compared with theexpense and distress which they may save.Incidentally, asmall and unknown point whichwal be of interest to trailer builders is that a twinwheeled trailer can legally be towed up to70mph on motorways provided that the axle linespacing,is greater than one metre. With such atrailer it would be particularly important toensure that the weight ratios are adequate togive stability and that an anti-snaking stabilizeris filled.ROONEY B. WIDER, Chester.OVER TO YOUDear Editor,Can anyone help the plight of Oxford GC bylending them a grass cutter? One gentlemanon Saturday, June 4, seemed to be having alarge (20m) problem which kept me tuned in tothe radio for nearly two hours, but unfortunatelyI missed the final outcome of this sagaand I wonder if he could enlighten me as towhat happened?Did they cut the grass so he could landthere? Did he land there anyway and has losthis glider in the undergrowth? Did he land only10 find that he can't get out again and won't beable to fly for the rest of the season? Or worse,did they cut the grass with the glider in it and ishe now flying 15m?August/September 1983Sir, I can understand your concern but didwe all have to hear it? Would a telephoQecall before you flew 'have been better andsaved us all the agony of waiting fo'r anotherinstalment?We are now well into the soaring seasonand the usual chatter on the radio is all tooapparent. Isn't It about time we had some sortof guideline on PJT discipline? I am not suggestingthat it shoIJld be as formal as militaryprocedures etc but what worries me is thatone day someone is going to transmit anemergency call and it isn't going to get throughbecause Tom, Dick or Harry is telling all whattime he is going to land for lunch etc!So please, before you transmit think aboutwhat you want 10 say - and is it really necessary?It may also help to, cut down on some ofthe more rude remarks we also hear too oftel'lthese days which are not to be cornmended,even if they do shut someone up. Finally, 'keepit short and simple."CELERY POT", OUT.*JIMMY THE FROGDear Editor,I wouldllike to thank you all at North Wealdfor the delightful Easter weekend holiday. 1was very warmly welcomed. You guysimpressed me a lot rigging your 'gliders at Barnin wind and showers. Under such circumstancesan average French pilot would stayin bed and possibly sip wine by the window.As I wondered if I should wear a suit and tiefor the party, John 'laughed and replied: "Wearen't normal Englishmen, we are gliderpilots." And it's true, you chaps are just asnoisy, laughing, thirsty and dirty as genuineFrench velivo/es,Every one of you is most welcome inRoanne at any time. I just can't wait to comeback.JIMMY, Roanne, France.*Jimmy's title, not ours.50 YEARS AT OXFORDDear Editor,Mr lan Mailer has over-estimated the lengthof life of the Oxford University and City GC.(See letter in the last issue, p128). There is noevidence in the S&G Club News for 1933 ofsuch a club being formed.Kronfeld did indeed leave Germany in 1933because of Hitler's racial policies, but for thenext few years he wandered around givingsoaring demonstrations in ottler countriessuch as Austria, Italy and France. So he couldnot have helped to fonn a gliding club in IEng.­land.The first Oxford Club flying meetingreco:rded in S&G ,took place on May 7, 1938 atits site at Beacon Hill, where the mainLondon-Oxford road descend$ from the ChiltemHills escarpment. But ,the aotual officialmeeting to inaugurate 'the club eartier in theyear was not reported in S&G at all. It was abig affair, with Amy Johnson among thespeakers. and !I am still looking for an accountof 'it In one 01 my pocket notebooks; the date,when fOllnd, will be revealed.Before the club could be formed, the constitutiol1lof Oxford University had to be.changed, for it included a law forbidding thepractice of "aerobatorum".A. E. StATER, Cambridge.GLIDER INSTRUMENTATIONDear I;ditor,I' read with interest Harold Dale's article,"Ergonomics and Glider Instr,umentation" inthe April issue, p64, which draws attention toan area that has long been recognised asimportant by the RAF and the RAFGSA.He gives doo crdit to 1001'1 Austin for proposinga standard instrument layout 20yrs ago.In fact Don was the RAFGSA instrumentmember at the time and his suggestions weresubsequently takeA up with tile issue of arecommended standard layout In theRAFGSA maintenance regUlations. This standardlayout has now been upgraded to mandatoryin the new issue and applies to allRAFGSA owned gliders.The reasons for having a standard layoutare to:a. Reduce a, possible safety hazard whena pilot flies in an unfamiliar glider.b. Position critical instruments around thetop of the panel so that the pilot can see themwithout neglecting his lookout,c. Reduce pilot workload while blind lIyingon a limited panel by 'grouping certain instrumentstogether.It is recognised that, owing to the large varietyof shapes and sizes of instrument panelsand individual instruments, it is not possible(or desirable) to be too rigid in enforcing astandard layout and a certain amount of artis-177

tic licence is allowed. However, the essentialingredients of the standard ar~, as follows:a. ASI. Tne ASI should always beplaoed on the left hand side of the panel asclose 10 the top, as possible.b. Main varlometer. As the primarysoaring instrument this variometer with itsflight director or speed-to-fly ring should beplaced in the top centre of the panel.,c. Second ilarlometer. The second variometeris also a constant source of referenceand should occupy a position, on the right ofthe panel close to the top.d. T&S indicator. To reduce eyemovement when blind flying the T&S indicatorshould be positioned below and adjacent tothe ASI and the main variometer.e. Altimeter. The altimeter should notcommand much attention during critical1 2 3SOLphases of flight aoo a position at lhe bottom ofthe panel can be utiliSed.f. Artlficlall horizon. The position of anartificial horizon is not critical and it can, bemounted in tile bottom Of ,he panel. Its bulkoften, indicates a position in the centre.g. Compass. The compass Is 'bestmounled upon the coaming (lr canopy where itcan be easily viewed while cruising between:thermals. If it has to be mounted on the panelit is best positioned as high as possible ,but themain consideration is to avoid magnetic interferencefrom electrical instruments or ferrousitems.This standard layout is based upon soundflight safety and ergonomic reasoning and iswidely used throughout the RAFGSA. I certainlyagree with the concluding paragraphof Mr Dale's article that it would be a goodVOLthing if the BGA were to endorse this standardand recommend its universal application.There is another point mentioned in the articlewhich is worthy o,f comment and that Is onthe SUbject of ASI ranges. It is really not practicalto choose airspeed indicators so that at40kt (for e)(ample) all 'indicators would bepointing to the same clock position. Apart fromany other considerations different gliders musthave different types of ASI so that the choseninstrument covers the normal speed range ofthe glider plus HI% over VNE, and lhiscanvary enormously between gfider types.Finally, if I may wear my CFI hat for amoment, whatever the instrument layout orindicator ranges may /:>e, before a pilot is convenedto a glider he has not flown before(even if it is of a familiar ,type) it is essentialthat he not onl,Y receives ,a thorough briefingbut that he also has lime to s~ in the cockpiland get to know the layout before beingoffered a launch.RALPH DIXON, RAFGSA instrument memberand CFI of the ,Fenland GC.WHY NOT USE COLOURS?TM.62 Ground SetTM62Fitted with 129.9, 130.1 and 130.4. 5 watts output. Size 2Ye x 5 x 8%".0~~5 • • 2Salo4 3 VOl0TM.61o 6 :"fj:1oTM.61 Glider RadioOu.tput 1.8 watts at 12.5 volts.Size 2'h x 2% x 7%" long,up to 6, Channels, normallysupplied with 130.1 and130.4, complete with !handheldmike (or Swan-nec'kboom mike, 0ptiona'l extraat (20). ,speaker and wiringharness.Price £180 plus VATC.A.A. welding and re-sprays. Repairs to wood, glass-fibre and steel tubemachines. Stocks of most materials for repairs and re-builds. Wide rangeof instruments in stock. Barograph and A.S.1. Calibration.oPrice £195 plus VATLondon Sailplanes Ltd.Tring Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire Telephone Dunstable 62068u.K. Agents for Avionic Oittel 720 Channel RadioV.K. Agents for Tostand A. SchleicherOpen Monday to Saturday 9.00 am to 5.30pmDear Editor,I am sure Harold Dale's article found muchagreement with its theme - the confusioncreated by a mass of white blobs, streaks andsquiggles against an amorphous dark background.The messages are decipherableunder fresh and full concentration but easilymissed in moments of stress.Why not have standard faces for the maininstruments such as:Speedometer(ASI)­RedUpandowner(Vario) - Blue top halfGreen bottom halfAltimeterWhiteCompass - as now - main 1'1 black e)(cept forBohlis?And certainly a standard panel layout; whowill take the lead?JOHN JEFFERSON, Market Drayton.THE P FACTORDear Editor,Alison Campbell writes in the June issue,p128, "What we need to understand is whywomen do not seek to reach the top in gliding".This is entirely due to evolutionary l1ydraulics.Reaching' the top in gliding inevitably meanslong hours in the cockpn, fairly often. Evolutior:lhas decreed that males are front-enders, whilstfemales are back-enders. This places them inan impossible position, and accounts for thedearth 01 women at the top in gliding.STEVE PRICE, Walllngton, .Surrey.AUSTRALIA INCLUDE TAIL DOLLYDear Editor,In the April issue, p81, John Marriott refersto the addition of tail dolly to our pre-fIightchecks. The standard "prior to entering cock·pit check" at soaring centres in Australiaincludes this item, using:178 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

A- Alrframe. Check for damage to controlsurfaces, tail-wheeVskid, correct main wheeltype inflation or any unusual dents, scrapes orpunctures.B -IBallast, Is ballast required? If so, is itsecurely in correct position? If not required,remove any ballast left in .aircraft.C - Con.trols. Foil and free movement inthe correct sense.D-Dolly (Tail). Removed!.The adoption of ABCO also satisfies thetrans~olY interval between the movement 01the aircraft (A) from hangar/trailer tQ launchpoint or (B) retrieving after landing to launchpoint, thus ensuring safe preparation for !light.PETER ROSE, Storrlngton, W. Sussex.One very experienced pilot has written to sayhe once flew with the tail dolly on, for whichhis paJ1ner was very apologetic. He suspectedit might be on although the airCraft'shandling was unaffected, but he didn't makeany abnormal manoeuvres. "It is very convenientonlanding," he adds, "though I won't doit again. "MNEMONICSDear Editor,The key to an effective mnemonic is that it iseasily remembered under stress conditions,eg anxiety, anger, emergency situation. (See"More on Mnemonics" in the last issue, p129.)To serve this function it needs to be a wordor ·semi-word" that provokes a reliable, consistentresponse, and brings forth the rightchecks without forgetting anything. Amnemonic which itself is difficult to rememberis useless.Forexamllle: HAS.E.L. (Hazel), E.F.U.L.S.(Ethel's), and L.U.F.T.S.T.A.L.L. (Luft-stall)are easy to remember.Those who want to make up mnemonicsfor their own use might like to make it easyto remember by using this principle - arecognisable word, that jumps to mind whenneeded.For example: in field landings I useW.A.S.S.S.S.P. (Wasp) that is: Wind,Approach Direction, Effective Size after obstades,SUr'face, Slope, Stock, Positioning.JOHN LEONARD, Wellesbourne, Warwicks.THE RETURN OF LEWIS CARROLLDear Editor,I note with interest the return after 45yrs oflewisCarroll to the pages of S&G. (Seethe lastissue, p141.)I well recall the writings of "Corunus", who Ibelieve was Philip Wills, in the 1938 copies oftheSeilplane on such as "Alice in Bungyland"together with sundry poems which are nice tosee again.PETER FLETCHER, London.FALCON IN MUSEUMDear Editor,Following the reproduced article "Glidingfrom water" in the April issue, p79, readersmay be interested to know that the Falcon hasRoger's photograph ofthe Falcon on exhibirion./n the museum caralogue it is /i'/ed as a "Seaplane glider" andsaid 10be "in~nded for military use."been fully restored, and now hangs as a permanentexhibit in the Windermere SteamboatMuseum.ROGER F. POLLARD, Harpenden, Herts.EGOS, LARGE AND SMALLDear Editor,Gliding seems to be a sport which attractspeople with self-confidence and strong personalities.(See "Instructor's Ego Trip" in thelast issue, p128.) Inter-personal re lationships insuch a group are naturally more abrasive than"average". But gliding is not a healthy sport forover-inflated egos - Mother Nature slaps youdown too often, even if no one else does.I have not yet met an instructor flying on an"ego trip". I have not yet been "blasted withabuse" by an instructor. I have not yet felt itnecessary to "belt" an instructor. MynameisnotJames.C. J. CHAPMAN, Nuneaton.MENDIP WERE THERE!Dear Editor,Mendip GC gliders are finished in a brightyellow colour scheme In the hope that they arereadily visible. For some totally unaccountablereason, Ihe, BGA made no provision for ourcanalY Bocian in the Royal Agricultural Collegelecture room and reliance w,as therefore placedonone member'sjackelofasubtle blend of red,yelloW, green and purple stripesto advertise IheMendip GC presence at the :BGA Conference.Imagine the consternation at Weslon­Super-Mare on reading S&G (see lasl issue,p120) and discovering that neither Mendip GCor1he jacket of many colours was observed atCirencester and that only Cotswold hadbothered to represent the West Country.10 set the record straight: Mendip GC providedlfive members for the weekend conferenceplus a further five for the AGM. Therefore15% of this club's members made the effort toget to Cirencester and, with but a few reservationson the AGM, all thought il was well worthwhile.Please BGA, we dio exist nol just as an, enl'IYonyouracCQuntsiledger.Wecanbearnotbeingspoken to, but to be rendered invisible in Iheeyesofthe almighty isjusttoomuch.Wewonderwhether other small clubs feel unwanted andunloved too, (perhaps Dr Bamardo acceptsglidingclubs?).W. A. T. BURGESS, (51°20'N - 02"56'W~(Sorry Mendipnotto have given you a mentionin the report. EO.)Glider identified. Harold Holdsworth of Brad·ford tI'links the glider shown in the April issue,p81, is almost certainly a BAC VII made bythe late Lowe-Wylde during 1931-32.He writes to say that the BAC series weremade in a disused brewery at Chardstone andwhile the VII was the best, it had drawbacks.It couldn't shed its whee'ls for minimum dragwhen soaring and it was of a very light con~struction, far lighter than the Slingsby tandemTutor, but of roughly the same size. It had apermanent tube undercarriage with low pres·sure tyres which look the impact on thecorner of the main fuselage hame where thelift struts were attached_ As a result the bottomof the fuselage was quite light andunsuitable for the rough landing surfaces ofthe period which were either virgin moorlandor natural pasture.Not many were sold and most were con·verted into Planettes which became theKronfeld Orone. Haro'ld said that at one stagethey were in the Alan Cobham air circus.GiveastheYGave~RNAW1NGSAPPEAl ~ ~~~~~DURING SEPTEMBERl'~August/september 1983 179

BORDERS (Mllfleld)This last month brought a spate 01 Silver legswith AI'astair Fish and Alastsir SCOtt completinglheirSilver Cs. li(ath Booth literally scrapeda Bronze leg, spending most 01 her 1hr flight ataround 700ft.We continue to grow In size now that the tughas given us a new lease of lile. There arerumblings about a club glass single-seateralthough our /-21 and Tutor are still for sale.F,W.,Dove Crinson and Bill Stephens wasl /he winch they have' just completed for Bristol & Gloucestershire Gc.They were presented with the silver mugs ,hey are '

ollered by visiting instructors, to K'eith Mac­Kay, our country member instrijctor, and DerekYoung who has taken over lhe additionaladministrative work.The. club fleet, refurbished and recovered, islooking trim for the tourist season. Recent clubnights with wives at a Oban hotell are provingpopular.Congratulations to Johl1l McGilvray on hisSilver C and to Mike Gregory, Gus Mclaugh­Un, Aiel( Fleming and Bany Ken on going solo.M.G.R.CORNISH (Trevallas Airfield)Members enjoyed very good flying at theCuldrose GC task week. Doug Snape andKen Reid gained Silver heights in cloUd:during April.George Collins has resigned as al1l instructorafter many years, having previously .givenup the CFl's job, and Don McWilJen-Wrighthas resigned as a course instructor due tobusiness commitments.The Motor Falke is :back after repairs andhas a new three yea,r Col A. A Rallye tug hasbeen bought by 25 members and we are lookingforward to its aerotows this summer.Smon Jordy obtained his PPLMG licence atEnstone.We enjoyed a week's flying at Lasham(weather awful) and thank Ray Pentecost forhis help.M.J.D.COTSWOLD (Aston Down)"Tim's task week", as it is known, was a disappointmentdue to the weather and KenLloyd did well to win in marginal conditions.We hosted the Rockpolishers for the Inter­Club League on June 4-5 when Usk won allthree Classes and we were placed secondoverall.Nick Jones gained his duration and Goldheight in wave during a visit to Portmoak. FlosHoward missed soloing on her 16th birthdaydue to the weather but was successful the followingweekend. Congratulations also toAdrian Snow, Mike Roberts and LindaCaruthers on going solo.P.K.ceVENTRV (Husbands Bosworth)Despite the rain the season has been successfulso far with 4000 cross-countrykilometres flown, including eight 300km triangles,during the Easter week.We hadl splendid weather for our openweekend when there were 200 air experienceflights. A lot of Interest was shown in thecourses and several new members wereenrolled.The ASW-19 is back after its recent mishap,together with Our No. 4 Bocian which has beenrefurbished. We take delivery of a fifth Bociansoon and our club fleet also includes two K-Ss,a SF-27 and an ASW-19. Frank Golding isnow resident engineer to maintain our Chipmunk.COngratulations to Ray Bains, Pete Cliff andBruee Hook on going solo; to Alan Fretwelland Chris Rodwell on their assistant rating; toOerek Abbey on achieving 306km on his secondflight in an SB-5 for another Diamond andto complete Gold C and to Gary Wills onbecoming a full Cat.Steve Grublys, on holiday from South Africawhere he emigrated last year, made a wel-August/September 1983Coventry GC's new winch.come return visit. He commented that glidingin SA was quite boring since 10 ooOft wasgained with little effort whereas on this holidayit took considerable skill to rise from 1500 to1800It in 3Omin.N.B.CRANFJEtO (Cranfleld Alrfletd)We had our first visitor of the year on EasterSunday, Mike Bird in the Caproni, and: havehosted visitors trom Upwood and Hus Boswho for one reason or another couldn'l fly attheir home field.At the AGM Harry Purser was presentedwith, the Silene trophy for the second consecu·tive year and a special prese(ltation was madeto our CFI, Derek Wi!cox, lor 26yrs of continuousworry on our behalf.The airfield is now open seven. days a weekwith glider circuits using the north side. Fortunatelywe have a gliding ,orientated ATC uniton the airfield. If in doubt give. them a ring on0234752761.Our courses are being well supported by thepublic with all places filled.I).P.S.DEESIDE (Aboyne Airfield)The resident depression over England dlUringthe spring meant easterly w·inds in Scotland,bringing dull, cold weather for weeks on end.On the few occasions when the wind was westerly,Aboyne lived up to its more usual reputation.A 340km triangle was flown, with 27 OOOltjust for fun after completing, the task. Jo Murrayflew the first wave Silver distance for somewhile, landing on top of a hill to beat the 1%rule to complete her all-wave Silver C In some35hrs.Spring courses were hard work and"Chalky" White, our new eFl, started ott as heintends to continue, introducing, amongstother innovations, new parkingrestrictioQs.Anyone know where we can get a yellow bandfor his hat?K.A.H.DERBV & LANCS (Camphill)The season got oH to an excellent start with a"John Willie Week", John's skills andenthusiasm made a lasting impression oneveryone involved. In May there was anexpedition to Fayence - the nearest glidingsite to St Tropez - by nine pilots and theirfamilies. They flew K-6s, K-13S, Astirs andASW between the Cote d'Azur and the AlpsMaritime and found it difficult to believe300km tasks were commonplace. A 700kmtriangle and 7500m I;,eight gain were flown bylocal pilots while they were there.Our hangar improvements are now C0mpleteand ,the south-west corner of the field islooking greener since it was smoothed oul byseemingly continuous rotovation last year. Weare hosting visits from Lasham and Altair laterin the season and welcome inqUiries ·from anyother clubs wanting to experience an outstandinghill site with comprehensive facilities andacoommodation.P.L.R.DEVON & SOMERSET (North Hili)Our club diary reflects the generally poorweather since Christmas - nothing of significance.Ken Lopez and Geotl Pinn have gone soloand Justin Wills flew his LS-4 home trom anEaster visit when local conditions were verymediocre.Our task week has just started and fortunatelyreturned to service is one hard-workedand long-suffering K-13 after a launch failure.Even more fortunate is the PI who has thankfUllyrecovered from back injuries.A welcome return of "North Hill News", ouroccasional broadsheet, owes much to GordonPeters and more to his staff of voluntoer reporters,editors and printers. Also welcome was avisit by the LS-4 demonstrator.Joining our long distance elite, as occasionpermits, is Tom Zealley, BGA chairman, who,with his ASW-20, will provide good companyfor our pilots roaming DG-100, Mosquito andLibelle pilots.I.D.K.DORSET (Old Sarum)Our thanks to Jim Linnegar and Pam Weymanfor organising our annual dinner-dance in Aprilwhich was well attended.There were committee changes at the AGMin May with 'cennis Neat handing over as secretaryto Jim Linnegar after many years ofsterling service. Congratulations to KenPhipps and NOlman Eyres on receiving honorarymemberships for many years' service.We now have an almost exclusively "K"fleet with a K-13, K-7, K·8 and K-6, plus ourSky 4 recently back from repair. The T-21 hasbeen sold: and ,leaves behind many fondmemories.Congratulations to JiII Burry and Phil Morelandon going sob and converting to the K-8;to Neil Davidson and Gerald Dale on theirSronze Cs and to Dave Sampson for Diamondheight at Aboyne on April 14.The limited aerotow facility which we startedin May has already brought back some rarelyseen, club members with un-winchable hotships and the indemnity required to fly at OldSarum has now been settled at half a millionpounds.Last season was another record year (the ,most launches since 1973) with a satisfyingnumber of members rejoining and a goodinflux of new ones.C.A.w.ENSTONE EAGLES (Enstone Airfield)The rather poor start to the season hasaffected the leak In the clubhouse roof asmuch as the gliding! A couple of good soaringdays, however, enabled Geoff Haig to gain181

The mostvaluable stampintheworld.Chiltern Sailplanes Limited.The best. And it shows.Booker Airfield, Nr. Marlow, Bucks. SL7 3DR. 0494 445854 (works) or 0865 890517 (outside office hours). Access &Barclaycard accepted with pleasure.WINTER BAROGRAPHSMAIN STOCKISTSTHERMAL EQUIPMENTLIMITEDLasham Airfield, Alton, HampshireTelephone Herriard 359 or 0256-83 359Large stocks of Winter variometers and airspeed indicators,altimeters, turn-and-slip indicators, etc. Send SAEfor lists.\:WESTLEY AIRCRAFT}PERSONAL, QUICK, HIGH QUALITY REPAIRS, MAJOR ORMINOR TO GLASS AND CARBON FIBRE. STEEL TUBE, WOOD,METAL, C.A.A, ARGON ARC WELDING, INSTRUMENTATION,RE-SPRAY, RE-FABRIC, SUPPLY OF REPAIR MATERIALS ANDGLIDER SPARES. C of A's to all types.SIMON WESTLEY65 Brooklands Drive, Leighton BuzzardBeds, LU7 8PETel. 0525-379567ANYTIME INCLUDING EVENINGS AND WEEKENDSNEW for 1983 from JSW SOARING!New two-in-one calculators for water carriers, Fourmodels available for sailplanes ranging from modernStandard Class right through to Nimbus 3 £9.00Older style calculators still available(K-8 to Libelle) £5.50and DOLPHIN, of course £27.50 single weight£45.00 double weightWrite for full details toJSW SOARING1 The Jollies, Dippenhall StreetCrondall, FARNHAMSurrey GU10 5QJTel. Aldershot (0252) 850299SAILPLANE & ENG.SERVICES LTD.C's of AREPAIRS TO GLASS-FIBRE,STEEL TUBE & WOODEN AICLOTS OF K-13 & SWALLOW SPARESWRITE OR PHONE:KEN BLAKE BUXTON 4365SAILPLANE & ENG. SERVICES LTD.HOLMFIELD RD., BUXTON, DERBYS.182 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

Silver height and Nigel Cotterrell both Bronzelegs in one day, the second on his first flight inour Skylark 3.The private owner fleet is again expandingwn'" the arrival of a K-6E, Libelle and Cobra.The clubhouse is being painted in readinessIor the Regionals in August and we are wellover half booked for the event.G.D.ESSEX (North Weald)We now have a long term lease from the localoouncil who are the new owners, but while thisis good !hey want to make the site more of asports and leisure centre which will at limesrestrict our operations. We will be sharing w'ithparascenders, model aircraft, car trials andklotballers, so keep a good lookout when flyingin. The large pylons to the east have beenreplaced by lower and smaller pylons neare~to the sne.We closed 0111 May 28 and 29 for af'l air displayand couldn'! fly the previous week.To encourage members' child'ren and othe~~ng people we have introduced a sponsoredyouth scheme. with 20 places open toyouths up to 118, years who are in full lime.occupation al')d have been sponsored by aclub member.We still have no hangar since the fire buttalks are going on with the council and othersto try and reSOlve the problem. The coursesand flying evenings are continuing.M.R.T.ESSEX & SUFFOLK (Hadlelgh)"Balng out" has meant puddles on the runwaybeing emptied by buckets with a human chainto allow flying to continue this summer. Theweather restricted the May task week to localsoaring and the only pilots who attempted atask landed locally.Mervin, Zip and Tony Brown have soloedand Chris Pollard flew Silver distance.Much interest has been taken in the experimentsby Ralph and Mike to motorise theirK-6cR. The clUb, too, has a sparkling K-6cR inthe fleet, sought, bought, given a C of A andflown all in a couple of days (thanks to familiesW'bj, Gilder and Brooker).As hosts of the Inter-Club League we hadtwo no-rontest days but a great party. Thesecond contest at Tibenham proved our performancecould only improve.Help from the Sports Council may progressour purchase of a K-21 (see photo).R.C.A.HAMBLETONS '(RAF Dishforth)Among the rainy days we have had somegood ones, with a number of tasks flown byPete Reading (almost 500km), Keith Taylorand Henry Pantin. Roger Burghall flew 300kmbut unfortunately not round his intended TP.Congratulations to all conversions; BronzeCOOK VARIOMETER MK 4LARGE OR SMALL DIALCLIMB AND SINK AUDIOVARIABLE WEIGHT NETTOCOOK VARIOMETERS42 NIQHnNGALE ROADRICKMANSWORTH, HERTS, ENGLANDAugust/September 1983Peter Smart and Colin Smith Jry DUI the K-21 demonstrator for the Essex & 5uffofk Gc.and Silver legs too numerous to mention; toHarry Birch for completing his Bronze; TorTaverner for his Silver and Henry Pantin forthe successful completion of his instructors'course.Our thanks to Dick Parker for his work 'asCFt and good wishes to his successor, PaulWhnehead.J.P.HEREFORDSHIRE (Shobdon Airfield)The poor weather haS thampered us, causingthe cancellation of the May open day. Howeverwe· have tackled outstanding jobs and ourthanks to the volunteers, especially Ken Martin.Our Blanik had a winter overhaul and wasback for the first course on June 1. We are inan advanced stage of developing ourreverse-,pulley autotow on ouractiv.e airfield.This has been achieved by close liaison be.t·ween all t:hree Aero Sports Centre clubs. Weexpect launch 'heights in excess of 120011 via a500011 runway, a Jaguar XJ6 and 35000 ofParafil. Launches will obviously be a lotcheaper than an aerotow.Mr Cramer has re-soloed after a 2V2y,r layoff;Geoff Ha~ris ilnd John France are takingtheir Pilatus ,to CoventlY for a lead and followcourse and the Wulf and Greatrex Glesflligel304 has made itS annual pilgrimage to Germany.Our third task weekend is August 13-14when visitors are welcome.B.J.H.INKPEN (Tliruxton)Our big even! is the IFly for Fun week 'fl'QmJune 13-18 when several visiting gliders willgive members experience of flying differenttypes. On ,the Saturday we hope to set arecord with a maximum launch .effort, flyingfrom 6am until dusk, and on the Sunday willhave a barbecue and disco.Congratulations to Bill Murray on passinghis instructors' course. We are hosting'a BGAinstrtlctors'training course from August 21-28.We are enjpying the extended Ioaf'l of aw.inch and members can, practise winch techniqueson Wednesday and Saturday evenings.The jumble sale in April gave us a clear profitof £152.T.D.KENT (Challock)Bad weather ham~red John Williamson'ssoaringoourse in April but the week wasthoroughly enjoyable and !!:le lectu~esextremely useful. The weathe~' was also disappointingfor most of our Bank Holiday openweekend at the beginning of May but therewere three durations on the Monday. The airexperience flights boosted club funds and ourthanks to the organiser Alan Garside.Congratulations to Roger Ellis, Dave Lang­Iley and G. Mills on going solo; to Dave Beamson completing his Bronze C and to Julia Wil­Iiams, Dave Moorman, Anne Johnson andDave Beams on their durations.Our thanks to Gina Kemp, Jean and herstaff for organising our birthday party in May.Our CFI, Glyn Richards, is retiring' at theend of the course season and we thank himfor his work over the 3V2yrs. John Hoye willtake over.J.B.LAKES (Walney Airfield)IPeter Redshaw has taken over as chairmanfrom Ron Hawkes.John Taylor flew his five hours on BlackCoombe and Ray Jackson (Astir) achieved a130km O/R to Ingleton.T'lie winch has been given a 3.5 litre automaticRover V8 engine. We have been toHusbands Bosworth for our Whit week safari.EKLONDON (Dunstable)Atrocious weather early in the season curtailedour flying .quite considerably as our undersubscribed,club ladder shows. The task weekmanaged three competition days during thesecond week of May despite a waterloggedfield, nofto mention sky. John Cardiff won theOpen Class (of course) and one of John Willy'scross-country 'course pilots won the StandardClass ina Kestrel! John, also won the 15 MetreNatienals at Sooker; Dunstable pilots arealwayspleased to show Bookerites how to do it.Course bookings are well up and we haveacquired a fourth K-21 to cope with the high levelof two-seater utilisatiof'l.We believe we won the first round of theInter-Club League at Hus Bos but will delaycrowing till we get confirmation and/or win theseries.D.S.183

MENDIP (Weston-Super-Mare)At the AGM in May the following were presentedwith awards: Ray Snelling (best effort for theclub)" Clive Bailey (beslab-Initlo) ,TrevorBailey(best height gain) and Ron Perry (furthest outlanding).The dinner-dance was a resounding success.We ha.ve summer expeditions planned,including to North Hill which everyone particularlyenjoys.Clive Bailey narrowly mi~sed gaining l1isSilver Cin one flight, just failing on his height.Bob Sheffield successfully completed 'hisinstructors' course; we welcome a new Cirrussyndicate and pos~ive steps have been taken toget a mobile winch upto the Halesland ATC siteon the Mendips to get the benefit of this hill sitelater in the year.T.B.MIDLAND (Long Mynd)What can we possibly say about the last threemonths? We have only had about threereasonable cross-country days siAce Easter.Our open days at the beginning of May werealmost a total wash-out, and some of ourcourses have had less than one day's flying.The cross-country course run by John WiIliamsonwas, as always, an interesting weekfor the participants, but they did have morepractice 'On the computer final glide game thanon the real stuff. However, our ,perennial watershortage is, for the moment, not trOUbling us.Our evening flying parties, which startedmid-May, I;)ave be.en a little luckier with theweather and we are well booked up.Bernard: Jones, Steve Skillicorn and ClairePeters have soloed, Piers Tremlell has completedhis Bronze C and Paul Fowler has aSilver height.lihe Pegasus demonstrator spent a weekendat the Mynd in April and the many whoflew it were favourably impressed.D.MKNEWCASTLE & TEESSIDE (Carlton Moor)Due to low numbers this year we combinedthe AGM with the presentation dinner.Trophies were presented by our chairman,Mark Stokeld, as follows: Cringle cup, BobCassidy; Alan Pralt trophy, Ken Cully and the10se bowl, Gave Ward, CFI. Many thanks toBilllrwin for his services as secretary over thepast years.The toilet block has been completed andstorm damage to the hangar and gliders wasrepaired in time for the Easter course run byBrian Richmond, when 170 launches gaveover 60hrs flying.Congratulations to Dave Rance on goingsolo in the K-7; to Jed Terry (K-6E) on hisSilver distance and to Alan Henderson for hisDiamond height at Aboyne.We are making improvements to the roadand.site and hope it will encourage new membersup the hill to the club.DW.NQRFOLK(Tlbenham AIrfield)We are pleased to announce that we are host-·ing the 1984 BGA Conference weekend inNorwich during March. This will mark our 25tl1anniversary.Recent notable flights include a cloud climbto nearly 10 OOOft by Charles Owles. BritishITelecom are sponsoring one of our pilots IQrthe Booker Regionals in July.N.F.S.NORTH WALES {Pen-v-Pare, Nr Holywell)The rain has meant a slow start to the seasonand the bad weather continued to frlJsbate usduring .Qur annual camp at Sulton Bank,though we thank the club for their hospitality.Some members are consoling themselves byforming a M100 syndicate.For the firsl time we 'have mid-week flying'during the sumll1ler with a club week and openweekend planned.J.B.N.OUSE (Rufforth Airfield)Following a bright start to the season we arestill waiting for cross-country conditions. Wehave a flying week following the Spring BankHoliday, ending with a barbecue.Evening flying has started for groups andlaunching is very efficient with our new winch.Congratulations to Karen Davies and GeorgeBroadhead on going solo.S.R.L.OXFORD (Weston on the Green)The new scheme mentioned in the last issue,p133, is still working well and we are continuingto fly in all winds.An expedition to Talgarth was well supportedwith five gliders and seven pilOts - andeven in this May, they achieved some longand exhilarating flights. The soaring week atEnstone was not so lucky with the weather butsome five members became competent foraerotows, a facility we do not have.Congratulations to Neil Toogood for his50km to Lasham; to John Gordon for his twoSilver legs on his trip to Twinwood Farm (pityhe missed the third by seven minutes) and toRichard Hall on becoming CFI.A.B.RATTLESDEN (Rattlesden Airfield)The BGA April task week with Ken Stewart,helped by Lionel Sole, started with poorweather, even 3in of snow, but one superbday gave Dick Histed (K-6cR) Silver distanceand duration and Paul Hanover (l

keys and John Bridges' trailer broke over theaxle with Jantar 245 inside, Investigationrevealed an undamaged sailplane but somevery optimistic jotnery.P.F.STAFFORDSHIRE (Morridge)Despite poor spring weather, Mike Goldermanaged Silver distance on April 9. Thecourse week at the end of May had somerrteresting hill lift, tl1errnals and wave on everyday. The winds blew every way but westerly,giving the course members a chance ofoperating from those parts of our 214 moorlandacres rarely reached.Wednesday evening air experience flyingrestarted at the beginning of April and arebooked up until the end of Augusl. On one ofthese evenings we arrived to find our airfieldlittered with helicopters including land Rovercarrying Chinooks which left 10in furrowsacross our westerly launch area. A fieldkitchen occupied our westerly launch area. Aswe had received neither request or notice ofthis, we were not amused.B.G.STRATFORD ON AVON(Long Marston Airfield)Despite poor weather, members have madesome notable achievements. Cliff March (Cirrus)gained Diamond height at Aboyne with20 700ft but sadly Derek Phillips missed his by300ft. .Congratulations to Pat Owencroft on goingsolo, to Stan Macdonald and lan Taylor ontheir Bronze Cs and to Maureen Leonard onher duration.Many members have flown in the K-21 wehired from Lasham. Our thanks to those whoworked hard to fUlly book our air experienceevenngs.M.M.STRUBBY (Strubby Airfield)We go from strength to strength and there wasafeeling of optimism at the AGM in March. AnAuster tug is to supplement our hard workedwinch.We have converted the old wartime controltower into a clubroom, bar, dormitories formen and women and a dining room in preparationfor the courses.Being close to £ number of holiday resortsand a large caravan site we have a number ofrequests for air experience flights whichboosts club funds and enables us to keep oursubscription and flying costs low.Visitors by air or road are always welcomeand ailhough we only fly at weekends and onWednesdays, there is always someone onsite.G.McD.SURREY & HANTS (Lasham Airfield)The season up to late May has been disastrousfor cross-country flying and even AlanPumell's Nimbus 3 has 'only co'llected one300km flight. An expedition to Vinon ,resultedin only average weather but enjoyable flyinglor Denis and J'oan Powell, J'ohn Taylor,George Metcalfe and Jane Watson.High spot of the seaSOr:l so far was ehrisStarkey's creditable performance in the 15Metre Nationals, taking the club's Venttls,313, to joint second place. HopefUlly this willAugust/September 1983inspire good performances in the jointNationalslRegionals at Lasham in late Julywith four club gliders in contention.R.P.A.SWINDON (South Marslon)A sudden Iileavy shower of glass ships, oneafternoon in May, turned out to be 28 National'spilots falling to earth on our second runwaywith three more a couple of fields away. (seeNationals report, p164.)South Marston has never seen so maAygliders at one time and we had visions of a, dramatic increase in membership. Minor miracleswere worked by Jeannette Martin in thekitchen and Mary Blunt in the bar to feed andwater t,he visitors. Congratulations also toMary on going solo.A replacement Blanik brings the club fleetback to full strength of a K-13, Blanik, K-1Sand Astir CS. Another newcomer is a recentlyrefurbished Rallye tug" though our primarymeans of launch remaIns the trusty towcar. .P.M.TRENT VAllEY (Kirton in lindsey)Our relations with our Army neighbours continueto improve and we are glad that the campCO, lan Johnstone, is learning to fly with us. TheArmy now have a parascending club at KirtonAirfield but good liaiSOA between us has ironedout most of the problems of 'sharing the site.Visiting pilots should notethal wheA there isparascending a large orange dayglo square islaid on the field ,and they should keep Cl! particularlygood look-out when in the circuit.Bob Baines, Pete Housley and Bob Kmita didexceptionally well in the I'nter-Club League atCamphill, comfortably winning the day on June4. Congratulationsto John Cook on completinghis instructors' course at Lasham; to NigelGroom and Alan Harriman on going solo and toAndy Hobbins and John Eastwood on gainingtheir Bronze Cs.We have at least seven members flying intheNortherns and have two new syndicate gliderson site, a Cirrus and Cl Skylark 3F.A.H.ULSTER (Ballarena)Alan Sands returned in May from Pennsylvaniaclaiming a new British national record for a300km O/R. He arrived back a1 Ridge Soaringless than two hours aftersetting out in a Kestrel19 for his high-speed Appalachian wave/ridgerunning flight at an average of 153km/hr.A snowstorm f1ustrated his attempt to breakthe 1OOO.88km national distance record by W,i'tliamMalpaswhichheexactlyequalfedlastyear.It forcedhimdown after930kmof a 1060km O/Ron the same day as Tom Knauff seta new worlddistance record of 1;647km. (See p150.)At home the nine-day Eastercamp kicked offthe thermal cross-country season well, oothUGC and Dublin woodern pundits pUlling theglass-fibre plodsto shame. In all we flew almost1400kmcross-country in April, against 1600kmfor all of last year. The tempo slowed somewhatduring a damp day.Ouring the Easter camp Alan McKillen completedhis Silver C with a Skylark 2 crosscountry,followed three weeks later by HarryBoyle in a K-6CR.The clubhouse becomes more cosy week byweek, having been painted largely by MaireMcKillen and now filling with furnishings begged,borrowed or otherwise acquired. It cameinto use at Easier, initially without a stick offurnilure.For the first time this year we are runningsummer weekday courses in July and Augustand were, complete'l\( booked by early June.The long-awaited DG-400 15/17-metre selflaunoher,t,he first in 'the UK, arrived in May afterbeing collected by its three owners from Germanyand type certificated at lasham on theway home. It is relatively Quiet, has a sprightiyrale of climb and is beautifully engineered.Another new arrival is a Libelle, whichreplaces a now departed K-6CR as yet anothersyndicate nas haded up. Jeremy Bryson isrestoring the Blanik ilast flown by the nowdefunctKerry club. III will raise to fourthe numberof ,two-seaters on the site. From T-21 to TwinAstir the collection more or less tells the wholestory of two-seater development since 1945.RRR.WEllAND (MiddletCim)Wet weather and a flooded field has severelylimited our activities so far. A proposed visit bytwo pilots in a SF-25E from Velbert has beenpostponed twice. Our second runway has beenused twice this year. The Specht has beenrepainted.Our chairman, Ray Clarke, is making goodprogress after his two operations and we welcomedAlan Bushnell back after a stretch inhospital.R.H.S.BANNERDOWN (RAF Hullavlngton)The recent good weather has resulted in a lot ofcross-countries and an ever-increasing launchrate. Pat Rowney, CFI, has gone solo in theMotor Falke. Phil Hutchings, one ofour foundermembers, has re-soloed after several yearsaway from gliding.Ray Brownrigg, whosefather(also Ray) isourDCF'I, soloed shortly after his 16th birthday andthe twins, Alan and Stewart Russell, have alsogone solo, Stewart already gaining his firstBronze leg, -Paul Mason. Sear;) Kay, Nick Beesley, PhilKitchen and Marilyn Kay all have a Bronze legand Simon Bawden ,has both. "Noddy" Wil­Iiams, Pat Payne, Gp Capt Mears and VanessaDavies have ,their Bronze Cs and J'ohn JoinerIhas flown Silver distance.V.R.D.BICESTER (RAFGSA Centre)The competition training week and Comp Kittywere both hampered by poor weather. However,the latter was successful in raising a healthy'sum for the British team fund. The winner,8illToollell, actually completed the task andourthanks to Enstone for receiving the majority of185

the competitors who made worthy attempts toget round.However, despitethewet spring weather, theUK two-seater 200km triangle record wasbroken by AVM John Brownlow and tan Fraserin the Janus C. Well done also to SamanthaNattrass, .Martin Richardson and WendyWillis-Fleming on going solo and to "Rocket" forgaining two Bronze legs. Our belated congratulationsto John Nelson on becoming an instructorearlier this year.Pete Abbey has flown his 110me-built CurrieWol aircraft and the Nimbus 3 has been deliveredlothe USAfor the World Championships.We wish the British leam the best of luck.S.H. & J.H.CLEVELANDS (RAF Dishforth)Ben Benoisl's 500km OIR to Dunstable haseamed him his Diamond distance and a claim ona UK record. Bob Scwarb, Mark Ashford andRichard Manor have gone solo.The advanced soaring course was successful,despite the weather, ando\,Jrthanksto OuseGC for the use QI Rufforth Airfield. Our thanksalso to Olck Parker for his stint as CH PaulWhitehead takes over.PW.CRANWELL (RAFGSA)Chris Terry recently flew a 300km triangle forDiamond goal and Gold distance. Doug Ramsayalso flew a 300km triangle on the same dayand Martin Bedford completed his SilverC withthe height and duration legs.We are losing John Shackell and GrahamBerridge and welcome Norman Quirke.We are planning a country and western eveningand a barbecue on August 20 when we arehosting a British Women's Pilots' Associationgliding weekend.GAB.FEN LAND (RAF Marham)In spring we had expeditions to Portmoak,Aboyne and the Long Mynd, Portmoak beingthe most successful with a Diamond height forBob Jones who reached 17 0001t and a Goldheight for John Trubridge. Jim Brayford alsoflew 50km from Portmoak to complete his SilverC.Four of our bUdding K-8 pilots, Andy Rose,Sam Evans, Julie Hunt and Pat Heady, havetheir Bronze legs and Pete Kelly has completedhis Bronze C. John Trubridge has become aninstructor; AI Skipper gained his five hours tofinish his Silver C and Steve Girt has gone solo.OurK-13; R86, hasbeen recovered-and looksresplendent in its new livery, thanks to the hardwork of AI RaMan, AI Skipper and helpers. Also·one of our Wild winches has a new engine,double the size of the old one.We say goodbye to Larry Lercroy and AISkipper, who have returned to the USA.S.l.KESTREL (RAF Odiham)Charles Bickers accumulated a oonsiderableamount of Ilying whilst waiting fornis I 6th birthdayonMay21 when newentsok)with his father,Bob, flying the tug. Congratulations also ongoing solo to Paul Ross-Smith.Adrian Gardiner, Geoff Seaman, NickKeevil-Pitt and Charles Bickers have Bronzelegs; li:1n Seabrook flew Silver distance and isclaiming his height and Nigel Reineck has hisduration.Mark Sapirstein completed his Silver C andgained Gold distance and Diamond goal duringone week in Australia. David Bowsher has hisassistant instructor rating.We will be well represented at the Inter­Services Regionals by Peter Riche. "Russ"Russell, "Joss" Oswald, Bob Bickers and PeteSTORCOMMTWO·WAY RADIOTR7603 Air Set TR7804 Vehicle SetEach set filled with all four glidingchannels 130.4, 130.125. 130.1 and129.9.'Volmef 128.6 optional on channel 4.* Full power transmitter with excellentspeech quality.* Highly sensitive and selective receiverwor1

OverseasNewsThe first 1000km t,riangle in the Alps hasat last been achieved. On April 13, 1983,Frederico Blatter, three times Swiss Champion,flew a 1016km triangle from Valbrerl'lbo(near 8ergamo, Italy), with TPs in Austria(Obervellach near LieAz~ and Switzerland (LaThuile, Little St Bernard). The flight, in a Nimbus3, took place ,in a NW Fohn. The tacticsused were more reminiscent of Alleghenyridge-running than of conventional Alpinesoaring. Blatter does not consider highaRitudewave-soaring t6 be of much help inftying lOng tasks. Apart from tne risks ofwaterballast freezing, the reduced VNE athigh aRitudes limits the average speeds thatcan be achieved.Max Muller,. a Swiss pilot who started glidingIn his 50s, has just gained his thirdDiamond at the age of 67.August Hug, pioneer of gliding in Switzerland,designer of the famous Spyr glider andholder of the Lilienthal medal, died on March30 aged 89.The Wlndex 1100, an ultra-light motor glideris being developed in Sweden by Sven-OlofRidder. A single-seater, with an 11m span, ithas a 22hp lw'o-stroke engine mounted in thefin, driving a 1m diameter propeller. Theempty weight is 85kg (extensive use of Kevlar)and the payload is 100kg. The Windexwill be sold in kit fonm.International Oldtimer Meetin!;l'. TheSoaring Club "Wolf-Hirth" is organising ameeting of old aeroplanes of all types, poweredaircraft and gliders, at Hahnweide Airfield fromSeptember 3-4. For further details, contactKlaus Lassing, Markstr 45, 0-7312 Kirchheim­Teck, W. Germany.The Coupe d'Europe for lw'o-seaters willbe held at Poitiers (France) from August1-31.Please send news and exchange copies01 Jo'urnals to the Overseas Editor: A, E.Slater, 7 Hlghworth ~venue, Cambridge,C84 280, England.The 6th Trans-Europ,ean Aalllyefinished, on June 11. COrl'lpetitors were heldup In Genmany by bad weather, and no onereached the goal (Angers). Most finished inSpain, the route having crossed the Pyreneesfor the firsl time.The 1984 European Champlons~Upsare likely to be held at Vinon in the FrenchAlps, ,jf the case submitted by the FrenchAero Club is accepted by Ihe CIVV.Red noses optional. New Genman regulationshave abolished the need for white glidersto have red noses, and wingtips, as longas they are only Ilown between, sunrise andsunset ...A new S~nl$h site has now openedwhich will accept foreign visitors. Oampolara(100km NW of Madrid) has gliders availablefor hire (Blanik, IS-28, K·S, .SF·27, Cirrus,IS-29, LS-3a}. A tow to 500m oosts about £8and the hire of a Cirr\JS for one day about£33.Max Kegel, the Wasserkuppe pioneer whodemonstrated by his flight in a storm-eloud onAugust 12, 1926 that soaring was possibleaway from ridges, has died in Kassel at theage of 88.Hahnwelde. Britain has no monopoly ofpoor weathe,. The International HahnweideContest from May 7-15 managed only twocontest days. Even on those days there weremany outlandings, despite tasks of modestlength.Advertisements, With remittance, should besent to Chelroll Press Ltd, 7' Amersham HIli,High Wycombe, Bucks. lel 0494 442423. Rate30p a word. Minimum £6.00'. Box numbers £2.40extre. Replies to box numbers should be santto the same addresl, the closing data forclasslflad .cJverUsaments for theOctober-November Issue 18 september 6, a.m.FOR SALEOART 15. Good oondilion. Full panel inclUdes aUdio. TIS.Oxygen. Brunswick tube, Good trailer. Call Colin Par1

COCKPIT or WING COVERSWaterproof Lightweight Nylon,or more durable Hypalon, alsoDust Covers, Windsocks,Microlight repairs.CAMBRAI COVERINGS, Old Fire Stn,HADLEIGH, Suffolk 0473 827087YS-55 Consort, 13.5111. Standard panel including TE _arlo,canopy cover, parachute, C 01 A. Low line aluminium traRer.276 hours. £3500. Chelmsford 467547.SKYlARK 3F. Da~ canopy, T&S, 2 _arios and audio.Speedwell metallrailer. 12 months' 0 of A. Only £2950. Contael'Man< Niman, Work 061"834-2659.1-tome 061-766-2942.CANOPIESTo fit most glidersDirect manufacturersBOB REECERemallc, SChool House, NortonNr. WorcesterTel: Worcester (0905) 821334COBRA 15 1/4 Share a_aUable' Long Mynd or offers forwhole aircrall plus traile., parachute and barograph to: 021554 1560.V. SHARE ASTI~ CS based Husbands Bosworth Includingchule, radio, full panel, oxygen & traier. £195OOno.021-359-1,93

'YE CAMBRI.DGE, boot mounting, with panel control butmilusconnecting cables. Cryslalledon 123.5MHz. E20. Bohllcompasses, winter bares and varios. Eleclric varios. No VAT.Rowtek. 581 Fishponds Road, Bristol. Tel 654800.SCHLEICHER ASW 20, full panel, lightweight aluminium.lraierwilh aids for 1 m.an rig. Outfit orhlAl only. Bristol 48838.K-6CR, good condition, basic instruments, aluminltrn trailer.£2950 for quick sale, Contact (evenings). Bob Fox 0482861134.PIK·2OD, '78. Standard instrumenls, Cambridge, SpeedOinlclor, Averager. Ultra stable traAer, easy load rottings. Canbe seen et Conesster. £9400000. Tel Sands 0238 532407 orIlIy$On 0846 682580.TRALER, suitable gilder up to lam. Running gear good:wcodworll needs a"enlion but setlllceable, £195000. Tel~387-3410 (evenings).REBULT/REFURBISHED sailplanes and motorgllders Ior,aIe,GRP and wood, Further details. Tel 0494 445854 (day),0865890517 (evenings).SUPER CUIJ. lll(}engine, 3700rs since new. Reconditionedwilgs. new ceconite on wIngs and tailplane, new nni6h, allaslCol A. Full panel. 720NOR. Tel Sands 0238 532407 (afterAugusI121h),WANTEDfor everything from parachutes to postcards ... too many to mention here.Over 50 titles available fr.om the Book ListSAE for full details and up to date PRICE LIST, Goods despatched promptly.* • * * * *144 Lythwoodltoad, BaystonHIII S,V30LW. Tel. 0743 723885 or 246456 (Daytime)* * * * * *SOARING SOCIETY of AMERICA Annual Convention 1984Fancy a trip to HARTFORD, Connecticut next year?The S.SA Convention will be held March 1-4, 1984. Flying from Gatwick into Boston(the cheapest entry point) keeps the costs IOw. Two hOUT drive from Boston or flight toHartlord. Opportunity to hear top speakers give papers, to see latest equipment, meetfellow pilots and visit places of interest. Trips to Schweizer's and Niagara if interested(after the Convention). Four days packed with interest and the chance of extendingyour stay to visit places of your choice. Why not join us? Details from Ma~orie Hobbyat above address.STANDARD CIRRUS - with or w~houl Instruments and'~ailer, CASH available. Phone (0625) 872837 (evenings),061-0439·5050 Ex! 39 (day).OLYMPIA 483. Would oonsider a damaged 0< oul of C 01 Asxample etc, Oixon, Fakenham 51517.BOOKS"GARlANDS GALORE" (reViewed earlier), OM merchant'ssdvenlures in the East, including FLY,ING andl GLIDING, 33photographs, Price '£4.45 including postage. Details fromHIllP Irwin, "Prospect", Totnes, Devon.DISPLAYS1IICR000IGHTS at Popham. August 27th, 28th, 29th. Flying.ClIJlII)ing. Weekend. All enthusiasts welcome. Admission £1ono day membership. Popham Air Cen~e, Nr Winchester,Hants. Tel (025 675) 733 or 423. On A303, 1 mile weslofM3,COURSESTIl. Cornish Gliding Club offer mini-weekend breaks duringOctober, For details telephone 032 65 62294.WELSH HANG GLIDING CENTREFLYING CLUBDetails of our hang gliding courses areavailable by writing or telephoning to:Dept S, 22 New Road, Crlckhowell,Powys, S. WilesTel: (0873) 810019 (24hrs)PARACHUTING WEEKENDSStay at one of Worcestershire's linestThree Star hotels and make your firstdescent at Halfpenny Green Pa1rachuteCentre with approved British ParachuteAssociation Instructors.TWO-day course. Friday night to Sundayaftemoon, includes full ground training,full first jump and certificate and twonights' dinner, bed and breakfast. Allrooms with bath, colour TV etc.£95 fully InclusiveContact AndrewGrubb, GainsboroughHouse Hotel, Kidderminster, (0562)754041 or Tony Oakes HGPC on (038488) 293.August/September 1983O/K BAROGRAPHS UK Agent£149Please ask fordetailsKENT MOTOR GLIDING AND SOARING CENTREMan.ton, Ramsg.te, 'Kent'Oiler for beginner.* 2-5 day holidays tor g'dll1jl and motor gilding* Individual lessons fo, gliding and molar glidingOffer the mo... experienced GNder Pllol. -* Motor Glider PPl conversions .* Navigation and Field Landing PracticeTel. tor further details'- MANSTQN 222FOR HIRECESSNA 180225 HP TAILWHEEL TUGAvailable for compsand/or temp replacementtugging.Telephone:Alresford (096 273) 4269(Daytime)Bramdean (096279) 422(Evenings and weekends)SHK Competition ready outfit ­OFFERS?FAUVETTE - with closed trailer ­OFFERS?SKYLARK 4 - Complete outfit ­£375OonoFAUCONNETT - (French L Spatz) ­£110OonoRepairs and CofAinspectionsonwooden,metal and glassfibre sailplanes. Factorytrained and approved repair agent forGlaser-Dirks Sailplanes,BOB McLEAN241 Bawtry Road, BessacarrDONCASTER DN4 7ALTeI0302·535861 or 0302-64931 (home)INTERNATIONAL GLIDING SITESSOAR MINDEN, MINDEN, NEVADA, USA. Cross-Counlry­Wave-Fibreglass Renlals-LS-3, Open Cirrus, OG400M MolorGlider. PO Box 1764, Minden, Nevada 89423 USA.PUBLICATIONSNEW ZEALAND: "Gliding Kiwi" oHicial Gliding Magazineof the NZ Gliding Association, Printed October and alternatemonths. Write NZ Gliding Kiwi, Private Bag,Tauranga, New Zealand. £6.00 Sterling for year's subscription(inclusive of postage),SLOPE SOARING with a radio control model seaplane isa fascinating pastime and a typical phase of aeromodelling.Read about this and other aeromodelling subjects inA.eromode/ler and Radio Control Models and Electronics.the world's leading magazines published monthly, Model& Allied Pubfications L'ld., 13-35 Bridge Street, HemelHempstead. Herts,"SOARING," -officialmonthly journal0' the Soaring Society ofAmerica. The only US periodical de'oOted entirely to Ihe spOrt,For subscriplion send $25.00 US by Inlernalional money orderor international cashiers cfleck payable to lhe SSA 'at PO Box66071. Los Angeles, CA 90066.AUST"'ALlAN GLIDING, monthly publication of the GlidingFederation of Australia. Editor Allan Ash. /l, comple'e ccverageof Australian Soarflg and exclusive features 01 inlernalionaJinterest. Subscription, $A16.00 by cheque on anAustra'an !:>ank or by money ord'er, Airmail extra $/1,21.25.Box 1650, GPO, Adelaide, South Australia 5001.189

ADVERTISERS' INDEXAMF EnterprisesAero Marketing AssociatesAir Apparatus & Valve LldAirmark Aviation LimitedAirlOur International LldAnglo Polish Sailplanes LldAus'tin AviationAvon Soaring CentrePeter BowerBristol & Gloucestershire Gliding ClubBritish AerospaceBritish Gliding AssociationBrussels TMA Handicap 83R. BullCambrai CoveringsCambridge Aero Instruments IncCambridge University Gliding ClubCessna 180Chiltern Sailplanes LldClassifiedsCommercial Credit Finance LldCook VariometersCornish Gliding & Flying ClubCoventry Gliding ClubDoncaster Sailplane ServicesORE LldDeeside Gliding ClubFieldlech Heathrow LldFleet Air Arm MuseumGlider InstrumentsGliderworkGor(lonairJ. A. Harrison (Brokers) LldHerefordshire Gliding Club LldHobbiesHo'me~/Hulbert & Co LldHorizon Sailplane ServicesHT CommunicationsIrvin Great Britain LldJSW SoaringKent Gliding ClubKent Molar Gliding & Soaring CentreLasham Gliding Society LldLondon Gliding ClubLondon Sailplanes LldLondon School 01 FlyingR. L. McLeanMidland, Gliding ClubMowbray Vale InsuranceNine Fow Aviation LldNorfolk Gliding ClubOxfordshire Sport Flying ClubPiggott Bros & Co LldPZL VariometersRD Aviation.LldRematicSSA ConventionSailplane & Engineering Services LldSailplane & GlidingSchleicher AircraftSCottish Gliding UnionSimulalre Flight SimulatorsSouthdown Aero Services LldSouthern SailplanesSpeedsoarngSpeedwell SailplanesThermal Equipment LldThree Counties Aero Club LldBrian Weare 'Welsh Hang Gliding CentreWestley AircraftWiltshire Hang Gliding CentreC. P. Witter LldYorkshire Gliding Club (Ply) Lld173169186173164147146147146190158168176168188145190189182187-189149183IBC190176168190144149190164169148190189172146186148182IBC189IBCIBC178146189IBCIFC144IBC169164188148188189182165149IBC187144OSC145144182146146189182187168IBCGLIDERINSTRUMENTSApproved agent forPZL and Cambridgeinstruments, saies and repairsNow Sole Agents for Ball variometersBarographs calibratedM. G. Hutchlnson5 Glendevon RoadWoodleyReading, BerksTelephone 0734 696491The Name may sound a trifle exclusive,but the Cambridge University GlidingClub is open to everyone.We winch and aerotow from Duxlordall year, mostly at weekends, andaerotow only from Cambridge. We runholiday courses from April to Septemberfor beginners and solo pilots.fa, generalinformation write toThe Secretary55 Moorlield RdDuxlordCambsFor Coursedetails write 10Course Secretary31 Longstanton RdOakington, CambsTel Histon 3957" you're an experienced glider pilot andlooking tor a good base to Ily from on yourholiday, Coventry Gliding Club is the placetor you.Situated just outside Husbands Bosworthwithin easy reach 01 many other Clubs.Aero-tow launching ensures maximumsoaring, opportunity lor both long distanceand local gliding.Club facilities include Licensed Bar, lirstclass accommodation, good company andeasy access from mot0rways,We also extend a very warm welcome tothe not so experienced and the beginner,our holiday courses are amo ngstthe very best.For details ring:Market Harborough 880429 or 880521For holiday courses ringMark.et Harborough 880484or write to: COVENTRY GLIDING CLUBHusbands Bosworth Airfield.Husbands Bosworth. Leics.BRISTOL & GLOUCESTERSHIREGLIDING CLUBWelcome private owners, begnners andholiday members to their unique site in theCotswoldsOPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK - April to October(Normally weekends only in winter)HOUDAY COURSES - April to October- accommodation on s~e.for deteHs w,#e 0' telephone:The Course SecretaryBristol & Glouoestershire Gliding ClubNympsfleld, StonehouseGlos. GL10 3TXTel. 0453-860342DEESIDE GLIDING CLUBTHE SOARING SITECLUB LOG FOR 1982/83APR 21,000 ft NOV 22,000 ftMAY 17,000 ft DEC 14,000 ftJUN 1 moslly JAN 31,000 ftJUL. thermals FEB Sk"J and RidgelingAUG 17,OOOft MAR 31,OOOftSEP 29,500 ft APR 27,000 ftOCT 21,000 ft3 out 014 flying days in 1982were soarableBOOK YOUR SOARING NOW!AB·INITIO COURSES TOOGET IT ALL AT DEESIDEPhone or write to:DEESIDE GLIDING CLUBDINNET, ABOYNE, ABERDEENSHIRETel: 0339 85-339 or 0339 2551SHOBDONYour easily accessible wave site insuperb unspoilt country on theWelsh borders.Vega, Blanik, Twin Astir. Easyto-get-away cross countrypossibilities. Good wave set up bythe Welsh mountains, Privateowners and club expeditionswelcome, but be sure to book.Courses tailored 10 your requirements.Power and parachutingavailable. An excellent area for smallhotels, amiable landladies, selfcatering,historic towns, statelyhomes, beautiful walks and choicepubs.Please write to the Secretary.Herefordshire Gliding Club,Shobdon Airfield, Leomlnster,HerefordshireTelephone: Klngsland (056881) 369190 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

LASHAMSuper soaring, al Britain's largest gildingcentre.Weekday and weekend Beginners' Courseslearnfor 2, 5, 7 or 9 days.Temporary members are always welcome tobting their own griders and compete withpundits, or to receive' specialised training, orsimply ,to lake advantage ot our 7-dayoperation for local soaring.Expeditions ,from other clubs welcome,Cross-eountry facilities include acomprehensive briefing room with facsimileweather machine for Ihe latest weather charts.Instructional video-tapes and 'lectures tor badweather days.Exce'llent aerotow and carl'aunching facilities.Comprehensive, clubhouse facilities andaccommodation.Lasham Gilding SocietyNr. Alton, HantsTel Hernard (025 683) 322 Of 270--vlONOON GLIDING CLUBDunstable Downs, BedfordshireTelephone: 0582 63419Situated at the foot 01 the Chilternhills, and within easy reach 01London and the Midlands by road(just off the M1). me Club has acomprehensive fleet of dual andsolo aircraft, reliable 'launchingequipment including tug, aircraft.This famous site has plentifulthermals in summer and hill soaringwith favourable winds throughoutthe year. ,Resident instructors,catering every day (weekends onlyin winter), licensed bar, accommodationand other facilities. Visitorswelcome.Write for Course brochures orclub membership details to theManager,ar ring 058263419The Cornish Gliding and Flying ClubTrevellas Airfield, PerranporthCornwall. Tel. Perranporth 2124Gliding courses from April to October- neet includes motor glider - B.G.A.fuHy-rated instructors - fine soaring ­lovely coastal airlield - ideal for a differentfamily holiday - No increase onlasl season's prices.The CQurse Secretary1'remearne, Breage, HelstonCornwallTel: Helslon 622944 or S·day glldlhg holidaysRidge Site with winch and ••rolowlaunches.From £132-£198.(All inclusive of flyinr;. professionalinstruction, accommodatiofl, meals andVAT.)Visiting gliders welcomeKenr GilDinG CWBPlease ring Challock (023 374) 274 or 307Or write to The Secretarv, KBnt Gliding ClubChallock. Nr. Ashlord. Kent.MIDLAND GLIDING CLUBTHE LONGMYNDAll-inclusive5-day holiday courses.Professional instr,uction andwinch driving for most progressand maximum flying time,Come and fly our K-21s.Visito.ts always welcome, priorarrangement advised,. Bookei'lrly for the autumn waveseason.Contact:Tony SplcerMidland Gliding ClubChurch StretlonShropshire SY6 6TATel: Lilley (058861) 206or 0588 638544For your COURSE!For your EXPEDITION!For your HOLIDAY!NORFOLK GUD,I'NG CLUBBronze Of Silver 'C' 10 ,pPL (SLMG). Coursesthroughout the year. Small groups, C,A.A.inslr.uelors. May 10 October holiday courses 10cater lor the beginner 10 Silver 'C'.Visiting aircraft welcome. Ideal br cross coun·try - 15,411 K liown last year. Big fields, sale, s~e, cheap aeroklws and temporal)! membership.Friendly club - lull accommodation ­Licensed bar.Wrile 10 the C,F.I.Roy WoodhouseOak Cottage, The Hili, Long SlmttonNorwich NR15 2AHTel: Long Stralton 31406SOAR YORKSHIRESUTTONBANKWe offer top class accommodation, instruction facilities and opportunities.RIDGE SOARING12 miles in suitableconditionsTHERMAL SOARINGClub record is 582 km.from ae rotaw, 524 km.from the winchWAVFE. SOARINGClub absolute record is30,200 ft. Club recordgain is 29,500 ft. Bothfrom the winchOur rates are amongst the best - £6.50 for aerotows to 2000 ft, Visitus and stay in our fully licensed r,esidential clubhouse. Full catering ,available in season, Self catet,ing at other times.COURSES - April to October Visitors al,ways welcomeYORKSHIRE GLIDING CLUB, SUlTON' BANK, THIRSKI,Tel: 0845 (Thirsk) 597237"

SCHEMPP - HIRTH GMBHMANUFACTURERSOF1983 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPWINNING SAILPLANES~c::,c::,~vvO