Volume 28 No 2 Apr-May 1977.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COARSE GLIDING STILL ALIVEINK PENDear Editor,R. H. Wright may well be right (S&G, February 1977,1'34), except thateven wire-launching over 28 days would still be subject to planning.However, we here at Inkpen are much more cOncerned at our r.eported"disastrous situation" and "demise", etc, and the apparent acceptanceof the fact that we all have to advance rearwards to nationwide wirelaunching.First, if pilots (and pupils) will consult 1'37 (of the same issue of S&G)they will see "hat Inkpen GC is surviving, at Thruxlon, pr.esently bycourtesy of the owners, Western Air Training, et al. It is hoped that this(aerotowing) situation can be built llpon for the future. We have a highproportion of glass, and pr,ivate owners, but also an effective output ofjust solo pilots, for the size of our membership.We envy Ruth Tait (1'24) being able to come to a new site agreement bytwo-thirds the way down the second column; our pr.esent fate, in chasinglandowners, MoD, etc for an alternative site, seems close to that of theoozlum bird (tight circles, indeed)!LondonDIFFICULTIES FOR BRITISH PILOTS IN GERMANYR. S. MAXWELL FENDTSecretary oflnkpen GCDear Editor,W. C. Lombard' certainly raises a point in the' December 1976 ,issue ofS&O-F1ying Gliders AlYroad, pZ74. One difficulty for glider pilots visitingGermany is that we are obliged to pass exams, theoretical and practical.,for the sO-called "Luftfahrerschein" or PPL Class C for glider pilots.What the British equivalent could be I don't know. I have yet .to meet aninstructor back home who can make sense of the paper although it iswritten j,n English.We must also renew this licence eve.ry two years after having first had amedical by a recognised MD at a total cost of approximately £35. I can'thelp wishing that gliding was as easy here as in the UK.Erftsladl, West Germany.R, CLAYCHEAPER COARSE GLIDINGDear Editor,Your correspondent, J. B. Pailing, (February issue,p34) was right, I'msure, Ihat most club pilots only want to fly as much as possible as cheaplyas possible. Spending members' hard earned money on £14000 worth ofglass or lin is very selfish as only a very small number will be allowed tofly it-leave the exotic to the rich private-owner group.He asked whal's happened to the Duster. Sadly, I can only admit notmuch in the UK. It is a Bm all-wood machine with a Skylark performanceand an empty weight of only 390lb. (See S&G, December 1974,InternatiOnal One-design Class for the other 95070, 1'265.)I have a set of plans. No. 297, but have not started building yet. Thereare five sets in the OK, but over 100 Dusters are flying in the USA and it isbeing custom built by a manufacturer.A kit for home constructors costs £1000 (1976 price), eX-factory,California, CWO, instruments extra. I am advised that it is selling well inplans, kits and finished machines. Il can be built by one unskilled personin 700hrs and 500hrs in a .professional workshop.I am sure there is a market for this type of machine in clubs for thecoarse gliding type and perhaps a one-type contest/meeting could bearranged on the lines they are contemplating in the United States. To saveyour airmail letters to the USA, just drop me a line."Salamis", Jacobstow, Dude, Cornwall. DENIS RATCLlFFEDear Editor.The trend towards the demise {If Coarse Gliding (Letter, J. B. Pailing,S&O, february, 1917), was foreseen not least by Ann Welch, who warnedus about it in these pages. Obituaries are premature, however. The CoarsePilot is alive and well and living at Cock Hill, and at other clubs wherewinches and old gliders survive. At our place, bent things get st,raightened(or Fix.tered) to coarse cries of "Where's me 'ammer?", dark glasses arewelding eyeshields, and members manipulate a digger, bulldoz,er, tipper,dumper, spades, drain.pipes, slates, bricks, cement, angle iroR, etc to thedetriment of once-immaculate j1.ying overalls. We even have a number ofwinch drivers!A glider whic'h sounds like the one Mr Pailing is looking for is alreadyavailable. 11 is the Swales SD3-l~T, ,presently costing about £4800. It is agood scratc'her and has a very respectable cross-country performance. Ithas superlative low-speed safety, with no trace of wing drop even whencirc'led tightly down 10 lhe stall. with great reluctance to spin unless forcedand recovering almost by itself, it can be landed with full and effectiveairbrake at 40-knots as gently as a feather. Reliable and extremely robust,it would seem the ideal dub type'. The only feature which might displeaseMr Pailin~ is the close acquaintanceship of its designers with the BO-135!Lytbam SI Annes, LanesJ. C. OibsonTHE AIM IS FOR MAXIMUM ENJOYMENTDear Editor,Is J. B. Pailing really as cynical as he suggests in his letter? If so, theT\why does he continue gliding?He stales that the !',fundit" or coarse pilot is a fast disappearing breed,because of the appearance of the "exotica" ;>i1ot, easily recognised by hisex-service type flying overalls and sun glasses (the latter being highlypolished).Well let me put my case forward. I am certainly not an "exotica" pilot,I wear l1ying overalls and sun glasses for a reason. The overalls help keepmy ordinary clothes clean and also provide me with extra pockets for suchmundane things as ma,ps and ,pens etC, and these pockets are easily accessiblewithout having to undo safety stra,ps and perform contortions toreach pockets in trousers and jackets. Sun glasses :1 wear (weather permitting)for the simple reason that they st9P me from being dazzled, andif they are highly polished then I apologise bUI I wonder how many pilotshave taken evasive and violent action to avoid a speck of dust on theirglasses.While I do not profess in any way 10 be an expert or in the same class asOeorge Lee and Co, I certainly hope that my flying is not "coarse" whichthe dic,tionary suggests is-rough and inelegant.Since Rodney Tibbs (S&G, April 1975, 1'56) brought out his nowfamous article on the enjoyment of glid.ing there has 'be·en a lot of criticismboth for and against his. arguments. Well as a relative newcomer tothe sport in terms of hours (not very many I am sorry to say), let me putforward a suggestion that I hope will cover all possible arguments on thesubject.Surely tile idea of .our sport is for the maximum enjoyment for theindividual to' be gained in his or her. own way,- whether it be 500km triangles,circuits round the airfield Or if it be your particular thing, drivingthe winch. I am certainly not knocking cross-country flying, far from it.While not yet at the standard to gQ away on my own, I must admit I amquite looking forward to the day when I can just beetle off and tackle thechallenge that this affords. Neither am I knocking the pilot who is quitehappy to do cirCUits, or the person who drives the winch .(let's face it,without the unselfish person who drives the wincn or towcar or pilots' thetug we who happen to enjoy the company of the birds would never get offthe ground). The maxim being-do your own thing.To turn to another point raised by Mr Pailing-that of cost, Let us notkid ourselves, the days of cheap gliding,. or fot that matter, any sport, areover. Apart from one or Iwo clubs who· employ professional instructors,it is a marvel that so many clubs have been able to hold down their costsand still remain a going proposition.From his comments I ~ather Mr Pailing eit'her owns or has a share in aglider. I don't know what his aerotow charges are (if any), but at my ownclub (Norfolk) at presenl they are £1.7~ for a single-seater and £2.25 for atwo-seater to 2000ft. And if this means that I can enjoy myself in the air(which for pilots is where it reMI)' counts), then I am quite happy to pay.This statement does not imply that I have unlimited funds, far from it.Mr Pailing suggests that many acCidents are caused by lack of recognitionof the cause and effect of staU and spin, due to lack ofcircuits in an80