Gransden Times July 2009 by Paul Harvey

T h e Wo o d s t o c k E d i t i o n

Gransden times July 2009

SUMMER 2009 INSIDE AND OUT

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

E D T H CTE DA O N E R I UN E R S V

the point of the issue is...

Contents Front cover: sometimes you just get lucky and so it was with this pic over Cambridge on 25 June at 2,200 ft when I asked for some serious angle of bank. Thanks to Robert Verdier (pilot), Andrew Beatty and Clive Bainbridge owners of Duo Discus 871 And for the new ASH31Mi you too will need to be lucky. Designed by AS this new self-launching glider had its maiden flight in April. The engine is the proven 51hp wankel giving a climb rate of eight knots in 21or 18m mode, see page 5

Woodstock 2009

As they say: “if you can remember it, you weren’t there.” So if you were there, Ernest Hart provides a reminder of our VGC rally, P8

Unrequited love

James Kellerman on living with the snake in the grass fighting for his loved one’s affections P12 Richard Maskell took over as CFI last April. In his first piece for Gransden Times he tells us of his early gliding years and his plans for the immediate future. Even if you know him well, you’ll learn a bit. Page 14

Plus: Sub Standard - is there a futue for the Standard Class Nationals? P7: Regionals 2009, P4: Classifieds P13: Chairman and Treasurer’s reports, P10: flight analysis software, P16 and preparing for winter, P15 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

Ed’s bit

ell, what a start to the season. From March onwards it’s been the best I can remember. The Open Day on May 10 was a huge success with 37 winch flights, 17 aerotows, and nine motorglider flights bringing in about £2,250, and we had the BGA simulator (Page 7) see page 10 for the Chairman’s and treasurer’s sreport. The vintage gliding week was also a big success and we have an expert report from Ernest Hart on page eight. Whilst I have never been a fan of vintage gliders, I have to admire the people who fly them and maintain our heritage. For my part, the news that Schleicher have released the ASH 31Mi is much more exciting (page 5). You see, it’s progress, rather like living in a penthouse is better than a cave. So why do people still fly the vintage relics? Perhaps for the same reason people still go camping. It’s a return to a simpler life. Proof that we don’t need an internet enabled boiler to avoid hyperthermia - it’s a bit edgy. But in vintage gliding it’s also a measure of how far we have come; a reminder of the first time we mastered flight and a celebration of that mastery. Neil Goudie outlines the plans for our Regional this year on page four and it looks as though we will be back to strength with 50 entrants. The same cannot be said for other comps, the saddest of which is the Standard Class Nationals. For years I regarded the winner of this comp as the best in the UK - see page seven. The 20m Nationals and Eastern Regionals were also cancelled. The only full comp is the 18m. It’s not the job of GT to support other clubs, but the Standard Class Nationals is to be held at Lasham on 8-16 August; it’s worth supporting and doesn’t clash with our Regional. Gransden Times moves on and is now available at http://issuu.com/paulharvey/docs/gt0309 so you can read it as an electronic magazine. And don’t forget, orange text or an ad is a hyperlink. Paul Harvey, Editor, Gransden times July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 3

Regionals 2009 - looking good Director’s Notes Gransden Regionals 2009 A Little Ray of Sunshine…

o not me, but our hopes for some better weather in 2009 after two appalling years of competitive weather. This year we have seen a slow uptake in entries but as we move into the last few months the uptake has been higher so we might have a maximum entry soon. Last year was my first taste of directing a Regional competition. Fortunately I had an excellent team who had been doing it for years. John Glossop has been Directing and Tasksetting since I was in nappies so it was a real privilege to pick-up on most of his knowledge on this and I think there was only once where I felt I needed to overrule. It is interesting that some of the pilots felt we had waited too long to scrub on some days. John, (and now me), has built his reputation on making sure we squeeze everything out of the day so if there is any real possibility of flying we feel obliged to do this. In any case, you are there to fly and not eat chocolate cake. This year all Competition Directors have been directed by the BGA Competitions Committee not to scrub too early if there is an opportunity to fly. This follows a number of ill-conceived early scrubs at other competitions - so bring a torchlight and good night vision spectacles again this year. Barbara Glossop has been running Control successfully for years and, following April Baker’s (temporary?) retirement from helping in control, will be joined again this year by Sue Bayford, who no doubt will be keeping a keen lookout for her competeing husband, Julian, in GT 4

LS8, 8T. last year will be reduced if we get Sue has been fantastic on the decent weather. Start-Finish line for more years Talking about the weather, we than I am aware of and I hope we have had to deal with the retirecan get her back there again in the ment of Jack Harrison as the Metfuture. Any volunteers to come into Man for competitions. Although control in 2010? Speak to Barbara this is an important role we have in August to get a feel for it. decided that we will experiment, I have been asked by the club to again, with a remote Met-Man in tailor the competition this year so the form of Richard Baker. This that we at least break even. There- will be supplemented with a simple fore, I have spent a bit of time Met Forecast and Cross-Section to looking at eliminating duplicated allow John Glossop to set the task. tasks. This year formal registra- Richard has been doing this sort of tion will be slimmed and I hope thing for years and my only conthat we continue to do this in 2010 cern is deciding who to blame if so that we all can spend more time we have a mass land out…..only relaxing on the first Friday rather kidding. playing about with bits of paper, Tugs and tug pilots are being costaplers and This year all Competition Directors signatures. There are have been directed not to scrub too early some new rules from the BGA on task types and we plan ordinated by Robert Bryce-Smith, to run through these at a pre-Re- following Andy Jude’s decision to gionals 1 day course in July. More take a break for a year or so. Tryinformation on that soon on the ing to get the balance of the right website. tugs (and numbers) without breakIn addition, we felt it necessary, ing the bank is a big issue and following a tragic accident at Hus- building in redundancy (for unserBos in 2005 to redefine the finish viceablity) can be a real headache lines at Gransden Lodge to ensure for the organisation. I hope we can that we continue to improve on get it right again this year. safety (airside and non-airside). Andy Beatty, annoyingly, has The updated Local Rules will ex- decided to fly the competition and plain this and a copy of these will therefore avoids his role of Airbe put on the website in July. Geoff space co-ordinator. This is big reBrown has kindly offered to be the sponsibility and last year his style Safety Officer as well as working of speaking to the relevant controlon the Start / Finish Line. lers was a lesson in tact and diploBuilding on the success of the ca- macy (yes….I did say that). This tering last year we have brought in year we are still looking at options Judith Greenwood to run this side but I hope to persuade one individof the competition. Sue Conyers ual to take this on. and Gill Penant have finally retired So this year, in summary, we their business and are now spend- hope to build on previous year’s ing more time with their families competitions (but with better (at the pub?). weather) and rebuild the Regionals Judith will be running break- as, arguably, the best UK competifasts, lunches and dinners every- tion. day, apart from after 2pm on TuesSee you all there, if not get your day 25th August when she will be entry for the 2010 Regionals in enjoying a well earned rest for 16 early – more details soon but 21hours, a curry night is planned for 29th August 2009 are the provithat day. sional dates. Julian Bane and the cadets will once again be running the launch Neil Goudie point and hopefully the mania from Competition Director, 2009

Boys toys No one told Schleicher there was a recession on so they went ahead and built what might be the first of a new breed, the 18/21m self-launching glider. Paul Harvey takes a virtual tour

n a world where everything seems to be getting smaller, gliders are getting bigger. Few nowadays would consider buying a 15m glider: 18m is the new “standard”. Schleicher seem to have seen this change coming; first with the ASG29 and now with the ASH31Mi. Though,

values a self-launching capability and performance to rival the Open Class - on a good day. Some may even be tempted by the extra metre and petrol engine the glider offers over the 20m Antares. Schleicher haven’t published an LD for the 31Mi but as they claim 52:1 for the ASG29 in 18m mode, 55:1 might be a reasonable guess for the 31Mi in 21m mode, based on the performance difference between a 15m and 18m glider. It was two years ago at Lasham when Ed Johnston won the Open Class in an ASG 29. But it was a stonking week - blink and you would have missed it. However, the advantages of a low drag glider in strong conditions were made clear. Last year Schleicher annnounced that the ASH25 was to be replaced with the ASH30Mi, a 2-seater, 26.5m, self launching über ship which also draws on lessons learnt developing the ASG29. At Aero 2009 in Friedrichshafen the public had their

fuselage with the new wing. “The inner wing section (about 5m) is identically to the 26 wing. Between this section and the wing-wingconnection there is a new junction part (about 2m). The outer wing panels and the winglets are identically to the (ASG) 29 wing panels. “This modification seems very simple, but it necessitates a whole new static calculation, a complete new wing spar, new wing controls and a lot of work on the moulds and other parts and a still bigger lot of paper work.” More power g i v e s Is it a 26, 28, 29 or a 31? You’ll need five and the bonus ball an 8Knt c l i m b rate. it was Rolanden Schneider with the So there you have it, LS8 18 that started the multi-span ball a lot more difficult than rolling in the 90s. But don’t think the one might have thought. 31Mi is just a revamped 26E. Schleicher say they will According to Manfred Münch of continue with production Schleicher: “the significant difference of the ASH26E, though to the 26E fuselage is the installing it’s difficult to imagine m a n y more sales. Schleicher ASH30MI fueslage, the wings are being worked on could not give a price for the ASH31Mi. first glimpse of the fuselage: the wings So who’s going to are still being “worked” on. buy it? The ASH26E But this still leaves Schleicher has not been a big seller without an open class single-seater in the UK with only as the ASW22Bl has also ceased six registered and the production. Unconfirmed rumours last one of those was suggest that this slot might be filled in 2005. Contrast this with an enlarged ASG29 fuselage with the 26 ASG29s carrying the new 26.5m wing from Deutschland of Leather look for the ASH31Mi sold in the UK in the the ASH30: but could it take a last three years (and self launching engine as this class of the fuel injected engine with 100 worldwide) and it’s clear that the demands? Also, I am sure there will more power (56hp). The previous market wants performance gliders be “a still bigger lot of paper work”. carburettor engine of the 26 had 50hp. with a dual comp capability. The More details at: http://www. The other modifications affect the 31Mi satisfys this criteria but I think alexander-schleicher.de/index_e.htm static. So it’s not possible to use a 26 it’s geared to an older market which July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 5

From the archives I have often thought that mariners and glider pilots share a common heritage. A report from August 1988 in the CUGC newsletter confirms my suspicions, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure how seriously they took the task

GT 6

www.glide.co.uk July 2009

Sub Standard The Standard Class Nationals came close to being cancelled this year. Paul Harvey looks behind the figures to see if such a competition adds up

he news that only nine pilots had paid up for the Standard Class Nationals, to have been held at Nympsfield this year (now Lasham, 8-16 August), was not a shock. The writing has been on the wall for the last two years. For whilst bad weather might have had something to do with the low number of entrants in previous years, there has been a structural change in glider ownership among this country’s top glider pilots and the also-rans are following on (as usual). There is no easy way to put this; but no one in their right mind would buy a new standard class (only) glider today. And a psychiatrist would have sleepless nights if his patient bought a new 15m glider: as a measure of our sanity, no one has for years. Looking at the new gliders at Cambridge, those who have opted for non flapped kit have not chosen the 15m option. Why would anyone want the option to decrease the performance of their glider and pay for the privilege? Instead, buyers have gone for 18m turbos or at least the option of having one [turbo] fitted later. Overwhelmingly what competition pilots want is a flapped glider with turbo that can be flown in either 15m or 18m configuration but not in the Standard Class. The country’s top pilots have gone down this route. People such as Russell Cheetham, Mike Young, Andy Davis, Leigh Wells, Paul Crab, Ed Johnston and our own Phil Jeffery have gone flapped. And for the wealthy hoi polloi (if that’s not an oxymoron) wanting to benchmark themselves against the best, only 18 metres of Germany’s finest carbon and polyurethane will do. And the manufacturers seem to be picking up on this too. On page five,

you can read about Schleicher’s latest bit of kit, a self-launching 18m/21m single place glider - the ASH31Mi, a development of the ASH26E. Certainly, the 18/15m turbo cost a bit more but all the other costs such as instruments, trailer, parachute, facility fee, membership and insurance are pretty much the same. And with the turbo you can save a pretty penny on retrieve crew and you will be back for supper every day. Further confirmation of the decline in the Standard Class comes from the quality of this year’s provisional entries. Looking only at the top ten entrant’s ranking per class, these are the averages: Class Avg Rank 15m 13 18m 10.4 Standard 29.9 Club Class 22

Entrants 46 56 26 46

NB: These are provisional and not fully paid up entrants

And nearly a third of Open Class entrants will be flying an 18m glider. Two years ago Ed Johnston won the Open Class Nationals in an ASG29 at Lasham. However, the Club Class is an interesting development and might just provide keen competition for Standard Class owners as it’s a handicapped competition. On weak days, a standard class glider in the right hands can hold it’s own in the 15m class. Is there a case for handicapping the Standard Class so it can compete on equal terms with the growing 15m class? The problem here is that the National’s results affect national and world rankings, so the comps committee might not approve. So what’s the future for a standard class glider? Simple: fly for fun. These gliders provide low maintenance, cheap insurance and high performance flying. They can get round a 750K task and more - just ask Peter Baker. They are light and easy to rig and provide more satisfaction than a “get you home turbo”. About £25K will get you a Discus, ASW24 or LS7. And when you get back, no one will ask: “did you use the turbo.” Street cred is priceless.

Or is this the answer? No launch fees, no retrieves and fly in a different country every day with good weather guaranteed

he Open Day at Gransden was a huge success but the skies were far too crowded so I took myself off to Omarama, NZ, for the afternoon. It was great to be

REALITY: LS7 in the Southern Alps

REAL

back. Climbing into the pre-rigged and ballasted LS8 I set off for the local ridges with a trip down the Hawkden Range in mind. In the gentle southerly I was able to climb on the Nursery Ridge in four knts until level with Mt. Horrible, then hopping over Ewe Range, the Omarama Saddle and onto the south facing Hawkdens. At

FANTASY: The BGA simulator at GRL ridge height the thermals were bubbling off allowing for some ridge running at 120Knts. With cloudbase now at 8000ft, I took a climb in chimney effect and headed west for Magic Mountain to the north of the Ahururi River. The lakes of Tekapo, Ohau and Pukaki glistened turquoise with melt water. Mt Cook stood majestic and incandescent 100Km to the north. With the Omarama Basin below, I set off for Mt. Cook down the scree slopes of the Ohau Range. Then the meter ran out and it was someone else’s turn. If you get a chance to fly the sim, take it, it’s great fun. July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 7

Wo o d

“Good morning. What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000 In 1969 these iconic words rang out over Yasgur’s Farm. Could a vintage glider rally, 40 years later, in a field at Gransden herald a new summer of love? Vintage roadie, Ernest Hart, takes up the story

he Vintage glider movement began in 1973 with the aim of preserving, in airworthy condition, UK gliders produced before WWII. It had since become a thriving international movement and extended its range to 60s and 70s non-plastic gliders. The Gransden Lodge

meeting is just one in busy calendar of rallies, one of which is whimsically named www.glide.co.uk July 2009 GT 8

‘Whispering Wardrobes.’ In this article the frequent reference to gliding angles is a convenient way of comparing gliders’ performance and it’s interesting to see how this has improved over the years. As a yardstick, modern 15m span gliders can achieve 1:50 and the 18m class is approaching 1:60. The age of the gliders at Gransden covered a wide period. The oldest was a Röhnbussard, a 1936 design by Hans Jacobs. These were the early years of soaring development when the emphasis was on staying up, not on high cross-country speeds. The previous year Jacob’s earlier design, the Röhnsperber, achieved a 1935 world distance record of 206 miles. Intended to give even better performance the ‘Bussard had a gliding angle of 1:20. The Röhnbussard. Note the thick-sectioned cantilever wing and lightweight construction, skid u/c (the dolly is for

ground handling) and simple instrument panel. Only the variometer, 3r d from left, is German, the others are British replacements. After the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Germany succeeded in getting gliding included in future events. A competition to find a suitable design for the 1940 games was announced and Hans Jacobs produced his Meise. The prototype flew in February 1939 and the following month it was declared the winner and renamed

Olympia. Plans were sent to competing countries and several examples were built in Europe, Turkey and the USA. However, the war removed gliding from any Olympic involvement. Several German Olympias became war booty and one was brought to the UK and modified slightly by Chilton Aircraft, first flying in August 1946. It was taken up by Elliotts of Newbury, a prewar furniture manufacturer who had produced wooden components for many wartime aircraft, including the Mosquito. For some reason, the Board of Trade would not allow them to start making furniture again but gave approval to the production of 100 Olympia sailplanes with 75% intended for export. Their prototype appeared in January 1947 and with its good performance (gliding angle 1:25) and smooth handling characteristics it soon became the glider at the peak of competition enthusiasts’ ambitions. In May 1961 Bill Bedford, then a Flight Lieutenant and later Harrier test pilot, helped to establish its credentials

with a record flight from Farnborough to a declared goal, Usworth, near Sunderland, flying 250 miles in 6 ¾ hrs.

stock

09 09

Although it retained the name Olympia, the 463 was a completely new 1963 design using a laminar flow wing section. Whilst pleasant to fly, its 1:32 gliding angle was uncompetitive and only 48 were produced. Alexander Schleicher’s Ka-6, designed

by Rudolf Kaiser, first flew in 1955. It won the prize for the best Standard Class (15m span) design at the 1958 World Championships. In the 1960 competition, 5 of the first 6 places were taken by Ka-6s and in the next World’s 15m class more than half the entries were Ka-6s. In 1963 two Ka-6s were flown 876.0 km from Germany to France, setting a world distance record. The Ka-6CR’s 1:30 gliding angle was later raised to 1:34 by the Ka6E which incorporated improvement

s including a glass-fibre nose and allmoving tail. Hundreds of owners still enjoy its delightful handling although its performance has been overtaken by later designs. Most of the other gliders at the rally were made by Slingsby, for years the mainstay of British glider manufacture. In 1916 Fred Slingsby was an RFC mechanic and was offered a ride in a BE2c to ‘see the lines’. Over the Ypres salient they were attacked by German aircraft. Fred said: ‘the machine started to buck and jump about and I realised the pilot was dead. I shut the engine off and glided

across our lines and landed with the undercarriage shot away.’ He had never piloted a plane before and was awarded the Military Medal for his courage. After the war he became a partner in a cabinet making firm in Scarborough and saw some of the first gliding attempts by enthusiasts in 1929 when the British gliding movement stqrted. He decided to build a glider himself. The London Gliding Club persuaded him to sell it to them then he was asked to build another for a Birmingham businessman. ‘Afterwards,’ said Sling: ‘I was overwhelmed with orders and never did get one for myself.’ A rich enthusiast in Kirbymoorside offered to finance a factory to provide work for local labour if Fred would run it. At first there was only the civilian sporting market then the great expansion came in WWII with orders from the Air Training Corps and the production of assault gliders for the army. Sling’s own design, the Hengist, was unsuccessful. It was said that he made its flying characteristics too good and the simpler and less elegant Horsa won the production contract. Post war, the factory produced a wide range of training and competition gliders. It moved into powered aircraft production with film replicas (SE 5a, Camel and Rumpler) followed by the Tipsy Nipper and finally the T67 Firefly 2-seat aerobatic trainer, sold all over the world to civilian owners and many airforces including - to fierce home-based opposition, the USAF – but that’s another story. Af ter Fred’s death, the firm changed hands several times and now has no connection with aviation. Fred Slingsby designed his T-21 twoseat trainer as an enlarged version of the pre-war German Grunau a prolific lightweight soarer which Sling had built under licence. The prototype was built in 1944 and offered to the ATC. But there was no money in the kitty and the offer wasn’t taken up until 1947. Meanwhile the protoype had been pulled out of storage and accepted by civilian pilots, at first reluctantly but they were too short of anything to fly to ignore it. It became an instant hit and the first production version , sold to London Gliding Club at Dunstable, is still in use today. Many were used by the Air Cadets as the Sedbergh Tx 1 and large

numbers were exported to India, as well as to Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Malaya, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden. With a gliding angle – on a good day - of 1:21 it’s no crosscountry performer but its open cockpit and floating flight generate immense affection. Over 100 are still in use around

Bluebell after an unsuccessful hanger flight the world, sporting names like Daisy, Lucy as well as the usual ‘the barge’. The Prefect (1949) was a rather disappointing attempt to replace the ubiquitous Grunau, with a gliding angle of just 1:21 and uninspiring handling. But the Air Cadets who advanced to the stage of flying it thought it a real ‘hot ship’. Slingsby built a glider, the Skylark, to experiment with lateral controls and used a 3-piece wing so that different tips could be fitted. This seemed to have potential and in 1953 the span was increased to 15m to become the Skylark 2 (1:30).

The wing was enlarged yet again to 18m for Marks 3 and 4 (1:34). This was a world-class competition winner. By now the enlarged centre-section was too heavy to be carried comfortably by two strong men and the Skylark 4s became notorious at clearing the field of volunteers when one emerged from its trailer to be rigged. http://www.a-e-g.org.uk July 2009 www.glide.co.uk GT 9

Chairman’s report We have a happy Chairman. Membership up, flying up, competition entries up. So what’s up?

id summer’s day has been and gone so we are about half way through the season. What does it look like so far? – Well, with a clutch of 300s, some of which were badge flights, several 400s, a whole group of almost 750s, including one of 742k, over 25 new or re-joining members, Open Day, Vintage Glider Week, Sarah Kelman’s Cross Country Course, Dawn to Dusk Flying, Evening Classes and several new solos, including a cadet. Not a bad start to the season I’d say. Still to come – The Regionals and another potentially glideable 90 days before the autumn. New Members. We really have signedup 25 new or rejoining Full Flying members so far this season plus an additional four new cadets. All of this is great credit to everybody who has been involved in attracting them, making them welcome at the Club, teaching them to glide (or resoloing them) - and encouraging them to become active members of Cambridge Gliding Club.Several have already agreed to join the new Launch Point Assistant roster and are making an invaluable contribution to maximising launch point efficiency. Please make them all welcome and ensure that each new member gets all the support and encouragement that I know we can give them – and that they deserve. Our goal remains to build the membership to a stable number in excess of 200 and, for the first time in several years this really is beginning to look like

BGA/CGC Youth Initiative and attracted representatives of three ACF Squadrons to the presentations. I am delighted to announce that Emily House has agreed to take on the vital role of following up on this launch and will, I know, be really grateful for any help that you can give her in turning it into the success that it needs to be. In a nutshell, for every qualifying ACF graduate who joins the CGC Young Persons scheme the BGA could provide a £200 bursary into their flying account. CGC is the lead Club in the South East for this project and with around 1,000 such graduates nationally each year, the attractions to our Club are obvious and with great potential benefit to the whole gliding movement. The VGC rally at GRL in May provided

www.glide.co.uk July 2009

Just as this edition of GT was being finalised we were all most saddened to hear of the untimely death of Neville Anderson over the weekend of July 4th/5th after a very short illness. We send his wife, Anna Maria, and family our deepest condolences. We will circulate further details when they become available. selling and teaching the Evening Classes and deserves great credit for getting it all together – as do the instructors and ground crews who helped deliver another series of them. Yet again we are gaining more members though this route and Tony deserves our thanks and support for all his

there are less than 20 volunteers on each list; so less than 20% of the membership are contributing to launching the rest

yet another spectacle for our members and the organising Committee of Andy Eltis, Peter Cunnison, Rod Ward and Jackie Sparrow put in a huge amount of work to make it the success it was – greatly aided by Tim Wilkinson from Sackville who provided an excellent BBQ at very short notice as well as launching his hot air balloon in the calm of the morning and evening air on most days. A larger turn-out of VGC members had been expected which meant that we rather over engineered the facilities. But even so, the event just about broke even and was certainly most enjoyable – and the fact that it enabled us to lay on catering from breakfast through lunch and dinner for the whole week was much appreciated by the members. Even the caterer learned a lot, much of which will be put into practice when she returns for the Regionals. Sarah Kelman’s advanced Our goal is to build the membership to a cross country course was fully booked. Somehow stable number in excess of 200 Sarah drove back from the an attainable goal. Keep it up – it’s in your World Air Games in Italy, did a 12 hour, three sector duty for Easyjet the next day, best interest too. Open Day and BGA/CGC Youth then showed-up to run the advanced Cross Initiative. Moving the Open Day to May Country Course at GRL the day after that rather than April seems to have paid (whilst looking brighter than some of us off. Although we appeared not to have felt) – and capped it all by taking six of us had as many visitors as in prior years on a lead and follow where she beat every those that came were far more interested one around for good measure. The weather was not kind to the in going gliding rather than hanging course – but Sarah showed yet again why around collecting fin numbers or taking photographs. The result was that we competition pilots simply fly on days did over 120 launches, attracted several when us mere mortals don’t even rig. Her people who came to see what gliding lectures are a model of “how to do it”. was all about and subsequently joined, Derek Coppin won the bottle of bubbly including two cadets. So yet another big donated by Sarah for the highest points thank you to everyone who helped to score with Paul Rowden a close second. Evening Classes. Tony Cronshaw did make it such a great day. sterling work yet again in organising, At the same time we launched the GT 10

Neville Anderson

work. Thank you. Launch Marshals and Winch Drivers. It’s that time of year again and Steve Kaszak is beginning to put the winter rosters together (see page 15). I understand from both him, Janet Birch (Chief Launch Marshal) and Bryan Hoosan (Chief Winch Driver) that there are less than 20 volunteers on each list; so less than 20% of the membership are contributing to launching the rest of us. This seems pretty low to me and so whilst quite a few do an awful lot rather too many kind of think that its’ not for them. Some, perhaps, because they only fly mid-week or are otherwise too busy. The problem is that unless we get more volunteers there could be days when we can’t launch, simply because we have no winch driver or launch marshal. So, if you are a solo pilot and not already on ANY of the Club rosters please consider the implications of continuing to not get involved. I’m afraid that includes those of you who are weekday only pilots; we need everybody’s help on Saturdays and Sundays if we are to spread the load more fairly. If you genuinely cannot do ANYTHING at weekends please at least help keep the runways and trailer parks useable by cutting the grass – someone has to and you just might free them up to go gliding too; after all, we all pay the same basic subscription. The next BIG THING of course will be the Gransden Regionals. The entry list is now closed (to enable the organisers to ensure that the facilities match demand). Have a good season, a great Regionals and see you at the launch point. Richard Brickwood, Chairman

Into the black If you lived in the world of KPIs, NPV, P&L and DCF as a gliding club treasurer, you’d be happy too. Andrew Hulme talks us through the club’s climb rate

embers will have noticed that, unlike the last couple of years, the sun has been shining on occasions and the treasurer even smiles sometimes! This has already reflected on the Key Performance Indicators for the month of May and the year to date. At the June committee meeting we discussed the figures which show:Aerotows for May - highest number for any May in the last five years - Year to date lower than 2004/5 and 2005/6 but better than the last couple of years Winch launches - second highest and only two behind the 2004/5 year which was best at 1029, Year to date - best for five years - noticeable switch towards winching from aerotows Total flying revenue - best May for five years, and best year to date for last five years Trial flights - highest number for May for last five years and significantly improved revenue with the swing towards aerotows rather than winch launches. Year to date well down on earlier years - reflecting many fewer trial flights over the winter Club glider hours for May - highest for five years, and a significant improvement on all years in the last five yesrs - 900 hours 2008/9 year to date , previous best 800 in 2004/5. Membership - increasing with a welcome return of some past members from long ago - and some new blood too!

Hanging on the telephone CGC The Phone never stops ringing....... I spent some time with Joanne in the office recently and the phone keeps ringing. Of course this is often very positive, voucher sales have gone well recently and the list of new members is impressive but............ and there is always a but, often these are calls from members with enquiries which could be handled in other ways. If you have landed out, remember that there is a landout phone in the clubhouse (01767 679 111) - which will

save disturbing Joanne or the weekend team, and save you the frustration of listening to the answer machine if she is not there. If you want to check whether there is flying, why not come to the airfield assuming there is flying - that way there will be enough people to fly, some pleasant company, and maybe some ground instruction (if you ask for it) should it not be flyable. If you really need to check first, why not check the web cam, or call 01767 679 111 instead? And if you need to check your account balance, check the website. It is mostly very up to date.Want to pay by card over the phone? Why not try internet banking - it really is the VERY best way for us, but otherwise that IS a good reason to call the office.Please help by trying these alternatives.

Keeping it in the family Members are sometimes confused as to how they can introduce personal contacts to gliding. Well, the good news is they do not need to incure the cost of a trial flight voucher. We have clarified and formalised this recently; here are the guidelines. Full Fying Members may bring gusets to fly at club rates but please do not abuse the priveledge. A couple of times per year per guest is fair. You definitely can’t get your mates solo on this scheme! The guest must also sign a temporary membership form marked “friends and family.” and their flight must be billed to your account. If you are not qualified to fly your guests you can still get membership rates by arranging for an instructor to fly with them. Please contact the office for a “trial flight booking slot” or turn up and take your chances. If you would like to organise a works outing that’s great but that would be charged at trial flight rates - currently £25 for the first winch and £12.50 for subsequent winches, cheaper if you arrange your own crew.

BUT There are still costs. A new heating system for the offices was £2000, the potholes need filling with £2,500 etc. How can you help? Member’s loans help the club hugely, so if you would like to make a loan, please contact me. Andrew Hulme, Treaesurer

New Safety Officer, Colin Cownden, has had an uneventful start and wants to keep it that way

t been nearly half a season since I took up the Flight Safety role and it’s already been an interesting time. Thankfully we’ve not experienced any major incidents – and long may that continue. However there have been a number of minor incidents that relate directly to flight safety. The issue of safety is not a glamorous topic and does not fill anyone with a great sense of enthusiasm but before you stop reading this piece and jump to the classified ads, just think what your attitude would be if we operated an ‘unsafe’ club. Would you still look forward to flying from Gransden if the aircraft were poorly maintained and the runways full of potholes? Would taking a winch launch fill you with dread knowing that the winch was on its last legs and had broken down more times in the last week than Roger Federer has won Grand Slam tournaments? How comfortable would you be sharing a thermal with another glider knowing that the instructors do not teach a good look-out? It’s for reasons like these that we must continue to improve on what is already a healthy safety record – so please read on. Field Availability At this time of year the crops are high and the number of suitable fields offering a safe landing is very low. If you are an inexperienced cross country pilot or one who has not landed out for some time, consider taking a flight in the Motor Glider with the express aim of going and looking at what’s out there. When setting a task, consider which ‘bolt holes’ are en-route, speak to more experienced pilots and always have an escape route in case the weather deteriorates. Familiarise yourself with the way different crops look as the season progresses – See Adrian Hatton’s web site http://www.field-landings.co.uk/ for information on this. Just to reinforce this point, a private glider was recently damaged whilst landing in a ploughed field with thankfully no injury to the pilot - it could have been different.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: On days like these one can forget the last two years. Editor and Verdier in Duo, 871 July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 11

Unrequited love but things that hold you wings in the pushing the sharp side of the hinge trailer) run effortlessly up and down into the trailing edge just as the rudder the length of the ugly box. They have is blown over to the right in a tail wind self lifting one piece tops with locks (PIC). This mod is easy. You glue a that secure it. What luxury. fillet of foam on the leading edge to But don’t be lulled into a false deflect the rudder to the left. sense of security by your new The Elevator. This control surface expensive ugly box. These are evil demands respect. I alarmed the UK mean machines with cobra venom Schleicher agent, Pete Wells, when and are waiting for any opportunity to strike. These are evil mean machines with Like a wheel up landings, cobra venom and are waiting for you know some day this contend that the main reason serpent will strike. Maybe any opportunity to strike people buy new gliders is because I have been unlucky but with it, they get a brand new shiny let me tell you of some trailer. The ‘plane is always in first of the stupid things I have done in on routine inspection he found that class condition with all the care and the hope that you evolve a checklist elevator actuator had been split. It lavish maintenance that is required to avoid these problems. I am not occurred to me that this potentially suggesting for one moment lethal cobra bite had occurred when that manufacturers of these I had closed the aluminium lid of my products are incompetent but trailer asymmetrically and it had hit some simple modifications this at right angles causing unseen built into the design would damage. Again this can be avoided if prevent most of the problems the vertical fin was self centred into that I and many other people the housing. (Pic) have experienced. There is also an AD on elevators The Rudder. I know that and trailers for Schleicher gliders. rudders are over rated as a If you restrain the actuator by the control surface but they can foam in the ceiling of the fin housing be useful from time to time instead of the horizontal surface of Open airbrakes can snag on hydraulic lifters on so you can imagine my horror the fin then it can cause fatigue of the the Cobra trailer when I arrived at the club whole drive train from the stick after to find some idiot had not prolonged journeys. by common sense and the by rules secured the fuselage strap and governing sport aviation. The trailer the trailing edge of the rudder is however a very different animal with was literally ‘trailing’ as it no love or care ever shown to its ugly had collided with the rear end features. No polish, no maintenance, of the trailer. The Schleicher few laws and no style. It is a beast of Agent tells me this is 5th such burden requiring no maintenance (who replacement he has done in ever heard of servicing a trailer?). As the last 2 years. The solution is obvious. I know that rudders are over rated Check the strap before you set as a control surface but they can be off. It need never happen Make sure the rudder is centred when putting the useful from time to time even without rails back into the trailer the strap if the a consequence these maltreated mules hard foam in the ceiling of the bear a grudge against the thing you vertical fin box actually pushed gently The Airbrakes. Forget to lock these most love - the glider within. down on the tail (not the elevator before you tow either on the ground or The new trailer has everything actuator) when the lid was closed into the air and you will have grief! you need to transport your mistress thereby keeping the tail wheel neatly They open whilst on the road and and look after her. Secure sway free secured in the recess. This would be neatly hook behind the hydraulic coupling and lights that work, a fail-safe even if you were so careless lifters as you open the lid causing good braking system, ramps that go as to forget the strap. (Pic) extensive damage. Not a pretty site. I up and down hydraulically and the Another good way to damage fortunately avoided doing damage but wing dollies (not the other mistress the rudder is to stow the ramp rails only just. The remedy is obvious: lock

You may have fallen in love with your new glider, but there’s no guarantee that a trailer’s jealousy won’t spoil a beautiful relationship. James Kellerman discovers that love hurts

GT 12

www.glide.co.uk July 2009

the brakes before transporting. It need not happen if the makers put small

Another project for health and safety

foam pads each side of the trailer to keep the brakes clear of the lifters. In storage I always leave the brakes unlocked to take the weight off the over-centre locks. The Wings. Many glider wings are secured by closing the lid over the trailing edges or special wing handling extensions. There is enough play in the lid hinges and the wing itself to allow the these not to locate and for

the wing to jump off the saddle and resistance as you mangle these. At least grind the leading edge on the floor the glider does not suffer immediately of the trailer. The solution here but it does harm the snake. is just as easy as the airbrakes. I received a painful bite the other It requires a larger V shaped day. Leaning over the cockpit, I put my gathering piece to centralise the foot on the hydraulic peddle release handles. Without this mod it is essential to visualise the engagement just as you close the lid. (Pic) I have also damaged the trailing edge of the wing extension on the sharp edge of the trailer. The Canopy. Unlatched canopies get damaged and this is perhaps the one problem that trailer makers cannot really be held to book. Larger “V” would help locate wing lifters Remembering to put the canopy cover on can help in this respect. The trailer. On a Cobra trailer it and it neatly crushed my big toe. The is possible to damage the aluminium only way to escape was to leave the locators on the lifting part by closing shoe and sock behind. Be warned. the lid on the wing dollies if they are parked all the way forward. The James Kellerman mechanical advantage of nearly eight metres means you do not feel any

STRICTLY CLASSIFIED

“No Capital Share” available in K6Cr currently in Transition and ready to fly in the next few weeks. Costs will be share of insurance and facility fee. Contact Colin Knowles 07867 973 940 Wassmer Espadon WA28 for sale Lovely to fly and knows its way round 300km flights. Reg: G-CJDX Hours: 1875 Launches: 1331 Glide angle: 38:1Year of manufacture: 1975 Max cockpit 78Kg Retractable carriage Instruments:ASI ,Altimeter, Varios Winter and Cambridge. Handheld radio connected to glider battery T&S Compass Price: £4500 Contact me on kjw42@cam.ac.uk

Enthusiastic A2 sixth form student about to choose a University course, would like one week work experience in fields close to chemistry, chemical engineering, material sciences, in Cambridge or surrounding area. Available 24 August for a week.Anyone able to help please contact Martin Hulme on 01223 812669 or martinhulme@hotmail.com FOR SALE: Hp 4700. Possibly the best screen resolution for a moving map. Complete and boxed though it does need a new internal backup battery. The main battery is good for two weeks without a charge. Offers, but looking for about £110. email: p.harvey207@ntlworld.com

Cambridge Data logger, GPS engine and display unit. Offers circa £400. Original price £1200. Contact Mike Woollard 07974-106190

Mountain High O2 system. Little used. Ideal for glider pilots and aspiring members of the five-mile-high-club. Would aslo help those suffering form heart disease, emphysema and other terminal lung conditions. Contact p.harvey207@ntlworld.com £500

July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 13

Meet our new CFI All DCFIs swear they will never take the next step. Richard Maskell just didn’t duck in time at the March AGM

he editor of this illustrious publication has asked me to say a few words after my election (?) as CFI. Thanking Rod for his five years in the harness seems an excellent place to start. When I became his deputy over five years ago it was on the express understanding that I wouldn’t do the CFI’s job in the future. Anyway that will teach me to keep my head down. Most of you in the club will know me, for those that don’t a brief history of my gliding career may amuse. I started in October 1977 as a fresh faced student with the Bath University Gliding Club, flying at Keevil in those days. I trained on the T21c and a Bocian, first so-

identifying likely candidates for BI or As Cat ratings and persuading them to do a course is one of my next priorities.

height having failed for years at Aboyne. “Tree climbing” with Nigel Palmer in a Puchacz was a great introduction to mountain flying. The next year we went to Sisteron where I fell in love with Alpine flying. The combination of fantastic soaring, stunning scenery and so much to learn makes this my favourite form of gliding. CFI (front seat) and Caitlin (friend of daughter, Zoe) I’ve entered the Gransden preparing for launch in Turbo Duo, 72 regionals a few times (there’s something very refreshing and persuading them to do a course is one about just being told where to fly) and rac- of my next priorities. Instructing is one of ing others round a task is tremendous fun, the best ways of putting something back giving much scope for reliving or forget- into gliding. Helping pilots progress is ting flights in the bar afterwards. very rewarding, plus it sharpens your flyI’ve been flying a Discus B “FFT” ing skills. Being CFI extends this to helpsince 1989 and have been lucky enough ing and supporting other instructors. to have a share in “72”, John Birch’s Duo Feel free to talk to me about any isTurbo for the last seven years. I really en- sues, concerns, or bright ideas when I’m joy cross country flying and specialise in at the club. If I’m frantically filling “FFT” taking off late, over declaring and grovel- with water and trying to fly cross counling back as the day dies. try please be understanding. Emailing me Being CFI is a rather strange expe- at richard@maskells.net is often the best rience, especially at first. I keep getting way as I have a memory like a sieve. asked to do things (like writing this, Ed) I’ve never done before like instructor ac- CFI’s Corner – the boring ceptance checks and making all sorts of but essential bits. decisions. Fortunately I have an excellent flying committee to bounce ideas off Notams - Robert Theil, Robert Welford, Robert If you fly P1 in any aircraft you must Bryce-Smith, and Colin Cownden. I see be aware of the Notams. If you are flying the CFI’s main responsibilities as over- locally then the duty instructors should be seeing flying safety and instructional stan- able to provide this information. If you fly dards. Day to day operation is delegated cross country it is your responsibility to to the duty instructors. So far I seem to check the Notams. It seems that the CAA have been doing the mundane stuff like are gunning for glider pilots at the morearrangeing the 22 launch point, review- ment and are likely to prosecute whoever ing the flying orders and wittering on next infringes permanent or temporary about Notams. airspace. I decided to stay on the normal weekend instructor’s roster which seems the Flying Orders right decision. I really enjoy doing the The flying orders have been revised “club evening instruction” on Tuesdays and are now available on the notice board during the summer. These, along with the section of the clubs website. Please take “Thursday evenings” provide pre-solo the time to download these and read the

loed in an aerobatic Swallow after about 80 flights – I believe it was originally built with no washout for Derek Piggot. 750ft auto-tow launches in a Swallow teach one to get away in the first thermal you run into. I rose to the giddy heights of University Club Chairman and ended up as the student member of the Bath and Wilts Club committee for a few years. While at University I was sponsored by Marconi Radar so I swapped between Bath and Chelmsford for four years. After writing to and visiting all the local gliding clubs I ended up joining CUGC as it was then in 1978, flying from both Duxford and Marshalls. I started instructing in 1984, doing a Full Cat rating a few years I keep getting asked to do things I’ve never done before like later. I enjoy flying from other more instructor acceptance checks and making all sorts of decisions challenging sites, having gliding holidays at the Long Mynd, Sutton Bank, training and early solo supervision in a sections relevant to you. I’ve reorganised Aboyne and Feshibridge over the years. relaxed environment. them so they are easier to read. In the late 80’s my now wife, Alyson, perMaintaining the number of instructors The best of the summer is here, enjoy suaded me to go flying from Aosta in It- in the club is a major issue, so identifying yourselves. aly, where I managed to get my Diamond likely candidates for BI or As Cat ratings Richard Maskell, CFI, CGC GT 14

www.glide.co.uk July 2009

Who’s turn is it anyway? Steve Kaszak gives us a reminder that the launch point needs manning in winter too

s I write this we are approaching the core of the thermal season, yet it is already time to start thinking about preparations for the winter. The rosters for the winter season are prepared mid August to give fair notice before their earliest duties in October. Around the time this copy of Gransden Times hits your mailbox, I will open the availability page on the rosters section of the CGC website. The availability page will remain open

the whole of either Saturdays or Sundays is fine, as long as you leave the other day as available AM and PM.). Marking yourself unavailable for all afternoons, or leaving large holes in your availability, skews the roster for your colleagues and as such is unfair to them. Special arrangements exist for university members who are away from the area for large periods of time around terms. If this affects you please mark yourself as unavailable at the times they are away, but please also drop me a quick email to explain, so I can stop the system simply packing the ‘missed’ duties into the time that you are around. The Launchpoint Assistant

GRL’s new launch point layout as seen by Peter Weston in Duo 871

until mid-August when the rosters are prepared. I’ll keep the Rosters website news page updated with timescales and progress nearer the time. As usual, I ask that you only mark yourself unavailable at times when you are actually unable to be on the airfield, and to not mark yourself as totally unavailable for afternoon duties (Blocking out

scheme announced last time around is now up and running, and I had positive feedback from the Launch marshals who have benefited from this extra help. Whilst the roster on the website has looked a little bare, it has been augmented by help from our Cadets on some of the apparently unallocated dates. A big thank you to some new members (you know who you are) who

have volunteered to be a part of this scheme, well before the time they would normally be approached to take part. For members who are new to the club rosters, there is a frequently asked questions page to the rosters section of the website that explains how the availability options should be used, and how to arrange swaps for duties that clash with other commitments. As usual, we are always in need of extra help on the launch point or winch rosters. If you are able to help and have been mysteriously overlooked by my talent scouts, please do get in touch. On the bookings front, the Motor glider bookings are now on the CGC website, and available for all member so reserve motor glider time. The motor glider does not come with an instructor, so if you need instruction or a check flight you will need to pre-arrange this with a suitable instructor (a list is on the website). Either the instructor or student can enter the booking. Recently the CGC website moved between physical servers, and I took the opportunity to make a small change to the URL for the Rosters and bookings section of the site. All of the rosters and booking systems are now found under http://www.glide.co.uk/ops/ or off of the Members menu on the main CGC website (click the orange url below, Ed). The old addresses that contained “/rosters/” still work, but you may like to update any bookmarks or favourites that you may have saved. In the near future I may also change the name above the door to reflect the increasing ‘Operations’ role that this section of the website is taking on. Steve Kaszak, Rosters manager rosters@glide.co.uk http://www.glide.co.uk/ops/

July 2009 www.glide.co.uk

GT 15

Home movies Good or bad, it’s always good to review your flights. Colin Cownden takes you through the club software for badge claims and to support your wild claims

n the past, downloading traces from the Club’s EW loggers was carried out using an Old PC located in the back office. This machine was so old that the version of Microsoft Windows being run almost predated a number of our younger members. The old PC has now been removed and the logger download facility migrated to the more powerful ‘NOTAM’ PC also located in the Back Office. This, including installing a floppy disk in to the new machine, something that does not come standard in modern PCs. The old machine made use of the DOS program ‘EWView’ to download and display a graphical representation (map and barograph) of the traces. This had the disadvantage of downloading traces in an EW native format (.EWT), requiring that the files had to converted to a .IGC format to be used for badge or ladder claims.

Although EWView is still availGT 16

www.glide.co.uk July 2009

able on the new machine, the recommendation is to use the newer EW Windows Uploader program. This downloads traces straight into .IGC format, however it does not display traces in a graphical format as before but do not fear as one of the advantages of the .IGC format is that it can be read by a number of flight analysis programs: TaskNav, SeeYou, IGCReplay etc. Traces can be saved to a floppy disk – there are quite a few stacked in

both pinned to the wall above the ‘NOTAM’ PC as well as on the machine’s desktop. We recently asked the BGA Office in which formats they preferred traces to be presented with Badge claims, the response came back that they are happy with floppy disks, CDs (but not DVDs) full size SD cards and any USB storage device that doesn’t need a special driver but unfortunately not e-mail. Trace Analysis. IGCReplay has been installed on the new machine mainly as it is a free application,

IGC FLIGHT REPLAY: Google plus IGC file enables trace analysis at CGC

the back office – or to your own USB memory stick. With the installation of this new machine there should now be no reason for anyone to take club EW Loggers home just to download a trace. This could just about be excused in the past as the previous machine was so decrepit but it did lead to other members not then having access to loggers as they sat in someone’s home until the next time they came to the airfield. Instructions on ! how both the Upload Program and IGCReplay can be used are available

however for quick display for a flight trace this is more that adequate and can be quite impressive as it displays the traces using Google Earth satellite data. By default IGCReplay starts displaying the trace in a ‘fly through’ mode attempting to show what the flight looked like from a cockpit point of view – even to the extent that it shows the sudden climb of the winch launch. The trace can also be shown in it’s entirety (as show above) as well a barograph mode which itself has several modes including showing the Speeds flown during the flight - this shows particularly well the inter-thermal speeds used during the flight. Colin Cownden.