Gransden Times by Paul Harvey

The new toy issue

Gransden times October 2009

KNIFE EDGE

Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EST LA VIE DIAMOND TIGERS IN THE SKY

PICTURES AT A COMPETITION

4th October 5:42pm our new Robin tug arrives

Membership on the up - page 13

WATCHING OVER YOU

ClearNav review - pages 15-16

Gransden times - the magazine of Cambridge Gliding Club - www.glide.co.uk. Editorial contact: gt@glide.co.uk

ClearNav – the new dimension in soaring displays The NK ClearNav Flight Computer with IGC approved Recorder An integrated cockpit navigational instrument and display providing full situational awareness for glider pilots. ClearNav takes the potential of cockpit navigation to new heights. x State-of-the art display x Sophisticated software functions x A full-function remote keypad x Multiple installation options x A simple user interface x Integral GPS & secure flight recorder x Airspeed/wind input compatibility x Near unlimited memory and easy data transfer x Vibrant, bright display eliminates squinting- easily readable in full sunlight x Single screen and Glide-Amoeba makes viewing alternate landing spots simple and straightforward x Focus on flying with the Turn Area Task Management feature – stop making distracting, constant adjustments and inputs in the air Bright, Sunlight readable display

Mounting Option 1 – on panel

Mounting option 2 – Tunnel mount

Mounting Option 3 – RAM mount (Cockpit side or off-panel)

For more information and pricing contact the UK agents Airplan Flight Equipment Ltd, 01865 841441 or e-mail peter@afeonline.com http://www.afeonline.com

flyWithCE

Contents Autumn 2009

Club News: and lots of it. The season has thrown up some good flights and new solos. The club has a new tug arriving shortly and CGC now has access to CUGC’s ASW19B. Neil Goudie explains changes to the single seater scheme Pages 4-5 Gransden Regionals: the grotty weather couldn’t last forever and we had one of the best comp weeks of the season with six flying days. And for some, that meant six field landings. Lots of pretty pics and a ‘as it happened’ field report from Emilie House Pages 6-7 Buying your first glider: if you have been enthused by the last season and didn’t work for Lehmans then you may just be in the market for a second hand glider. GT takes a look at some of the best Standard Class kit around and what to look out for when you think youv’e found your dream machine Pages 8-11 Chairman’s report and membership: Richard’s quarterly report on club progress and plans for celebrating the club’s 75th anniversary. Tony Cronshaw has been quietly recruiting Pages 12-13 Beyond gliding: Phil Seeney recalls a special trial flight with Jem Davies and his friend Andy Mirams in late September Page 14 Clearly Better? CleaNav is a radical new navigation, logger and flight computer. James Kellerman is your navigator Pages 15-16

CGC is flying seven days a week until 4th October. From 5th Oct we are changing to winter operations and will fly Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Flying on Tuesday and Thursday will be by arrangement, please contact Rob T or the office. Motorglider flying will be available every day, Please phone the office to book. 01767 677 077 Gransden Times is produced by Moltenlight.com for The Cambridge Gliding Centre Ltd. (www.glide.co.uk) All material is the copyright of contributors. The views expressed in Gransden Times are not necessarily those of the Cambridge Gliding Centre Ltd or its editor. For more information contact: gt@glide.co.uk

the point of the issue is...

utumn, and another season is over. But for some, a new season will start in the diamond mines of South Africa or the Gold Fields of Australia. Others will opt for anoxia in the pearly clouds of Omarama, New Zealand. However, there’s a new season starting in the UK - the glider hunting season. If you’ve got some spare cash, there are worse investments - see pages 8-11. To go with your new glider, you will need some new toys. James Kellerman reviews the new ClearNav flight computer and navigation aid which should reduce cockpit workload page 15. Some people of course can’t wait for the season to start and have bought a Robin tug plane. George Knight and Robert BryceSmith have promised a report for the next issue on bringing the new aircraft from Switzerland. Now back to this issue. The early season’s good weather held out for our Regional, but for some it wasn’t good enough. Emilie House reports on what a windy week in a Junior is like - page 6-7 There are plenty of pictures to evoke fond memories too. Indeed, the fine weather held up until 4th October when GRL-HUS-BSE-GRL was flown by many at over 100Kph and provided an excellent start to the Kelman Clock competition season, which started on 2nd October and finishes at the end of March 2010. Beyond flying, excellent progress has been made in recruiting new members. Through a mixture of targeted marketing and new courses, we have managed to recruit 35 new members, taking the full-flying membership to 174. Tony Cronshaw explains how this growth was made possible. Some clues may also be found in an article by Phil Seeney - Page 14-where he recounts a special trial flight with his friend, Andy Mirams. Finally, fireworks night is 6th November. Paul Harvey, Editor, Gransden times October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 3

Club news, Robin, ASW19, CUGC, Dates, Single S Autumn migration of Erithacus rubecula

he hunt for a second tug is over and as reported in GT (Jan 09) a Robin has been bought from Switzerland. That just leaves the problem of getting it back to the UK. According to Robert BryceSmith: “It’s quite a complex ferry without Mode S and having to keep below 1200 ft crossing the Netherlands. It would be a long way to fly, without an autopilot or navigation aids, on your own: fortunately, George Knight has agreed to come along as co-pilot.” There are also re-fuelling stops, flight plans and customs to be managed. So what are we getting? Club Treasurer, Andrew Hulme, explains: “It’s a 1979 Robin complete with four blade prop and silencer, though we will swap the prop with one we already have for optimum towing performance.

s anyone who has rigged the club Discus, Delta Mike, knows it can be quite a physical affair. Indeed, it seemed to combine the very worst of all rigging options and frequently led to minor dings. To simplify rigging a new Cobra fuselage rail has been modified to fit the trailer and so make rigging easier. The work was carried out by Robert Verdier and he has also given the trailer a hard-wax and refinished the winglets. If you are unclear how to rig the Discus, just ASK.

Delta Mike’s trailer with Cobra rails and belly dolly jacks built by Robert Verdier

Competition Dates

Our new Robin tug plane Pic courtesy of: © Hans Domjan http://aviation.hans-domjan.ch It has been in the same ownership since new and although the airframe has done 4,000 hours, the engine is only quarter life (500 hours) which is ideal as any teething problems since installation should have been ironed out. “The cost to us will be around £49,000, depending on exchange rates: the Rallye funds will contribute £25,000. Agent’s costs for import, ferry costs and transition to the British Register will be extra but the final figure should be rather less than the maximum budget recommended by the committee and authorised by the directors.” The new Robin will be the Club’s No.1 tug next year alongside the Pawnee. STOP PRESS Never done one of these before but the new tug has arrived and it’s too late to change the article. GT 4

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

o sooner has one season ended than the competition dates for next year are announced. The dates and venues of the 2010 British Nationals are as follows: 15 Metre Class - Nympsfield, 3-11 July Club Class - Husbands Bosworth, 24 July-1 August: Open & Standard Classes - Aston Down, 7-15 August 18 Metre Class - Lasham, 21-29 August Junior Championships - Bicester, 21-29 August Gransden Regional will be August 21st29th. You can enter on line now.

CUGC’s ASW19 now available for CGC members

ou may have noticed CUGC’s new ASW19b on site and we thought we would tell you all a bit about it. CUGC members have worked hard for a number of years to raise the money and we have combined that with some extra grants from the university and kind donations from Joanna Dannatt and the Faulkes Flying Foundation (in the form of the L23 Super Blanik) to be able to afford our new toy. We are quite excited at its arrival and the new opportunities it offers our members – it’s already been on silver distances, field landings and other adventures. We are keeping the competition registration CU and have acquired the G registration G-CUGC. We have also said goodbye to the ‘old’ CU – our K8b- which has found a new home up at Edensoaring. So, can CGC members use it? . Yes is the answer. Obviously we want to prioritise CUGC use but if it is not being used and you have asked permission from a CUGC committee member (see http:// www.cugc.org.uk for current committee) then you are welcome to fly it. It will be charged at the same rate as CGC’s high performance gliders. If you want to fly it and it’s not rigged, or you want to take it cross country, then you’ll need to be shown how to rig and de-rig it before you fly.Any questions, get in touch with us: committee@cugc.org.uk Kate Woods, CUGC Treasurer

Robert Theil congratulates Matt Ruskin on going solo, after 43 flights, on his 16th Birthday

eaters, First Solo, Calendar, Delta Mike, 23 to solo Julia Robson completes first silver distance in University’s ASW19B

Julia Robson with Roger Emms at Upwood I started gliding in Grob 109B motor gliders with the Air Cadets in 2006. However, it wasn’t until I started University in October 2007, I had my first experience of real gliding and I was hooked. Having progressed to solo and then Bronze my next aim was silver. I completed the height and duration requirements during the Inter-University Task week at Pocklington. Then, later in August, I set myself the task of getting from Gransden Lodge to Crowland (and back). With the wind behind me, getting there was reasonably easy but the cloud street that had helped me get to the turn point with plenty of height seemed to have disappeared by the time I’d turned round. Having got back as far as Upwood, via March, each time I pushed back into wind after a climb, I seemed to end up back where I started. Realising I wasn’t going to get back, I landed only to find the gates were locked. Thanks very much to Peter Warner, my crew, for coming to retrieve me and to Roger Emms for coming to open the gliding club at Upwood to let us get the glider out.

Single Seaters in 2010

or 2010 I plan to introduce some slight improvements to make it easier to understand and encourage ‘new blood’ into the scheme. The main change for 2010 is that I will opening up the waiting list for new entrants on the 1 October 2009. There is no commitment, until February 2010, on your part to take up the share allocation that you wish to have; but please no time wasters. The waiting list will rollover from year to year so if you miss out one year then you have first refusal in the following year. Those who missed out in 2009/10 will therefore be top of the

waiting list for 2010/11. Formal application, including share allocations, will be requested from the 1st February 2010. This will be the financial commitment to join and existing members of the scheme will not be able to re-join if the applications are not received by the 1 March 2010. I am aware that a number of the scheme members are already moving onto private syndicates so I will be able to tell you informally about the chances of joining the scheme in January/February 2010. Payments to join the scheme will be debited from your accounts on the 1 April 2010. The current rules/charges are on the website. There is no intention of changing these significantly but I will produce FAQs on the scheme for publication in the next GT. This will ensure that all members’ expectations for the scheme are clear. Please fire questions, by email, to me and I will collate them for this FAQ sheet. My email is nfgoudie@hotmail.com. One last thing, I intend to stand down from this role on the 1 April 2010 so I am looking for a volunteer to run it from then (the majority of the work isn’t until following winter).

My first flight was with Robert Theil in a K21. I can’t remember exactly how long it was but probably close to two hours. Plenty of lift and lots of smiles, Well that was me done! Hook, line and sinker! My Instructors, Andy Beatty and Robert Theil, have been superb. I do a lot of instructing in my line of work, (flying model aircraft) and I know that a lot of the time, just because somebody is a great pilot, it does not automatically qualify them to be anywhere near a decent instructor. These two have been spot on for me. Not to soft not too harsh. Not letting me get away with too much, but never making me feel uncomfortable. They and others at the club tell me that I have picked up the flying aspect really quickly. I am sure like many others my solo could not come quick enough. I guess I have been really fortunate.

Guy Fawkes Night

udith Brickwood will be coming to the club to cater for the fireworks evening on 6 November and will be feeding the guests for a BGA motor glider seminar on Sunday 8 November to be held in the Clubhouse .Judith will provide her usual superb value meals to members on the Sunday and on Saturday 7 November. Brighten up a November weekend by having lunch in the clubhouse on Saturday whether you are at the airfield to fly, work on gliders or just for the fun of eating at the Club. A call to Joanne in the office would help planning.

23 flights to solo. A model pilot’s story

hen I came across Cambridge Gliding Centre’s website. I was impressed with the lay out and level of professionalism of the site, and even more impressed with the fleet of aircraft. So I called Joanne in the office to see if there was any chance of a trial flight that day. To my delight she pulled some strings and I was in. I was also really impressed with first impressions, not only of the club itself but more importantly the people I met.

Al (left) shows Andrew Beatty around his glider. Al went solo in 23 flights Everything seems to have fallen into place for me. I have picked a great time of year to fly, as the weather has been pretty good. Even the days where there has been no lift or high winds have been ideal as these have fallen just at the time when I needed to do repetitive winch launches for cable break and circuit practices. My instructors and the Club have been super flexible. On occasions I have been driving past the club on the way home and popped in on the off chance of getting a flight, with not much hope as its peak time and the weather is booming…. Not once have I been turned away. Every time all those at the club have done what they can to get me airborne. I did start to work out my fights to solo time and I think it was around the 22 or 23 flight mark. The one thing that has remained the same through all of it is the amount I smile when anything gliding related comes into my head. Ali Machinchy runs Al’s Hobbies http://www.alshobbies. com and they do sell radio controlled gliders. October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 5

REGIONALS - That was the week that was

One girl’s week: Emilie House files her report from the field

n the eve of possibly the windiest week of the year, I found myself washing the dust off the wings of a club Junior, HEK. With mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation, I was getting ready to make my competition debut. I wasn’t kidding myself about my chances of being competitive; I was just there to take part.

experience was limited, mostly due to my own uncertainty about when, how and where to send myself on tasks. This appeared to be

Gransden regulars, Jane and Steve Nash. They have been competing here for as long as I can remember, 15th overall

Emilie House managed to find a different field every day. Club relations with farmers are now excellent, 20th

and was delighted to receive £400 towards the cost of renting and launching the glider during the week. The comp opened with an AAT on day one, which could only be good news for me. I picked some points just over the minimum distance with the intention of treating it like a normal task. I started early, on the basis that I would be flying slower than the rest of the grid, so by starting before them, they would overtake me and I could see where they went and tag along for as long as possible before they got too far ahead. Nice idea but it didn’t really work for an AAT. As most of the group headed west, deep into the first cylinder, I wanted to just clip the NE of that sector and then head to area two. I was soon on my own, battling a 20 knot headwind. I turned downwind as soon as I could and the second leg was a breeze. On track to the third sector I met another glider and we made our way

a bit of a dark art, finding a glider, reading the weather, setting a task, and finding a crew – it all seemed a bit overwhelming. A comp appeared to be the perfect solution: weather researched and task set for me, all I had to do was find a glider and fly it. Finding a glider was remarkably easy. The committee agreed to let me book out Robert Welford in his ASG29, 9th overall to what looked like an amazing street, but pretty soon we were both scratching away in the same thermal, slowly drifting north to the next sector. The Junior scratches well, but when the Discus was high enough to hop to the next cloud, from the same height, I couldn’t make it in the Junior. When I had finally worked my way to somewhere east of March (my northernmost turnpoint) I decided to push west, but with not many clouds to head for it was a bit of a shot in the dark. The sky looked like it was dying and at some point I must have subconsciously decided that I was not going to get round. Had I looked at my

Ever since I joined the CGC cadet scheme seven years ago, I have spent the last week of August at GRL soaking up the atmosphere, meeting new friends and generally living in the competition bubble for a week. I’ve worked my way up from rope runner to glass washer to working on the bar, and I’ve been lucky enough to hop into the back seat of several private gliders and fly

YOUR STARTER FOR 1. Beatty and Verdier in Duo 871.They still haven’t decided who’s fault it was in Day 4 start zone. 20th overall in Sport Duo Discus, 440, Paul Rice, 2nd overall the tasks. But this year I was in charge of my own destiny... Despite being a BI and spending a disproportionate amount of my time at the club over the last few years, my cross-country GT 6

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

a club Junior. I had never been overly keen on the Junior but I was just happy to know I would have a glider for the comp. I bought a house this summer and suddenly a week of flying was looking very expensive. I was encouraged to write to the CFI and treasurer as the club had a bursary to put to good use,

Steve Codd in Acro Twin2, 12th in Club watch I would have known that at 2:30pm, it was more likely that the sky was re-cycling. I

Former course instructor, Keith Sleigh, with Mark Robinson in back seat of Janus AA. 9th overall. didn’t look at my watch and I learned the lesson 20 minutes later when I was sitting in a field just SW of Downham Market, looking up at a booming sky wondering why I wasn’t up there. Unbeknownst to myself and my crew, but unquestionably proved by the wonders of SeeYou maggot racing, Peter (my crew) flew overhead my field just after I landed. It was about 30 minutes before his phone was on; he was in a field not far away from me, close to an adult themed shop... Kate jumped at the chance to retrieve him, whilst Kevin and Dave who were visiting from Portmoak volunteered to come and get me – thanks again. Conveniently enough, Kevin and Dave had clearly de-rigged a junior before and it was a quick and simple retrieve. The lesson learnt on day one went straight into practice on day two. I spent a memorable 45 minutes in an undesirable equilibrium,

James Kellerman in ASG29E confirming that he has found the Corby turnpoint, 18th overall scratching in a string of bubbles which were popping off some warehouses to the north of Corby and blowing downwind away from my turnpoint. I climbed away from 1200ft at least five times before I finally got high

enough to push over Corby and round the turn point. This flight ultimately gave me my highest placing of the comp at 14th, while only six people finished, and I met a good bunch at Crowland while I waited for Peter to arrive. As always, a good time was had in the bar at the end of each day, and the atmosphere was buzzing with so many comp days and some great flights for both classes. Things were livened up somewhat with a cadet’s 18th birthday (still hungover Tom??); magic tricks and hilarious whale and cow stories from Steve Eyles who won the club class very convincingly; great food from Judith; and of course the excellent real ales and dynamic cocktail menu on offer. It was one of these evenings in the bar that John Glossop summed up flavour of

Comp Director, Neil Goudie, with Barbara Glossop from Control, DNF the week and his words have stuck with me: “every competition has a theme... this one is windy.” It was windy from start to finish. Every day, turning onto the final leg (invariably into wind), was like a kiss of death for me and my Junior. Despite hanging in through the scratchy periods waiting for the sky to recycle; starting early; watching and learning from the other pilots; and even with John helpfully setting an AAT with a minimum distance of just 100km on day four, HEK and I triumphantly achieved six field landings out of six competition days – which you will be pleased to know I will not detail on these pages. As the days sped by and I accumulated a plethora of landout stories, I travelled probably the steepest learning curve I can remember. Experience gained by flying cross-country in two-seaters was invaluable in getting me started, but flying on my own taught me so much that I didn’t know I didn’t know. It would have been easy to get disheartened by the landouts and to give up on the week, but the many words of encouragement from competitors and club members spurred me on. In the end I learnt to really enjoy being in control of the flight myself. In the week running up to the comp I had been asked ‘what PDA do you have? And what software do you use?’ To which I would

answer, ‘I don’t have a PDA.’ ‘What’s the trailer like?’ And I had to say, ‘I have no idea – I’ve never even de-rigged this glider before.’

Duo Discus, 440 I knew from the looks on people’s faces that they thought I was awfully unprepared, but I had a logger, a map and a crew – surely that was all I really needed. Well it turned out I also needed spare battery fuses (thanks to Alan Head and Robert Welford for helping me out there), a backup GPS (thanks Robert Thiel), a comp licence (I didn’t know to look out for a card in the post in return for my £15.50). I was surprised to find out at briefing on day two that I also needed an umbrella (thanks Neil Goudie and Price Bailey). It was technically a consolation prize for being the only actual landout on day one. It didn’t fit in the glider but it came in very handy as a parasol on the grid (Formula 1 style), which

Colin Smithers in M25. 0.1Km on day 4. He should have won. Came 6th brings me to my crew, Peter, without whom I would never have got though the week. Dubbed the ‘landout twins’, no doubt it will not be long before the retrieves are repaid in kind. Finally, thanks to the fantastic team who organised the comp and, as always, made everything run so smoothly. I had a fabulous week, and I can’t wait to take part again next year. Speaking of next year, does anyone have a shiny glider they would like to lend to a worthwhile cause in the last week in August? (Pics and captions, Paul Harvey) October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 7

Buying Your “D

on’t you think she’s looking tired.” With these words Dr Who brought down Prime Minister, Harriet Jones. In the same way, the words “LS7s can’t climb”, have brought down many owners. It’s not that it’s a demonstrable truth, just that it’s passed into folk lore. The fact that the LS7 holds both the 100Km and 300Km UK FAI Triangle speed records seems to count for nothing. So what is the truth? The Seven is a superb handling, high performance, well built docile glider. Its airbrakes are excellent and progressive. The glide ratio is second to none. The gel coat is better than average and rigging is simple and fast. Having owned two Sevens, (for a brief period I owned 22.5m of them) I think the issue with the climb rate is confined to weak turbulent conditions. When the lift is smooth and weak it will climb with the best and in normal UK conditions the glider climbs as well as any other: but there’s ...manufacturers smeared always that doubt. the moulds with clotted Ifnagging you want one, cream: on Fridays they make sure it has winglets; they used cottage cheese not only help the climb but give it 21st century looks too. Expect to pay £23K-£28K. A retro winglet fit is likely to be £3K and take the handicap to 99. With winglets, the ballast is reduced to 100l and side-slipping is prohibited. Speak to Rod Ward. So, if you are psychologically fragile, the Discus might be for you. The Discus has been there and done that. It was bought by the best and they won in it which built its

LS7WL +Handling, airbrakes, looks and glide performance are superb. Heel brakes can be poor and canopy levers can eject the canopy by mistake. Maybe the rumours are true

GT 8

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

If you are going to buy a non-self-connecting glider, just make sure you do the control checks rigorously.

reputation. However, there will be a price to pay. Not only because of its competition record but because clubs (which need gliders which can earn their keep) want to buy them as well. This ‘Club’ demand also has the effect that more people got to fly the glider and then wanted one themselves. It is rather like learner drivers buying the model they learnt in. The Discus has a reputation for strong build, good brakes and is more forgiving of ‘wheels-up’ landings as the winch hook pokes out beneath the fuselage. Typically you can expect to pay north of £30K for a good one. But like all the gliders here, you won’t lose money unless the Euro collapses. The Discus was built in two forms, the ‘a’ and the ‘b’, with the ‘a’ having a smaller cockpit. There are also turbo versions. The glider is still built today under licence in the Czech Republic. As the club has one on site, (DM, with optional winglets) it’s a good idea to fly it to get a taste of what a high performance glider can do and to serve as a benchmark against all others. The only real downside to the glider is it’s side hinged canopy (though that might be a matter of taste) and some relatively crude fittings, such as the trim and ballast system. They also seem to need refinishing sooner than most: but you can negotiate that at time of purchase. Current CFI, Richard Maskell, has a Discus ‘a’.

Discus +The choice of champions and clubs. Interior, canopy, trim and ballast dump valves mechanism are dated but the performance is 21st century Agricultural and poor Gel

Somew LS4. Like - it’s that The only s allows qui brakes if t model is s self-conec control ch night. The c comfortab because it undercarri Immed beautifully more insti the aileron The ideal ratio is qu you would competitiv progressiv Now f over 1,000 The quali demand n - a good on it is in dem you back a build qual after by th

ASW24 +Highly respected for it’s comfort, glide performance, build and safety. But the best chose the Discus. Aileron effectiveness not the best Doubts remain about the climb

r First Glider

where between the LS7 and the Discus sits the e the Discus this glider is still in production good. Indeed, so good that it’s hard to fault. significant issues are the canopy hinge which ite a lot of movement when open and the heel they are not maintained. Also, only the later ‘b’ self-connecting. If you are going to buy a non cting glider, just make sure you do the positive hecks rigorously even if it’s been left out over

cockpit is larger than most and is very ble. The undercarriage lever is idiot proof, t is awkward to open the airbrakes with the iage retracted. diately off launch you will find this glider y harmonised. Stick and rudder will never feel inctive. Not as quick in roll as the Seven but ns have authority and it’s very stable in pitch. first glider for a novice or pundit. The glide uoted at 40:1 (the Seven and Discus, 43:1) but d struggle to tell that it was anything other than ve. The handling is vice free with powerful ve airbrakes and good control on the ground. for the bad news. Rolladen-Schneider made 0 LS4s and AMS have put it back in production. ities that drove demand in 1980 are still in now and this has kept resale values very high ne will cost about £24K - and like the Discus, mand by clubs. An ASW19 in contrast, will set about £19K and it has similar performance and lity to the LS4. The LS4 is also much sought hose flying Club Class competitions.>>P10

LS4 +Great handling, performance, airbrakes, comfort and landing gear. One of the few gliders pilots find difficult to fault. Now back in production Wonky canopy hinges

PANEL BEATERS

o matter what instruments you put in your glider, they won’t make you a faster glider pilot. Safer perhaps - but not quicker. The ability to read the sky ahead, reject bad thermals and center quickly in the good ones is what makes world champions - and a readieness to make a pact with Satan in the afterlife. Having said that, there are those instruments which are a legal necessity (ASI, Compass and Altimeter) and one that can help you

spent in Peppermint Rhino. If you need a moving map, you can get an Ipaq on Ebay for £50 and Navigator, from FlyWithCE, for £100. Loggers? If you don’t need

...batteries will last for eight hours; so you won’t have to spend your summer evenings mugging Duracell Bunnies.

an IGC approved logger then try http://www.flywithce.com/ they have a portable logger at £80 and flight analysis software at about £30. The logger runs on rechargable batteries which will last for eight hours; so you won’t need to spend your summer evenings mugging Duracell Bunnies. If the budget only runs to one variometer, get an electric audio one. The LX16 is probably the best and you can try it out in our K21, KFY. If you are feeling a little more flush, go for the LX 1600 which will feed Navigator with the necessary data for navigation and glide analysis. The UK agent is John Delafield, http:// www.lxavionics.co.uk/variometers. OK. There are exceptions. Steve Jones in a borrowed Ventus 2a at the GP 2006. But just htm look at the length of that power cable. All of these instruments of learn to get faster - the variometer. course need wiring up, and that is a The vario is the only instrument that skilled job. too. will tell you how good your decision to fly to where you are was, and Unless the TE is spot on, how well you took advantage of the vario needle will be that decision. Frankly, the rest of the panel is just male jewellery. For that like a physics lesson from reason, do not pay a premium for a pole dancer instruments if you are on a budget: put the money into the hull. Further, As for radios, get a hand held. They unless the TE (total energy) is spot are not only cheaper but the licence on, the vario needle will be like a for them is less too. Just remember physics lesson from a pole dancer to turn it off when you are not using and your money would be better it.

fly With CE October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 9

TRAILER TRASH

arsberg, Germany, 9am. Six hundred miles to go and it’s snowing. Outside is 10m and two axles of Cobra with 26.5m of newly refinished ASW22BL tucked up inside. For all the care and attention lavished on the glider (about £18k for a total refurb) a tyre has punctured on the trailer. Two hundred meters away I can hear the roar of traffic on the autobahn - but they have at least four spherical tyres, and I only have three. Worse, the defective wheel has locking nuts. A call to one owner, asking where the key is, elicits, “dunno”. The other, on his Boeingsponsored Playstation deep in the Vindaloo capital of West London, is equally helpful. Oh, did I tell you? It’s also a Saturday and the natives have hit the pistes. The hotel I’ve been staying in is closed from 11am till Monday morning and the girls on reception

Preparing the trailer for a retrieve are rehearsing their roles as villains in the next Bond movie.They couldn’t have been less helpful had I been a squirrel with chlamydia. BUT NOW I GET IT. You have to look after the trailer as well. In part it was my fault. I should have realised, 400 miles back in Slovakia, that an Italian rubber fetishist didn’t design the tyre with rusty wire sticking out of the sidewall; that was for a totally different market. In the end I manage to find the only tyre fitter in Bavaria with a fear of heights and who hasn’t heard of Bomber Harris. The bill is 60 Euros. I give him 80, as much in gratitude as to spite the owners. The reason for sharing this pain with you is that it is not only theraputic for me but instructive for you. For whilst the trailer won’t do much for your flying, it’s roadworthiness will GT 10

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

<<P9 In the years these gliders determine how long you spend in a field and how willing people are to were built, manufacturers hadn’t collect you. Broadly speaking, a brand heard of gel coat. They smeared the new Cobra gets you back for supper; moulds with clotted cream, rubbed some raspberry jam on the nose and I should have realised that sent them on their way. On Fridays

an Italian rubber fetishist didn’t design the tyre with rusty wire sticking out of the sidewall

with a Home Built Special, you will be lucky to make Christmas lunch. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting you rush out and buy a Dangling Primary with a twin axle, solar powered, Thatcham alarmed, air conditioned, self steering Cobra shod with Pirelli P-Zeros. It’s just that there is a balance to be struck and maintenance work to be done. So, what should you look for in a trailer? Top dog in the trailer park is the Cobra, and you can expect to pay a premium if the glider comes with one of about £2K. However, as the gel is so powdery, you will be able to charge desperate city-types £200 per day for snorting rites. Apart from the appearance, take the trailer for a drive around the peri track. If it tries to mate with your car under braking, the brakes or acctuation system will need attention and that’s a skilled job. Next in the food chain are the Cobra look-alikes. These have the same clam-shell design and the glider is rigged on the trailer. You will look like a skinflint for not paying the Cobra premium but they work just as well. Then there are the cavernous Shirenewton types. They have the advatage that having defaulted on your mortgage to pay for the glider,

...a brand new Cobra gets you back for supper; with a Home Built Special you will be lucky to make Christmas lunch you can live in them... To summarise: buy an ASW27B with a blank panel for £37K in a cardboard box.You’ll get a great glider and spend less time with the in-laws.

ASW19: probably the best value

they used cottage cheese. But DG had an allergy to dairy products so they used Schwabellack - a mythical product made from the breast milk of Mermaids. So it’s not so much the year the glider was built in as the day of the week it was finished. Any of these gliders built before 1990 is likely to need refinishing. If you are looking for great value for money and a competitive standard class glider, the ASW19 is probably the one to go for: indeed, CUGC did. When it ceased production, the French

Robert Theil’s LS4 cockpit: roomy with idiot-proof undercarriage

started building it and called it the Pegase. In this form it has a ‘softer’ wing but still benefits from a roomy cockpit (Steve Longland reports that you can see the tailplane when flying) and good handling though not as good

before you buy

in roll as the Discus. The 19 however earned a reputation for dropping a wing at low speeds but most owners get used to that. The glide angle is quoted as 38:1 but having flown against one in an LS7, I am sure it’s better than that. Later models (19B) had bigger water bags and a panel that lifted with the canopy. Winglets are an option. The only downside is that if it hasn’t been refinished, it will need one soon. Speak to Steve Longland. After the ASW19, Schleicher went back to the drawing board and built Insist on inspecting the glider in a workshop under harsh light - daylight is flattering. the ASW24. With the ASW24, Schleicher If you can’t find anything wrong, take it to the main agent for an inspection. ecide on your budget and if introduced many innovations and One good thing to come out of it’s not enough, consider a EASA’s interference in gliding is that safety features. AS used aramid syndicate fibres in the cockpit to enhance modifications to the glider and ADs If the club owns the type you are (Airworthiness Directives) should crash protection; carbon fibre in the wings and high cockpit sides. The looking for, fly it first. have been complied with. Get the manufacturer’s UK agent investment included a new wing Take a close look at the log book and fuselage. Despite this, the glider to check it out.The agents know their and DI book for the last three years stuff and can save you a lot of mon- flying. You should get a good feel for a K6e is still a good ey and heartache. Most of them will recurring problems with that particthe performance and can give ular glider. If a major part has been x-country machine and know tips on getting the most out of them. repaired, insist on knowing who did will cost about the same They should check for undercarriage the work. TE leaks, control surface deCheck the instrument wiring. If it as an LX8000 glide damage, flections, and structural damage. They looks a mess, it will probably be uncomputer and vario. should also check the ballast system reliable. Also check that the ASI has gained a reputaion for needing a for leaks.They may well know the glid- the right range. I once bought a glider lot of work in thermals. The later er having serviced it in the past.There with the wrong ASI and leaking TE ‘B’ model addressed many of these have been at least two instances at goodbye to £450. issues and included winglets. The the Club where not even the owners If the tail has been broken, lower real beneficiaries of this inovatio n knew their undercarriages had been the price but only if it has been reare the current owners of the 27, 28 damaged. Take a good look under- paired by a reputable workshop - ideand 29. Overall, the glider has a very neath between the nose and under- ally the main agent or factory. If unhigh quality feel to it and excellent carriage - this is a vulnerable area. sure, walk away. If the wing spars have If the budget is stretched, try and been damaged - run. comfort. You can expect to pay £29-£30K. But what if these gliders negotiate a deal with only basic inThe owner may allow you to test struments. featured are out of your reach? fly it but it’s unlikely you will learn The gel coat does more than much unless you work for British The generation before these gliders, built from the 1970s on, make the glider look pretty, it also Aerospace, and the owner may well just as glass fiber was being used, protects the structure from UV. If the ask for an undertaking to buy it if you include:LS1, Standard Cirrus, glider needs immediate refinishing, damage it. Either way you might have DG100, ASW15 and the Libelle. take off £4K from the asking price, if to pay an insurance premium. By all They will typically cost about £10K- the owner hasn’t done it already. You means sit in the glider and ensure you £15K less than those gliders designed will never get all the refinishing cost can reach all the controls and that the in the 80s and built through the 90s. back on re-sale but you will have a weight limits are OK for you. Going further back, a K6e is still a glider to serve you for the next 20 Speak to people in the club who good x-country machine and will years. Smart owners allow for a refin- own the type you are looking for and cost about the same as an LX8000 ishing budget. if you are low on hours, check with the Hours and launches. Rather like CFI about converting to that glider. glide computer and vario. Prices in Europe have always mileage on a car, the lower the better My personal view is that you been higher than the UK and it’s not but it’s no guarantee of quality. Glid- should invest in the hull (performance just a Euro thing. Real world prices ers typically need a 3,000-hour check, and quality) rather than instruments achieved in the UK are lower than so if it’s getting close, insist on it be- and trailer which can be upgraded than those being asked in Europe. ing done before purchase but be pre- over time. Finally, buy before the Then there are the costs of transport pared to contribute to the basic cost pound reaches parity with the Zimbaand registration. Try and buy locally. but not any remedial work. bwe Dollar.

October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

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Chairman’s report The good start to the year has lasted through to the end with an excellent Regional, growing membership and there’s an anniversary to look forward to. But there will be big managemnt changes in the new year

here did the summer go? But what a one it was. Although July did not produce as good a “high summer” as we may have wished for, August made up for it – and the fine and flyable weather has continued into September, when Robert Theil sent Matt Ruskin solo on his (Matt’s) 16th Birthday - well done Matt. Sadly, the mid-summer was marred by a fatal accident in Discus, G-GHOM, on July 9th in which Douglas Brookes was killed. By a tragic coincidence it was the 42nd anniversary of the day on which he and his wife Helen met. Douglas was an extremely experienced power pilot and an excellent tuggie who took to gliding soon after he retired and found yet another interest to pursue. We shall miss his quiet efficiency and perfect tows. The AAIB (Air Accident Investigation Board) are investigating the cause of the accident but it will be some months before their final report is published. Our thoughts remain with his wife Helen and children all of whom visited Gransden Lodge shortly after the accident.

By 31st August we had signed 35 new full flying members for a total full flying membership in excess of 173 In late August the organisers produced a terrific Gransden Regionals and whilst so many people need to get involved to make it all work special thanks ought to go to Neil Goudie as the Comps Director and John Glossop for producing so many varied and flyable tasks. Both are entitled to a well earned rest, although Neil has already announced the 2010 dates (August 21st-29th) and started GT 12

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

working on it. After this year’s success it is bound to be a sell out again so get your reservations in early. By 31st August we had signed 35 new full flying members – for a total Full Flying membership in excess of 173 (190 if all categories are included) which puts us well on the way to the stable membership of 200 which I set as our challenge three years ago. We are getting there. It is attainable – we just have to keep working at it. Many thanks to everyone who has assisted in getting us to where we are today and who have worked so hard at attracting, recruiting, and training all these new members of Cambridge Gliding Centre; and a warm “welcome” to each and every one of you too. I hope that we are delivering everything that you hoped for – but if not , let me know and we will strive even harder to help you fulfil your aims. The Committee are already looking towards the 2009/2010 season and have booked their annual Planning Day for Saturday November 21st. If any of our members have anything that they would like us to consider by way of capital projects, or major organisational changes, this is the meeting at which such ideas need to be initially raised. Please let me have an outline by e-mail not later than November 10th and I will try to get your ideas onto the Agenda. In similar vein we will be starting to draft the 2010 season club diary in early December, with the aim of releasing it in early January so, again, if you have any ideas for things which you would like to see included please let me have them as soon as possible and certainly by midDecember. We are always looking for fresh input on winter lectures (both informal “club member delivered” and more formal guest events), the types of courses which would attract you and other events which will appeal to our membership and make CGC/GRL a fun place to be and from which to fly. Prompted by the realisation that a number of our directors and officers will have fulfilled their maximum term (or availability) by the next AGM we have started a fairly major “Succession Planning” process and with the intention of having it completed for release by the 2010 AGM. In the process we will be looking at who does what in the Club and what jobs or functions do not have clear, or perhaps duplicate, reporting lines. If that sounds all a bit too management

Richard Brickwood in ASW19, HLV speak for a Club then I can only apologise but we do need clear succession planning and we do need a clear idea of who is responsible for what – otherwise we, and you, simply don’t know and the Club is now too large and complex to be run in a traditional ad hoc a fashion. Hopefully, if we get it right, you won’t even notice that a more formal structure is in place, just that the Club seems to

2010 will be the 75th Anniversary of the founding of Cambridge University Gliding Club be running more smoothly, and with less call on the time of the directors and officers and all those other helpers who simply make things happen. Wouldn’t that be worthwhile? 2010 will be the 75th Anniversary of the founding of Cambridge University Gliding Club and so your Committee are researching ways in which this can be marked jointly by both CUGC and CGC. It is probable that this will take the form of a black tie dinner at one of the Colleges and the costs of that are currently being investigated. These range from £30 -£45 per head plus VAT and without wine which implies a ticket price of £50, which we recognise as a bit of a stumbling block. However, I am told that the 1989 Annual Dinner at Queens cost £22.50 so perhaps £50 is not too wide of the mark in today’s money. I wish we could do it at 1935 prices! Saturday April 17th would be the ideal day as it is 75 years and one day after the first official CUGC flight. We’ll let you know the answer as soon as we have got one. And, finally, the season for the Kelman Clock opens on Monday October 2nd – get rigged, get out there, have a good time. Richard Brickwood, Chairman, CGC

Against a background of economic crisis, unemployment and business failures, the R&R committee led by Tony Cronshaw has grown the Club’s membership. Paul Harvey reports on how they did it

clubhouse late on a sunny September afternoon, I was keen to find out what had changed to get the numbers up so well. Tony, who is an Image Technology Consultant, with a firm grasp of marketing new projects to clients, says: “In marketing terms we are taking more of a rifle shot than a shotgun approach. This means targeting specific lists of people such as friends, colleagues, trial flights and open days. (The Club now stores the names and addresses of all flying visitors on a datahe Club really is little different base) from any other business and is sub“We have also had to realise that ject to many of the forces that affect people want a burst of activity, rather like the ‘for profit’ sector. So it really is amaz- learning to ski or sail. There is also a strong ing that in the last two very difficult years, element of ‘shared learning’ in the courses (financially and meteorologically) that we as opposed to being a single learner among have been able to grow the membership ‘experts’.” in what is a luxury business whilst other The other old bugbear used to be that clubs, and the gliding movement globally, of low flying time relative to time spent on has seen falling membership. Much of this the airfield. Courses are now run with an success has been down to running courses instructor: pupil ratio of two to one. Puand converting the students to full flying pils, of course, still have to push gliders members. Take a look at the figures for the and keep the log, but even in sailing one has to prepare the boat and put the sails last four years. away at the end of the day: it’s just part of Number of pupils on courses, and types the sport. But the nature of the courses has changed as well. of courses: “Previously the evening courses would not involve soaring. But on the rare 2006: 12 – evening courses occasions they did (with a late sea breeze 2007: 24 – evening courses front) the students’ faces would light up. 2008: 26 – evening courses 2009: 36 – evening + 5-day + Comb- For that reason we have now introduced erton Village College + Friday courses the ‘Glide Friday’ when students can experience soaring and not just gliding for two The Comberton Village Course is afternoons.” This also seems to suit the a completely new concept consisting of many students who are self-employed and three evenings for ground school with use have some flexibility in their work schedof a gliding simulator, followed by a Trial ules. Incidentally, members seem more Lesson (two courses, and a total of 12 pu- willing to crew for these course than for the more commercial trial flight evenings pils so far. Talking to Tony Cronshaw outside the even though they don’t make as much money on the night. The other innovation is a ground school. This is more than just telling people how to push a glider. It’s also about telling them about the full breadth of the sport. But how do the figures stack up in the medium term? “The proportion of students returning on anTony Cronshaw (left) and course students with KFY, our ASK21

Against all odds other course the next year is about one in three.” And the proportion joining CGC? “About one in six.” I asked Tony, “where do people find out about courses?” “Well, rough figures are Open Day about 40 per cent, Internet 25 per cent. People who have had trial flights 20 percent. Events and networking: 15 per cent. Students typically spend (2007 figures): £380 and have 13 winch launches (including course fees of £100/pupil).

Emma Day and Laurence Evans, two of this year’s evening course students. Apart from driving the recruitment forward, Tony also helps out instructing, having got a BI rating in 2008, (complting his AsCat in 2009) though he’s been gliding since 1982 when the club was based at Duxford. He currently flies a Pagasus, G7. The five-day courses have a different profile with, “the market coming to us” through a dedicated page on the web site (http://www.glide.co.uk/learn_to_fly/ go_gliding.aspx) and they typically have little or no experience of gliding. “The courses have proven popular however, with 12 pupils in total across four courses and very positive feedback from everyone. Robert Theil has done a great job in leading these.” What of the future? “For 2010 we plan to have more courses, extend the evening classes to more colleges (Tony has recently given a talk to the University of the Third Age) and we will try to attract more power pilots. “However, we also need more Course Leaders from the instructing community to satisy this demand and ground crew.” Of course, there are others in the Retention and Recruitment committee who have made this marking initiative a success including; Richard Brickwood, Julian Bane, Andrew Watson, Jason Holloway, Tony Weatherhead, Peter Warner and David Jokinen. October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

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Beyond gliding Phil Seeney reports on a special trial flight for his friend Andy Mirams with some help from club members

n Saturday, 19 Sept, I entertained a friend, Lee, her husband, Andy, family and friends at Gransden and arranged for Andy and a friend, Claire, to go flying as my guests as Andy’s 56th birthday treat. Lee had visited the Regionals after hearing me witter on about gliding etc and I had innocently said: “Would Andy like to go up in a glider?” So why was this so different? Everyone does this now and again…. Well yes it was a bit different because Andy is a quadriplegic and has no control of his limbs whatsoever from the neck down due to progressive MS. He controls his main wheelchair with his chin: Andy is literally a dead weight. The idea of the flight was one thing and its execution somewhat different to what I had imagined. I had checked with officials at the club and ok’d it; I asked a couple of instructors who were on duty near Andy’s birthday, if they would be happy and willing (Peter Baker and Jem Davies) and got a very positive yes in response so I booked an afternoon slot as it takes a while to get Andy ready to travel anywhere – all sorted….mmm!. I might add Andy still does a full time job, as a manager for BT, even though he has no idea how long he can keep going; he just gets on with it and is one of the most inquisitive and interested people I have ever

comments about breaking Lee’s legs to make it easier to get him in prompted the response, “well it wouldn’t make them any worse would it” spoken to about gliding. So you see Saturday was kind of important to me and his family (probably less so at this stage to Andy). Andy turned up at 11:30 and we showed him round some aircraft in the hanger, explained a few of the instruments etc and hoped the claggy weather would improve which it did a little. We GT 14

www.glide.co.uk October 2009

then took Andy to the launch point and started to consider the logistics of getting him in to the Puch so Jem could fly him in the afternoon. Jem told Andy and family all about the aircraft (Andy’s wife is of polish decent so recognised the Owl immediately) and Jem generally made everyone feel not only welcome but settled and relaxed about flying. What happened then was simply amazing. Everyone who could help did, and I am sure some delayed their own flying to do so. Getting a lifeless body with an inquisitive and talkative head into a glider is no easy feat. I use

Andy Mirams (front) with Jem Davies those terms with endearment because everyone was seeing the amusing side of things, Andy more than anyone. There was constant banter between Jem, Lee and her daughter Leigh; with Andy simply smiling knowingly. It seemed surreal that Andy and Lee were more worried about helpers hurting themselves and comments about breaking Lees legs to make it easier to get him in prompted the response “well it wouldn’t make them any worse would it” from Andy and had us laughing ourselves silly. It took time and effort but finally Andy was ensconced and sitting comfortably. Jem was happy with straps and control freedom and I suggested a 4000 ft aerotow as soaring was going to be marginal. When ultimately Andy landed the smile said it all and Lee commented to me she had not seen him smile like that for years. But it didn’t stop there. “Whilst you are strapped in, would you like to try a winch launch” said I – the beam of a reply needed no clarification and off he went again. After landing the second time, we pic-

nicked by the bus, chatted to other pilots, cut the birthday cake and ultimately went back to the clubhouse, put gliders away and the bar was opened. Andy commented on the ‘feel’ of the club, the people and his truly amazing day as Lee fed him a beer or two and we all just soaked up the sunset. They left and both Lee and her daughter were a little emotional and I received the following soon after (extracted from a longer e-mail). Dear Phil, sorry for the delay in writing to thank you. I have spent 3 days trying to find the lead for my camera so that I could download the pictures. Unfortunately, it seems that this lead seems to have fallen into the black hole that exists in my house whenever I really need something. I will have to get a new one before I can download them. Enough about the pictures! Andy has not stopped talking to people about the gliding. I think he keeps living through the experience. I cannot properly explain what this has meant to both of us and I don’t think I can ever properly thank you and everyone who helped on the day. With kindest regards and our warmest thanks Lee, Andy & daughter, Leigh I know what this flight meant to them and I am glad I didn’t put it off until next summer when I wanted to take him soaring – better weather perhaps, So you see Saturday was really something of a dream for Andy, something he never thought he could experience. Our club may not be the grandest in the country but I was amazed at the care and helpfulness of everyone who chipped in or who gave up some of their own flying time to make Andy, his family and friends feel welcome and help him to fly. Particular thanks to Jem, Bill Bullimore and Robert Thiel and to the several others whose faces I know but names I can’t remember – hope the bronze test happened and went well! I felt proud to be a member of CGC, not because of some super efficient pristine approach to pushing visitors through, but for the caring, considerate, nothing was too much trouble, relaxed approach that made Andy and his family feel welcome, safe and cared for on his very special birthday. Thank you all so much – it was a great team effort – truly great. Regards, Phil Seeney

Clearly Better? It’s not often that a radical new piece of soaring kit comes along. But that’s what ClearNav is. If you can use a mobile phone, you can use this. James Kellerman is your navigator

he adjective ‘New’ is an overworked word beloved of advertisers and politicians. It implies that all before it has been swept away for a clean start when in reality it is just another repackaging. ClearNav is new. It was conceived by frustrated glider pilots fed up with fiddly over complicated equipment requiring a degree in logistics and computer programming before they could indulge in the already complex business of cross country flying. ClearNav were driven to improve on the diminutive dim displays of the PDA and their inherent unreliability. The design team is gliding orientated and at its core has Dave Ellis, the father of Cambridge Soaring Instruments and the famous 302 multifunction variometer. The hard and software is manufactured by a Nielsen-Kellerman (NK). http:// www.nkhome.com/soaring/soaringindex. html This company has a long track record of making robust and reliable sports electronic equipment. Richard Kellerman, the project manager and co owner of the company, is an active cross country pilot

Start and finish lines. Outbound track thicker. Digital boxes configurable as is the display of roads rivers, cities and terrain.

and recent winner of the Baron Hilton Cup. We also shared the same parents. The General Aviation market abounds with GPS gizmos and moving maps. There are at least half a dozen PDA compatible programs which will do many of the same functions, so why ClearNav? Because ClearNav combines custom built hardware with adaptable custom designed software. The first prerequisite was a sunlight readable screen which could run on standard glider batteries for 8 hours; big enough to read but small enough to fit the tiny panels of competition gliders. As the German agent said at Freidrichshafen: “The screen has to be big. I’m selling these units to pensioners.” How does it differ from other units? Firstly, the screen: It’s readable very bright and large. The power save mode turns the current draw from 700ma to 300ma after 20 seconds of idle time. It instantly returns to very bright the moment any control button is touched. You can pre-select the brightness for the ambient conditions. The user interface is one of the great strengths of this machine. Don’t read the manual. Play with it on the ground and then fly. It is that easy. The instinctive, intuitive user friendly interface takes the stress out of pre-flight planning. Touch screens may be great on terra firma but can be very difficult to use on good thermic days and some glider panels are difficult to reach. The nine-button stick mounted control is very easy to use. There are no buttons or knobs on ClearNav. The software: this is currently NK’s own. Glider pilots have great loyalty to software as you become familiar with it. Fear not, this stuff is dead easy and great for really lazy people like me. Having used many other systems I found that this one does it all. You can configure it to be as simple or complex as you like but every feature has a role. Add or subtract parameters displayed. You choose. It also accepts and displays FLARM inputs.

Big clear screen with excellent contrast. Hand held controller (inset) with zoom, menu and 2-axis area selector. Stick control option. Great ergonomics

NK’s software is currently the only one which works with the screen but I am told from reliable sources that this could change. One of the great features is the “Glide Amoeba” which draws a line around your position enabling you to see at a glance which ground features are in glide range. The computation takes all the variables into account such as polar, wind, altitude and terrain database. This is particularly useful in mountainous or hilly areas. The assigned area task facility is bril-

As the German agent said at Freidrichshafen: “The screen has to be big. I’m selling these units to pensioners” liant. It will compute how far and where you should go into any sector before turning to enable you to meet the minimum time requirements of the task and maximise distance. But for me the best feature is the display of airspace. You have to use it to understand how well this works! The system will allow you to highlight each section of airspace on the map and display the precise nature in a separate readable box with ceiling and floor altitudes together with its description and contact frequencies if appropriate. It does this without losing the map as the screen splits vertically into two halves. The installation is a commitment October 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 15

however. Most panel installations will require a rebuild but you could of course use a RAM mount. The instructions and

Approaching airspace - highlight for detail. Lables can be longer. Audio warnings are given

templates supplied with the kit were a joy to use. Forget about rulers. Stick down the hard plastic templates and begin to cut and drill with confidence. The Nexus connection box allows quick and easy inputs avoiding the “rats nest” wiring seen in most gliders. This New Kid is great but it is still

Raising the Bar Andew Jude has simplified opening the bar and serving drinks. Now we can all help ourselves

aving changed the way the bar works this year it seems to have had the desired effect and is being used more often. However, I still keep getting asked about how it works. Here are the answers to a few recent FAQs. “What do I need to know to open the bar?” Nothing, anyone can open the bar as there is no longer any gas, taps, things to shut off or any paperwork etc. Open the front shutter and then just help yourself or hand over drinks. You can put money in the till but preferably just keep a running total in the accounts book. “How does the accounts book work?” Please do not scribble down every drink or single amount and date you drank it etc. To keep it simple, just note down a total for that round, then next time delete this and add new running total. Accounts are in name order not A/C number and if you are a social

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www.glide.co.uk October 2009

evolving. There are annoying bugs to be resolved, such as the selection of turnpoints, but NK is able to act quickly to sort these out and the updates are child’s play using the panel mounted USB socket and flash drives. It is still being developed by glider pilots for glider pilots. The customer support is strong and the NK website excellent. The logger is now fully IGC approved with engine noise monitoring. The big news is that a totally new NK variometer is on its way and will compliment ClearNav next year. Ed’s note. As James made clear, he is the brother of ClearNav’s designer! I have not flown with ClearNav but I know Winpilot very well and it’s an extremely well specified piece of software for gliding. The problem is - the touchscreen, (an Ipaq) poor contrast in sunlight and the hassle of changing anything in flight. It also takes a long time to learn. The Ipaq was never designed for aerial navigation. ClearNav, I found, was intuitive, simple, clear, and, due to the separate wired controller, (they rejected Bluetooth for reliability reasons) very simple to navigate through options, select airspace and zoom in on features. The latest versions come with an even bet-

ter screen. It also costs considerably more than Winpilot but a lot less than the LX8000 (£3992.80), its nearest ri-

member only, your name might not be shown, please feel free to add it in the next available gap. Usually the book will be deducted through your club account within a month or so. “What happens to the cash?” If there is any significant cash in notes when you leave, please put it in one of the orange canisters clearly marked BAR and drop it in the usual club safe. “Do I need to stay around to close up?” No, there is nothing to shut off and now that the door is on a code, the last person out can simply lock the shutter and close the door. Just make sure the fridge doors are closed before you go as we seem to try and cool down the

(unless you want to volunteer to be up to 01:00am nine days in a row). The bar is kept and run as a separate entity but makes a fixed monthly contribution back to the club, currently used to subsidise clubhouse overheads. Any surplus is used to fund things decided by the social committee such as new furnishings, BBQs, outdoor benches etc. Detailed accounts are held electronically and administered by Gavin Deane. If you are interested or have a view on pricing please ask. “What can I do to help?” Please wash up the inevitable stack of glasses that everyone else leaves by the sink imagining that they wash themselves. If there is space in the fridge at the end of the evening, please add more stuff from the boxes under the bar. If we are out of anything please let me know. I hope that by making it much more accessible to the membership than it has been in the past, it will both benefit the club and take the effort out of running it. Finally, if you have any genius ideas, improvements or even just suggestions of what to stock please speak up or get involved. Andy Jude.

Any surplus is used to fund things decided by the social committee such as new furnishings, BBQs, outdoor benches... entire clubhouse now and then. “Who benefits from any profit?” You do. No one gets any pay or expenses with the one exception of a minimal rate during the annual competition

Clockwise: Configuring airspace: downloading traces: memory stick plugs into panel for trace download and software upload: setting a task:

val, though you need to add your own electric vario to ClearNav - James uses a Cambridge 302. ClearNav costs £1,925 from http:// www.Afeonline.com. The tunnel mount is £105 and a RAM mounting kit costs £57.50.