COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

CHAPTER ELEVEN A TESTING TIME
come together quite fortuitously and, as we closed towards each other,
we were even at the same height.
It was a gift from the gods. Dead smooth air, and almost wing tip
to wing tip we climbed together in that obliging wave, a marvellous
opportunity to compare the 402 at min sink against the Skylark III.
After several minutes together our relative positions had not changed
by one iota. Harry's extra two metres had done the trick! Better still,
when we moved off downwind through that invisible wave train, my
aircraft seemed to have the edge on the glide.
Going my own way, I parted company from Philip, progressing
across the barren uplands of the Black Mountains. Five easy strides
into South Wales - head in the non existent clouds - delighted with
Harry's achievement.
Crossing the Brecon Beacons I woke up to the fact that the Bristol
Channel lay ahead, and I had barely enough height to get across. I
decided to call it a day and put down at St Athan. Philip landed at the
new Cardiff airport, 4 miles to the east and exactly the same distance
from the Mynd. But he was closer to the line and went into the lead.
The difference between us seemed academic at the time - but not
so the following day, when I left before most of the field, got caught
by a temporary cirrus 'clamp' over mid Wales - and dropped smartly
down the order. On the last day, a pilot declared goal, I decided to go
for broke and declared Dunstable. Reaching the Chilterns, as the
thermals gave out, the Tring gap was too wide to cross on hill lift alone
and I landed four miles short. It was enough to let John Williamson,
who completed a well judged shorter goal flight to Abingdon, win the
day and the rally. But at least the 402 had made second place.
There was no UK Nationals that year, and no sign of any interest
from the British Team, but an American from San Diego had been in
touch with Horace Buckingham. Bill Ivans was one of the pilots who
had been selected to represent the United States. He had heard about
the Olympia IV and wanted to fly it in the World Championships.
When Horace agreed Harry and I came up with a plan of our own.
After Bill had flown in the World Championships, Jim Cramp would
deliver the 402 to Gosselies in Belgium for Harry to take part in the
'Challenge Victor Boin' a one day gliding event. Then the Inces would
collect it, go straight to the Wasserkuppe, and compete in the first
postwar German contest.
While all this was going on the 402 was fitted with a new pair of
ailerons, which overcame the upfloat problem, and the temporary
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