COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
a strictly one shot device and you had to get it right or fall expensively
out of the sky.
The extra 2 metres span, added on by Slingsbys, gave a useful
improvement in performance - at the expense of rudder locking in a
sideslip and increased roll/yaw inertia. On the 20 metre version, still
to come, the effect would be even more pronounced and the larger
rudder which went with it made the rudder locking worse!
Little did I realise that the Kestrel was to be my last competition
glider or, when the time came, that I was flying in my last contest.
I took my leave at 'Euroglide '74'. Good soaring weather and the
familiar charm of Nympsfield, overlooking the Severn valley,
combined to make it a memorable occasion. Competitors had come
from Switzerland, West Germany, Poland, Belgium and Holland - and
there was a festive atmosphere about the place when we arrived.
An awkward field landing on the first day, which collapsed the
retractable wheel, almost put paid to my hopes of continuing. When
Ralph Jones heard about it he insisted on doing an overnight repair.
From a competitor lying sixth, who would eventually finish third, to
another who had just scored a duck, it was a most generous gesture. I
kept him supplied with beer until the bar closed, after which he
insisted on finishing the job on his own, working on into the small
hours.
In the clubhouse, as I ferried the tankards to Ralph was one
member whose presence brought back other memories. Tony Gaze, a
New Zealander and a distinguished fighter leader, had been a flight
commander on 616 Squadron, the first to be equipped with Meteors,
during the closing stages of the war. An accomplished racing driver in
his day, he had also represented his native country in the World
Gliding Championships.
Years ago when I pranged a Weihe, trying to land in a claptrap
mountain area, Tony had come to my rescue.
My back was absolute agony, and I lay flat out on the floor of his
very non standard Mk VIII Jaguar estate car, with visions of being
stuck that way for the rest of my life. Tony knew the form and he
regaled me with stories of motor racing shunts, sore backs and
whiplash injuries, and insisted that the recoveries were quick and
complete. The most considerate of men, I shall always remember him
for his help on a very painful occasion and the fact that he has never
mentioned it again.
On the second day, after Ralph's temporary repair had been
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