MIDLAND
GLIDING CLUB
NEWSLETTER
Number 88
November 2000
CONTENTS
Chairman’s Contribution................................................................................................................. 2
Thanks.......................................................................................................................................... 2
CFI’s Bits..................................................................................................................................... 3
From the Flying Field...................................................................................................................... 3
Jones, Jones and Jones v MGC Ltd Settled by Mediation.................................................................. 4
Task Week Shirts.......................................................................................................................... 5
Oxygen Basics.............................................................................................................................. 6
Moves On Developing Our Fleet..................................................................................................... 7
Euroglide 2000............................................................................................................................... 8
Winter Flying............................................................................................................................... 14
Christmas Accommodation........................................................................................................... 14
The MGC Aboyne Expedition....................................................................................................... 15
The Role of Launch Marshal........................................................................................................ 16
MGC’s Post War Expansion......................................................................................................... 17
Austria May 2000........................................................................................................................ 18
Trophy Presentation and Dinner Dance 2001................................................................................. 20
Christmas and New Year............................................................................................................. 20
Oxygen now available on site.
See Roger Andrews.
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Please send Newsletter contributions to: John and Ann Parry Holly Cottage Wentnor Bishops Castle Shropshire SY9 5EE Telephone..01588 650379 Fax. 01588 650596 Email John.Parry@Virgin.net |
Club Details: The Midland Gliding Club The Long Mynd Church Stretton Shropshire SY6 6TA Office Telephone......01588 650206 Office Fax.................01588 650532 Members Telephone..01588 650405 Email .office@longmynd.com |
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Selected items from this Newsletter will appear on the Club Internet site which is: www.longmynd.com |
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Please could we have contributions for the January issue by 16th December. (Earlier if possible please!) |
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Julian Fack
The committee has decided to put down a very small (fully re-fundable) amount of money to mark our place in the queue for a DG 1000. This is DG’s version of the Duo Discus, which appears to have some advantages over it for club use. It has a sprung undercarriage, dual canopies (as on the K21), and a fin ballast compartment for brass weights stowed behind a perspex hatch. It can also be flown in either 18 metre or 20 metre form. It is claimed to have slightly better performance than the Duo, and equally pleasant handling, but so far it only exists in prototype form. If they achieve these things in the production version it will be quite a glider.
The fin ballast compartment is claimed to make it suitable for spin training, and the double canopy should make it suitable for club use on the windy Mynd. If a test flight, planned for potential customers at the end of the year proves its claims, and independent test write-ups agree, we will probably be putting down a 10% production deposit before series production starts in April next year. Delivery would then be in 2002. We would use it to replace the third K21 as well as the K13, but it would still need additional finance.
The way cross country flying at the club has been developing recently, a high performance two seater can only enhance our fleet and our members’ flying.
The 1000 may be the high performance glass spin trainer and cross country machine we have all been waiting for, but if not we will just reclaim our money and carry on looking.
Regarding the long promised ‘hangar hanger’, the system for slinging a K23 from the hangar roof; we now have most of it in place, the cost being borne by the motorglider syndicate, and you should soon see the new hoist in action. Thanks are due in particular to Ken Screen, amongst many others who have made this advance possible.
The course season is now over, this winter we are flying on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and you should take advantage of the facilities on offer. There are several good reasons to keep flying in the winter, such as keeping current, learning new skills, wave flying and so on. John Stuart will be available for instruction on some days, and if you want help with any aspects of your flying, you could take advantage of his immense experience. Contact Janet in the office for details, she will be available on Fridays, all weekend, and Monday mornings in the winter season.
There are substantial costs associated with manning the midweek winter operation, and if the facilities are not used we will need to reconsider our options for next winter, in other words “use it or lose it”.
Charles Carter
In my capacity of staff liaison committee member I would like to thank all our staff for their sterling efforts during the 2000 course season. The great enemy of glider pilots - the weather - has caused many problems but our staff have dealt with them admirably and the last month has been both busy and successful.
Our assistant course instructor, Phil Foster, has completed three seasons with us and is moving on to pastures new. We wish him success in the future.
Nick Heriz-Smith
We are approaching the end of another year, and as it turned out a better year than we could have hoped for. As the year progressed the weather improved, (it needed to!), and members achieved more than they had for many a year, winning our league, flying Silvers, Golds and Diamonds day after day it seemed. A good time to remind you all that your stage cards will need to carry an instructor’s signature to show that you have not gone more that 12 months between instructional flights. We will be checking!
A great many of us are about to get our first call to launch marshal duty. If it is your first time, do not fear. There are two of you each day and you will find that you should have been paired with an old hand, who will show you the ropes. See the article on page 16 on the role of launch marshal, it will help if you read it.
Have started a gliding group this year who we are very pleased to welcome on board. It looks at the moment as if they will be flying on Saturdays and it is my intention that they should have a dedicated instructor to fly with. Please make a point of looking out for new members and giving them all the help they need to settle in.
I started by mentioning the end of another year and our achievements. I know that superstition says I shouldn’t, but it would be remiss of me not to mention the marvellous effort made by everybody, that once again has kept our accident rate down to match the best in the country. The trouble with not having accidents and maintaining such a safe environment is that, on a day to day basis there appears to be nothing to show for it. Believe me, it does show. At the very least it saves thousands of pounds on insurance premiums and gives us the opportunity to consider improving our fleet. Well done, keep it up.
Ann Parry
Congratulations to Daryl Bromley, Tim Nolan and Andrew Sherrington on going solo. Daryl, who joined in May, went solo in 27 flights. Andrew flew so much during his three month temporary membership after his trial lesson that he achieved solo the day he joined as a full member.
The last week of the course season was busy with visitors and course members who enjoyed flying every day, with over 20 bungey launches, and some wave flying, John Stuart climbing to over 12,000 feet (only breaking off through lack of oxygen) on 25th October. He landed out the following day whereby hangs a tale of mud involving Julian Fack and his new car… It was a shame the weekend of 28th and 29th October was so miserably unflyable after the good week. The storm of 30th October produced gusts of 95 mph at the club, and caused a 33 hour power cut (which included Wentnor, Asterton and Norbury). The airfield is very wet. Locals report they have never seen so much water about. On 6th September Ian McArthur gained a Gold height and Chris Harris was at 12,000 feet in wave. I climbed to 10,800 feet above Wentnor in the afternoon, not having realised about Ian and Chris’s heights earlier, so not making an effort to borrow a barograph, having forgotten ours. I went off to Oswestry and Clun with the height, marvelling at the views. It was good to see flying happening yesterday, Saturday 4th November, pilots enjoying thermals and modest wave.
Paul Stanley asks that care be taken moving the tug in and out of the hangar. If a wing tip is damaged it could cost £1000 to fix.
Hazel Turner
At this year’s August challenge, several people commented that we ought to have a t-shirt or similar garb to that seen adorning those who have been to Regionals. So this is a short piece of market research to establish if there is sufficient demand to have one of our own.
Please let me know if you are interested, if so if you would prefer t-shirt, polo shirt or sweat shirt, and how many of each size you might like (remember they would make excellent presents for children, parents, grandparents, the dog etc.) If we have sufficient positive responses we could all be kitted out in sartorial elegance next year.
You can send me an e-mail at:
hazel@naturaltherapies.fsnet.co.uk
Or let Janet know in the office.
Cornelius von der Heyden
Before strapping on your oxygen system, which, if you’re not into latex or bondage, can be pretty uncomfortable, it might help to know why you need all that plumbing anyway.
At basics, it revolves around the two gases Oxygen (O2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Oxygen is essential for your cells, especially for your brain cells, if they are to function normally. A working brain is useful to have; the men among us all know how wrong things can go when we stop thinking with our brains and start using other organs!
Oxygen occurs normally in the atmosphere but as we ascend to greater altitudes, a drop in ambient pressure occurs and less oxygen is therefore inhaled for consumption by our cells. The absolute limit for all glider pilots flying without supplemental oxygen is 13,000 feet. Hypoxia (the technical term for oxygen starvation of cells) occurs much in the same way as drunkenness. You cannot tell when it is time to stop as your brain has lost the ability to analyse critically. As an anaesthetist, one of my main tasks during and after an operation is to avoid hypoxia in my patient. Despite the use of some pretty nifty gadgets, things can still go wrong so don’t be a fool and believe those old wives’ tales of blue fingertips and such quackery.
Carbon dioxide is the other significant gas. It does not occur naturally in the atmosphere (only about 0.003%) and is produced by our cells as a waste product, to be exhaled by our lungs. Now we all know about the body’s other waste products, and carbon dioxide is no different. It is also pretty nasty stuff! Too much of it in your system and you might as well cork yourself and be sold as champagne! The way this gas builds up in our system is by a process called re-breathing. Instead of inhaling fresh bottled oxygen from your supply (with no CO2 in it) with each breath, you can with certain malfunctioning oxygen systems, inhale your own stale air, which contains this waste carbon dioxide. It is the same as re-breathing into a closed plastic packet. Some of us tried that trick at school to induce fainting in order to be sent home! If that happens in a glider with all that latex strapped to your face at 28000 feet you can imagine the end result, especially since Miss Teacher is not there to look after you in your coma! Again, there is no warning of this dangerous re-breathing as you are slowly numbed by the carbon dioxide. Imperceptibly you lose your judgement skills. Why do you think champagne is so successful on a date?
That then deals with the two problems we can encounter when using our oxygen supply - hypoxia and excessive re-breathing.
A brief description of the types of oxygen systems will help to understand how we can avoid these lethal conditions. There are four arrangements of oxygen systems: Constant flow, Diluter, Demand and Rebreathing.
Some systems incorporate two of these arrangements in an attempt to get more time out of the limited volume of the oxygen bottle.
The simplest system is a combination of the constant flow and diluter systems. Constant flow means that your face is continually bathed in a flow of oxygen, even when you are not inhaling. These systems require a minimum flow of FIVE litres per minute to work efficiently. Never exceed this minimum or you will re-breathe carbon dioxide with its attendant dangers. This system is thus very wasteful, as at these high flow rates your oxygen tank is soon exhausted. In an attempt to save on the oxygen, the diluter is added to the system. This is the gauge that needs to be twiddled to read the altitude at which you are presently flying. At lower altitude (13,000 to 20,000 feet), breathing 100% oxygen is an overkill, so at these altitudes the diluter entrains surrounding air into the 100% oxygen from the bottle to reduce it to lower values. Thus the flow rates are still adequate (about 5 litres/minute) but only a portion of this comes from the tank, so it lasts longer. Above 20,000 feet you MUST breathe 100% oxygen. Above this altitude the diluter no longer dilutes, if you have set it correctly. If however, you have set the wrong altitude, then you will already have become hypoxic. This system therefore requires vigilance and is not fail-safe, so you have been warned.
The other type of system is the demand re-breathing type. This is more complex mechanically, but it saves on oxygen and thus you get more time out of the bottle. “Demand’’ means that it only flows oxygen when you inhale - you literally have to suck open the relevant valves (like the DV of scuba diving gear). Oxygen is being saved as it is not being blown at you while you don’t need it. These valves can get stuck so check the system with a few breaths before take off. To further save on oxygen, the “re-breather” component is added. This is the rubber bag attached to the mask. It catches your expired air which still contains fairly high concentrations of oxygen for you to inhale with the next breath. Thus you save your bottled oxygen. The snag is the waste, your carbon dioxide, that you also expire with each breath. Re-breathe too much of this and you start feeling like cider. To prevent this, the bag needs to be flushed regularly with fresh oxygen (a bit like a toilet). The design minimum flow for this flush is also five litres/minute. So look for the flow change on your system and set it appropriately.
That’s the simplified theory, here are the even simpler rules:
1. Strap on the latex by 13,000 feet at the very highest.
2. Set flow on all types of systems to a minimum of five litres/minute (marked as “high” on some systems).
3. With the diluter type systems (looks like a small altimeter) continuously re-set the displayed altitude to coincide with your current altitude.
4. With the demand type systems check functioning before take off by taking a few breaths to see if it feels OK.
5. Always start a wave flight with a full tank of oxygen. Even a full bottle doesn’t go far.
Hopefully this will help you to understand one of the inherent dangers of high altitude flight. Stick to these simple rules and the fantastic view from up there need not take your breath away.
(Spotted by Walter Baumann, and reprinted with the kind permission of Cornelius von der Heyden, Cape Gliding Club, South Africa)
(Webmaster's note: the BGA now recommend using Oxygen above 10,000')
Oxygen is now available on site from Roger Andrews.
Nick Heriz-Smith
Earlier this year I proposed that it was time we looked seriously at our fleet, how well it served us and what, if any, changes we could make. The article was received well and not ignoring the obvious financial hurdles, the committee agreed in principal that we should explore the possibilities.
Since then Roger Andrews has been keeping a look out for a Grob 103. There appear to be more hen’s teeth knocking around than this particular Grob, so there hasn’t been a rush to find buyers for the K13 and K21, but the prototype DG1000 has now been flown. Iain Evans has been keeping a very close eye on developments at DG and it looks as though production proper could be underway by the end of the year. The first reports are more than favourable. A large sprung, retractable undercarriage that moves forward of the CG makes it a tail dragger, doing away with the vulnerable nose wheel. A double wing platform, fully aerobatic in 18 metre and good for spin training, and in 20 metre initial trials show it being 5% better than the Duo Discus!
As the glider is not yet in full production, deposits are not being taken, but we have decided for a small fee, to buy an option which can be converted into a deposit once production starts. Our treasurer says it is achievable, but as a club we must continue (and do even better than we have this year) to spend as little as possible while flying as much as possible. Though we are the first in line of the British clubs, there is still a long way to go before we commit our selves fully. As soon as it is practicable we will be sending a party out to test fly it, and then if we are convinced, delivery is likely to be no less than 18 months.
Let’s hope it lives up to expectations. I am convinced that if it does, this is the right moment for us to make a move. A move that will put us back at the forefront, with a fleet to match the best site in the country.
Paul Garnham
(Not to be confused with the EURO2000 football extravaganza being held nearby at the same time)
Euroglide is a biennial gliding rally/competition/race around a 2000 km course, organised by the Eindhoven Club. The competition is split, with turbos and self launchers forming a separate class. Starting and finishing at Eindhoven, the known turning points this time were Berlin (Lusse), Wasserkuppe, Issoudun, and Dahlemer Binz (Eiffel). Phil and Diana King had done the event before and enthused sufficiently to persuade Julian Fack, Richard Hinley, Nick Heriz-Smith and me to participate this time with Duo 494. Also, we met Pam and Gerrit Kurstjens in Cerdanya this year and they were both keen to participate. We gratefully accepted their kind invitation to stay with them before the start of the comp. In the event Gerrit alone flew in his Nimbus 4, and dashed round the course at an amazing speed.
Overnight at Julian’s. A prompt start at 0845 and a fast trip to Dover by 1245. Met Diana and Phil en-route with LS8 618 and entered the harbour in convoy. Channel tunnel radio tells us the ferries are delayed. They lied. Ferry sparsely populated, hardly a football hooligan in sight. A brisk (and possibly poisonous) lunch on the boat. Good weather in France. Football supporters being harassed here and there by the border police. Found Pam and Gerrit’s sumptuous residence in Belgian arcadia by early evening and tried to come to terms with the setting, including Nimbus the Great Dane who gave initial cause for concern (totally without justification). Beers, a meal and a good night set us up for what was to come.
A day mostly spent fettling gliders and equipment at Pam’s and later at Eindhoven civil/military airport where we had to convince the guards that we were bona fide Eurogliders before we could enter. Some even saluted! At 2000 there was a long briefing in Dutch. Some of us had the benefit of translations of the important bits. Complex rules concerning self launching gliders seemed to take up most of the proceedings. A slightly embarrassed and beautifully camouflaged Airforce Met Officer gave us her prognosis for the morrow. Meanwhile England were losing 2-3 to Portugal.
We rose early and drove to Eindhoven. It took an hour to cover about 13 miles, but we made the free breakfast and the briefing. More preparation. Sky blue and it’s getting hot. The grid of 30 gliders was set up in late morning. Another short briefing. So, we are going clockwise, Berlin first. Odd, I had fixed in my mind that we would go to France first. Julian and Richard prepared to go, about halfway down the grid. Just prior to take-off Julian gave an entertaining and rarely seen (ritual?) performance known as the dance of the trouser (horse) fly. This fascinating dance incorporates slapping movements, agitated pirouettes, loud noises and climaxes in partial disrobing. In spite of this excitement launching was scarcely delayed, and began at about 1200 into obviously poor soaring conditions, blue mostly. Nick, Diana and I soon followed. We drove east through the Ruhr, marvelling at the enormous canals, the satanic mills and their awful stenches. Radio contact with 494 sometimes poor, but road/road contact usually good. Eventually an imminent landing by 494 stopped us to await the news. Phil carried on in 618. Soon we had a call. They are down in a set-aside field close to a power station and a canal at Datteln, north of Hamm, a flight of just 135 km, 90% of it below 2000 feet, taking 3¼ hours. We found them courtesy of Mr Garmin within 45 minutes and were soon consuming beer, enormous salads and pizzas in downtown Datteln. I am suffering somewhat from a suspected case of mal de Sea France. Meanwhile Phil had landed at Lunen. A conference suggested that we should then drive towards a gliding site where a launch would be possible next day. Although aerotowing was not on offer, Oeventrop seemed a good bet, so Nick phoned and persuaded them to be there to launch us (the club is not usually operational midweek). In the dark we missed the airfield and climbed up through woods to find a useful and peaceful car park suitable for our substantial equipe. Tents were pitched in the dark.
A short walk in the woods before rolling down into Oeventrop. A lovely airfield in rolling wooded countryside. A cloudy sky, looking distinctly unsoarable. Several club members arrived at about 1100 and a winch was set up. Nick and Richard flew two very nice extended circuits before deciding to give up and make use of some of our transiting allowance. We thanked our hosts who gave us the tour of their hangar and facilities. The prize possession seemed to be the emergency vehicle, a pristine Audi A6 Quattro estate, ‘sold’ by Audi for 1 Dm. We were then conducted to a suitable place to take lunch. Then we drove to Oerlinghausen, a major gliding site (sort of a German Lasham really) where we met up with Phil and Diana. More Euroglide teams arrived until about six were present. We did the tour of the superb hangars with their suspended gliders, some of which had wings so long that they had to be passed through holes in the walls. In the evening we all visited Bielefeld and enjoyed a Greek meal.
Rain early and a gloomy start. Visibility about 400 m. Slowly things improved but it was not until mid afternoon that soaring seemed a possibility. The tugs gave up due to problems with turbulence and crosswinds. At 1600 a few pilots decided to try and took a winch launch. As they didn’t immediately return, Nick and I took a launch and found scrappy thermals (only 2 actually), but sufficient to take us about 31 km in 51 minutes to Blomberg Borkhausen, another delightful airfield, where we were greeted by a group of mostly youthful pilots. Blomberg is a grass field in very attractive countryside, set against a wooded slope. They have the luxury of two clubhouses and control towers. There seemed little wrong with the old version, but they had recently completed the second. The youth and not so youthful were confined to the old clubhouse. They announced that they would hold a barbecue for us and supplies were bought. Beer was only 1.5 Dm a bottle (under 50p)! One or two other Euroglider teams were present, so a convivial evening ensued.
A brisk cross-wind blowing, red kites soaring the slope. Phil and Diana arrived by road. Scrappy cumulus began to develop. The self launching Janus self launched and departed. Mid morning an elderly tug pilot reputed to be ex-Luftwaffe, extracted the pristine (nosewheel) turbo Dimona from the hangar and we (Nick and I) were towed off smartly, despite the crosswind. He seemed not to notice us come off tow and flew off into the distance. A good run in rather variable conditions towards and along the northern slopes of the Harz mountains. Some good climbs but also some low times. We saw a bit too much detail at Goslar and started to look for fields. It was variable all along the Harz. We saw a lot of Bad Harzburg too but things improved thereafter over the plain and eventually we turned Berlin (Lusse) and could make out the metropolis in the distance. Now there was a headwind component and the soaring conditions deteriorated. We allowed ourselves to be drifted too far south and had to claw back into wind too much to avoid the Leipzig zone. This cost us a lot of time. Cloudbases, when we could get there, were about 5000 feet QNH, occasionally 6000. We passed disused military airfields (Diana landed at one, read all about it in S&G). Near Gotha the day faded and we made no further progress, on account of the rising hills before us. Clearly the Wasserkuppe was out of reach that day, but we did add 450 km in 6 hours 40 minutes to our total. After a search around we landed at the grass airfield at Gotha (in the former GDR). Scarcely anything moved. No-one appeared. Two men shovelling soil barely looked up. The depressing and ramshackle concrete buildings seemed unoccupied. A caged Alsatian threatened Nick. We were relieved by the rapidity of the retrieve (the team had wisely taken a (long) short-cut to intercept our track). We were pleased to leave Gotha (Gotham City?) so soon. The intention to have a meal in Bad Hersfeld was thwarted by a festival (i.e. no parking and probably no food or beer), so we found a roadside restaurant and later arrived at the Wasserkuppe in darkness. A clear cold night ensued (over 3,000 feet QNH).
When I first read about gliding (and the Luftwaffe) it was clear that this place had a special significance. Little did I imagine that I would take off from the airfield one day. Memories of this legendary airfield include the fascinating and well presented museum, the former POW (in England) who chatted to me, the alpine meadows full of flowers, and the nightingale that woke me at 0500. On the down side there were the hordes of tourists by the coachload that began to arrive mid-morning as well as the local branch of the hells angels, the tacky stalls selling pseudo gliding-related objects and the 20 Pf toilets (with regret, still of special interest to me at that point). What contrasts! Lots of gliding and power activity going on. The hard runway slopes down quite steeply so you take off down hill and land up hill whatever the conditions, so it seems. There’s a bungey point of course, much less impressive than ours. After rigging and fettling, we waited for some signs of soarability, and indeed some small cumulus appeared, confined to the immediate area, rather Mynd-like in fact. Julian and I took a tow behind a Robin with a retractable rope (what a sensible device). It’s rather odd to have the tug line up with what looks like about 10 m of rope, but about 30 m eventually paid out. The house thermals took us to 6000 feet and we pressed off towards Poppenhausen, (home of Schleicher) intending to take the northerly route around Frankfurt’s extensive zone. But thermals there were none, so we returned to the house thermal and tried again. Again, no joy. Local flying for a while allowed the thermals to develop further and as the cumulus to the south seemed to work we set off into the blue yonder adopting plan B, i.e. the southern route. This was a hot day. The visibility was superb and the scenery stunning. We passed south of Frankfurt and crossed the Rhine at Worms (scope for schoolboy humour). Tricky blue thermals most of the time, with just the occasional haze cap. Progress became slow as we passed north of Ramstein, the active US base. Slow progress became a struggle. We inspected several villages at close quarters and were in circuit at most of the airfields in the vicinity before getting climbs. Eventually we fell down at Wustweiler, a small gliding and power club, having travelled 240 km in just under 5 hours. Probably we should have gone for Marpingen, a larger club to the north, but we were pleased to see Wustweiler. The approach and runway looked inviting but somewhat hazardous. The runway is narrow, sloping and there are very solid posts alongside it, first to the south and then to the north. “Lift the wing” I said to Julian as we passed by. Later I paced the runway - it was 27 m wide, and we are 20 m, so plenty of room there then! The club suffered from the attentions of an aggressive local farmer who did everything to hamper their activity, including installing upright concrete sleepers at strategic points to impede or discourage flying. “It’s war!” said one of the locals. As usual the local fliers were welcoming and some spoke good English, due in part to the US presence nearby. One Dutch Euroglider was there, a Ventus. No Duo had previously landed there and they looked forward to the take-off next day, a first for Wustweiler. After only one beer the crew arrived, and also Phil and Diana. A private party was being prepared outside the club, and as Germany were playing England that evening we had a few beers and retreated to a ‘nearby’ hotel restaurant in the village (Illingen). Goodness me, England beat Germany, the incompetent conquering the elderly. We tried not to say anything inflammatory.
Ready to rig at 0900. Sky blue with an obvious inversion. Very hot. Red kites trying to soar. We waited for signs of the inversion breaking. Glider flying at Marpingen was studied with interest through binoculars. A Samburo motor glider did circuits. After tactical discussions, including an assessment of the short uphill grass runway, it was decided that Nick and Richard would go. The Husky tug was run up. Locals watched and cameras rolled. Two strong German lads assisted getting the Duo rolling up the slope. The take-off appeared to be ‘interesting’ and the climb out was slow (hot/highish) but it was a first for Wustweiler. Phil took the second tow in 618. They all had a real struggle, apparently sustained mostly by the heat from power stations, foundries and car parks, if the radio chat meant anything. We kept up on the road. Progress was painfully slow and things finally ground to a very hot halt south east of Metz where both gallant teams landed in the same stubble field at Herny, the day’s score being just 62 km in well over three hours! When we arrived the locals were on the scene and showing great interest. We were implored to visit their nearby house and to take a beer or two. How could we refuse! After much manoeuvring, we arrived at a petite ferme adjacent to a busy rail line. The sight of Julian making mobile phone calls while standing in the middle of the track prompted some wisecracks - “This seems to be a bad line” etc. At the house we were greeted by an assortment of people of indeterminate relationship. Perhaps there was a family in there somewhere but we couldn’t figure it all out. Centre stage was the extrovert Madame, with orange hair, shorts and cleavage, organising, bossing, laughing, and by her own admission somewhat the worse for drink. The welcome given to us by her and the ‘family’ was truly sensational. Tables and chairs appeared together with much 8%, yes 8%, beer, cider, and a rhubarb flan. How many people have a rhubarb flan handy in case gliders land? Pictures were taken, with much joking and fun as we imbibed, with the hens running beneath our chairs. Dragging ourselves away from this happy scene was not easy, they would have liked us to remain all evening but we had to progress to our next airfield, in this case, Nancy. We promised to send photos, bade our goodbyes, and Madame embraced me with vigour. We drove on to Nancy Malzeville airfield as the sun went down and were promised a launch of some kind next day at about 1400. Malzeville is a vast grass airfield on high ground above Nancy, dating from the first war. Sitting rather uncomfortably by each other are the original bullet-scarred concrete hangar and the avant-garde modern gliding club building. An evening meal in Nancy gave us an opportunity to see the baroque architecture of the impressive historic core, beautifully restored and illuminated.
A hot morning, getting hotter - scorchio in fact. The tug pilot arrived at lunchtime and implied that he hoped to fly his own glider. However he would tow us if we really wanted. It was clear that we would cause less irritation by taking a winch launch and so, with our usual diplomacy, we did. The winch launch here (and later at Chalons) was a special experience, quite unlike the British variety. No complaints about height - 1600 feet in the Duo, but the pre-launch happenings were peculiar to say the least. Nothing was required of the pilot. Signals were by radio from the launch director. Much discussion took place with the winch driver. Several times the wire moved, then came taut, then stopped. More talking, then just when we were wilting in the heat, the glider sped away like a bat out of hell. We immediately got a thermal to 6000 feet and set off over Nancy (wonderful views) with Diana in 618 following. We made slow progress in the blue conditions, and worried about missing the multitude of danger areas. South of Nancy Mirages became a concern, they seemed to be dashing about at all levels and especially near bases close to Toul. We though that we might make Troyes, but in the event easily reached St Florentin, a pleasant grass field with a gliding club, a power club, and a very active helicopter training facility. The simulated emergency descents by the Bell 47 provided endless amusement but also an excess of decibels. We had made 198 km in 3¾ hours, and to our surprise we found a third of the Euroglide fleet assembled there, most having been denied forward progress by poor blue conditions. Diana soon arrived in 618. The Dutch contingent organised a fine barbecue to which all were invited. A hot night ensued with the added detraction of prolonged mosquito combat.
Another scorcher. Contact with our met advisor in UK, Iain Evans, suggested that 32 degrees C was needed to break the inversion. At about 1330 launching started and Nick and Richard took off behind a breathless Rallye. They disappeared so Julian and I departed for Auxerre. As reports were being made of slow and difficult progress, we spent time cooling off in the cold cabinet area of a large supermarket. Getting in and out of the place presented a problem. Their car parks and filling stations just don’t make allowances for a Duo trailer. Meanwhile a 20 knot headwind added to the problems in the air. We stopped south of Auxerre and met Phil in a lay-by. We bought cherries from a stall and then heard that our heroes were likely to land at Auxerre, so about turn and off to the airfield. Auxerre has a very long hard runway, probably of military origin, and has all mod cons. Including a follow-me truck, a tower, a bar, and lots of (melting) tarmac. A self launching Janus also landed but it seemed that most of ‘our’ set had found some way to go further down track. After a beer or so, we decided that the only sensible course was to return to St Florentin by road. The rules about transiting by road are an important element in this comp. You have only 300 km in total and cannot use more than 100 km down track on any day. A flight of less than 30 km doesn’t count, so decisions have to be made. Back at St Florentin, welcome showers, a good meal in town, some Chablis, and a well justified night in a hotel, after a net gain for the day of zero km!
Only two other Eurogliders on the airfield now. By 1300 the sky was looking better, with some cumulus present. Julian and I took a launch and dashed to Auxerre in minutes. From there on it seemed a different airmass, with significant wave influence. Progress became difficult, in fact we were often forced to retreat to climb. It was clear that things were going pear-shaped. By contrast Phil, taking a different route, overtook us. Our progress was painfully slow, with many low points. Eventually we thought that we could reach the airfield at Cosnes and set up a final glide. Regrettably, heavy sink and rising ground intervened and we were soon engaged in an animated discussion of the merits of the only two usable fields in the vicinity, one with short crop, the other set-aside, both sloping somewhat. We chose the latter and all was well. One of our longer waits ensued and we were concerned that access to the field might be difficult. In the event several locals showed us the easy way and we were soon off to Issoudun via Bourges, having made just 85 km in two and a half hours. Meanwhile Phil landed some distance down track and we were reunited at Issoudun. Issoudun is a major gliding site in almost flat countryside, familiar to those who have flown from Le Blanc in former years. It has three grass runways and extensive facilities for glider pilots including modern washroom, kitchen, screened camping enclaves (with silly names) and a bar. We took our evening meal in Issoudun, a small town some way off to the north, where the main impression was provided by loud outdoor rock music and lively youngsters. It was at about this time that Julian took to midnight carpentry as a pastime, enforced by the departure of a crucial element in his bed.
I was awakened at 0500 by a nightingale singing. Their song really penetrates! A weak front passed. We talked with an elderly visiting pilot from Israel and attended a mini-briefing. It seemed that things would improve as the day progressed. Euroglide was already over for a forlorn Dutch team who had crashed their car in Bourges the previous day and for whom a delay of several days was likely while repairs were being done. Later, cumulus appeared and we became optimistic. At about 1415 Nick and Richard were towed up by a Rallye with a retractable rope. The launch was delayed, and seemed to be in jeopardy, due to the activities of a (myopic?) grasscutter and a military helicopter that ‘obliged’ by landing on the runway in front of the tug as it was about to depart. Nevertheless all was well and with a tail wind component 494 and 618 rapidly disappeared into the distance. There followed what seemed a long drive to Chalons en Champagne where both gliders had landed, scoring an impressive 282 km in just over 3½ hours. We met a Dutch pilot called Jacob, who appeared to be touring various gliding sites on a kind of chilling out exercise. He was the sole resident of the clubhouse and seemed pleased to make our acquaintance. He even knew people in Ludlow! That evening we dined in a pizzeria out of a movie and watched as uniformed customs officers stopped and searched likely customers (not us, apparently we were not of sufficient interest). Richard was by now showing signs of interest in trains, as he had to leave us on the following day - something to do with the need to work, I believe.
Very cloudy at first but the rumour was that breaks might occur. Richard departed for the UK - he must have known that the best of the weather had gone. Chalons has an enormous grass runway over 1 km long. RAF Fairy Batttles were based there during the pre-Dunkirk days, and some crews are buried nearby. We were given an excellent guided tour of the hangars by the President. Here, as at many clubs, gliders are hung from the hangar roof. An ancient Meise hung on the wall, and a well restored Caudron side-by-side 2 seater (circa 1947) was there too. The club was particularly proud of its 4 drum winch, made by a club member. It had an enormous Deutz V10 diesel driving and selecting the drums hydraulically. By 1100 the cumulus were looking quite good so we towed out for a wire launch. The winch certainly performed and took the Duo to 1700 feet. We liked the launch so much that we had to return for another. This time we found a thermal or two and set off, encouraged by a brisk downwind component. Prior to starting we had studied the complex and rather baffling array of Danger and Restricted areas in our path. The locals took a cavalier view of these and suggested a straight line approach. One particular area close by seemed safe only between 1200 and 1400 hours. Phil set off in 618 and we followed. The thermals became ‘tricky’ and we crossed one long gap to arrive below Phil. I searched all over for the thermal but it had departed upwards. As Phil climbed we descended. Even smoke from a nearby factory could do little to sustain us. We landed in an excellent field of short lucerne, one of many in the area. In the adjoining field machines were cutting the stuff at 25 kph! Soon the locals arrived and were delighted to see us, especially the farmer and his wife. We discovered that we were of the same age. That helped. More photos and promises of prints. Kites wheeled in the sky, flapping occasionally. Precisely at 1400 the sky was suddenly filled by Mirages attacking a range a few km away. Perhaps the ground was a good place after all. Our ability to converse in French was about to run out when Nick arrived with the trailer. Back to Chalons again! How awful, another fine meal in town, guided by Jacob who knew his restaurants and wine.
By now time was becoming short. We were required to be back at Eindhoven that evening, by whatever means. Phil had made it to Dahlemer Binz, an excellent flight in the conditions, as there is a lot of hostile territory on that leg (the Ardennes). As the local aero club prepared a pig roast we looked at a grey sky and decided with regret that further flying would not take us far and we had to trail the glider back to Pam and Gerrit’s house in Belgium. At Eindhoven we were greeted, fed, and de-briefed and later we returned to Belgium for a well earned rest, perhaps feeling a degree of anti-climax.
It’s all over. We trailed 494 back to Calais and on to Aston Down where Paul, Jeff and Alison are eager to get 494 going in the open Nationals.
Although Nick and I had previously supplied the French ‘CAA’ with all the required paperwork and had received a sort of handwritten authorisation from a civil servant called Sophie, and we carried all requisite documents in the glider, on this trip we were never asked for any paperwork at all, save for the usual British passport controls. We encountered very little bureaucracy and were often not expected to pay for facilities other than launches. Oh yes, the French are rather keen on camping charges. Of course, had there been an incident of any kind things might have been different. Apart from the arrival at Gotha (where human contact was missing) we were met with nothing but kindness, friendliness and helpfulness (maybe Diana’s guards at a former Russian air base didn’t quite qualify, but nearly so). Whatever the result of the competition (and we must expect a lowly placing), this was a great trip. So many situations, landscapes and airfields were experienced and so many places and encounters enjoyed. Overall the weather, although never first class in soaring terms, enabled us to get along, to fly most days and it did provide plenty of challenges. Some days we could only fly 28 km, the best was 450 km. One day we could fly circuits only and at the last we couldn’t fly at all. Nevertheless I would do it again tomorrow - well next week maybe, and commend it to all as a very special gliding experience. The next Euroglide is in 2002.
Charles Carter
Mid week flying this winter is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and all day on Fridays with John Stuart in charge of operations. Saturdays and Sundays will be the usual weekend operation with a duty crew.
Winter flying offers a host of opportunities for good soaring for the more experienced and often ideal training conditions for the less experienced. For example, on the last day of the course season one member easily completed a Silver height gain and mini cross country to Newtown in modest wave. Ridge flying helps to keep your skills honed over the winter period and wave flying is a magic and exhilarating sport which we at the Mynd are fortunate enough to be able to share.
John Stuart in mid week and the regular instructors at weekends have the experience and expertise to make the most of conditions and coax you into that often elusive wave.
Let’s all make this the best winter for flying at the Mynd and see some badge claims as well. Do yourself a favour and come and fly. You’ll make the treasurer happy as well!
Janet Stuart
Accommodation for the Christmas period is booking up, mainly due to Andy organising a visit from the Junior bunch. If anyone wants bunkhouse accommodation over Christmas and the New Year it would be wise to book now.
Julian Fack
For the last 15 years the club has run an Aboyne trip, always as a private venture. Originally Roy Dalling, then our club manager, now the Aboyne manager, ran it, but for the last ten years Meg and I have organised everything.
Why the fascination with Aboyne? It is without doubt the premier wave site in Britain, and you can more or less reckon that any wind direction clockwise from southeast to north will produce wave. I have even known good wave to 16,000 feet with no wind at all on the airfield. In common with the Mynd an east wind is bad news.
It is also in a very pleasant location, on the flatlands on the bank of the river Dee immediately east of the highlands, not far from Balmoral. The Royal Family always take a holiday in Balmoral in September, with good reason, since the weather is often very enjoyable at that time of year. There are plenty of excellent pubs, and we make such a point of finding good quality places to eat at reasonable prices in the evenings, that we have even been called the Midland Gourmet Club.
The airfield has two east-west runways, both very smooth tarmac, and about a quarter of a mile long, but narrow. The first landing you do will challenge your skills, but it is actually quite easy, and it is very satisfying to do a real greaser on the smooth surface. You are required to roll right to the end, since the runways are each only wide enough for one glider at a time. If you stop in the middle you have blocked the runway.
The operation is all aerotow, a couple of Pawnees and a Robin this year. The club operates all day every day in autumn, from early morning till sunset, and have plenty of 2 seater capacity for check rides. They also have a Discus, an ASW 19, and a Junior for hire, all stored in their enormous new hangar. You pay for temporary membership, and also £30 a week if you bring your own glider.
The wave flying is spectacular, and the scenery is superb, with 3000 foot mountains and lochs galore. There are enough outlanding possibilities along the valley to the west, and the whole area to the north and east is agricultural, all the way to the coast. The south is all mountain terrain for many miles. Care needs to be taken when there is a lot of cloud, since cloudbase can often be at the same height as the mountains so cloud descents are to be avoided at all costs.
This is all very well, but how much flying can you expect? Typically we get one really good wave day, Gold C or better, per week on average, and another day of wave flying. In addition there are often a couple of flyable days with mixtures of wave and thermal. The wave days are eminently cross countryable, although you will need local knowledge to remain safe over the mountains. This year the first Saturday produced a couple of 300 km flights entirely in wave.
It is not like going to Spain, you will have several days without flying, but it is a super area to explore on the ground. There are lots of (free) distillery visits with samples, and motoring around the empty highlands roads is a delight. If you really need a big city, Aberdeen is just 40 minutes away. The Dee is the second biggest salmon river in Scotland, and you can see them trying to make their way upstream, even if you are not interested in catching them.
We rent a superb stone built farmhouse just over a mile, from the airfield. The view is spectacular and you can even see the flying without getting out of bed! It sleeps eight in four bedrooms and is very comfortable. It is at the end of a long dirt track and so is extremely quiet, only the aerotows disturb your peace, and then you will probably want to be at the airfield. There is lots of wildlife around the cottage, which has a little loch in the front. There are wild deer as well as the more obvious animals and birds. You might even see golden eagles as well as the many buzzards. The cost of the accommodation works out at about £55 per week, including towels and linen, provided it is full.
We normally eat breakfast at the cottage, lunch at the airfield, and eat out at night, but the cottage has ample facilities if you prefer to cook “at home”, and there is a good Indian/Chinese takeaway in Aboyne town, ten minutes away.
You should bear in mind that Aboyne is 430 miles from the Mynd, and the journey takes most of one day. It takes about eight hours road time with a trailer.
So what sort of member should be interested in the trip? Anyone at all, you just need to think of it as a nice relaxing autumn holiday with some interesting flying thrown in. Experience levels are not really important, since the Deeside club and Roy Dalling will be able to cope whatever your stage.
This year we had a problem with lack of interest in the trip, and ended up making a quite a large financial loss on the venture. For next year we will not be running the trip at all unless we get enough people committed to come, complete with deposits, by the time I have to pay the deposit for the cottage in February. In addition I will need the glider fees if you are bringing your own.
I have ‘pencilled in’ the weeks beginning 6th and 13th October 2001, a couple of weeks later than usual, but I will not be confirming these bookings unless I get at least three people for each week, as well as Meg and myself, so if you are interested, ring me on 01426 954 208 to talk about it, or you can email me at jfack@mcmail.com.
Nick Heriz-Smith
The launch marshal’s goal is to get to the end of the day with everybody having flown as much as they wanted, calmly, safely and without agro; and for the fleet to have been airborne for as long as possible, with every flight accurately logged.
Sounds easy, and it can be, if the role is understood by everybody on the airfield.
Basically the launch marshal is a manager, with the job of overseeing all the launch point operations which need to function smoothly during the day. On a normal busy weekend there is a lot going on, which is why there are two launch marshals to share the responsibilities. Decide between yourselves who does what and when and delegate to others whenever you can. And remember the launch marshal’s perk, if all is going well, one launch marshal at a time can fly a club glider for half an hour at a time of their choosing.
The launch marshals are answerable to the Instructor in Charge, the Number One of the day. This is important to understand. The Number One is responsible for the entire operation while on duty, and the launch marshal is his manager on the ground while he instructs. He expects you to run the field in the way he set it out. If anybody, (including the CFI!), wants to change the operation in any way the launch marshal must let the Number One know and if necessary not allow another launch until agreement is reached.
The flying list is the launch marshal’s bible, and the general rule is ‘first come, first served’. In consultation with the Number One, who will consider the weather and other flying implications, a priority will be agreed before briefing. For example on a good cross country day get currency checks out of the way early, or if the day is forecast to improve late, fly trial lessons first.
A check should be made that abinitios on the list are grouped together for a course. Check that that all booked trial lessons are listed and have been processed by the office, which means they have visitor stickers on and have paid.
Volunteers. The launch marshal will not be able to manage the day properly without a steady stream of helpers. If need be the launch marshal should prompt the Number One at briefing for volunteers to start the day, log keeping and retrieve winch driving. The volunteers will need watching and changing as often as is practicable; a good launch marshal will not forget the helpers, reward them with punctual flying slots when it is their turn and more people will offer help.
The log book must be out on the airfield before the first launch takes place, and in the hands of a volunteer who understands the job. Every launch and landing must be logged with type and time of launch, aircraft and pilot details. This includes all visiting aircraft, whether or not they launched from the Mynd. The log keepers must understand that their spell of duty only ends when they hand the log book over to another. It is not possible to keep an eye on all goings on while keeping the log book. Unless the field is very shorthanded the active launch marshal should not attempt to do both.
The retrieve winch must be operated by a volunteer and not the active launch marshal. The launch marshal should make sure that the retrieve winch driver has been properly trained and fully briefed on emergencies, and if possible get the driver training a new member. The retrieve winch driver must never try to keep the log at the same time.
Making the day work. The Number One is responsible for the field layout, whether or not we launch from both sides of the retrieve winch, where gliders/cars park and where the tug launches from. The launch marshal must see that none of this changes as the day progresses, the launch queue must not be allowed to straggle out into the landing area, gliders at the head of the launch queue must be ready to launch or must move over to let another in. Landing gliders must be cleared as they stop and Land Rovers ready to roll if cable break exercises are landing ahead. If club gliders are on the ground try to allocate them to pilots in check, and while doing all this keep a good lookout for everything - watch everybody - keep visitors safely behind the retrieve winch, delegate to the chatting gaggle and get them pulling cables, driving Land Rovers and pushing gliders!! If wind direction/strength changes on the ground and Number One is airborne, pass on advice. Needless to say, to keep all this working it is imperative that one of you stays at the launch point.
At the end of the day oversee the packing up of the launch point, (unplug the light and lower the wind-sock before the retrieve winch is pulled away), gather up all the forgotten tow out gear and tyres and see that the last gliders down are logged and the log book is returned to the club house. Return all the club radios to the office and put them on charge. Help with hangar packing then go to the bar!
John Hickling
Both the pre-war and early post-war club were very similar in terms of membership numbers i.e. about 75-100. Again the club fleet was almost the same consisting of Tutors, Kite and Grunau, added to in late 1947 by the highly acclaimed Olympia recently built by Elliots of Newbury to the 1939 Jacobs’ design. The only really new glider was the T21b two seater which replaced the pre-war Falcon 3 and proved an immediate success.
My recent writing describing memories of 1948-9 mentioned that new members were a rare commodity. This pattern continued through 1950 but as 1951 progressed new faces began to appear, some of whom would become ‘core’ chaps who would serve the club for many years. By 1954 the membership had doubled to reach around 200, a figure that has been maintained for over 45 years. In the late 50s the committee seriously considered starting a waiting list, but did not implement it.
I suggest several events around this time might have influenced the upturn. A change in national government with Winston Churchill back at the helm. Philip Wills (a life member) won the international contest held in Spain. The committee, led by Espin Hardwick (our founder President), decided to go ahead with the long proposed new clubhouse. This was Espin’s life ambition, and it was ironic that he did not see it completed, as he died in May 1954 at the same time as the official opening of the clubhouse. And finally, the club appointed Stan Jones as the new secretary. He was a regular weekend attender so was able to enthuse anyone showing interest, and was thought at the time to be responsible for 50 new recruits.
May I comment on the splendid result at Task Week of ten 300 km flights. The first club ‘multi’ was on 13 June 1956 when three club based Skylark 2s reached the east coast. Two were goal flights to Leiston, the third a Gold C distance. Previously the first 300 km flown from the Mynd was by Prince Bira (of the Siam trophy) on a Silver C attempt in June 1946, when he reached Aldeburgh in his Minimoa with dog. David Ince (CFI in the early 50s) flew Charles Wingfield’s Olympia to his goal at Caister to claim the first Diamond, on 9 August 1949. The first club pilot in a club glider to fly 300 km was Bernard ‘Wilbur’ Wright in an Olympia in April 1958 to Orford Ness. Mike Randle made the first club Diamond goal distance flight in the Skylark 2 to Great Yarmouth in August 1958.
Richard Bennett
In my younger days Austria was a land of mountains, snow and skiing holidays. Some years later in the same area I heard that gliders were regularly seen racing along the valley slopes. Nearly ten years went by before I made serious inquiries about gliding in Austria. This was after receiving several photographs of a small gliding club a few km south of Kufstein (between Munich and Innsbruck). I could see from the photographs that the airfield and surroundings looked perfect. A well maintained grass strip next to the River Inn surrounded by wooded slopes and high mountains. Excellent and reliable soaring conditions were promised. Without mountain flying experience, I could not fly there alone. I had a flash of inspiration and asked John Stuart if he would consider joining me. John has several years mountain flying experience in France. He agreed. So John and Janet Stuart, Alsina and I went on holiday.
My introduction to alpine flying consisted of a site check in a 4 seat Robin which doubled as the tug. This was a truly impressive flight for all of us. I’m sure the tug pilot delighted in flying directly at a vertical rock face until we could see nothing but rocks. After an age, he turned through 90 degrees and flew parallel to the rock face and climbed in the rising air. We were shown the Pülven, a smaller wooded mountain that acts as a springboard for the larger and impressive ‘WildeKaiser’. Then around the back to the ‘Little’ Kaiser and finally across the Inn valley to see the cables of the cable car. These are almost impossible to see.
During the next few days we were to experience some fantastic flying.
After gaining height at the Pulven, it is possible to jump the few miles to the base of the WildeKaiser. It is apparent that flying here is in a completely different league... With a near vertical rock face on our wing tip we cruise along at 70 knots looking for the best lift. A sudden surge and the vario goes wild. All too quickly, the lift begins to fade. We need to stay in that lift. Turning back requires a steep turn away from the rocks. I feel the ‘g’ beginning to increase. Turning back into the lift again, the vario sounds like I’ve never heard it before. We try a ‘figure of eight’ allowing the speed to reduce as we turn away from the rocks. Turn too gently and you fly out of the lift. As the turn continues, speed is again increased and then another hard turn and more ‘g’. THIS IS FUN! When it is my turn to fly, I notice that my grip on the stick has become ‘vice-like’. How can one relax under these circumstances? With plenty of coaching from John I make reasonable upward progress. Now above a razorback arrête ridge, there is steady lift as the air rises from both sides. The sharp pinnacles of rock rush by. I begin to use the crosses that appear on most peaks as a height and distance reference. Circling just above one of the many pinnacles, I see a climber perched precariously a few thousand feet up. I’m sure we both think that the other is mad.
Finally we are above the WideKaiser approaching cloudbase at 9,000 feet. Time to relax a little and admire the stunning scenery. In the distance to the north, are the flat lands towards Munich and Salzburg. To the south, a bright snowy mountainscape that fills the horizon. This is the Grossglockner range. In the near distance is the Kitzbuller Horn with the inviting runway of St Johann nearby. Without wasting any time, John heads for Zell am See. We circle the Kitzbuller Horn admiring the views and look down on the famous ski runs. Staying high, we see the gliding/flying centre of Zell am See at the south end of the lake. Here the impressive Salzach valley runs east west. The Austrian’s call this valley the ‘highway’ as many glider pilots race along its length.
Heading east along the Salzach valley, we note the unlandable areas our Austrian friends warned us about. We continue eastwards. An 8 knot average thermal is met with delight. Suddenly we are not alone, three 15 metre gliders join us. John is determined that we are not out climbed. He curses as he can’t figure out these alpine thermals. They’re so different to the ones we get at home. He experiments with 70 knot themalling turns. The ‘g’ is pronounced. I attempt to lift the camera but miss a good photo opportunity. The other gliders stick with us. With the lift falling to 3-4 knots we break off and follow the valley. The 15 metre glider drives eastwards. We expect to catch up with him on the glide. To our surprise, we don’t. We gradually fall below his glide path. We can only assume that the other glider is filled with water ballast.
Time to turn around and head back along the valley towards Zell and then Innsbruck. The northern sunnyside of the valley produces fantastic lift. We race along with the Mcready set on 5 and Zell appears in no time. There are paragliders, hangliders and gliders everywhere. We are both concerned about other traffic and maintain a heightened vigilance. To the south over the Grossglockner, there is a long line of dark clouds. Isolated thunderstorms are predicted for the afternoon. The weather looks bright to the north and west so we continue towards Innsbruck. Approaching the Zillertal valley, we notice more snow on the mountains. The snow is patchy and dirty. Due to the cloud cover in the south, the light is dull. It becomes increasingly difficult to see other gliders that are perfectly camouflaged against the patchy snow. After two gliders appeared from nowhere, it was time to go somewhere else. We turned north into better ‘light’ and headed for the Innsbruck and the peaks beyond.
In clear air we were joined by a couple of racing 15 metre gliders. We followed their lead across the Inn Valley. The runway at Innsbruck could be clearly seen in the distance. The two other gliders entered the control zone… perhaps they knew something we didn’t. It was now late afternoon and time to head home. I started to soar a sunny near vertical mountain face but the vario showed 8 down. The wind had changed and we were now going down like there was no tomorrow. John took over and we dived into a valley that led towards a large beautifully blue shimmering lake. I could now clearly see the waves indicating that the wind had increased significantly. It wouldn’t be too long before we were choosing somewhere to land. A small spur reached out across the valley. On the other side was an into-wind wooded bowl, here the lift gradually increased from 1 to 6 knots. The lone walker on the ridge watched us and I’m sure even he was impressed at the climb rate. Instead of looking up to him, we could now circle above him. I doubt he could see the silly grins on our faces.
A gentle 30 km glide back to the airfield. If this were the Mynd I know we would have done a beat-up. Thinking better of it, we landed in the deepening shadows of the mountains. Another 280 km flight over.
Having put the glider away we walked 100 m to the terraced restaurant that overlooks the airfield and superb mountains. We enjoyed another meal and a much welcomed beer. Janet and Alsina were in high spirits having had a superb day sight-seeing. We watched the mountain peaks change colour as they caught the last rays of sunshine. Another great day over and personally, I don’t think it can get any better than this.
After my most memorable flying holiday, I am planning another 9-14 day trip in May 2001. If you wish to join me, I suggest that a few of you get together and bring a club K21. I am planning to arrange a self-catering apartment/chalet. Take advantage of the strong £ while you can... and yes, it is a long way to go overland. However, I can assure you that even if the weather is not flyable, you will still have a good holiday.
Mileage 930 miles Mynd-Kufstein
Fuel Cost £200
Ferry £190
AutoRoute £74 (nil if travelling via Germany)
Aerotow £30-£35 per tow. (only one required per day)
Accommodation £134 B&B for two people.
Beer £1-£2
Exchange Rate £1 = 21 Austrian Schillings
If you wish to get a flavour of the flying, have a look at the photos that can be found on the Duo web page.
http://website.lineone.net/~duodiscus494/Index.htm
(Don’t forget the ~ in the address and for some reason, the address is case sensitive).
I can be contacted on rwabennett@lineone.net
Alison Rowson
Date for your diary next year: the dinner dance will be on Saturday 24 March at Ludlow Racecourse. Same venue as last year, same wonderful food in half the space we used, so it should be cosier. Don’t forget to book, or you may not get in! More details to follow. If anyone has ideas about a suitable speaker, please contact me.
Ian Butt
Sat 16th December 1930 prompt £15.00.
Soup
~
Roast Turkey Dinner with Trimmings
or
Fresh Salmon in a Hollandaise Sauce
~
Christmas Pudding
or
Gateau
Sat 23rd December: normal
Sun 24th December: 8am - 2pm
Monday 25th - Wednesday 27th December: Closed.
Thursday 28th December until New Years Day: all meals served at usual times
1830 prompt £13.00
Hot Buffet