The magazine of evern Bristol and Glos Gliding Club kies Winter 2009/10 20S fly on government grant THE club flew 20 disadvantaged young people after successfully applying for one of £1,000 grants from the Learning Revo- lution Festival. Grants were awarded to clubs that ap- plied before the BGA’s October 8 deadline and planned open days as part of the Fes- tival of Learning. The Department for Business, Innova- tion and Skills (BIS) allocated funding to enable 20 gliding clubs in England to take part in the festival. It was used by BIS to showcase informal learning activities that are already available for people to take part in. Gliding was identified as a suitable Dave Hallsworth briefs one of the Learning Revolution Festival visitors while sporting activity and the BGA was invited Andy Townsend does up his straps in the back seat by the Central Council for Physical Recre- tions and the young people who took part ation (CCPR) to make a bid for funding. were from three charities, the Nelson All activities had to be held in October, Trust, the Churn Project and the Gear Proj- aimed at adults aged 19 and over, and ect, which all deal either with community where possible aimed at groups that would development or substance abuse, rehom- not normally take part in gliding. ing and employment. The 19 clubs to win the first grants in- They all flew on a grey day thanks to the cluded us, Bath, Wilts and North Dorset, efforts of a small group of club members, Booker, Herefordshire, Dorset, Mendip, and enjoyed the experience so much they North Devon, Vale of the White Horse and wanted more. The club is evaluating the Yorkshire. day and reporting to the BGA. The BGA said there was little doubt the project would do “a great deal to widen It’s AGM time participation in gliding and we are likely Chris Hughes, who died in September, The AGM will be held at 4pm on to see some very interesting experiences pictured in May, 2009 by Sid Smith. December 12, followed by the and results”. Obituary: Page 7 Christmas meal prepared by The club effort, leg by Dominic Con- Giuseppe. The AGM papers are 15m Nationals at NYM way, targeted a number of local organisa- packed with this magazine. THE club is hosting the 15m Nationals from July 3-11 2010. Book entries CHAMPION! through the BGA from January. Direct- Steve Eyles, left, ing by Tim Macfadyen and excellent who won the catering by Giuseppe. Gransden regionals club Dinner-dance booked class in August. THE dinner is booked for January 30 at Matt Davis, right, the Bear of Rodborough. After last year’s was third in the event, there was feedback from several Junior nationals members that they’d prefer not to have a at Dunstable the live band so that diners could continue sit- same month ting at their tables after dinner to chat. Wishing you happy soaring in 2010! ON several sorties around the take up a large percentage of field, during the glorious days our observations but there’s of our warm autumn, I com- 17 species spotted loads more to see and hear. I posed opening lines, even don’t think I’ve ever walked whole paragraphs, for this arti- around the field and not cle. Alas, with Met Office with expert’s help seen something in bloom, if warnings in place today for only a daisy. The hares will both gales and floods and my still be about all winter and deadline tomorrow, the muse both roe and muntjac deer, seems to have deserted me! and maybe the odd stoat, so However, with the gales fi- keep putting up your sight- nally denuding all the trees ings on the clipboard at the around the field, this can only side of the Terra Firma Syn- offer us better views of our dicate noticeboard in the old year-round wildlife. To date I clubhouse. personally haven’t spotted any You can even do your ob- of the Scandinavian thrushes serving from inside as our wintering here for our milder pied wagtails can often be climate and the wealth of viewed while you’re having berries, but both redwing and a coffee! fieldfare have been seen. The next article will look The smaller birds are search- back on 2009 – will we have ing for food in mixed flocks had more individual ob- and can readily be seen around servers than ever before? any seed or nut feeders outside And we’ll look forward – the caravans. Look out for will my theory that the re- brambling among the A pied wagtail by Daphne Malfiggiani ally good bee orchid years chaffinches. Strong winter happen only biennially be winds on the ridges should tempt not only glider pilots but borne out? If so, we should get loads of these in 2010. soaring birds. Nancy Barrett Re-reading a TFS article from 2003, I see that ravens were seen only rarely then but now they quite often perform their Syndicate proposed to aerobatics over the north ridge and, of course, red kite sight- ings are relatively frequently noted – the very first one ob- buy club’s Scout served above our patch was in winter 2003. When the club hosted a day for the Festival of Learning in THE Scout is being advertised for sale in the region of October, Robin Prytherch, whom members may remember £24,000 (see ad on p6) but Lemmy Tanner has proposed the led our 2008 summer walk around the field, again led a walk formation of a syndicate to buy the aircraft. He envisages up for those participating. to eight shares, of which at least one should be retained by the club. Even in the not very clement weather, with Robin’s expert- The Scout should continue to be based at Nympsfield, ise, 17 species of bird were spotted and this included flocks Lemmy thinks, but also be available to syndicate members of both redwing and fieldfare and a stonechat, which I’ve for use as they wish. only seen once at Nympsfield. Lemmy asks interested members to contact him via email Being who we are, it’s not inappropriate that avian reports or at the club. His email address is [email protected] 90m mast proposal investigated THE club is looking into a proposal for a 90m mast to be erected near the existing wind turbine near the club. Opinions vary as to whether it will present a hazard to gliders Severn Skies as it is 1500m from the southern edge of our boundary so is not in line with the runways. is the magazine of Bristol & Glos Gliding Club, Nympsfield, Stonehouse, Glos GL103TX Tel 01453 860342; fax 01453 860060 Email: office @bggc.co.uk Welcome to new members Website: bggc.co.uk Jack Deeth Junior member Sent free to every British gliding club. The magazine can also be Stephen Loquens Country member downloaded from the website from under “About” Kai Wheeler Junior Flying Editor: Bernard Smyth Tel/fax 01454 329751 Rob Julian Country member Email: b.smyth(no spam)@blueyonder.co.uk (delete no spam) Stephen Leslie Rejoined Printed by Waterprint 01342 844255 Rupert Wasey Rejoined 2 Matt third in Junior Nationals MATT Davis in his Std Cirrus came third in the Junior Nationals at Dunstable in Ivor takes to the air alone… August with 3278pts. He celebrated his 19th birthday at the comp. Rory Condon was 23rd in ASW 24 with 2254pts and Oli Llewellyn 40th in HXM Astir CS with 1132. In the 15-metre Nationals at Aston Down Nick Wall in LS8 LT came 19th with 2289pts and Trevor Stuart (ASW 27b 621) 22nd with 2093. Steve Eyles won the Gransden region- als club class at Cambridge club, with Norman Parry second. Both were in LS4s. Steve swept the board with 4000pts and Norman scored 3473. Joe Westwood (Discus) came 7th with 2946. Tom remembered Ivor Bace, 16, Phil Walker’s stepson, who was sent solo in August by Mike A MEMORIAL service for Tom Bradbury Woollard, right, our relief instructor, who departed at the end of September is to be held at 2pm on Friday November can be taken into account before the fol- 20 at St Michael's Parish Church, Monk- Lectures on offer lowing dinner is booked. ton Combe, followed by tea and cakes in A SERIES of talks aimed at those intend- the Village Hall. ing to take their Bronze C exam will be Bath Gap – a plea For those travelling any distance who held over the winter months, starting be- OPENING the Bath Gap causes a more se- might want lunch, there is what Tom de- fore Christmas. rious problem for Bristol Air Traffic when scribed as an “excellent hostelry”, the A full schedule was being published on there is a lot of cloud with a low base. Par- Wheelwrights Arms, in Monkton Combe, the noticeboard and on the website. It is ticularly in these conditions members are BA2 7HB, near to the church and hall. recommended that candidates prepare to asked not to apply to open the gap unless The phone number of the Wheelwrights sit the exam well before completing all the they are reasonably certain they may need it. is 01225 722287 for bookings. practical flying requirements. Sid Note that individual gliders can call up Bristol from the air to ask for clearance. Giuseppe’s winter hours Dinner ideas sought We are assured that no issue is likely to be taken over whether or not you have the ap- GIUSEPPE will be around from Wednes- THE dinner-dance has to be booked well propriate radio licences, but, given that we day to Sunday during the winter. in advance, so if you have a strong feeling talk to Brize etc as well, you should have! His hours: about arrangements for 2011 – band/no Additionally, will all users please famil- Wednesday-Friday – 10.30am until late band, the Bear/somewhere else – please iarise themselves with the Bath Gap notes Saturday and Sunday – 8.30am until late email your preference to the office so they available on our website? Rewards for spotting rare clouds Gavin Pretor-Pinney, The Cloud Col- we want as a glider pilot…..The Cloud lector’s Handbook, 112 pages, hard Collector’s Handbook Cloud is a nice cover, published by the Cloud Apprecia- book indeed, fits in most pockets and tion Society, £10 gives information and pictures (some- SOME time ago it was announced on times a bit small) of clouds. BBC’s Have I Got News For You (al- There is even a points system in it ways funny!!) that a new cloud had been with which you can reward yourself for invented. having observed a more or less rare It indeed looked remarkable, but I for- cloud. got its name. Tongue in cheekishly it Amazingly enough there was even a was suggested that it probably had review in a Dutch newspaper! It is quite something to do with the fact that the suited – especially for beginning pilots – Cloud Appreciation Society was going for learning to recognise clouds we to publish a new book: Allegedly its au- might use (or not) for finding suitable thor is also co-founder of the magazine thermals. The Idler, not exactly the type of person Bruno Zijp 3 ASW 19 sparks interest at Woodchester village fete A GLEAMING ASW 19 was one of the surprises on a gloriously sunny September day at Woodchester village fete. It had apparently landed in the play- ground of North Woodchester Parochial Endowed School from out club. Much interest was shown by both young and old, keen to have the opportunity to sit in the cockpit, trying out the controls and imagining flying silently through the air like a bird. The club had donated the star prize in the “lucky programme” draw: a flight in a two-seater training glider. The lucky winner was 11-year-old Caleb Powell, from Forest Green. According to mum, Debbie and dad, Ken “he’s really excited, it’s all he’s been talking about since the fete. We are all looking forward to the trip to the airfield.” Sir Peter Scott, whose centenary it is this year, was a member of Bristol Gliding Club, as it was then, as well as the founder of the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust. Mark Thompson, Tim Allen and Woodchester resident Bob Page ex- plained how the club has grown from the temporary hut that Sir Peter would have known to become one of the UK’s member of the marketing group, sent a Caleb Powell, aged 11, was said to be longest-established gliding clubs, home report and photos to Stroud Life with in- “really excited” about winning a flight of several world champion pilots, a formation about trial lessons, birthday in a club two-seater at the village fete, fully-functioning airfield, open for fly- and special occasions vouchers, and club but he didn’t look it when he sat in the ing seven days a week. Bob Page, a membership. K-21! With him is dad, Ken

4 Bowing out after 47 fun-filled years IT’S been great fun. I started gliding in 1962, going solo in a small wooden glider By David Barker – a Grunau Baby – in which one got very who was an assistant instructor wet if it rained. for over 20 years, club treasurer We were a happy-go-lucky lot, getting from 1979-91 and has done up to some activities that would not be tol- more than 4,000 flights erated nowadays. A winch launch in an open-cockpit two- best. But I was back in the air within a few seater allowed a large puff-ball to be car- months flying a beautifully rebuilt and re- ried aloft and dropped overboard at the top finished LS3, thanks to Roger Targett, and of a winch launch. later completed my Diamond with an un- Pilots landing late in the day following eventful 500km round Lasham, Shobdon five-hour attempts were guided on to a and Newbury at the age of 63. landing path lit by car headlights or bon- Later, it was most enjoyable to fly Duo- David Barker: A rewarding career fires. Discus as P2 in an open class comp at One member took his dog up in the Lasham and a regionals at Aston Down horizons. It’s time to give up now, canopied T-21 (the dog was quite unim- with Ken in the driver’s seat, with cred- at 80, but I shall always be grate- pressed!) and I took up my two sons – itable outcomes. Lots of fun was had fly- ful to those who made such a re- Ken, aged four, and his elder brother ing the LS3 locally and a few years of warding – if modest – gliding strapped in together to make up the sampling a turbo-Discus brought new career possible. weight. Ken was rather more impressed than the dog, and later far surpassed his fa- ther in gliding skill. Scott centenary plugs the club Silver distance was achieved with a A RADIO item about Sir Peter Scott gave the club some publicity as it included an in- flight in a Ralph Jones modified Olympia terview with Bernard Smyth about Scott’s connection to the club. 242 from Keevil to Kitwhistle – a village A Celebration of Peter Scott was pre- passion as an artist and pioneering TV and near the Dorset coast which sported a pub sented by Vernon Harwood on BBC radio naturalist. with piano accordion for me to while away Radio Gloucestershire on September 20. Broadcaster and ornithologist Brian Bai- the time until my crew arrived. It was to mark the centenary of the founder ley recalled his early days as a birdwatcher of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. and some memorable meetings with his Bungy launch Radio Gloucestershire devoted its boyhood hero. There were club autumn visits to the weekly wildlife programme, Country Mat- Long Mynd, one of which brought the op- ters, to a celebration of Weekend winch portunity to sample a bungy launch (a the life and work of Sir quick whoosh and you’re flying!).There is Peter, who joined the drivers needed a provision for recording rocket launches club shortly after it WOULD any member wishing to help in an early log book, but, regrettably I moved to Nympsfield with the weekend winch roster please never got the opportunity to try one! from Lulsgate in 1957. make themselves known to Alan Mon- The first GRP glider on the field was A neighbour in Slim- tague or Steve Tromans, or just leave your Bill Davis’s 18m Cirrus. Young Andy bridge alerted him to name in the office? the club’s new site and Davis had insufficient experience to fly it, Sir Peter Scott Full training will be given to new re- so a swap was arranged with my 463 to he joined. cruits. Don’t forget it helps to pay for your enable him to complete the necessary He organised a visit by the Duke of Ed- launches! hours, and I got into glass for the first inburgh to the club for a flight in 1957 and The newly-repaired winch is apparently time. made two TV programmes from the air- driving like a demon. As you may be Gold distance followed – paddling field. aware, both this work and the repairs to round Lasham and Hereford from Nymps- The two-hour radio programme featured the winch track were timed to coincide field, and lots of T-49 PI air-experience Scott’s success as a glider pilot and in- with the Standard Class Nationals. In the flights. Being in the right place at the right cluded the interview recorded at the air- event this did not run here due to a lack of time for once secured Diamond height field with Bernard, the clubs press officer. entries. with a climb to over 21,000ft at Aboyne. Scott became British champion in 1963 We proceeded with the repair both be- I was quite irritated to find that I could at the age of 54. The clubhouse extension cause the repairer’s time had been booked not eat an apple and wear an oxygen mask is named after him. and was opened by his and because the works needed doing at the same time! wife, Lady Scott, in 1991. sooner rather than later. During a 12-year stint as Club Treasurer In the programme there were also inter- The winch will need a general service most of the equipment was revamped, the views with Martin Spray and Nigel Jarrett shortly and we will look to arrange this at field extended and a new clubhouse at Slimbridge,BBC archive recordings of a time that cause minimum disruption. erected. Sir Peter and contributions from Daphne My thanks to Mike Harris and his assis- An outlanding during an attempt at 500k Neville, Pam Ayres, Alan Titchmarsh and tants for handling this so efficiently that brought a collision with a power cable David Bellamy. only one weekend was missed. with the LS3 and me coming off second Vernon Harwood also featured Scott’s Colin McEwen 5 Aircraft: Bellanca Scout 8GCBC Registration G-BGGD Engine: Lycoming 0-360 C2E, fitted with a Hoffman HO4/27HM- FOR SALE: A170 110 four-bladed propellor and a Gomolzig silencer, all appropri- ately approved. Airframe hours: 5798. Engine Hours: 1394 (176 hours since four new barrels and pistons fitted) Aircraft has been at Nympsfield since 12 hours airframe and engine in 1979. New wings (metal construction as opposed to wood ) fitted in late 2004. Performance over one year for an average tow height of 2275ft at Nympsfield is 8.74 minutes average, which compares with our Pawnee 235 average time of 7.86 minutes for the 2275ft height. Asking price is £24,750. Please contact Ian Hey or Pete Bray at Bristol and Glos Gliding Club, Nympsfield (details on p2) Remembering the Tiger Moth G-AODX IF there were a Fordson switch goes up; you tractor of the air, surely grasp the tip of the the Tiger Moth fit the bill? wooden propeller blade Not just the chug, chug, and swing it forcefully chug of the exhaust as the through compression engine coughed into life whilst stepping back in and the al fresco cockpit the slight anticipation of but also the reek of agri- a successful start. cultural aromas that sur- I say “slight” because rounded the aircraft. this was a process that Fuel, 80 octane AvGas on a bad day could con- was rightly there – it in- tinue indefinitely. evitably spilt when you “Sucking in” followed balanced on the forward by the antithesis “blow- fuselage to fill the 18-gal- ing out” when you lon tank or dribbled thought the engine was everywhere from the flooded and you had wet vent. the plugs. Engine starting required Listening for the click opening the right hand The club Tiger Moth after its 1972 overhaul of the impulse spring; cowling and banging the listening to the mount- end of the magneto to free the impulse seat parachute and of course the ever-pre- ing advice and criticism from the widening spring followed by jiggling of the carbu- sent, all-pervasive, heady aroma of cellu- circle of instant experts gathered to enjoy retor primer, an action that freed more fuel lose dope. the free entertainment. Failure, at Nymps- to run down one’s trousers. Starting the Moth field, was never a solitary business; there It was perhaps for the best that the Tiger was always a critical audience to hand. possessed no electrical system more com- Assuming you had remembered to se- The situation only improved when mid- plex than the C.H.T. thermocouple – an in- lect the front cockpit magneto switches on ’60s technology developed aerosols and strument installed following the and the aircraft was in a generally co-op- Peter Etheridge discovered Quick Start – suggestion of John Daniells, one-time erative mood then, subject to carburetor canned ether – that was sprayed into the partner in Rhubarb and Custard and one priming, inertia spring freeing followed by engine air intake to revolutionise the that I never dared look at. sucking in, the engine would fire on a whole starting process. Next, the thick, black Castrol that ran hand swing of the propeller. Well, that was But by then Nympsfield had bought G- back from the cowlings. The engine burnt the theory. ASIP, an Auster 6A that came with a a couple of pints an hour and that included Presuming you were the designated idiot starter motor, wheel brakes, flaps and an the spray from the rocker box vents. then the routine went something like this: enclosed cabin, and the Moth was rather On a cold winter’s day it flowed from “Chocks in, fuel on, switches off, throttle relegated to poor cousin status. the 50-gallon storage drum as slowly as closed!” you called. The actions were con- Jim Stuart Golden Syrup but when hot could run all firmed by the driver but you carefully look the way down the tachometer drive cable to see that both the rear cockpit external Courses idea reviewed to drip on your knee. magneto switches are in the down (off) po- Add to the olfactory cocktail the sition. IAN Hey has suggested that the club madapolin fabric and plywood; the “Sucking in!” You reach up and briskly should do a few weeks a year of holiday leather crash pad below the windscreen, pull the propeller through four compres- courses, charging £200 a week with no your gloves, boots, flying helmet – irre- sion strokes. food, to introduce new people to glid- spective of the season you wrap up warm “Throttle set!” Driver advances throttle ing. The idea is being included in a re- to fly a Moth – the four-point harness, half an inch. “Contact!” The right mag. view of club events for 2010. 6 Obituary

Chris Hughes 1929-2009 CHRIS passed away peacefully on Sep- tember 19 at Badgeworth Nursing home after a short fight with cancer. He was born near Hove in Sussex, high on the South Downs. His family used to take long walks in the countryside, and in 1938, on a walk to The Devils Dyke, where they could see gliders flying, they Chris, met some members of Southdown Gliding captured Club. A glider, a gull-winged Kirby Kite, in 2000 by had just landed and was parked. After Bernard studying this for a while Chris decided he Smyth was going to be a glider pilot. when he During the war he and his brother built was lots of model aircraft, including model celebrating gliders, and slope soared these near their 50 years in wartime home in Malvern. After the war gliding they returned to Hove, and in 1948 he started helping out at Friston, the South- Chris returned to gliding at Firle at the T38 , usually on the clubs Open Day. down Club’s new site. His first training end of his contract, and after a break flying Having decided to give up gliding at age flights were by the solo method in an at the Midland Club (whilst he worked in 80, he was beaten by the rapid deteriora- SG38, and consisted of two slides, three Worcester), he returned to Southdown, and tion in his health. He parted with his 463 low hops, one medium hop and one high was persuaded reluctantly to become CFI. in May 2008, and last flew a Cirrus on hop in November 1948. In 1969 Chris secured a job at North June 1 2009, and was upset that he could He gained his A and B Badges later in Gloucestershire Technical College, lectur- not manage his last flight in the T38. He 1948 and his C in early 1949. ing Thermodynamics with the Mechanical had also very much wanted to attend his He was due to convert to the Grunau, Engineering Department. old club’s centenary rally at Southdown in but the aircraft cartwheeled into the fence He first flew at Nympsfield in April that July, but was too ill. behind the launchpoint before he could year, and became very engrossed with Despite his enthusiasm for gliding, his convert, and was a write-off. To the last wave systems which appeared around the family were his number one interest. Other this rankled with Chris, not normally a site. He was determined to explore their interests included skiing and music (as a man to hold a grudge, and he could barely potential, and had long discussions with member of the Churchdown Choral Soci- bring himself to say the name of the pilot. the late Tom Bradbury, a club member, ety.) In 1950 he became an Instructor and one and a professional met man. Chris was a gifted pilot, a gentleman of his pupils at Friston was a young lady His Gold Badge was completed with a and a great guy to have as a friend. called Denise Brown, who he later mar- height gain, in wave, at Portmoak in the We shall all miss his enthusiasm and hu- ried. He was very fond of saying that he syndicate K-13 in march 1972. The fol- mour. was, as far as he new, the only man who lowing year he joined a Std Cirrus (252) Our sympathies go to his son and daugh- had a wife who gained her C Badge off a syndicate at Nympsfield. He was pleased ter and their families. Peter Bray bungee launch. that it enabled him to access the wave sys- Chris progressed rapidly and gained his tems further into the Welsh Mountains, Silver Badge (380) in June 1952. and he shared a K-6e based at Talgarth to Interactive RT In 1953 his flying was interrupted by achieve the same end. National Service. He joined the Navy as a Chris gave up instructing in 1985, as he guide is out Sub Lieutenant (E) and served at Ford and felt he was unable to continue to give his Culdrose, but did manage some flying all to it. Three years later he retested so THE Airspace and Safety Initiative has with the RNGSA, as well as Firle. that he could fly Air Experience members, published an excellent interactive guide His flying was again curtailed in 1958, as well as fly family and friends in his syn- to UK radio phraseology, aimed at gen- whilst working for four years as Chief En- dicated T49. eral aviation pilots. The guide contains gineer with the British Phosphate Com- His interest in mountain flying led to many audio clips and explains the most pany in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. His him persuading 252 syndicate to visit the common phraseology and the rationale dry humour surfaced when he claimed to French Alps for three weeks in 1986. This behind words and phrases used. be the leading ‘expatriate’ exponent of was the first of five expeditions to Gap/La The aim is to help improve safety by sailing the Gilbert and Ellice canoe. This Motte. Exciting and interesting flying. raising RTF standards. The document he later explained, was because he was the He became a Vintage Glider Club mem- is well worth looking at, especially if you only ‘expatriate’ exponent of the canoe. ber, and with Prefect S30 or his beloved sometimes feel uncomfortable using the During his contract, he and Denise had 463 (BWE), and his tent (well stocked radio, says the BGA. a holiday in New Zealand where, apart with red wine), he attended various vin- Download the document from from touring the country, he had several tage rallies. Chris’s annual delight during www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/AviationGuide- flights at two gliding clubs. his later years was flying Roger Targett’s Final20090917_LOCKED.pdf 7 FLEET CARS SERVICING STEERING BATTERIES

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8 Natural laws for along the lines of glider pilots… Murphy and Sod WE have established that there are glider other checkout in a shop the queue at the brake rather forcefully that driver will pilots who think they achieve better when checkout you left will have disappeared almost always continue to drive in they take mascots with them in their glid- before it is your turn. front of you at an aggravatingly slow ers, but we also have those – and espe- Glider pilots in traffic speed. cially the technically minded among us – Map reading: when driving you want Are these pilots related to a man who are not only led by aviation laws and to have a quick look at the map all traffic called Murphy? rules but also by a number of natural laws lights will be green. Any more glider pilots using laws they discovered. Slow traffic: when some idiot comes like these? from a crossroad so that you have to Let us know! Maintenance of gliders It is not “in a jiffy” (what looks like a simple job takes much longer than you es- No vehicle – no flying timate). WE’11 be kicked off Lulsgate soon! Cram “Things hide” (unbelievable how that in all the flying we can during the remain- ERIC SMITH in a 1950s plea one A4 page hides itself exactly behind to look after club vehicles – and another one, how that little M4 bolt drops ing time? Sez you! Gliding can continue into the fuselage completely out of reach, only if you, personally, take an active in- a double-first cross-country terest in the care of Your Vehicles. how those flat nose pliers – red handled! – during which he reached 4,600ft asl (just “Motorless Flight” is truly a myth. No are just invisible underneath the other under Silver C height), and then flew cross glider at Lulsgate or at any other site can tools. wind until he landed at Weston. leave the ground without an engine at the It is not possible to do things at once Official distance was 11 miles, during far end of the string. Even with a bungee (see how often you have to go back when which he contacted 10 thermals. you are on your way to a job in your there is work to be done! This was Derek’s first cross-country at- glider: to fetch another tool, how often the In the past, most of you have relied on tempt, the first cross-country from Luls- seat has to be taken out again and again…) the efforts of a willing half dozen to keep gate this year, and the first time a Bristol When you throw away something the engines running. club Tutor has ever been taken cross- from your technical stock you will in- I’ll tell you how you can help, and I country. We would like to congratulate variably need it urgently within a fort- mean YOU! Don’t come to the field him on a nice effort. night. dressed in immaculate flannels etc to We also have: more things that I try spend your time sunbathing while await- Plea on ’chute fail than succeed. This is not so much a ing your turn. pessimistic approach to a glider repair but You cross-country aspirants – why not repacking more a stimulus to try it again but in an volunteer to look after the trailers and KEN BROWN is grateful that pilots or in- entirely different way (one finds that the brakes? The bill for tyres alone last year structors put club parachutes in the box for average human is not to be talked out of exceeded £100. The remedy here is obvi- repacking when they are due for repack following exactly the same path for the ous – and is in your hands. Don’t be shy - ref the status board or the repack date on next try after failure). if some idiot maltreats a vehicle, first tell the harness, or are in need of maintenance A variation: there is more that I don’t him its as much yours as his. work. know anything about than things I do One final plea. Why mope aimlessly However it would be helpful when a know about. But a slightly comforting ad- about if there’s “nothing doing”? Ask for parachute is unserviceable for any reason dition: but still quite a lot. a job. Get hold of a vehicle and shake it. if the person who takes it out of use could Many people in planning often inter- Something loose? Then remove it, or fas- let Ken know the reason on ken- change short, medium and long term, ten it down securely. Try sweeping out the [email protected], or ask the office to something you also quite often find in hangar and so prevent a puncture. do so. This is so that he can alert the pack- gliding clubs… Stop being selfish! Is your conscience ers to the problem, and also let them know About glider pilots shopping such that you can allow yourself to impose if a repack is required. There are some The Law of Diminishing Availability: further on the enthusiastic few who have problems, such as the top closure loop When you, with your trailer behind you, slaved to give you a flight? coming adrift on a Strong ’chute, which have passed a frontier or just come from Be fair now, and lend a hand occasion- don’t require usually require a repack. the ferry: when you see something in a ally. We have a fine fleet of airworthy A case recently in point was ’chute No shop you would like to have: buy it, or else gliders. Help to provide the roadworthy 3, which is in date and was put for atten- you will never see it again. But: Barry vehicles they deserve. tion but with no obvious defect. Thomas’ (Dorset GC) amendment says: On Saturday, May 8, Derek Stowe star- An appeal for info found that it had been As soon as you have bought it you will see tled members by flying the Tutor cross- it in every other shop – at half the price. left in a glider with the cockpit open dur- country from Lulsgate after a car launch. ing a rain shower and got damp About queue hopping: if you go to an- He flew first downwind to Portishead, 9 and will run away if frightened, and pos- sibly think twice about returning. The chairman writes… It would however look as if the cranefly ANOTHER summer truly gone. one will pitch in to ensure that both the larvae this year must be particularly tasty Not as dramatically wet as the past two competition and the marketing opportu- and well distributed. Fred Ballard years, but I don’t remember many classic nity for the club are a success. “fair weather cumulus” days. The Indian Of course, the comp is just one aspect of Badge claims reminder summer has been pleasant though. the coming year. This autumn your com- A NEW application form for certificates It can’t have been all bad; Trevor flew a mittee intends to meet to plan the frame- with the A Badge endorsement is available 800k, John McWilliams and Richard work of 2010. If you have any ideas that at www.gliding.co.uk/forms/abadgeclaim.pdf Smith nearly did and Trevor flew to the you would like us to look at, please let Phil From October, applications were being Isle of Wight on September 23! Lees know via the office . accepted only on the new form. The BGA I would like to thank Mike Woollard for As part of this I am keen that we de- advised that older copies of these forms the enthusiasm that he brought to his stint velop templates for various activities, should be destroyed and, ideally, clubs as professional instructor and Dave from running competitions to being chair- should ensure that they always download Hallsworth for stepping in for the uni man in order to provide greater continuity the latest version of all BGA forms from week. Dave will be with us for the winter and so that these may be more easily taken the website as required. season. For some reason he likes us. on by new people in coming years. I would also like to thank Mike Harris Everyone agrees with the principle, but BingoLotto helps gliding and his helpers for getting the winch getting it to happen is a slightly different BINGOLOTTO launched in September sorted out. It is only now that the winch matter! on Virgin 1. The show, hosted by Ulrika drivers realise just how bad it had got! Colin McEwen Jonsson, combines live bingo games with The failure of the Standard Class Na- Fence builders thanked the thrill of a lottery draw. tionals was a disappointment and threw A BIG thank-you to all members who but By buying a £2 gamecard at a Tesco things out. We have the 15m pilots in July. many hours to get nearly all of the west store, you not only get the chance to win Aston Down put on a good comp for them end fence rebuilt, and to the completion of one of the big cash and other prizes you this year and I have promised them that we the east end, which is now live. will be helping gliding as 20pc of all rev- will do the same. There should be no prob- Several members have said they thought enues will go to good causes, with the lem in getting the numbers and Tim has al- the badgers had started early this year. I main beneficiaries being members of the ready made a start on the planning National Council for Voluntary Organisa- It seems to me that organising for a good am not certain about that what I do know comp.will provide a useful focus for a is that there must be a small army of them. tions (NCVO) and of the Central Council number of activities around the club be- Please use any reasonable means to of Physical Recreation (CCPR), including fore we go “on display”. I hope that every- deter them at night. They are shy creatures the BGA.

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PDA mounting systems Cabling service Installation and fault rectification Complete Severn Valley Sailplanes panel Passage Road installations Arlingham Shop via our Gloucestershire catalogue or on line at: TEL 01452 741 463 www.svsp.co.uk 10 final refinement was not made until 12 Yaw strings — is there years later, when Howard Johnson sug- gested the string would be more effec- tive if placed on the outside of the room for improvement? canopy. By Phil Thorndyke ameter curves. For slow speeds (0-7 string may be rendered entirely inoper- IT IS a deplorable fact, but in the United mph) a large diameter string has proven ative by incorrect fastening to the States (and several other countries) a best. Optimum diameter for these low canopy. Proper attachment is achieved large number of soaring pilots are show- speeds is 4ft 9 in. In the early days of with a bonding agent made of denture ing a surprising lack of knowledge con- gliding, many pilots complained about cream, pine sap, and grape jelly. The cerning one of the basic flight the poor forward visibility during land- compound is formed into a streamlined instruments. ing when using low-speed yaw strings. shape, stuck on the canopy, and cured at This situation was brought to my at- It is primarily for this reason that gliders 2600 degrees for 16 days. The dried tention at Elsinore, and since then I have are no longer designed to fly at speeds compound is then drilled and tapped for been researching the subject with the in- under 7mph. the appropriate sized string/universal tention of presenting an informative re- For the intermediate speeds of 35 to joint fitting. (String fittings may be ob- port to the gliding community. 150mph, string diameter should be tained by filing an application with the The instrument to which I refer is the about 0.1332 inches. At these speeds, US Department of Agriculture no later yaw string. For those who don’t know longitudinal skin-friction drag on the than July 12.) what a yaw string is, it is perhaps best string tends to increase the length and When the glider is not in flight, great defined in a technical paper by R decrease the diameter, requiring that se- care must be taken to avoid yaw string Fletcher entitled “Specialized Airflow lection and measurement of high-speed damage which can affect the calibration Indicators” (Fulton, 1953), in which he yaw strings be made in a calibrated wind and response rate of this costly item. stated: “The yaw string is a piece of stuff tunnel. Supersonic sailplanes are gener- One of the most common causes of yaw stuck on a canopy which when it blows ally seen with a 0.0005 inch diameter, string damage is failure to remove the sideways means that the tail, nose, and liquid cooled, platinum wire yaw string. string before trailering. Neglecting to wind are not all lined up in opposite di- Although little is known of yaw string put on the yaw string cover when tying rections, probably.” requirements as one approaches the down for the night can also cause trou- With this definition in mind, I will speed of light, some work was done on ble, as attested to by the recent in-flight proceed to outline the basic require- the subject by A Einstein. It was he who yaw string failure on a K-9 near Ham- ments for an adequate yaw string instal- advanced the idea of relative wind in his burg. lation. “Theory of Relativity as Suggested by If you are now considering a yaw For smooth and co-ordinated flying, it Yaw String Motion”, which title was string for your sailplane, I would point is important that the yaw string be com- later shortened for lack of space on the out the installation found on the Liberre patible with the glider. Considering a title page. laminated bamboo sailplane. This can medium performance craft, a piece of Yaw string designers will testify that be obtained from the factory as a kit, synthetic constant-diameter material yaw strings should be appropriate for which includes a competition tapered, will suffice for ordinary weekend flying. the purpose and conditions of the flight. low drag, variable geometry, yak hair High-performance ships will undoubt- For example: for cloud flying, a brightly yaw string with lighted azimuth. edly require a tapered, low-drag coloured string with de-icing provisions Certainly not all sailplane owners will string. (Note: Most high-performance is recommended; for flying in rain, a be able to afford such sophisticated sys- yaw strings are imported, and can be ob- water repellent, sanforized string should tems, but it is hoped this article has at tained only in metric sizes. Inter-na- be used; painted-on yaw strings can least pointed up the value of a good yaw tional regulations require approval of greatly enhance check rides; and cer- string installation, while at the same the manufacturer for any modification). tainly no glider pilot should attempt a time furnishing the information neces- Trainers and club ships which are sub- night cross-country without a luminous sary for construction and evaluation of ject to rough treatment need a more white yaw string. this indispensable instrument. rugged yaw string made from two-inch Location of the yaw string on the manila rope or larger. canopy is as important as the string it- G This article was initially written for I have also seen a short length of an- self. In an experiment conducted by A T Wind and Wings, the newsletter of the chor chain used with satisfactory results, Draper, several hundred yaw strings Associated Glider Clubs of Southern but eventual scratching of the plexiglass were fastened to the canopy of his TG- California. It was subsequently pub- canopy makes this type of installation 17 to determine the optimum position. lished in the October 1967 issue of Soar- questionable. Unfortunately, Draper was not ing magazine, as well as in Joe Lincoln’s String diameter is often given little checked out on instruments and crashed book On Quiet Wings. The author is still thought by the inexperienced pilot, re- shortly after take-off. Credit is generally flying the Libelle 201B that he pur- sulting in a marked decrease in ther- given to H R Freeman for advocating chased in 1973. malling efficiency. Diameter is that the string should be attached to the From Southern California Soaring determine primarily from the speed at canopy on the centerline of the sailplane May/June 2005 p4 – http://www.socal- which the glider is normally flown, in view of the pilot, but the soaring.com/newsletter/scs_14_mayjun using the Radcliffe Speed vs String Di- The most expensive and flawless yaw e2005.pdf 11 Specialist Sailplane & Sport Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Centre

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