Volume 32 No 1 Feb-Mar 1981.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

February-March 198195p

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Magazine of the BRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATION---------.~-ContentsEditor:Gillian Bryce Smith, 281 Queen Edith's Way.Cambridge. CB1 4NH. Tel. Cambr,idge 47725.Consultant Editors:Alan E. SlaterAika Harwood. 66 Maisemore Gardens.Emsworlh. Hants. Tel. 024-34 4580Subscriptions:Jenny Aorfe. Tel. Market Harborough 67084.Committee:A. W. F. Edwards (Chairman),M. Bird. F. G. trYingAdvertisement Manager:Peggy Mieville, Cheiron Press Ltd.,7 Amersham Hill, High Wycombe, Bucks.HP13 60. Tel. 0494-442423.Cover: John Delafield tool< this unusual tail view ofhis ASW-17, No. 66, at Bicester.6 Thermic Rotor H. M. Pantin8 World Glld'I'ng Championships M. R. Carlton9 The Cautionary Tales of Joe MentorSailplane News Rika Harwood10 Glider Radio C. Dews13 Kronfeld's Secret Variometer A. E. Slater15 L1l1enthalDiagrams W. E. Malpas16 Silver Dream in a K·6e Machine T. Smith17 A Load of Bull18 Knowing When to Say No R. D. Carswell19 A New British Tug R. G. Procter20 Instructors I Have FI'own P. R. Jay22 Overseas NewsSoaring Among the Vikings C. Ulrich23 Dorset Goes Dutch D. Neal24 TaU Feathers Platypus28 BGA and General NewsObituary - Grp CaptR. Goodbody J. DelafieldGliding Certificates30 Annual, Statistics32 Club News37 Service News40 Your Letters R. Harlow, W. E. Malpas, R. R. Rodwell, M. C.Fairman, C. A. P. Ellis, Valerie Carter (reply byEO), R. Jones (reply by A. W. Doughty), H. R.Dimock, A. E. Slater, J. S. Downes, J. J. Smith,D. Bedding, C. A. P. Ellis, D. Peacock44 Book Reviews J. S. Armstrong, Rika Harwood, GillianBryce-SmithFEBRUARY - MARCH 1981VOLUME XXXII No. 1Published by British Gliding AssociationKimberley House. Vaughan Way, Leicester. Telephone Leicester 51051Printed in England by Blackfriars Press Ltd., Smith Dorrien Road, Leicester.

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• J.~:;.~":~:~~~;,'fg!l~!tt~~:f'.·Fig J. lllcvrpvrated in the heading is a diagrammatic iIIustrativlI vfa ,hermic rotor.I was having a bad wave-day: that is, I wasn't getting any. I wasa fairly early sol'o pil0t. tlying an Oly 28. and a combination oflack of ain:mft penetration. inexperience and sheer bad luckhad caused me 10 miss the wave, three times nlllOing. Admittedlythe day wasn't the easiest. The bottom of the wave variedfrom about :\000 to 4000ft. and the lowesllayer of air, below themain temperature inversion. was thermic: the illstability brokeup the bottom of the wave. making the wave-lift itself difficultto recognise. and transforming the wave-bars into large, illdefinedareas of cumulus.On the way back from my third aerotow, having been droppedtoo low and too far back from the leading edge of the cloud.frustrated and depressed. I found a thermal, or rather it foundme. Four knots, nearly over the airfield, and still enough heightto play with. We 1'1 this isn't wave, I tfuought. only a poor substitute.but I might as well. tay off the deck.This thermal was strong. surging, with narrow cores and Ifound some difficulty in staying wj,thil. The ground wind wasstrong ,md I assunled that within a few minutes I would have toleave the thermal and tly Llpwind to regain the airfield. To mygreat surprise as 1 kept re-centring I remained approximately inmy original position over the airfield. After about 20min 1 lostthe thermal. couldn't find it again and assumed it had collapsed.1 came in and landed but in view ofthe observations recorded inthe rest of this article, 1 was prob.ably wwng to give up soreauily.May have wider application1 ought to say at Ihis point that al') of my ohservations onthermic rolor have been made in the area near RAF Dishforth,although they cover both the normal westerly wave off the Penninesand the mu..:h rarer north·easterly wave o~f the Clevelandhills. It may be. however, that these observations have a widerapplication.Rotor may he conveniently divided into th~ee types. based onthe soarahle qua'lities of the rotor, or lack of them. Taking th.elatter variety first. we have:(I) Negative rotor. This is lhe ordinary kind, very turbulentand gusty. wiln the downs bigger th,lIlthe ups. In a glider,you come down slowly or quickly, depending on the localconditions.(2) Positive tolor. This occurs when rotor merges with ,thelowest pari of the wave (in the zone of lift). The situationis still very turbul.ent and gusty, but the ups more thancancel the uowns. If you tly steadily into wind, easillgbaek 011 the surges and pressing firmly forward (withincreased speed) when the surges lIie, you will normallygain height and with any luck will arrive in the bottom ofthe wave itself within a few minutes.Cl) Thermic rotor. This occurs when rotor becomes involvedwith unstable air, somewhere between the ground and thebottom of the wave.The symptoms may be described as follows. Strong, surginglift - 6kt ,is typical - occms in narrow cores, often interspersedwith patches of sink; normally the sink is fairly heavybut less strong than the lift. The period of the surges is in theregion of I-Smin - they are vertical squalls, ra'ther than gustsbutshort-period turbulence ,is generally also present, and maybe s.evere. The cores vary rapidly, both in strength and position:however, repeated centring, and observati'Ofls on othergliders; show that the cores tend 10 remain in line same generalarea. say within a zone about one mil'e in diameter.Too long for ordinary turbulenceThe position of this zone is evidently determined by the airtlowpatterlil of the rotors below tne wave, and therefore by thewave itself, and ultimately by the obstruction causing the wave.The period of the sLlrges is too shont to represent the repeatedgeneration of thermals by a specific heat-source on the ground,and for that maller t00 long for ordinary turbulence. The processevidently consists of unstable air being dragged up on thewindward side of a rotor (see Fig I,), in the manner describedand illustrated in Alcide Sant,illi's excellent al'llde "Into Wavesfrom Thermals", in the book Advanced Soaring edited by John:loss.How can we be sure that thermic rotor isn't s,imply strong,well-organised posi(,ive rotor? First of al'l, thermic rotor occursmainly uuring spfing, summer, or autumn, when thermal effectswouId be expected: in fact, I cannot remember the phenomenonoc.curring during the winter (although I stand to be correctedabout this). Secondly, ordinary thcrmals mfty show a transitioninto thermic rotor. For example, on one occasion, I was thermailingat aboul 1500ft near Dishforth when a light westerlystarted up. As 1 gained height the thermal became surgy butincreased in strength. Fortunately I was well centred and continuedto gain heightl"apidly. At about 4000ft the lift suddenlybecame smoother. 1 lurneu into winl!, begun 10 S·turn andtloated up to 5700ft in gentle wave (one of the other pilots made10 OOOft!). From these and other similar observations, it seelllsclear that thermic rolor is n very distinct phenomenon nnd notsimply a Iype of positive rotor.The highest parts of the surges in thermic rotOr often reachthe same level as the lowest part of the wave. This obviouslymakes ilt possible to thermal into wave by using thermic rotor,as indicaled by Santilli. However. the actual' proCess of thermailinginto waVe raises a number of quest,ions, in particular forthe early solo pilot."How do I know it's real thermic rotor'? And what's more torhe point, holY on earth do 1 soar it? I'm tense and ratherscared. and I'm overcontrolling. ,I can',t centre p"~)perly, and6 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

Henry, a marine geologist in theInstitute of Geological Sciences(NERC), started gliding in 1965 inN'ew Zealand and since 1970 hasflown with the Hambletons GC atRAF Oishforth where 'he belongs to aPilatus 8-4 syndicate. He will berecognised 'by many as the 1976Mastermind contestant who won thefirst round with gliding as his speciality.Henry lost the semi-final withanother subject by one point.rm afraid of spinning out when I hit the sink. There's fourot,her gliders in this horrible thermal, and they rear up and downin front of me like yo-yos. I'm torn between wanting to stay up,and wanting to pretend I've losl it, and get away for some peaceand quiet!"The most important thing 10 remember is that in thermic rotoryou do have to be thoroughly switched on. Every bil ofairmalilshipyou possess may be needed to soar theJ:Jnic rotor safelyand successfully. With the rapid relative changes of position ofnearby gliders, combined with the difficulty of centring in thenarrow cores, the siluation is potentia'lly dangerous and a goodlook-out ioS absolutdyessential. Given this, the best method ofsoaring immediately after enter,ing thermic rotor is tothenna! itin the ordinary way, turning lightly with plenty of speed; easingback on the surges, pushing the stick firmly forward as youmeet the sink, to avo'id any pQssibil'ity of stalling or spinning.Re-centring must be done, of ,course, with due reg.ard to 'theexisting positions and the expected positions of nearby gliders.YOIJ will frequently lo,se an individual core but stay around inthe same area, watch the other gliders and you will almostcertainly find the lift again. Wl1en ,in doubt, press ioto wind.Persevere, keep soaring the cores as you find them and withany luck you will gradually accumu'late height. After a certainpoint, say 3500 to 4000ft, the lift may gradually becomesmoother. When this happens fly into wind and reduce thespeed somewhat. If the lift continues to be smooth you haveprobably contacted the bottom of the wave and yeu should thenbegin S-turning, or making small beats parallel 'to whateverground feature causes the wave in your area. If the wave-liftremains smooth, you have got away and can begin longer beatslocated 'by ground features, acc,otding 'to the \!Jsual method.The douds at the top of thermic rotor often occur in a seriesof rolls, moving downwind, but sometimes take the form of abap (= breadcake), circul'ar il'l plan but lenticular in profile. Ifany clouds belonging 10 these ltwo types appear above you ornear you, fly L1nder or ,alongside the leading edge.Thermic rotor issomet'imes arranged in streets, which mayormay not produce clouds. In such a case, the wave-connectioncan generally be found at the windward end of the street, andattained by pressing steadily into wind along the streets, circlingwhere necessary. Fig 2 shows the barograph trace of such aflight.Trace 0/ a reCl'm thermal·in/o-wave flight. made on October 4'. 1980. by IheoOlhora, RAF Disl,/orll,. in a Pila/lls B-4. Cllmlllll., anil[ractocllmallls, V. 10 %,base 3500-4000ji, lOpS reaching aboIl15000/1. Wind ObOllI310", fO-15kl. A) Raggedthermals ({allowing /I 2300/1 aeroluw). 8) Nearly/ell 0111 - rc'gained ullilude!Cl Prc·s.,ing inlo wind in Ihermic rolor.. IInder a clolld slreet towards a bllle lrole.D) Con,acled wuve "I windward el/d of clolld s,reet al /lballl 4000/1. ej Wavliclim!>. F) Topped 0111 al obolll 10800fl. C) Wave collapsed. probably dlle lu asligh' ve.er in 'he wind (rewuled by a Sll/bhle jire).So if you are dropped in the region of thermic rotor, insteadof being aerotowed s·traighl into the wave, persevere. Thermalas well as you can, press into wind and above all keep a good'look-out. As long as you can safely do so, keep trying, but don'tbecome so engrossed in the situation that you lose :the airfield orget too far away. One day when everything goes quiet with thevario steady on 4kt up and the mtor clouds diminishing bdowyou, the turmoil of lhe previous five, ten or twenty miout'es inthermic rotor will fade away, and you will find that thermallinginto wave is even more satisfying than bei'ng .aerotowed into it.Acknowledgements. I wOllld like to thank all those Disllforthpilots who conlribllte~1 to this article by discuss,ing their ownobservations of thermic retor; special thanks to Jill Poval" andRoger B'Urghall for reading ,through the text, and again to JiII forre-drawing Fig I. 0FSPECIALISED MOULDIH,GS LTDSTYLISTS, DESIGNERS AIND MANUFACTURERS N FRPANNOUNCE THE OPEN,ING OF THEIR NEW GLIDERREPAIR FACILITYFor years Specialised Mouldings have led the field in FRP styling, designand manufacture. Contractors to RoUs-Royce, British Aerospace, Ministryof Defence and M B B their name stands for high qual'ity, rel.iabWW andservice. Now, they are undertaking glider repairs to the same high standardsof quality and inspection, For more information contact PhiUp Hende.rson,our sen'ior BGA approved inspector, on 0480 53537, or call and see him atREDWONGS WAY, HUNTINGDON, CAMBSFebruary/March 198,1 7

WORLD GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPSM. R. CARLTON, British Team ManagerBy the time you read this, we shall be officially entered in the1981 World Championships with a four man team comprisingGeorge Lee in the Open Class, Brian Spreckley and BernardFitchett in the 15 Meter Flapped Class, and Andrew Davis inthe Standard Class. These last minute changes arise from heavailability of new aircraft, partiCtllady in the Open Class, and Iam delighted to say that, all things being equal, the Team asrestructured win be ,going 10 Paderborn with the very beslequipment available at this time.The move of Ahdrew Davis 10 Standard Class was madepossible by the provision of an LS-4 through the good offices ofDick Sergeallt of Speed Soaring Lld who has also done sterlingwork in making available DiHel air and ground stations for allTeam members to use at the Championships. I should like toextend my special thanks to Dick for his help.Glidimg is not the easiest of sports to "train" for, but Brianami Bernard! are fortunate in being able to compete overChristmas in the South African Nationals. Brian wiU have theopportunity of flying a new Ventus there, and of course themarvellous South African weather will afford them both thechance of getting in some really good gliding.Our other Team members are less fortunate on the trainingfronl, with George Lee doing a stint with the RAF in Germany,and Andrew Oavis up in Shetland, neither p'lace being particularlyrenowned for winter gliding. However, what they lack in,flying practice they will obviously make up for in austere living.It takes more than good pilots to win Wor,J(j Championshipsand I am pleased to report the addition of two very importantgr.ound staff to our team. Oave Patan has agreed to come along,no doubt suitably armed with sellotape and string, and, with hisreputation for straightening out bent gliders in double quicklime, he will prove a tremendous asset should anyone be carelessor unlucky. Of equal importance, we have secured theservices of Tom Bradbury whose replltation as our foremost"Metman" goes well before him. He is doinga crash course inGerman meteorology and should be as proficient in lheir cloudsand weather as he was at Chateaurollx after learning French.An encouraging response-_ ......- ......... _~_._--------Whilst setting pen to paper, I should like to thank everyonewho has helped in any way with our fund raising appeal. Theresponse has been most encouraging, and the Team FundAppeal now stands at £15 250. (By the way, if you haven't yetreturned your stock sheet, could you please let us have it assoon as possible.)In addition to the many club secretaries, club members andothers who have helped with the promotional items, a numberof people have made a noli

The Cautio-d"·1. A Nice,QuietBy MENTORThe evening air warm but placid, a good wire launch in the K-8and Joe setlles down to a nice, quiet circuit. It's his favouritetime of day. No sweat, no strain.He enters Ihe downwind: I~eg up beyond! the winch, enjoys thesmooth ride down past the launch point and turns over l.hefamiliar .dump oftl"ees onto crosswind, all!owing neatly for dr,ift.Filla'ls, a smoolh approach and a well held off landing. The littleglow of satisfaction. It reaUy is quite easy!And that's his problem! It's so easy that Joe doesn't evenhave to shift his brain out of neutral!Brain disengagedThere are lots of Joes around, doing hundreds of circuitswithout incident. But every now and then a J'oe gets caught outand can't find the menial gear shift. Hi,s brain stays disengaged!Joe's logbook shows that he took rather more than the averagenumber of flights to go solo. His progress was slow butsteady. He flew with most of the ~nstfuctors ill the club ,andwhen it came to circuits he was a pleasure to ":y with. He had anair for nice, qu'iet circuits.SAILPLANE NEWSToo quiet! Joe wasn't getting the attention he really needed.No one thought to see how he 'Would cope if his careful circuitplan was deliberately put awry. No one noticed that, in hisquiet self·effacing way, Joe alwa,ys drifted to the back or thetraining list and thus new mostly In the evenings. He avoidedthe rough, tough days ,and his ability to transform the unexpectedinlo the commonplace - his alrmanship - wasn'tdeveloped. True, he did the customary cable break practicesbut at such a large airfield he coped with these more or less byrote.But one day someone "up there" cheated and put a heftydown draught in his way jusl up beyond the winch and Joe.brain in neutral as had become his habit, didn't notice. Hebegan to feel a bit close to the ground as he went past the launchpoint but he headed on for the security of his favourite dump of'trees. He knew the way in from there, no problem. But hisfavourite trees reached up and claimed him and his nice smartK-8 became a bitsa!Joe wasn't hurt, not much, but was puzzled and a littleaggrieved at the unfairness of it all. Why, he had always donesuch good circuits! Everybody said so! 0Stall and spin behaviour is very docile and the machinerecovers immediately whell back pressure on the stick isreleased. The spring trimmer is effective from 35 to 92kt.The lOp surface spoilers, although adequate on the prototype,are to be improved on ilI'1e production machines. The Delphinhas, however, excellent side-slipping qualities.SFH·34 DelphinThe manufacturer Scheibe Sege'lflugzeugbau hope that with theSFH-34 they w,jl! provide an interesting competitor in the GRPtwo-seater market.Design philosophy centred on a light-weight, manoeuvrableand docile glider which would be easy to handle on the groundand not take up too much hangar space - a glider ideal y suitedfor training and dub use.According to a report by Gerd Stolle, who flew the secondprototype on a number of occasions, the flying characteristicsare excellent and the Delph,in handles like a single-seater whenthermalling. Rate of 1"011 (45 0to 45°) 4.5 seconds.With a low empty weight and IS.80m span groundhandling isan easy task for two people. The 'Iow line, oflhe fuselage and theside opening one-piece canopy makes access to either seatstraight forward and the seats offer a higll degree ofcomfort andare adjustable - the backs are also adjustable in fligh:t, as arethe rudder pedals.February/March 1981Tec'hnleal data:Span (m)Wing SectionWing area (m 2 )Aspect ratioWingloading (kg/m')Bes,t LID at 95km/hMin Sink at 74km/h (m/sec)VNE (km/h)Stall speed (km/h) approx----Smow:.:;E;;:LL__- ...........~LPLANES ~15.80Wortmann 61-18460-12614.81723.5-33.21 :350.725065SHEPLEY LANE, HAWK GREEN,MARPLE, CHESHIRE.Telephone: 061-4212488The Quali:fied RepairersCAA. "8" Lict:nce approval m al/marenalsB. G A Senior Inspecrion Approval, "E'" & "M" RatingPI A Approval-- all alrtrameso9

Fig 1 THE TRANSMITTERGLIDERRADIOCRYSTALOSCILLATORMULTIPLIERDRIVERMODULATORPOWERAMPLIFIER\J-3KHz +3KHz 1ICENTRE IFREQUENCY II6KHzBANDWIDTH [/COLlN DEWS, Chai'rman of the BGA Radio CommitteeFig 2With the introduction of 25Khz channel spacing in theaeronautical band and the almost certain probability thatduring 198 I the gliding movement will be assigned an additionalchannel (within the band 130.4-129.9Mhz) it willbecome increasingly important for us t~ use our radios efficienllyand responsibly.We shall need to consider very carefully how to make thehest use of the assigned radio channels and also make surethat our radio equipment is performing correctly.Perhaps the best place to start ,is at the beginning with somevery hasic radio principles before considering installations,licences. ccIII signs and procedures. This first al1ide hastherefnre been written for the reader with little or no knowledgeof radio.A Human Analogy. When we speak to each other as we sit inour living rooms oi· offices we use a system which is a'lmostanalogous to radio; wc create sound waves through our mouthswhich are modulated by the vocal cor,ds and the actions of thetongue (llld lips. These sound waves are transmitted through theair and a portion of this energy is collected by the ears of ourlistener. The ear drums detect the sound waves as vibration~and transmit these impulses .\0 the brain. The greater the distancebetween the speaker and the I'istener the smaller theenergy received by the ears of the listener.THE RADIO EQUIPMENTTile Transmitter. The radio transmi\ler is basical')y agenerator of h,igh frequency alternating current. This current isfed into aA aerial system eO:lbling the current to oscillate up anddown the aerial. The energy in the aerial produces an electromagneticfield which leaves lhe aerial in the forf,n of electromagneticwaves. We refer to this energy as the carrier waveand it can be likened (0 the flow of the air through the throat andmouth of a person speaking. In order to make the radio carrierwave carry intelligence, we need to modulate it with an electricalequivalent to our vocal cords. Sound waves used for telephoniccommunication cover 11 frequency range of approximately300 to 3000Hz and later we shal'l see the signiticance ofkeeping within this frequency range.(Hz is an

MIXERIF. FilTERINTERMEDIATEFREOUEHCVAUDIOAMPLIF1IiA DETECTOfl: "."-IFIEAFig 42nd RF AMPLIFIERIl3a:Fig 3iI has to select the "wanted" signal. it has to remain stable(exaclly on tune) and it has lo be sensitive ~ detecting signalsdown to one microvolt. If we tried to build a receiver as itstraighl VHF amplifier with a gain of several million it wouldsimply become unstable ,and regenerate (HOWL). The methodused to overcome t,hese problems is to change the frequency ofamplification to a lower order where all t.he circllils can beoptimised for gain and stability. This is achieved by mixing alocally generated signal from a very stable source - a crystalwiththe incoming wanted signal to produce an intermediatefrequency signal which is significantl:y lower i,n frequency thanthe received signal. This is the principle of the SuperHeterodyne receiver (Superhet) and it is almost exclusivelyused in communication receivers,. In some VH F communica·tions, receivers where ex,treme selecli'vity (rejection of the adjacentchannels) is required, the fl'equency is changed twice toproduce a double Superhet.In the receiver diagram, Fig 3, the input from the aerial,which contains both wanted and unwanted signals, is applied toone or two stages of amplification, each one being "tuned" toallow only a narrow band of frequencies around the "wanted"frequency to filter through.Radio Frequency Amplifier Stages. As an example, if ourrecei,ver was designed to receive 130.4MHz, the first radio ~requencyamplifier may have a response curve with Cl band widthof 5MHz. See Filg 4.The second radio frequency amplifier reduces this bandwidthto approximately IM Hz, giving a respQltse curve with muchsteeper sides and also amplifying the signa3 many times beforeapplying il to what is termed the mixer stage.Mixer. The mixer stage has two inputs, the incoming signalfrom the RF amplifier and a signal! which is generated by thelocal crystal oscillator. The two signals "beat" together in themixer andtne Qutput contains not only the or.iginal pair of frequenciesbut two new frequencies which are the sum and thedilTerence of the original pair, This effect ,is demonstrated f"equenl!ywhen we listen in on our gliding channels and hear twoor more transmissi'ons simultaneously - the howls, whistlesand groans are the' 'audio difference" frequenc,ies of the incomingsignals.In this examp1e the intermediate frequency chosen isIO.7MHz which is fairly common in modern VHF receivers.If our radiowas arranged to receive 130.4MHz the local crystaloscillator may operate at 39.9MHz and its oulput mulliplied byx3 to produce an input to the mixer stage of 119.7MHz. Thislocally generated signal when mixed with the incoming signalfrom the RF amplifier of 130.4MHz would produce 250.I'MHzand IO.7MHz. Because of the significant difference in freQuency between these signals it is rdatively easy 10 select thedesired intermediate frequency (IO.7MHz) and apply this signalto a very selective filter.February/March 1981J:1 MHZi.FREQUEN,C~~f----- 5MHz -----1~The Intermediate F,requency Filter. This fi:Iter is designed topass only a narrow band of freq,uellcies around IO.7MHz. It ,isconstructed of six or eight tUlled circuits with individual staggeredrespoAses as shown in F,ig 5. The net result is a filter withINTERMEDlAl'EFREQUENCY FILTER CURVEIIIII "I I,II ~I ,I " ,I I , '\1 '\/ ,I \./

esponse curve should have verticill sides with all abrupt cut offat the base. In practice. the base of I'he response curve of thefilter has a "skirt" spreading the bandwidth a '~lIntlher J or 4KHzwith exponelltially 'tlecreasing gain.In effect a 'long "skirt" on the filter response curve. increasesthe probability of strong unwanled signals being acceptedbecause once tliley have passed through the filter even at a lowlevel of gain they will be ampldied hy the following stages of thereceiver. This point wi,1I become significant to users, of oldertype equipment particularly where the local a,irfield ATe hasbeen lIssigned an adjacent channel. (At the new 25KHzspa6ng), IJ'l this context glider folk who continue to lIsereceivers designed for operating on the 50K Hz channel spacingmay expect some interference from local stations as describedabove because the I F filter band width may in some cases bewide,.Tlle Intermediate Frequency Amplifier,. So far we have convertedour incoffi,ing signal of IJO.4MHz with all its speechcharacteris,tics in the form of side bamls into a lo'wer frequencysignal of IO.7MlHz. which contains the same side band characteristics.After the fiher, this signal is applied to a series ofpre-tuned amplifiers which are ,individwally fully screened anddesigned for optimum gain and 'bandwidth. The output is del'iveredfrom these amplifiers to a s'tage call1ed a "detector" ord~modulator.The .Detector. This stage simply removes one half of the moo,IIation envelope completely and filters off the now unwanted10.7MHz intermediate c,Jrri~r frequency as sh0wn in Fig 7. TheFig 7llDll VDETECTORSTAG&OUTPUTSPEECIiI SIGNAl:.+ DC COMPONENTTO OPERATt! A.O.CAND MUTEaudiosignal is then passed to an audio amplifier which enel:g,isesthe loudspeaker.Automatic Gain Control. Various refinements are ,incorporatedill the receiver such as "automatic gain control" and thisis achieved by taking some 0f the detected signal and convertingit into a "negative" bias which can be introduced to the earlierstages of RF' and IF amplification. Strong and very strong signalsare therefore automatically t:educed to a comforlable levelwithout signi,ficantly reducing the sensitivity of the receiver toweak signals.Noise Limiter. This consists of a circuit which w,ill pass up to,bU'1 not more than, a certain amplitude of signal and it effectivelysuppresses pulse type interference such as that caused byignition systems on vehicles or aircraft.Mute or Squeleh. Because there are many stages of gain in thereceiver an inherent "noise" is generated which may result inan irnitating hiss from the loudspeaker. This noise is worsenedby the effect of very we

KRONFELD'S.SECRETVARIOMETERA. E. SLATERDoe Slater took ll,e.e piClllre. ofKronfeld andhi. erew on August 6. /928.In his article in the October ,issue (p228) on RQbert Kronfeld'sclandestine use of a variometer, Peter Riedel suggests that :thiswas firsl done on August 6, 1928, when Kronfeld made an .out·and-return flight in cloud Itft from the Wasserkuppe to Himmeldankberg.and back, nine miles in all, "without the benefit ofs'lope currents".I was present at the time Oil my first visit to a GermanNational contest. I watched him for over an hour and tookphotographs, but missed ;;eeing his actual departure. As to"without 'benefit of slope currents", he certainly took precautionsto see that they 'lifted him as high as possible towards theclouds. On a promonlary called "Pferdkopr' his team wereassembled with an anemometer on a pole. Whenever they sawKronfetd approaching' overhead, somebody would read thewind speed in metres per seco.nd, the team leader would chalk iton a large sheet of metal and hold it over his head, and the restof the team would lie down head-to-foot to show the precisewind direction. Several cumulus clouds came over, with eachone's base covering a large area under which he wandered hereand there, but I never noticed him performing circles at al'l, letalone tight ones. This does not suggest that he was using avariometer. He returned to the Wasserkuppe against ,the windunder a -cloud street, though he says he deviated a little to oneside now and then in search of better lift, so he must have usedeither his altimeter or a variometer.Fittings not food?---------'--.---------Regarding Peler Riedel's slory that Kronfeld carried his variometer10 his glider in a bag, the version I heard on the Wasserkuppewas that he carried the vacuum flask openly passing iloff as his coffee, and the bag with the rest of'lhe fiUings wouldthen be assumed to contain food.As to the double glide across the Channel in June 1931, it isodd that Kronfeld should have chosen this occasion to telegraphthe Askania firm to say how well their variometerworked, because be had no occasion 10 use ,it. Even when hecrossed the French coast in fading 'light on his return journeyand had difficulty in lfinding St In,glevert in lhe dusk, theAskania could not have helped to keep him up while he lookedfor it because there could have been no thermals at thatl;ate hourand anyway he said it was too dark to read his instmrnents..Many German pilcts, says Peter Riedel, could not afford tobuy variometers so had to go without. The cost at that time wasthe equivalent of about £14: I remember the figure because Inearly got around to buying one for the London Gliding Club,whQse members seemed never t.o have heard of the thing, letalone realised its importance.As to Dr Lippisch"s offer to invent a variometer for Kronfeld,aOer telling him he ought to have one, I have read this jnan article by Kronfeld which I cannot now t!'ace. But it is hardFebruary/March 1'981to believe that, if Lippisch had invented one, he would have letKronfeld keep it a secret instead ofoffering the invention to theWhole gliding fraternity.Regarding Wolf Hir h's possible use of a variometer in hispioneer thermal fljght across country from Elrni.ra in October1930, his account makes no mention ofa variometer, tholJlgh hementions tile circling technique which he pioneered. He says hefound his first thermal by getting directly underneath anotherpilot who was far above everyone else; his next one by going towhere birds w.ere circling, and his last two by feeling a suddenupward heave ..-----'------------------------Not such a long intervalAs to Kronfeld not mentioning variometers in his book publishedin 1932 four years after his Himmeldankberg flight, theinterval was not really so long; in July 1930" when he demonstratedto Ithe then Prince of Wales, he showed ttle Prince somediagrams he had already drawn for his "forthcoming" bookFinally, I agree with Peter Riedel that, in t.he interests ofhistory, the shortcomings of those who helped to make It, inwhatever activity, should not be for ever suppressed. As PhilipWill's used to say, "You don't have to be loopy in order to glide,but it helps". Such loopiness can ta'ke many forms, some ofthem hard~y publishable in the loopy one's :liJetime; yet I feelwilh him that quilrks of character which helped to mould thathistory shoul'd not for ever ~o unrecorded. How about writingthem up and putting tbem into a sealed envelope 'Iabe'lled "Notto be opened for x years"?Since writing the above, I have had a letter from Dennis Dawsonof Goring on Thames, referring to mention of a variometer,in the book Gliding and Sailplaning by Fritz Stamer, then headof the Wasserkuppe GI,iding School, and Alexander Lippisch,designer of a series of gliders and sailplanes from the Zoglingtrainer of 1926 to the Sao Paulo in which Heini Dittrnar won thefirst International Contest of 1937. This is a translation ofHandbuch fUr den Jungfiiegu published in Germany in 1929,and in a final chapter on instruments Lippisch mentions "aso-called variometer" that indicates ascent and descent and "ismuch used in balloons" but is "large and unwieldy and fails toregister immediately". Yet he does not add a word about ,theneed for such an instrument to register lhe actualt rate of ascentor descent, so it is impossible ,to believe that he had alreadyinvented such an instrument for Kronfeld the year before. Hemighl not even have realised the need for such a refinement,since Wollf H irth had not yet flown the world's first crosscountryin dry thermals; and Professor Georgii's 1923 book onsoar,ing meteorology, then still current; stated Ithat thermalswere too narrow and too weak to be used by sailplanes.A letter from R. Boyd of Preston points out that Kronfeld13

does mention a variometer in his 1932 book, Kronfeld on Glidingand Soaring, p2,s1, where he advises the reader on buying asailplane and what instruments 10 put in it. The book came outin mid 1932, my cop.y being bought on Augusl 8.v,ariometer, but I have searched the book and cannot find thepassage.111 ,the I'ong article Peter Riedel states that many pilots at the1928 RhOn Contest gained height by circling, suggesting thatTwo c,orrespondents have commented on a varimneter they had variometers; including Edgar Dittn;ar who pur up adescribed in S&G for February J, 1933 (the first number I ever world's altitude re\:ord of 715m. But I was there and saw noedited) by its inventor Vul all V

LILIENTHAL DIAGRAMSWILLlAM MALPASPerhaps we look forward to the Arm-Chair Pilot's articlesbecause he shakes oIJr complacency in revealing unsuspecteddifficullies in apparently silinple problems. He tnen proposessolutions and explanations. simpte and e'legaill, mercifullywithout mathematical fOflllul'ae. But best of all, he relates theseexplanations to praclica,1 flying.For example, the dilemma of Wa'lkdell's unfortunate slopesoarer of 1912, who finds himself goi.ng backwards over the topof the hill at zero ft agl. There must be ;imprudent hang gliderpilots who have had this experience.In the same article (S&G, Oct 1980, p218) he suggests thatIhe first person to draw a polar curve was F. W. Lanchester(1907) but wonders, innocently, whether the polar can be tracedfmther back. Of course it can. but as far as I have been able todiscover. nol in the form which Lanchester used and which hasalso been widely used in the analysis of sailplane performance.Polar curves were used by alto Lilienthal, some of whichwere published in Der Vogelflug als grundlage der fliegekunst(Berlin 1889) to illustrate experiments with flat and camberedairfoils. Here is an example of two of his polars, drawn for ac

_______ ------------1/,I~_~....~==DE8=.~~~ .. TOM SMITH ~~~.,STRATFORD ON AVON GLIDING CLUB&~ MCH~Il's 1230hrs, Thursday, June 24. A ridgeof high pressure lies over the countryand the sky is dotted with small cumulusclouds. The plan is simple, to fly fromLong Marston to Husbands Bosworthfor Silver distance and remain airbornefor five hours· to complete my Silver C.There is an .ab-initio course this weeksodub members must wait for launches.Finally, at 1309, after three other durationattempts have been launched, it'smy hlfn for a bumpy aerotow to ISooftover Bickmarsh where I release. After afew turns in a rough 3kt thermal I noticethat the club T-21 is outclimbing me, so Igo and join him in an exhilarating Sktclimb ,to c10udbase at 420Oft. With onefinal look back at the .airfield I cu t theInvisible string and aim my K-6E towardspastures new.Cruisil)g at 60kt belween the bubbling4kt thermals, Stratford soon passesbeneath my pori wingtip and 15min laterI'm looking down on Wellesbourne airfield.Taking care 10 avoid BirminghamSRA and to keep below Daventry eTA,I head on towards the 300ft chimney atSoutham, and at 1345hrs I'm lookingright down it. W,ith my next two landmarks,Draycote water and Rogby,clearly in view I "press on" towardssome good-looking cumulus ahead.As I ~Iide under the sixth cloud itbeg.ins to dawn ·on me that something'svery wrong - not one of these clouds isworkiIilg and wherever I fly thNe's just asteady 4kt down. Then it clicks -thismust be the notof'ious sink-hole I'vebeen warned about, so once again I"press on", soon to have my confidencein c1'oud reading restNed by'U steady 4ktthermal over Rugby.Back at cloudbase over the Ml, I cansee the "barrel" of machine-gun lakepointing towards my goal-I've done it!I arrive at the Coventry GC's site after65min Hying at about 60km/h - now forthe remajning four hours. Is it really thatlong? That's more than my previouslongest flight and I'm sure the weather ,islooking weaker - time to get high andstay high.Still a lot to learnA sudden whoomph, then 2kt, 4kt andfinally 6kt all the way to cloudbase tellsme that I still have a lot tolearll aboutglidi,ng meteorology! Flying round localtriangles (rom Kettering to Market Harboroughto Rugby takes up anotherl¥ihrs -let's see, that leaves just 2Y

A LOAD OF BULL"A reluctant gliding correspondent" tells ofa wager which doesn't makehappy reading for vegetarians or anyone concerned about cholesterol.Landing in a field is bad enough. Landingin a field full of cows is worse. Butthe ultimate folly' must be to land in aScottish field, in a tasty Skylark, whenthat field is already occupied by a largebrown and white bull who fancies achange of diet.Such was Chris Rolling's predicamentduring ~he Kitty Comp at Portmoak.FOrlunately glider pilot's are not easilyintimidated and Chris is no exception.Climbing boldly from the cockpit, helooked Angus straight ,in the eye andasked him politely to withdraw. Anguslooked back inquiringly at this SassenachIcarus and unde~erred continuedto nibble a wingtip. Delicious.A practical man!What would have become of theScottish Gliding Union's aircraft had notthe farmer turned up at this moment isdifficult to say. Fortunately farmerMcTavish is a practical man. He assessedthe situation at a glance, promisedassistance and disappeared, only toreturn in the fullness oftime (and severalinches of aileron later) with a long stickfrom the end of which protruded a sixinch nail.Thus armed; and no doubt ponderingALL GLAsS FIBRE TRAILERS NOW AVAILABLEAT £1800 - WITH FITTINGS101 and 202 IMPROVEMENTS ARE1. Single piece canopy2. Automatic self-eonnecting elevator3. Sprung undercarriage4. Kestrel type spring trimmer5. Wheel brake on air brake lever8. New cOnsole nearer to pilot7. Brake and flap levers nearer pilot8. Water ballast new valves auto connectAUSTIN AVIATIONSole Glaser·Dirks UK distributor122 MAIN STREET, STlLlINGTON, NrYORKY061JUTelephone EasingwQld 810255Chris Rol/ings facing the first piece ofAngus with aphoto of the bull in the background. Picture: MikeCarlton.the advances of modern technology inthe field of cattle control, Chris proceededto thwart Angus's attempts atsampling the tailplane pending the arrivalof the cavalry. On reflection, Mike Carltonand the motley crew who arrived torescue Chris do scant justice to the termcavalry - that brave body of men whoslew the Redskin, persuaded the Con-New: Glaser-Oirks DG-101 and 202The wingspan of the DG-202/17can be extended with specialinsertable wing tips for a new17 m wingspan. S.ame max.speeds, max. TOW and flap settingsfor 17 m flying as for ,thenormal DG-202. Max. L:D 1:45.Latest news:DG-202/17 available with carbonfil)re wings. Please ask for theDG-400 glider with retractablepowerplant just under .development.Versions availableDG-100 Version 101DG-100G Version 10100-200 Version 20200-200/17 Version 202DG-200/17 C(Carbon fibre Version 20)For repairs contact Austin Aviationor R. L. McLeanTal: 0302 155861federates to abandon UDI, and are forevergalloping over the borizon at the lastminute on BBCI ... I digress. AITivethey did, rescue Chris and the Skylarkthey did, and then occurred the betwhich is the real subject of this interminabletwaddle.Was it possible?After the usual exchange of pleasantriesbetween a glider-pilot-stuck-'in-atield-with-a-bulland a glider-I'ilot-turnedcrew-on-the-right-side-of-the·fence-whofinds-comedy-in-the-situation,Mike andChris got round to discussing Angllls. Bigbrown and white Angus. Big edibleAngus. "You couldn't eat a 'bull thatsize." .. Bet J could," "Bet youcouldn't." "Bet I could.t. "How longdo you reckon it would take you?" "Eatthe whole lot in less than a year," "Betyou couldn't." "Bet I could." "In lessthan a year? How about raw?"·" Bet Icould - in less than a year, and raw.""You're on." "How much?"11 Free" meat!So there it was - the wager. Mikewould buy Angus and Chris would eathim, raw, within a year. If Chris succeeded,Mike would pay £500 to the BritishTeam Fund (a noble cause) and afurther £500 to Chris (a less noble cause,probably with chronic indigestion). IfChri~scotTed the lot in less than a year,then a sliding scale ofpayments designedto de,ter Mike from making other suchbets in the future would Come into force.If Chris failed to consume Angus withinthe year, he would pay .£500 to the BritishTeam Fund.In due course poor Angus, whose onlycrime was being in the wrong place at thewrong time, was butchered and hisdeep-frozen remains brought to Bookerin neat little parcels. With due pomp andceremony, and not a little alcohol, at aparty in the clubhouse on November 22,Chris ate his first plate of steak tartareand so began a task more daunting, somewould say, than that embarked upon bythe unwitting Angus when he first bitthat Skylark in a Scottish field.There must be a moral there somewhere.February/March 1981 17

KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NODEAN CARSWELLOnce upon a time many years ago, therewas a gliding club so sma'll and so poorthat its only flying as,set was an agedT-21 (or perhaps bits of two or three,consideringils lopsided manner of flying)which was operated from a lonelymoor. This lack of facil,ities was, however,more than compensated by theenthusiasm of its small and faithful bandof members.~.. ~_... ;: \ ---;~- ...,,-lWiftChl ...BO-G --; /;.k.'Off ~~)~... ~ \.Iancling, mound .~l~ ~--, ~ '~.~~._~.~~.,/_. ~>l(,&.0 AircrafthutA few words of description of the siteare in order, When described as a moor,it perhaps does not demonslrate ,the factthat it was a heather bog with outcrops ofrock joining two small mounds of firmerground Iyi,ng about one thousand yardsapart, in an east-west direction, one usedfor the winch and the other as the launchpoint. Any journey between the tworequired use of waders, and any landingother than on one of the mounds meantcertain damage to the aircraft. Thelaunching cable was pulled out by a smallretrieve winch. The mound ut the eas ern launch. point was the shape of anupturned spoon, about U)() yards long, 50yards across alils widest point and 15fthigh at the centre with a rough surfacewhic,h just about permitted the T-21 toland without harm. The T-21 I'ived in avery small hut adjacent [0 the southernedge of the mound, and was riggedbefore (lying each day.My experience with this site was fairlybrief, and started through a plea for hdpfrom the club for an instructor. The CFIwas heaviJy commilled with his professional,activities, and (perhaps wisely)rarely came near the site. He emigratedto Australia very soortly after the eventsdescribed. The only time I saw him wasthe first time I wenl along when I had mycheck flight,. and was left to get on withit. It was immediately obvious that noab-initio I'ilo,t was ever going to go onfirst solo from the site.. Every touchdowninvolved arriving at the same spot withthe sort of p~ecision that I imagine aPnanlom pilot requires to catch the thirdarrestor wire on his aircraft carrier ahUl1dre,d times oul of a hundred. To befair to the club aodits members. considerablecare was lavished on the equip-18ment, and Ihe cable was meticulouslyexamined each day before flying. So fm;as I kflOW, there had never been worsethan minor damage to the aircraft,caused by stones, during the whole timeof operation from this site. Old membershinted darkly that their previous site, acow pasture, had been altogether tooshort .and sloping - the imaginationboggles!Tile club had some difficulty attractingnew members, and in an attempt to gainwider publicity, a joumalist from a localnewspaper had been invited along on thisparticular day, accompanied by thejunior photographer. The first couple ofhlU'nches were uneventful, but the thirdhad to be discontinued about two thirdsof the way up as the winch succumbedto an acute attack of asthma.A little apprehensiveThe fourth tlig'ht was for the local pressman,;having been fully briefed by theclub Ohairman, he was now ready to seefor himself. All the club membersgathered round, anxious Ihat only goodPR was going to be generated. On theother mound the winch could be heardsnorting in the distance. At Ihis point,. Iwas dislracted fmm my concerns andintroduced to the pressman as the localexpert who wou'ld fly him round. Itquickly became apparent Ihat the 4ft II inrepresentative of the· fOUl"lh estate wasnot just a little apprehensive - he waspetrified to the exlenl that his kneeswere literally trembling. As a consequence,about nine-tenths of the pre-flightbriefing was concerned with reassuringthe unfOrtunate passenger that nothingwould go wrong. and even if it did, everyeventuality (including launch failure) hadbeen calered for.Around the time my passenger wasfirmly strapped into the T -21 someonesaid that the winch driver thought thew.inch was OK. Full of hearty encouragementand enthusiasm, and concernedles't my passenger collapsed with nervousexhaustion in mere anticipation ofhis ordeal, I quickly had the cableattached and commenced the launch.Sounds of encouragement to pressman- all out -initial g,entle climb. As theaircraft rotated into Ihe full climb, mypassenger let out a scream followedalmost immediately by total failure of thewinch and removal of' encouraging grinfrom local expert.The ai'rcran, I suppose, was at somewherebetween 150 and 200ft wilh ap,ilot. for once, speechless. The onlycoherent thought remaining was thatwhatever I did the aircraft was almostcertain to gel broken - so al least Imight as well break it where the walk toIhe "hangar" was shortest, hack on thetake-ofT mound. This e:lucidation ofHobson's choice led, in less time than ittakes to say, (passenger now just groaningfeebly) to a sloppy chandelle and theaircraft going downwind aiming for lhegap between the mound and the hangar.By this time, the suicidal tendencies ofthe ,pilot had been grasped by the 20 or sosupporting cas,t waitililg on the mound,who proceeded to run in every direction.We arr,ived opposite the hangar pointingdownwind, about 10 or 15ft abo,ve theground. A left turn as steep as I daredwithout stubbing the winglip on theground brought the T-21 on to a northerlyheading, level wilh the top of themound. Nothing could stop the aircraftgoing right over the top and nosingslraight i-nto the bog at lhe bottom of themound.The slowest spectator just moved outof sight of the corner of my eye behindthe winglip as we came over the lop of,the mound. Then it happened. Suddenlurbulence and just sufficient lift to raiseIhe aircraft three or four feet up - presumablythe north-west wind was justs,trong enough to provide a little hill lift.Head in his handsNeeding no second chance we executeda final flat turn to the left and succeededin bringing the T-2 I1 10 a standstill bymisuse of the nose skid, a few yardsshort of the west end of the mound andbog. I then remembered my passenger,who had completed the second half ofthe flight with his head in his hands, missingIhe best part, and tried ,to convincehim that really, every even'tual,ity hadbeen thought of, and H was all free fromrisk, just as originally promised.Turning to the purpose of this articlethere are a number of object lessons cryingout to be learned. Never was· ,there abetter example of the need to h~lVe ac1ear,ly thought out plan to cope with a'launch failure - and that was not necessarilyturning instan,taneously downwindin a situation where the only sensib'lelanding place might make a downwindlanding preferable. Secondly. it makesSAILPLANE & GLIDING

no sense a't all 10 have your only landingarea covered with obstructions, humanor otherwise. Thirdly, the point is clearthat tnere are ,places where, if you mustgl,ide, it is essential to have from the outsetstringen1 safety rules and procedureswhich are observed every time. Whichbrings me to tme final j)oint- ev,en if youfly from the best orgalli,euJ facility in thecountry. there wi)') one day come thetime when, regardless of the forces makingyou press on, you must say no - putthe glider back in the hangar. If it isrelevant, people will respect you more ifyou do. 0ANewBritiShRQY G. PROCTERP"lrel on her maid"n flighl al Lasha", in NOI'e",!>", ",i,h Royal Ihe (·o/1/ml... Photo: Nick HI/Rhe,'.Some re.aJers will remember the Kittiwakeglider lLIg which I developedjointly with Kit Milchell some years ago.A more practical two-seater was beingJeveloped hut we ran out of moneybefore irt flew. As part of the activityleading up to the Royal Aeronautic31Society's lighl aeroplane design competition.I was asked to read a paper to theSociety sellillg l.lut our experience ofallempting to initiate production. This Idid ("How we done it", Aerospace.December 1977). At the end of thatevening I was approached by Mr AlanNash and as a result he has taken on thewhole project under the name of NashAircraft.Mr Nash's engineer,ing firm has proviJeJnew factory space for aircraftbuiltling and cons1ruction of the prototype."Petre') " rc-started. DaviJ Kenl.well known in gliding and light aviationcirdes and the present owner of Kittiwake.was retained to underta'ke them(ljor part of remaining constHlction anddesign clleck,ing with the assistance ofother draughting and cons1ruction help.The result was s'hown at Farnborough inSeptember hut additional work wasrequired before Petrel was fit for flight.The C AA isstlcJ a test permit for Petrelt)/l November 7. I')gU. and Imade thefirst flight at Lasham the next day. Atthe time of writing we have about 10hrsflying and a\'1 is going well. We haveretained the good features of Kittiwake.Excellent ,I'll round vision. good handlingand excellent llaps. Many improvementsanJ simplilic(ltio'/ls have also been made.In panicubr the long wheel base tricyclelanJing gear is giving excellent hanJlingeven on Lashalll's very bumpy grass.Lycoming engineCharlle"s taken up hang gliding.February/March 1981By Mike Spencer.The Petrel prototype has a 160hpLycoming ,engine and can take a 180 ifrequired. It is intended to fully certifythe Glircraft to ('AA requirements and assoon as we have ca,rried out el'lOugh flyingto he sure no major changes arerequireJ. a small production batch willbe put down for sale.I hope a full report on Petrel will beincludeJ in S&G in due course. Rightnow wc are all recovcFing from theamazement of lIctually gelling a new aircraftin the (lir. moreover one whichlooks £IS though it has a uscf.ul future.Any linquiries should be addressedto Nash Aircraft, Tntding Est3te,Farnham. Surrey.NB. On going to press we heard fromRoy that materials are being ordered fora first production batch of five aircraft.D19

INSTRUCTORS I H,AVE FLOWN -Advice for Ab-initiosPAUL R. JAYFirst ImpressionsI clearly remember taking up my firstgliding instructor. He was a very promisingcandidate and displayed such acomprehensive understanding of thetasks involved, that I felt safe in lettinghim perform the whole flight. I must confessto being a Ilittle apprehensive as helined up for his approach, bUI carefullyconcealed my anxiety lest it shouldundermine hIs confidence at this earlystage. On our second flight together, Iwas able to impart some of my ex,tensiveunderstanding of secondary effects ofcontrols, whilst .apparently demonstratingthe primary features of the same. I'mpleased to say that my protege copedwell with the artificial difficulties and hassince progressed! to the bigher echelonsof BGA instructors' instructors.ConversationEver since those early days, manyopportunities have allowed me to showoff my model "spot the hidden mistake"flying, and the responses of the varioussubjects have been interesting and attimes colourful. For example, an excellentway to promote lively conver-sationwith the pilot behind' you Is to set'ecl anaiming point some 50ft underground, butbe on your guard, for ifhe is wise to yourtechniques Ihis can develop Into a gameof "chicken" and seriously impair tliJerellalionship between studenl amiinstrwctor. Unfortunately tbe beauty andspontaneily ,of some of these "crisiscomments" are frequently lost to thesound of rushing wind, especially withopen canopy mach,ines such as the T-21.Parlicular hazards are associated withopen top gliders - the rapport that youdeve'lop with an inslructor is most importantand not assisted when you use hissoaring hal to mark the centre of yourfirst thermal. Whilst on the subject ofconversation, do rernember that yourcontr;ibution is very helpful to theinstructor; say what yoU' are doing just incase it's not obvious, but keep checkingthat someone is I'istening. It 'is mostannoying when y()U have carefully set upa difficult appF()ach for your partner toget out of to find he is asleep throughboredom induced by your hypnoticcommentary.UnderstandingPatience and restraint are valuablequalities in those sent to teach us, andthe extremes of these attributes may bemost conveniently tested in gQ.odthermic condilions. Few instructors willappreciate that il takes great skill andconcentration to dissipate a 6kt thermalmerely by uneconomic flying (use of airbrakesis nol allowed in this exercise),but it must be reaJi,sed that the limitedbudget of many a trail'lee pilot simplycannot support such frivolities as soaringfees when launches and landings stillrequire consolidation.It i,s important to read belween thelines of an instruct@r's comments to findcompliments, for example when yourcarefull.y planned launch and subsequentsearcb for a likdy thermal mave locatedrising air, l~en the rewarding "I havecontrol" is a sure commendation of yourskill, unless subsequently qualified by"I'et's see if we can find some acti,vityover lhelle ... ".Call My BruflFortunately examples of this type ofinstruction are rare, but wOIthy of mentionnonetheless. A recent example concernsa dual cross-countIy when P2 issuddenly presented with a map and thec,ha'llenging "bet you can', ten me wherewe are!". While the poor studenl franticallytr,ies to pinpoint Ihe situation andjustify himself, it becomes apparent thatthe instructor aClually is lost and j,s busyselecting a suitable fi:e'ld in which toabandon the exercise.DebriefingThis pari of the trammg cannot beover-emphasised and consists of findingout how muc·h the instructor rememberedabout your flight.s in particular. It,is best to bring the subject up in tme bar,offering a relaxed atmosphere in whicbto exchange views concerning whosefault it was that the two-seater is nowgrounded for want ofa new skid. In caseyoUi' mentor appears absent-minded atthe mention of your mUlual' flights andthe offer ef a logbook in which to recordhis witticisms, tllY suggesting that a drinkmight lubricate his memor): - this isinvariably successful and promotes aninventive instinct Ibat generates helpfulcomments from nowhere. Occasionaltly,however, your redoubtable efforts willremain clear in the tutor's memory f()rsome time after the event. I recall aninstance where our concentration on afruilless thermal left us some considerabledistance downwind of the airfieldwith sufficient height to try a noairbrake,minimum sink approach, and avery very careful final turn. The encouragementI received stays in my memoryto tl1is day - so eloquent and thoughtful,conveying the whole nature of thesituation in a concise epigrammati,c"Let's reaJl'y Iry and kill ourselves nexltime I",Going SoloThere comes a time in every abinitio'slife whelll il seems Ihat nobodywants to fly wilh you anymore. Theearly warning signs of this are not foolpmofbut certainly typical. Your instructorseems to progressively lose interestvn your flying and his will to participatedecays noticeably. Eventualtly, probablyafter you have scared him with a fewmysterious cable breaks and a harrowingspin recovery, he will abandon you. Sitlingalone ina T-21 in response to a curt"stay there" I watched as a huddle ofinstructors at the edge of the launchpoint obviously discussed my novelflying techniques. From the frequentglances and worried smil'es • received, •could only concl'ude Ihat they were castinglots as to who flext must fly with me.The effect of my company must liJavebeen devastating as eventuaf,)y one of thenumber emerged, and silently strapped abag of fertilizer into the seat next to me.Nilro somebody he was introduced asI didn'l catch the surname, but flyingwith him was surprisingly similar 10 theimmediately preceding flights - no practicalcontribution to the proceedings andabsolutely zero l"eSpOnse to my continuouscommentary on the state of thelaunch, the view, my singing and thedownwind checks. Apparently Nitroenjoyed his flighl since he asked for afurther two before' getting out, but couldnot bring himself 10 make any entry inmy Ilittle greefl "autograph and jokes"book - perhaps he was foreign.Lady PilotsAll the foregoing comments belie thefact that so far I have been denied theoppmtunity of demonstrating my aerialtechniques to an instructor of the fairersex. 11 is however well, known that suchpeople do exisl, indeed they must, foralthough I am no chauviJlisl I havenoticed that female glider people seem torequire much more attention and trainingIlhan blokes. Judging from the detail'eddebriefings they receive in the corner ofỊrl20SAILPLANE & GLIDING

the bar or half-way up the runway, andthe particularly close scrutiny which ournobleinslruclOr will ap'ply to a lady'slogbook (especially the address page), agreat many such pilolS must achieve thestatus necessary to be trained as atrainer. If thell you males find that yourflying is not progressing at the requiredrate through lack of auention - tryhormone injecl,ions! Ladies - try harder.EpilogueI must finish by commending the valiantcontribution that ,the army of BGAinstructors makes to tile quality· of theg'liding movement in this country. This Imust do not only ,to ensure that futuretuition will still be available to me, butalso out of a true sense of

OV.ERSEAS:;;:u'~::t: t~n~:X:;::r:~~sNEWS·:~~~:: , . . Editor: A. E. Slater, 7 HighworthAvenue, Cambridge, CB4 280, England.The final momellts before crossing the finishing /ine during the Spanish Nationals. All triangles were south ofMora which brought '/hem in over the 200m hill covered in olive tras. Photo: Rafael Serras.SPANISH NA'fIONALSThe Spanish Nationals, at Mora from June25-29, were described by the Open ClassChampion, Angel Anglada, as a "miniChampionship" with seven in the OpenClass, nine in the Standard and three in theClub Class. But he asked readers to takeinto account that there are only 19 glassfibregliders in Spain.On one 01 the five competition days a513km triangle was completed by Angel(ASW-17) at 64.6km/h.The final results were: Opef'1 Class, 1. A.Angl1ada (ASW-17) 5000pts; 2. P. Ayesta(ASW-17) 4245pts; 3. A. Lopez (ASW-20)3796pts; Standard Class, 1. J. J. Gresa(Std Libelle) 4542pts; 2. J. L. Meijide (StdCirrus) 4510pts; 3. F. Hajek (LS-1f) 4409pts;Club Class, 1. J. Lopez (L-Spatz-55)5100pts; A. Mur'ioz (pir.at) 3694pts; 3. J. A.Ysac (Pi rat} 830pts.Record breakersAfter the C'hampionships, ambitiouscross-countries were attempted resultingin National record claims, but as tneweather service isn't suf'ficiently developedto offer help to glider pilots, it was a matter01 using their own jUdgment in picking thegood days after watching the TV forecaststhe night before.On July 1 An~el declared a 540km goalland return 10 Alcantara (near the PortlcJgueseborder), which he completed in5hrs 45min at 93km/h ·for a National goaland return record claim.The day after Angel attempted a 750kmtriangle, Alpera, Belmez (which i,s actually766.6krn) in company with hlis friend. PabloAyesta, also flying an ASW·117. P,abfo completedthe flight at 91km/h in 8hrs 40min to22claim a National distance record whileAngel landed 40km west of Mora.SOARING AMONG THE VIKINGSCARL ULRICH writes about gliding inDenmarkThe population of this country is only fivemilliGn, but nevertheless the Danish GlidingAssociation has 41 clubs with 2000members. We have 360 gliders, one third ofwhich are· glass-fibre and almost 50% arepri\lately owned.All glider pilots are linked to the Associationas members 01 a club and are taught tofly by instructors trained at the AssociationSoaring Centre.Financial support from public (and pri·vate) resources is very scarce with only s,small interest free ·108n andl an annual sumto keep the buil'dings in good repair. Pilotsunder 25 also have smal'l support fromlocal authorities, enough to redyce theirexpenses by 10%.The. number taking' part in competitionsis rather small with about 60 in last year'sNationals, though more join in regionall andlocal contests.Because it is very flat, the highest pointsbeing about 500ft asll, wave flying and slopesoaring are impossible and as cloud flyingis prohibited, it is rarely possible to gain aGold I;lei.ght. However cross-countries arevery common and in 1976 more than 2000registered fligmts accounted for 240 OOOkmwith a total of 24250 soaring howrs. But tneshape of the main country makes it impossibleto get more than 35 miles away fromthe sea, so 500km triangles are very rare.Danish gUder pilots usually go elsewhere inEurope when they want to gain Diamonds.Most of our clu'bs do a lot to make theirsites attractive for families as well as pilotsLATE NEWSBRITON WINS SA NATIONALSMike Carlton, the British Team Manager, isthe new South African Open Class winnerand will be claiming two British Nationalrecords - the 500km goal and returnat 152.8km/h and the 500km triangleat 142.6km/h. Brian Spreckley, flying amodified Ventus, was second in the 15Metre Class with fellow British Team member,Bernard Fitchett, in fourth place in aVega.The Championships, at Vryburg, endedon December 31, afler 114 contest days.Early in the Camp Mike's ASW-17 broke intwo after finding a rough spot on landing,but with Brian and others as.dedicated theyworked through, the nlgM and had theglider ready for the following day.Klaas Goud riaan (ASW-17} was second inthe Open and Lsurens Gowdriaan (ASW-20)won the 15 Metre Class - a father and sonwho were competing in tne Nationalstogether for the lirst time and are membersof the South Africanl Team.Boboy Clifford (ASW-20) was third in the15 Metre Class, Brian Vaniererk (ASW-17)tnird in the Open Class and Maurice Ottowon the Standard Class - all SouthAfricans. A full report will be in the nextissue.1250kl1'l TRIANGLE WORLD RECORDSThe first claimant for the world tecord of a1250km triangle (introduced in 1979) is, notsurprisingly, Hans-Wemer Grosse of Germany.On December 9,1980 he flew his ASW-17around a 1271.96 km triangle starting fromAlice Springs, Australia.Blue thermals to abOl!Jt 3000ft as far asTP1 "reduced" his speed to 9Okm/h withlittle hope at tnat stage fo complete thismammoth task. Improvinlg conditions,however, turnedl the day intoa near classicwith well developed thermals and risingcloudbase to about 1500011. lhis enabledHans-Werner to return to base in under tenhours to claim a speed of 133.24km/h.This flight also lays claim to the triangulardistance record.MOTOR GLIDER WORLD RECORDS, Two-seater world records for a 500 and30Qkm triangle at 111 and 133km/h onDe.cember 5 and 12, 1980, respecHvely arebeing claimed by Otto Wegscheider ofGermany. The flights were carried out in aJanus-M starting from B.loemfontein, SouthAfrica. His passengers were Katl Zuleck onthe 500 and Mr Ascher on the 300km mght.by modernising facilities, making children'splaygrounds and allowing membersto build their own cabins.Although our gliding movemen,t is noncommercial,pilots from other cOllJntries areusually welcome and treated! just likemembers 01 other Danish clubs who canget cheap winch launches and sometimesa flight in a two-seater.SAILPLANE & GLIDING

DORSET GOES DUTCH()ENNIS NEAL writes about his club'sexchange, an arrjJngement which seemslikely to snowball in the coming years withmore groups following the Dorset GC'sexample.The story began several years a,go whenthe Dorset 'GC were visited by Bruno Zijp,CFI of a Dutch gliding club. He was onholiday and discovered our Tarrant Rushtonairfield by accident. Since then he hasvisited us eve.ry year and we have watchedthe progress 01 his gliding family.The idea of a club exchange was discussedand in July 1979 we arranged aspecial flying, week for 20 pilots and theirfamilies who camped nearby. We had goodweather" lots o.f flying, consumed vastquantities of the local brew and neverstopped laughing. Personal' frielildshlpsdeveloped and we were ,invitedlto join themin 1980 for a flying holiday.This August we set off with a party ofpilots in a total of 23. We arrived at Lelystadairfield, Flevoland, an island of reclaimedland in the IJselmeer, 15ft below sea level,protected by dykes and drained by a multi.plicity of canals and ditches, to a wonderfulreception from old friend's.We were in a very different gliding, environmenthaving left our :rolling hills andunrestricted airspace for an area where theonly hills were man-made and, t,he fields,roads and canals so regular navigation wasa problem. There was also completelyrestricted air cover under "the main airwaysafld to remain beneath them we were onsome days having to abandon unbelievab'le8-t'Okt climbs after only a few turns. Wealso shared ,the airspace with a constantsheam 01 'light aircrall alld parachutists.Barbara DySOf' preparitlg for her solo flight.Much to the delight of everyone, BarbaraDyson was sent solo and is now in the uniquesituation of beiflg the only BritishNational with a Dutch A and 'B after firsthaving to have a medical to comply withregulations.The language could have been a barrierand we had learned the DutCh checks andalimited vocabulary of vital words, but soonfound everyone understood English and nodoubt had a private chuckle at our effortswith some of their impossible words.In gli.dingand play we had an immediateaccord, proof yet again that gliding folk area breed apart. The l10spitality and friendshipshown by everyone made lhis holidaya memorable experience and we hope tocontinue the exchanges in f'ulure yearswith talk of twinning our clubs. To ourFlevo friends, we say an enormous thankyou for so mal'ly happy memories.USSR NATIONALSUnkind weather meant the 36 competitorsat Oriel didn't get airborne until the ninthday. In the team score, the Russians werefirst with Nina Prosvirina, Mixael Udanovand Vjctor Kundin. Lithuania came secondand the Ukrain third.Marina Afrikanova, representing t,heMinistry of Aircraft Production, was theleading woman with Vladimir Shevchenko,representing the Ukrain, the first man.A. KIVAL(Transfated and condensed !mm theOctober 1980 Krilya Ridiny by C. Wills).$OARINC EXHIBITIONThis annual exhibition was held at Valbremboai'rport. Italy, in October when secondhand:and new gliders were on show.Organised by GI'asfaser ltaHana, it isbecoming an importanl stlopwindow forgliders and equipment with many of theleading manufacturers represented..AVIONIC.NAV COMAVIONIC DENMARK APSVIOLVEJ 5REG. NR.617INSTRUMENTS ~:L~~~~~~v =:~~~I'b.nk.n___________________________________ E-VARIOTEL:U.K. AGENTS:MALTONFLOW(0653)TECHNOLOGY2469 (2000) LTO.GS500 Computer E-vario• Electronic TE compensation• Speedcommandllntegrator• Automatic shift between speedc./lnt.• Altitude error mil'limj,zed electronically• No Flasks/restrictors• Non-humidity sensitive transducersChosen for WM'81 by national teams of Holland,Norway and Denmark.FV2720C 720 channel VHF• Unique frequency selector• 2-3 watts output• Climax filter• Low current consumption• Intercom• Size and plug compatiblewith German standardFebruary/March 198123

Tftl~fEftTHERSFirst in a new seriesof irreverent columnsbyP~flTYPUSAre Glider Pilots Mad?(See last issue. p306)For Or Brennig James, self-confessed hero of innumerable(but not untold) gliding escapades 'in many countries, includingan abortive and rllinousexpedition to the Himalayas (where the·inscr\ltable local rulers rendered him every assist1lnce short ofactual help) to suggest that his fellow glider pilots may not haveall the marbles Ihal God gave them, verges, some would say, onrhutzpah. (See the last issue, p·306.) The burden of Doe James'sargument, in case you are interested,is thal by ftyiAg a motorglider (HI a 'light throttle you can get 40: I and obviate the needfor a £ 14 000 racing ship. A bit more power and you emulate thebest the OpeA Class can tlilrow at you. Hm. The I'etlllclio (/dabSlIl'dulI1 of that logic is to pack all the Booker members inlo a747 (or beller still, a OC·IO, suggests a Ollnstable pilot) and flyAs to cost I was impressed by ,the argument of the distinguishedPror R. Eppler'" that for the cos·t of a napped 15 metrewing one can build a much more efficient 'Unflapped wing of 18metres, or more. A 1981 equivalent of the Dart 17 or SH K willnot be buill however, because there .is no pl~H:e for them inNational and International contests. A pity, since it wouldalmost certainly be the most efJicient machine by the criteria Ihave suggested. !'vejust had a thought: why don't we persuadethe owner of an ASW-20L to tly with lip extensions but withr-I~~9~~GUD~. ~~:rERNATIONALuthe whole show round the world on a light throttle. The cost perpassenger mile would be far cheaper than gliding. I'm surethere's a flaw -there somewhere, but 1'm Ilot sure what it is.Neverthe'less the strange thirngs that Brennig says usuallyhave embedded in them some nugget of truth: in this case he israising Ihe valid questions, are we paying an unnecessarily highIprice for p~rformance these days and what is the most costeffectiveway of covering the ground in soaring Oight?An incomplete allsw,er ,to the first question (see Platypus.October issue, p21O) is that it doesn't cost any more in realterms than twenty years ago. But of course we could still bepaying more than necessary because of the artificial constraintsof contest flying, which may improve the breed but onlyimproves it from the point of view of contest pilots. The chiefdistorting factors are the entirely arbitrary 15 metre limit on theStandard and Racing Classes and the emphasis on speed-flyingin the best Pilrl of ,the day. The best definition of cross-countrycost-efficiency for the ordinary club pilot would be the cost perdosed-rircllit mile aer·oss 1/ whole yelll'. Clearly the glider thatcould soar cross-cOuntry before Ilam and after 6pm not just inthe summertime but ,in the eady spring and IHte autumn or eventhe winter, day'light p.ennitting, would do well ,in the mileagestakes. Let us therefore encourage the Nationalladcler and anyother scheme that puts a premium on maximum utilisation.~~naps fixed in one position (to simulate a 16Y2 metre untlappedg1ider) against an ASW-20 without tips but having full use of allthe tlappery? My money would be on the unflapped version except for landing in smalli fiel'ds where the tlaps are said to besuperb. However that does not really alTect the argument, sinceon a purpose-built ulltlapped glider a cheap but effective airbrakesystem is quite feasible. You see (if he says it again Iswear I'll scream Eo) - oh all right. out of respect for herfeelings I'll say it under my breath: Th':'r*'s n* s*bst'T'T"Pr sp*n!'Foolllote: See 5&G, JUM 1977. plt5 - "All ;llcYl'me ill lI'illl: .'pall cosl... 'Tr.\'lillle compared willl lite ill.'lallill/! o[flaps. An 18m Class .dl/, all vlller reslri

Another I'etter in the last S&G ("There is Always Knilting",pJ06) that caught my notice (at this rale no one is going to writeto us at all in fu,ture! Ed) was a charge ofbllCkshol fired at MikeFairman's suggeition that, in contests, .field landings away from :11:approved sites should be discouraged by deductillg penally 1points. The writer pours scorn on what he sees as a patheticLOSE 7 POINTSThrow double 6before phoningrelrie~ecrew'*OJ'd Age is being so g,lad you have All Three Diamonds, notbecause you wish to show off but because instead of riggingbefore breakfast you can stay in bed.Old Age is not being able to remember what you wanted tostay in bed for ...'OUNSORIN HOUSEHome for Elderly'Glider Pilotsfailure of Ilerve that accompanies creeping old age. Who, 1 askas 1 read, is this virile yOllng dav,edevil challengillg us· to get outthere and risk all? Nol merely the boldest pilot of our time,member of the Caterpillar Club* and Open Ctass NationalChampion, bUI the uncrowned King of the glider-repairers.The last lime I saw Ralph lones (if one excludes the drearymeetings with the insurance assessors and wailing nexl-of-kin,ie partners) was at a party during a contest where he arrivedtanned. !lashing gold accessories, in an immaculate creamco101lredsuit. !,ooking for all the world like a character out of"Dallas" whose oil well had just come on stream. And well hemight, since ill that litlle comp there had been a mid-air collision,widespread field landing crashes and six or seven canopiesr:l if!PREPAIRS ..GUDER~ You bend'em, We mend'em!.l---=cIn a Sailplane Made for Twor----r--r--r---r---r--------r----.....How nice to have a new share in a really fizzy highperformancetwo-sealer! A terrific fun-machine. The received-r,wisdom is that top piluts don-t like flying two up because theyrequire single-minded concentration to give of lheir best.Speaking for myself, I need all the intellectual, moml and physicalhelp 1 Can get; two brains, twenty fingers and four eyes .is, 'h' m;n;m"m I "q";,,'0'" ,n,,~nwritten-oIT. I wouldn'l for a minule suggest that his professioncolours his views, since .he has always flown the way he works- hard. All the same I can imagine J R doffing his stetson to RJand drawling "Smart fella!"·or its equivalent depending un the brand of parachute uud.What is a Grandad?Talking about old age, a veteran pilot says:* Old Age is scanning the latest Rating List with anxiouseyes, ,finding you do not qualify to fly in the Nationals nextyear - and falling back in your armchair with a great sigh01" relief.* Old Age is telling a pack of (steadily improving) lies aboutwhat one did when one was young.* Old Age i!' flying. and retrieving, with the Guide Michelininstead of the [LAD maps.* Old Age is soaring the wave while listening on the radiofor lhe chink of ice in martini glasses, opening the brakesand descending in time for the Happy Hour.February/March 1981~ ..............'.'one occasiun flying solo on a free-distance day [ unexpectedlyfound myself flying off the map and had 10 find and' refold aNorth of Englalld map. .) spent an alarming twenty minuteswrapped in intracta'lJle fablon-covered paper which seriouslyimpaired vision. controll and language. Eventually the map wasnot refo'lded but had been pummelled into It'he approximatesnape ,of a football, across which crumpled globe 1I managed tonavigate up to Ilkley Moor, (which does aClua'lly exist, worms,ducks and all).In the .first two-sea·ter I had the best navigator was a youngchap with a Clark Gable mOllstache who eventua'lly becameLhairman of lhe BGA and navigated that very welt too. It was25

mllll~.The object of Total Energy ,(TE) is to removeltle effects of airspeed changes on the variodisplay. What remains is tile liftorsinKwhlchwould be seen ifyou were actual,ly 'holding aconstant airspeed instead of manoeuvring.Total E,nergy is no,t just for contest pitots.Any sailplane used for soaring needs TEcompensation. Students have enoughtrouble trying to form a mental image ofwhat. a thermal looks I~ike without tlle confusinginputs due to varying airspeed.As one. advances in thermailing techniques,one fil1ds that the achieved rate ofclimb can ,often be increased by cont,;nuollsmanoeuvring including some abrupt speedchanges. Only with good TE can this bedone.Finally, the TEcompensator allows thecross-country pilot to use the glide stretchingDolphin flight manoeuvre and tets himeval,uate thermal strength accurately evenwhile pulling upin achandel.lethermalentiyfrom cruisililg speeds.As yoU' may Know, .RICO offers ElectronicTotal Energy Compensation. However, wealso oUer systems that operate perfectlywell from a good Total Energy probe. Weoffer a choice!BUT which is best? Tlhe correct answer isneither or either. Electronic Total Energyrelies on a first class stat,ie system in theglider, which it is not always possible toachieve. Probe Total 'Energy, on he otherhand, is easier to get right but can sufferfailure in rain, cloud or icing conditions.THE CHOICE is up to you. If you need asystem purely for fair weathelr VMC flyingthen the VAS is for you but, if you feel youneed to be completely free of reliance on aprobe, then the VACS will suit you best. It willcost you a little more but you will know thatyo'u possess the best that aerospace technologycan supply. R,EMEMBER. Bolh theVAS and VACS models give you a flightdirectorfacility aswell as the ability tohavearead-out of air mass.VARIOMETER SYSTEMSRICO MODEL VASVARIOMETER AND FLIGHT DIRECTORItI"We also produce basic variometers which can be laterupgraded at small cost to VAS or VACS standard.In add iUon, RICOvarliometersgiveyou these spec ial featu res:* Self-contained in just one 'unit to fit a standard size panelcut-out.* Separate and adjustable Up and Down audio.* Variable "quiet band".* Automatic audio volume boost linked to airspeed.* 10 volts to 16 volts power supply acceptable.* 2 year warranty.* -Repeater units for 2-seaters available for around £40.* Each unit easily adjusted to suit·different types of glider.Manufact,ured by:REDWOOD INSTRUMENT COMPANY368 Rutherford Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94061, USASofe UK Agents - Stockists & Repairers:John Del,afield, Dlckie FeakesTel: East Bridgford (0949) 20306 (evenings)Of write:Box S.G.570. Cheiron Press Ltd., 7 Amersham HiH. High Wycombe, Bucks.for further information26SAILPLANE & GLIDING

in the days before audio variometers and he l.Ised la sing, thepitch going up and down as the vario rose and fell, so that tlile PI~~lll ~~~i fill J'J) 11 l i~t.~could keep a good look-out. One moment ,it was Camso, thenext it was ChaJiapin. His voice has never been the same since- nor after a couple of heavy landings (ie crasnes) has hiscoccyx (for the ignoramuses amongst you, tha\' means the lowervertebrae). The trouble wilh navligators is they can get ideasabove their s\'ation. During one epic, lie long and tedious)struggle, this dialogue took place.FCBGA future Chairman, BGA): You're not Roing vay fast.P (Platypus): will Ihe P2 kindly confine his observations tothose of a purely navigational nature.Long Pause.FCBGA: Nm'iga/vr's Repor/ ('ominR lip, Thc villagc 1\'C areovcr noli' is the SOI/1C village 1\'1' ll'c/"{' over half Uti hour aRo.Shtlrtly after, we ran into a solid wall of sea breeze mistdrifting inland from the Bristol Channel: and, though thermalscontinued miraculously to bloom in this dense miasma, nearlyevery solo ;pilot got lost. In the K-7, however, our division ofon \'he approach, two frequent sources of crashery appear to be)) away 'landings and 2) confllsion about knobs, Sometimes thetwo combine spectacular:ly, of course, I am an expert on safelyonly in the sense that a burglar is all expert on law

MORNING WATCHIA remarkable story about a missing watchwas reported :by Paul Cullen, club lnewscontributor for t,he South Wales GC.Apparently their member Steve Reed losthis watch out of the clear vision panel of aSkylark.28ANDGENERALNEWSCAR BU.RETIOR ICING - AVGAS/MOGASOn each November 1st the volaWity ofmotor-spirit (BS 4040) is raised (asmeasured by the Reid Vapour Pressure) toassist with starting, in cold weat,her (theRVP of Avgas ~emains,col1stanl). Tests withthe BGA's Airedale Irials aircraft have confirmedthat the effects of the higher volatilityof winter grade Mogas is to reduce thecarb choke temperature by some lOC whencompared with summer grade Mogas orAvgas.Therefore, there is a need for Increasedvigilance in detecting' the symptoms ofcarb-icing (power loss) at eny Uirottle setting.R. B. Stratton, BGA Chief Technical Officer.NEW GLIDER REPAIR FIRMSpecialised Mouldings Ltd. a Huntingdonbased FRP company with wide experiencein the aerospace industry. have entered theglider repair market and may welt eventuallydesign and manLJfacture their ownsailplanes. They have already been in,volved:,in the design, manufac,ture and racingof Formula 1 aircraft.CliU Ross, their marketing manager,explained: "Peter Jackson, our companyChairman and MD. is 'a very keen aviator.Some years ago he bought and rebuilt aTiger Moth, which he regUlarly Wes at displaysand exhibitions. He alS0 mes asamember of a F1, air "acing team."Some while ago, aHer a weekendgliding, he asked - 'Why aren't we in thesailplane repair business?' A good questiOI'll.The faciLiHes exist the expertise isthere and the enthusiasm. Also one of thestafl. Pllilip Hel:1derson, is a glider pllot anda BGA approved inspector. As a result, weare now in the repair business and. whoknows, could eventuaHy design and constructour own breed of sailplanes," tieadded.CHURCHILL AWARDNominations are invited for a gliding pro·ject 10 capture the ChurchiH Award for1981. This. ann.ual award of £100 is availableto ilndividual pilots for organised projectsof some kind of research into glidingor related subjects such as meteorology.Full, details 'and entry forms are availablefrom the BGAQlfice and the closing datelor the receipt of entries is Aprit 30.It dropped into a farmyard and at everymilking time Ihe ,farmer was aware of astrange noise -the alarm on Steve'swatch. One morning the larmer went outearlier to 1,1)' and discover the sOl:lrce of thesound and found the watch with Steve'sname on the back.INTER·UNIVERSITY TASK WEEKThis nexl task week will be at Dux,fo~d fromJune 28-July 5. For further infonl'1ationwrite to Michael Samuels, M3 Trinity Hall,Cambr,idge.OBITUARYGRP CAPT ROY GOODBOD¥Grp Capt Roy Goodl)ody OBE died at HaltonHospital on October 1, 1980, at the ageof 66. Dur,ing his service he rose te becomeChairman 01 RAFGSA and later, alter hisretirement in 1969, one of its VicePresidents. He will be remembered as apainstaking and wise administratordevoted to building the RAFGSA. It wasdurili1g his Chairmanship that the Centre atBicester assumed its permanence andimportance for RAF Gliding, and in hisretirement he never missed an opportunityto support the Association. He will be sadlyl'1'lissed.GLIDING CERTIFICATESALL TtiREE DiAMONDSNo. 'Name109 R i. Cowderoy\10 A D. PiggoltDIAMOND OISTANCENo. Name1/166 D. S. innes1/167 A. Pybus .1/168 A. D. PIggotlOIAMOND GOALNo. Name2/997 D. A. Wilson2/998 M. Ward2/999 N. R Foster2/1000 R. J. NichollsCfl Laurie AdlingtOf'lClubRAE FarnboroughLasham (in VSA)ClubLashamin Australia,Lasham (In USA)ClubEnstoneLincolnLondonMidlandJI,DELAFIELD198030.93.9199024815.12.793.9198025.625.8'12.6'24.82/1001' Marla Boy

0, B, ""mey Cranwell 30,9 5724 J, C, Hollenberg Lasham 24,8 5758 0, P, G, Butt Enstone 18.8J, A. Hull Cranwell 30,9 5725 J, C, R. Rogers Cranwell 16,8 5757 S, W, Brown Avon 25,8J, Healey Essex 8,10 5726 M, J, Hastings Oxford 18,8 5758 R. C, Tyler Culdrose 30,8R. Fry Essex 30,9 5727 B, Fairston London 17,8 5759 K, J, Gouldstone London 23,8A, Wright Thames Valley 4,10 5728 C, S. Edmonson Humber 23.8 5760 H, W. Lock Swindon 25,8K, Martin Hereford 6.9 5729 J. Bridge Woodspring 25.8 5761 P. A. Winchester Lasham 23,8A. Pybus in Australia 31.12.79 5730 G. Waldock South Wales 24.8 5762 P. B, Irving Newcastle 24.8P, Purdy USA 9.3 5731 A. N. Ely Strubby 16.8 5763 P. L. Wood Wyvern 3.9M. A, Newland-Sm~h Essex 8,10 5732 H. R. Thomson Buckminster 25.8 5764 A. P. Baaumont Yorkshire 6,9J. M, West Surrey & Hants 19,10 5733 0, G, Rose Phoenix 25,8 5765 A. H, Powling Norfolk 24,8V, J, Chambers Surrey & Hants 8,10 5734 M, F, Phillips Hambletons 23,8 5766 A. J, Birkbeck Derby & Lanes 31.8M,A, Germain Oeeside 30,9 5735 P, G" Myers Blackpool & Fylde 24,8 5767 P, L. Poola Kent 22.8D. Loraine Wyvern 31.10 5736 Susan Marshall Woodspring 24.8 5768 T. Gornall Biackpool & Fylde 25,8R. A. $lade Bath & Wilts 19.10 5737 G, Wright Yorkshire 24.8 5769 P. E, Clay Four Counties 16.8L J. Sole Lasham 19.10 5738 M. Gibson Wolds 28.8 5770 J. Croxail Coventry 16.8W. H. Bush Bicester 31.10 5739 J. Nelson Phoenix 25.8 5771 A. E. Hir.' Yorkshire 8.9A. P. Walsh Norfolk 29.10 5740 C. Chapman Coventry 22.8 5772 O. Hey Ouse 24.8A. P. Beaumont Yorkshire 13.11 5741 L. W. Bizley Bristol & Glas 25.8 5773 J'. T. lnsworth Norfolk 31.7M. J. Lawry Bicester 31,10 5742 A. K. O'Fee Bannerdown 24,8 5774 A. J, Reas Yorkshire 6,9T, Wilkinson Twinwood 29,10 5743 B, Searle Thames Valley 9,5 5775 J. Cook Trent Valley 28,8J. L Riley SGU 21.8 5744 P, Housiey Thames Valley 16,8 5776 R. HlWlnigan Trent Valley 25,8M. E, Dry Bicester 31.10 5745 G, Gilmore Cotswold 24,8 5777 F, Prime Cambridge Univ 25,8A. M, Thomson Fulmar 19,10 5746 S, Matyear Wyvern 24,8 5778 0, P, Bailey Midland 30,5P, J, F, Hewitt Portsmouth 31.10 5747 K, A, Tinker Welland 25,8 5779 Jayne Lee Two River, 17,5p, J. Sowden Bicesler 27,10 5748 M. O. Joyce Doncaster 25,8 5780 R. C. W. Ellis London 25,8J, Williams Trent Valley 11.11 5749 S, M, Hinder Surrey & Hants 25.8 5781 M. O. Williams Wrekin 31.8C, S, Miller Yorkshire 11.11 5750 M, N, Martin Buckminster 8,9 5782 G, H. Williams Imp&rial College 31.8A, A, Priestley Yorkshire 11.11 5751 J, S, Wilson SGU 21,8 5783 N, Edmonson Chilterns 25.8G, Higgins Yorkshire 11.11 5752 M, T, ,Elslon Peternoro' & Spalding 1'6,8 5784 R,. Buekley Blackpool & Fylde 23,8T, A. Holllngs Yorkshire 11.11 5753 B, Perks Wyvern 24.8 5785 A,Durbin in USA 15,6S, Savage Portsmouth 31.10 5754 p, Ryland Coventry 25,8 5786 L. Everitt South Wales 14,9S, N, Lawrence Fenland 29,10 5755 T. J, Satchell Four Counties 31,8 5787 O. M, Bad ley Shropshire 25,85788 O. J. Garnett Cambridge Univ 8,9SILVER C5789 M, Blair Southdown 4.95790 W, Gordon Pegasus 23.85702 Charlotte Wllson London 10,8DOLPHIN is5791 C. Nugenl Lasham 24.85703 I. Hughes Lasham 28,7•• •5792 B. Briggs Cranwell 18,55704 J. H. Roberts Buckminster 31.7 5793 P, Burns Two Rivers 8.75705 M. Clarke Peterboro' & Spalding 10.8 a true "air-mass" conversion 5794 P, Southam Fenland 25,85706 P.S,Butt Bannerdown 9,8 ••• lor everyday gliders with 5795 A.S.Edlin Stratford on Avon 24.95707 0, N'. Campbell Eagle 15,6•everyday varios 5796 C. S, Miller Yorkshire 23.85708 R. Cousins S, Yorks & Notts 10,85797 J. W. Macro Thames Valley 9,85709 D, W. Squire Culdrose 17.8 • quick and easy to Inslall5798 E. Rigby Airways 10,85710 F, Aspinall Two Rivers 10.8• • wonderful In waves 5799 0, Wylie SGU 9,105711 P, J, Sm~h Rattlesden 16.8• • labulous In thermals 5800 J. S. Forster East Sussex 2,105712 K. R. Davis Peterboro' & Spalding 16,8 • lor YOU! Find DuI morel 5801 W, J, Hill Trent Valley 4,105713 M, L. Boxall London 24,7 •5802 A, G, I, Dodds SGU 9,105714 C, Fox RAE 16.8JSW SOARING5803 P, Walley Thames Valley 30,95715 J.G.Reid Peterboro' & Spalding 18.8 5804 R. Fry Essex 30,95718 G. J. Phillips Phoenix 10.8 12 Warren Rise, Frimley, Surrey 5805 Ellen Prolhero Booker 2.105717 P. Etherington Doncaster 10,8 Telephone: 5806 P. C. G, Wyld Airways 18.105718 J. Nicholson Upward Bound 9,8 CAMBERLEY (0276) 83236, mosl evenings 5807 P, Airey Humber 9.105719 M, J, Mayo Bristol & Glos 21.85808PRICES: £22 (single·weight version)L F. Parris Kent 10,105720 0, P, Wilson Humber 23,8£35 (two'weight versiOn) 5809 P. Purdy USA 31.85721 J. H. Balk Bicester 23,8 JSW Calculators £4 (state sailplane) 5810 R, Goodma.n Coventry 24.105722 A. L. Garfield London 24,8 5811 Sarah Bailey Two Rivers 14,115723 A. V, Sullivan Southdown 23.8 5812 A, Blowers Norfolk 25,8BGA MAIL ORDER"If you read a page of Reichmann a dayYou can learn to fly the champion's waySo act right now without delayAnd buy his book from the BGA."Our rhyming office cleaner has been at it again but even if her couplets are poor heradvice is good - order FLYING SAILPLANES the great new book by HELMUT REICHMANNat only £11.95 inc. post and packing from the BGA."February gives me shivers ..." a bard once said, but then he wasn't wearing one ofthe BGA SWEATSHIRTS. High quality, fleecy lined in dark blue with a white glider motifon the left chest. £7.45 inc. post and packing.Has your car got a sun visor strip on the windscreen - you know the sort of thing thatidentifies JULES AND SANDY or advertises RADIO ONE? Repl~ce it with a GLIDERPILOTS DO IT QUIETLY sunstrip from the BGA for only 90p.Order these Iterns fromBRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATIONSALES DEPT., FREEPOST, LEICESTER lEl 7ZBor ask us to send you our complete sales list Telephone 0533 51 051February/March 1981 29

ANNUAL STATISTICS - OCTOBER 1, 111111 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1980GLIDING CLUBS AIRCRAFT LAUNCHES HOURS CROSS- FLYING COURSES MEMBERSHIPCOUNTRY DAYS01, KmscVI01';;'~c lE 01 u:'" .Q .Q VI'iii .~'0. c C::> ::>010::> 0 0 0 ::> '>, 0~ ~ ~ l/) z ~ ii: zC3C3ALBATROSS 1 1 3 - 610 78 - 36 13 2 48 35 11ALTAIR 1 2 2 0 1198 106 164 60 7 - - 15 3ANGUS 2 2 2 - 4223 648 360 102 41 - - 63 12AQUILA 2 1 9 1 1899 534 6000 90 35 - - 31 -AVON SOARING CENTRE 1 1 10 1 1265 850 4000 149 104 - - 34 -AVRO 4 1 1 0 4354 510 34 104 50 - - 150 20BATH & WILTSHIRE 2 3 20 2 3511 1627 7500 114 60 - - 98 8BLACKPOOL & FYLDE 2 2 15 0 3690 1710 1000 107 75 - - 120 14BORDERS (Milfield) 2 3 6 - 3140 588 600 117 50 - - 54 4BRISTOL & GLOUCESTERSHIRE 3 3 28 3 8408 3892 11871 224 147 24 143 281 66BUCKMINSTER 2 2 17 1 3405 1130 10300 184 64 13 51 89 5CAIRNGORM 2 0 4 0 1'460 250 1100 80 41 13 75 25 10CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 3 5 28 3 8079 3785 34425 195 103 10 55 182 101,CONNEL GLIDING CLUB 2 0 0 - t19S 135 - 54 28 - - 43 -CORNISH 4 0 6 1 4080 794 1340 89 86 21 115 89 23ICOTSWOLD 4 1 22 -I7495 2325 9070 161 87 1 7 133 41COVENTRY 4 2 43 4 6t04 3515 19970 193 75 24 90 265 82CRANFIELD 1 1 10 2 1166 515 2000 76 29 - - 80 -OEESIDE 3 2 5 2 3090 2150 1300 215 140 1 4 103 -DEFFORD (RSRE) 2 1 - - 1373 136 150 56 33 - - 26 5DERBY & LANCS 3 3 22 - 6352 2276 4300 170 109 10 162 176 74DEVON & SOMERSET 2 3 15 1 7328 2163 12277 200 111 6 45 186 39DONCASTER 3 4 15 2 5432 2094 7425 174 73 - - 152 15DORSET 3 3 10 2 3117 1078 1577 122 54 - - 129 50DUMFRIES 1 0 3 - 329 63 112 41 23 - - 18 -DUNKESWELL 2 1 3 1 3489 321 1200 160 50 6 48 45 5EAST SUSSEX 2 2 11 t 4240 625 1500 109 50 2 12 92 30ENSTONE 2 0 18 1 3551 800 10500 105 41 - - 60 3ESSEX 3 224 1 8138 1527 I 13886 - - 25 146 196 7IESSEX & SUFFOLK 2 2 9 2 2636 1327 5500 126 52 - - 112 -GLAMORGAN 0 1 0 0 INCLUDED IN SOUTH WALES RETURN 5 1HAMBLETONS 2 4 4 3 2346 846 2500 166 69 - - 162 -HEREFORDSHIRE 3 1 18 2 3137 2230 3600 204 129 25 93 120 -HIGHLAND 2 2 1 - 2733 395 1100 99 48 - - 40 --IMPERIA'L COLLEGE 0 3 0 0 707 352 7500 137 87 1 6 44 12INKPEN 3 0 5 1 2100 1000 2200 43 25 25 25 35 -KENT 4 3 20 2 10612 8647 5075 250 96 28 280 236 59It.AKES 2 1 5 1 2066 683 - 42 32 9 79 57 6I104 80 ,LASHAM 5 0 5 30120 8520 200000 320 212 252 710 270LONDON 4 5 74 6 15635 7540 - - - 33 248 347 80!MARCHINGTON 1 1 7 1 590 277 600 52 26 - - 85 2MIDLAND 3 3 18 - 9507 3642 12453 210 160 28 274 181 68NENE VALLEY 1 - 2 - 503 71 - 36 20 - - 27 -NEWCASTLE & TEESIDE 2 1 6 1 1750 525 1000 120 60 - - 50 5NORFOLK 2 2 21 2 3631 2331 18810 191 88 8 63 140 20NORTHUMBRIA 3 1 19 1 ~ 673 2000 159 73 7 42 118 24NORTH WALES 1 1 - - 891 91 - 48 17 - - 25 -NORWICH SOA'3ING 0 1 5 1 147 151 1200 36 26 - - 18 -OUSE 2 1 8 1 621 297 4067 53 15 - - 89 18OXFORD 2 3 12 - 2559 814 2002 108 - - - 70 5PETERBOROUGH & SPALDING 2 2 8 2 1549 - - 101 - - - 54 -POLISH AFA' - 2 1 1 25 6RATILESDEN 2 2 5 - 2490 340 700 81 45 2 40 50 -RIDGEWELL OATLEY 2 2 6 - 1800 154 - 85 30 - - 33 2ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT 2 3 4 - 4472 1128 3391 133 53 - - 74 1430 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

ANNUAL STATISTICS - OCTOBER 1, 1979 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1980GLIDING CLUBS AIRCRAFT LAUNCHES HOURS CROSS- FLYING COURSES MEMBERSHIP'" '"J:J J:J" "0 '" ClCOUNTRYDAYSKmsClN ~ c';:U U Q.I- "iClc':;"!!! Cl u:tU'0. c C:'0 '" 0 0':;" 0I- C/J Z Q. u: zSCOTTISH GLIDING UNION 5 5 30 2 10798 6013 10102 284 201 26 252 271 15SHALBOURNE 2 1 6 - 3417 452 1070 98 - - - 61 -SHROPSHIRE 0 0 10 1 541 684 4757 78 58 - - 27 -SOUTHOOWN 2 3 18 1 6506 2033 9464 190 70 - - 190 44SOUTH WALES 2 2 14 1 2405 949 - - 46 4 24 110 2SOUTH YORKS & NOTTS 1 1 4 0 3059 515 400 94 52 1 7 50 -STAFFORDSHIRE 1 1 4 0 2285 304 30' 93 I56 1 6 65 7STR'ATFORD ON AVON 3 3 18 2 6051 1392 3250 144 35 4 40 125 12STRATHCLYDE 2 1 1 - 1250 79 76 51 8. - - 70 -STRUB8Y 2 1 4 - 4176 551 412 H5 44 - - 55 -SURREY & HANTS - 12 - - 5062 2158 19000 - - - - 295 -SWINDON 2 3 10 1 4711 1'730 16300 140 58 - - 85 10THAMES VALLEY AS WYCOMBE 313 -TIGER CLUB 'SOARING - -I I - 3 66 21 - 9 1 - - 10 -TRENT VALLE)' 2 2 12 - 6634 1510 7420 111 60 - - 79 2TYNE & WEAR' NO STATISTICS RECEIVED 26 -ULSTER 2 0 7 1 515 351 100 37 33 - - 29 -UPWARD BOUND 3 - 1 - 2870 480 350 60 17 Cont. 16 31 3Prog,VALE OF NEATH 2 1 5 1 2484 874 900 155 121 2 16 29 4WELLAND 2 - 3 - 1933 181 270 62 27 - - 24 2WEST WALES 3 - 2 - 1200 330 - 55 32 - - 26 -WOLDS 3 1 9 1 5000 860 7130 134 47 2 12 111 11WOODSPRING 1 2 2 6 - 4608 670 400 1144 75 - - 85 -WYCOMBE (AIRWAYS)' NO STATISTICS RECEIVED 487 -YORKSHIRE 3 5 45 3 6406 1829 - 318 256 23 210 279 25CIVILIAN CLUB TOTALS: 164 142 923 78 294743 102225 519150 8570 4449 465 2986 88.10 1357"ARMY GLlOING ASSOCIATION:KESTREL 3 4 3 1 5880 982 10106 99 40 - - 80 30SOUTH WEST DISTRICT (Wyvern) 2 4 7 1 6584 1499 13596 135 52 3 24 95 -ROYAL AIR FORC£ GSA:ANGLIA NO STATISTICS RECEIVED 49 -BANNEROOWN 2 3 4 - 10067 1651 12813 155 68 2 12 140 -BICESTER 8 18 - 4 18479 6107 21 178 241 - 12 260 280 -CHILTERNS' 3 2 2 - 2331 662 3509 101 35 - - 35 5CLEVELANDS 3 4 9 2 5028 1090 17592 164 164 - - 198 20CRANWELL 3 2 9 1 7000 1150 3000 110 33 - - 70 -FEN LAND 3 2 3 - 6173 1160 4500 127 31 - - 60 -FOUR COUNTIES 3 4 10 - 7200 2416 31555 134 76 - - 110 6FULMAR 3 3 2 - 4307 614 1371 70 22 - - 67 -HUMBER 2 2 6 - 6976 1372 8824 99 39 - - 65 2WREKIN' 4 1 6 1 5575 1005 1550 125 149 -ROYAL NAVAL GSA:CULDROSE 3 2 3 2 1936 554 2826 44 25 1 13 61 -HERON 3 2 5 1 2148 727 462 85 44 - - 104 -PORTSMOUTH NAVAL' 4 3 3 3 3276 807 2007 105 25 180 10SERVICE CLUB TOTALS: 49 56 72 16 92960 21796 134989 1794 654 18 309 1743 73CIVILIAN CLUB 'TOTALS: 164 142 923 78 294743 102' 225 519150 8570 4449 465 2986 8810 1357,,GRAND TOTAL: 213 1.98 995 94 389' 703 124021 654139 10364 5103 483 3295 10553 1430February/March 198131

CLBNEWSCopy and photographs (or the April-May i~ue of S&G should be senl to the Editor, 281 QueenEdilb's Way. Cambridge CBI 4NH. tel 47725, to arriH nol later than February 10 and for IheJune-July Issue 10 arrive not later Ihan April 14.December J. 1980GILLlAN BRYCE-SMITHBRIS'fOL & GLOUCESTERSHIRE(Nympsfield)Apal1 from n superb ridge day on November29, autumn was no more spectacular than themediocre summer. We have seen some wavebut few pilots have managed good climbs. Weare now hoping for good winter westerlies..Jed Barrett is giving a slide show on hisgliding exploits in the French Alps andChalky and Sue nre running the Christmasparly. Our Secretnry, Eric Drummond, hnsretired and wm be replnced by James Metcalfe.John Patchelt has completed an instructors'course and Joined th~ duty rota.At long last we have the new engine for theSuper Cub so we should be back to full tugstrength early in the New Year.R.A.R.CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY(Cambridge and Duxford)The annual search for the big waves by ourlowland pilots resulled in a Gold height forBob Pursey and a Diamond for JohnMcNnmee. both at Aboyne on the same day.The club fleet has been further reduced bythe sale of n Swallow but a K-8 or similnrshould soon be acquired.Our own hangar Is being buill at Duxfordwhich will mean learning to hnngar pack afterhaving the luxury of a qunrter of one of theoriginal WW I hangars.P,E.B.DEESIDE (Abo)·ne Airfield)Snow and bad weather have brought the seasonto a di·smal dose after a generally pooryear. Several good thermal and walle days insummer got cross-counlry hopes up, with littlesuccess. DUling the autumn wave seasonvisitors squeezed every possible Gold andDiamond height out of the few soaring days.However membership rose during 198010110 and club launches were up on previousyears. Work has at last begun on the clubhouse.Rumours of grants from local aUlhoritieshave rekindled hopes of expanding the clubfleet to include a glass ship. but we are stillwaiting for confirmation.C.B.DEVON & SOMERSET (North Hill)Our AGM reports indicate that 1980 waspretty healthy apart from the weather.Chairman. David Minson. (Skylark 4) isClub Ladder leader after several worthy Golddislance attempts. Other good flights havebeen made by Eric Shore (Dar1 15), TimGardner and Julian Hine (DG-loo), ChrisMiller, GonIon :Peters and Reg Welch (ClubAstir) and Dave Reilly (Skylark 4). Gordon32collected a Silver heighl and Reg - for thelast time - the inter-club pot from Tarrant.Bar management has changed and also theflying. CF\. Mike Fitzgerald, has steppeddown for personal reasons. We are sad aboutthis but thank him for all his hard work in amost exacting task. Terry Jenvey is his successor.The c1ub's Dart 15 has been sold at last, toan on-site syndicate. The proceeds and aSports Council Grant (awaiting confirmation)have boosted consideration of a two-s.eaterreplacement.Tony Thomas and Arthur Ball have completedtheir Bronze, Ar1hur having graduatedfrom the wartime non-soaring types. QuentinBrowell, Bob Metcalfe, David Palmer andRon Smith have soloed, and some enterprisingah-inilios organised their own coursein late October to build up experience. Waveon November I stayed for several hours andwas contacted both from winch launches andfrom the south ridge.I.D.K.DORSET (Henstridge)We have now had to leave Tarrant Rushtonfor Henstridge until we can find a permanenthome.Congratulations to our. CFI, Robin May,on coming ninth in the Standard ClassNationals and to Bob Collins on Sillier distance,but it was hard luck for Steve Chivers10 miss his duration by I!l2min.J.L.C.DONCASTERSAILPLANESDoncaster AirfieldS. Yorks.We have the largest stocks ofG.L.1 PLYin the UK at the best pricesAlso Grade·A Spruce1000's of AN and AGS NUTSand BOLTSOxygen bottles AltimetersRelease rings etc.Release hook repair servicePhone 0302 57695Ask June Fox for a QuoteESSEX & SUFFOLK (Hadleigh)We have had two monlhs of disappointingweather with little achieved. However, lanBell took Ihe Libelle to Portmoak and climbedto 20 OOOft for his Diamond.Bonnie Haughton and Peter Smart haveconverted to the K-6. We have four memberswith PPLs who are converting to the Condor.We are looking forward to the highspot ofthe month - our end of the soaring seasonsupper/disco.J.A.S.N. H.HEREFORDSHIRE (Shobdon)We had .'1 lively AGM with lots of participationfrom the floor. Special allention was paidto the needs of our Bronze C pilots. TonyMaitland topped the Club Ladder and waspresented with a bollle of vinlage port. (Hewas eighth on ·the National ladder).The Erdisland trophy (for hard work andeffort) went to Ken Martin, an invaluable clubmember and instructor.Tony Greatrex, Dick Bavin, John Franceand Mike Wylde have bought a Pilatus. KevinJones completed his Bronze.Autumn wave was quite good and TonyMaitland had a nice flight on October 21 in hisMini imbus with a climb to 14 OOOfl.The Dunstable mob (who are an educationto us) had wave on four out of their sevendays. The Norfolk Club expedition had Goldand Silver heights and we were visited byChris Rollings and the Booker Twin Astir.R.P.INKPEN (Tbuxton Airfield)We doubled our membership last year and inspite of the poor weather many of the newcomerswent solo.Our Chairman, John Francklow, andCommittee have decided that in view of thesuccess of our courses last year we shouldextend our seven day flying from April untilSeptember. We shall run courses but membersand visitors will be welcomed any day ofthe week to keep our Citabria busy.We are well equipped with a Blanik forbasic training and two new IS-28s for moreadvance

FLY FRIENDLYFLY THENORTHERNS25th July - 2nd AugustDetails from the Secretary:Yorkshire Gliding Club (Pty) Ltd.Sutton BankThirskYorks Y07 2EYTel. Suttan (08456) 237LASHAMREGIONALS25 JUly to 2 August 1981THREE CLASSESA. Hand icap 110 & aboveB. Handicap 103-109 (Incl)C. Handicap 102 & belowMax entry 70 Total(30 in anyone class)Fee £60 payable by 31 May 1981(£55 if paid in full by31 March 1981)Aerotows at Club ratesApplication forms from SecretaryDeposit of £10 required withcompleted applicationsDEREK DAVISLasham Gliding Society Ltdl.asham Airfield, AltonHants GU34 5SSTel: Herriard (025 683) 322Moulang (League One); Dennis Wright(League Two); Jill and John Hoye

-ALL THE FUN OF THE AIR-~E5TLEY AIRCRAFt}Complete Aircraft Manufacture. Repairs toG.R.P., steel tube, wood, metal, C.AA Argonarc welding, respray and refabric.SIMON WESTLEY65 Brooklands Drive, Leighton BuzzardBeds. LU7 8PETel. 0525-379567SAILPLANE & ENG.SERV CES LTD.C's of AREPAIRS TO GLASS-FIBRE,STEEL TUBE & WOODEN AleWRITE OR PHONE:KEN BLAKE BUXTON 4365SAILPLANE & ENG. SERVICES l TO.HOLMFIELO RD., BUXTON, DERBYS."To those who have come into competitive gliding within thelast few years, I say come and try it. You may find you h~ve beenmissing something. For some there is 8 lot more 10 our sportthan knocking It split second off a triangle"Philip Wills27 JUNE· 5 JULYFOR ALL GLIDING TYPES IN ALL TYPESOF GLIDERS (WITH MINIMUM RULES)ENTRY FEE £60 (inc VAT)Write for brochure and entry form to:Tony Maitland, 'The Gables', Norton, Presteigne,Powys, S. Wales. Tel. 05444·337HEREFORDSHIRE GLIDING CLUB LIMITEDShobdon Airfield, Leomlnster, HerefordshireNEW GENERATIONF,I~apped 1.5/17m Racing ClassSailplaneColour brochure and details available on requestA. W. HANFHEY (SAILPLANES)5 Auclum Close, Bur9'hfield Common, Reading, BerksTelephone: 0203-25498 or 0735-292544glasfliigel3D4"==i 7* NEW Wing section for better climb and penetrationwith or without water* NEW Canopy design, instrument panel hinges forwardwith canopy for easy access* NEW Directable cockpit ventilation and exhaustduct* NEW Adjustable headrest completing the "pilottailored" cockpit* NEW Elegant fuselage design with pointed nose andnew paint scheme* RETAINED - All' automatic control couplings-World renowned trailing edge brakesTHOUGHTFUL DESIGN - EXCELLENT FINISH. EASY TORIG AND FLY FOR PERFORMANCE OR FUN SOARINGMade in GRP with new mould manufacturing techniques.GLASFLOGEL'S 304 offers the best cost/performance valuein its class. .~LSO $~COND·HAND GlIQERSECONOMY -:- 1/6 share Mosquito B - only 3 other partners Lasham based - BARGAIN.LOOKS LIKE NEW - Mosquito B - custom built trailer - less than5 minute. rig. For sale as outfit or wlll split.LONG WING PERFORMANCE - NIMBUS liB (Filled tailplane) Easier to rig and fly than .you might Imagine to give ,You per.lormanceway beyond any 15tn. ship at 15m. pnce. Ollered With or without lullpanel and excellent trailer.34SAILPLANE & GLIDING

work on club aircraft ourselves to save oncosts.Kelvin Davis has been selected along withtwo others (see D~cember issue, 1'294) tosubmit full proposals in the 8GA Home-BuiltSailplane Competition. The best of luck Kelvinfrom us all."Syndicate shuffi'eitis" is appearing withthe possibility of lhe Pirat, Swallow andSkylark 4 being wpdated, but sadly as this iswritten we ·have lost one of our lugs. Ron, ORthe last low of the day, suffered engine failureand landed safely in a nearby field, only tofind a near invisible ditch al Ihe end. Nevermind Ron, not every club has had a retrievewith a JCB and low loader.M.S.C.SOUTHDOWN (Parham Airfield)It was an eventful summer with 13 completedSilvers Cs and two Diamonds, one by AngusBuchanan on Ihe last day of the Nationalswhen he flew over 500k01, and anotl1er whenJohn Frampton gained Diamond heighl alAboyne in September.Ria Ward flew her 50km to Lasham whileher husband, John, displayed remarkable fieldselection by landing Oul within 200 yards of aI'llb during opening hours. CH, Keith Mitchell,and Brian Bateson went cross-count'ry ona very scmtchy day and kept members in theclubhouse busy making a book on their chances;both managed to' scrape home.The annual lrip 10 Portmoak was enjoyt:dby all who appreciate a good joke and thrt:emembers learned to swim in '!I1l~ carpark whilt:waiting for the rain to stop. There were ,firstsolos by RonCrt:swick, Alan King andNaomi Collier. while Roger Coombs completedhis Bronze.It's nice to see eK-CFI, George Constable,instructing again after many years in the hotseal and finding more time to give his vastexperience to the nb-illilios.B.A.B.SOUTH WALES (Usk)Some good ridge and wave days al the end ofthe season enabled Oick Dixon to make hisfirst flighl into lhe Brecon Beacons. Congratulationsalso to Phil 'Edwards and PeterStephens on their Bronze C and 10 XenakisSymeonides for going solo.The skills of our tug pilot, Norman Evans,were put to the tesl when at 800n with a K-13in tow a pot on the engine near.ly disintegrated.But Norman landed ·the tw.g safely.We were pleased to have Roddi Morganand his Fauvett for a week at the end of w"'ichChris Rollings's gang ar,rived with a TwinAstir which Ivor Shattock landed out forthem.Ivor Shaltoc'k, the man who started theSouth Wales GC on a mountain top by ,pUllingan adlverl ill a local paper, was made VicePresident a·tlhe AGM.P.A.C.OBITUARYD. H. Robe,rts'It is with a sense Qfdeep loss that we haveto report the death of Danny Roberts as aresult of one of those things medicine, in allits wisdom, hasn't 90~ round to yel.Everyone whQ knew him whether al work,at in'structing or repairing, quickly came larealise that l1ere was a dependable, ind'ustriousand carir'lg man. If 'he chided you itwas because you needed chiding and yet ifyou needed help he would be there.Our c,lub started oh h'is father's farm andit was there he quickl,y became a s()lo pilotand qual'ified inspector. On our move toUsk when we acquired a tug he was one of .our first t,ug pilots and eventually our CF'Itor several years, taking liP the reins againwhen I became ill for a while.His love of flying was evident in theenthusiastic way he soared and' taughtalmost every Sunday without fail, never asmuch as scratching an aircra" and tryinghis hardest to prevent you from scratchingyo.urs. If you did scratch it, he was often theone to help you put it right.In Danny we have lost a pilot, an inspector,an instructor and an example of a goodclub' member that newcomers will find hardto emul'ate. We will miss him for a long,long time.Ivor ShatlockSTAFFORDSHIRE (Morridge)Our K-D is now as good as new after beingslri,pped, recovered, resprayed and given itsC of A. Total launches €or the year endingSeptember 1980 was 2285 compared with 1,572for the previous year, aml 304hrs comparedwith 223hrs. Quite an improvement.Our forage harvester has been refurbishedand painted ready for action and work on thenew winch is continuing with the' winchengine being ins'lalled. The diesel generator(or the hangar was n;conditioned and a newlTansformer installed to increase the voltagefrom II0v to 24Ov. Our "mod cons" are nowcomplete with rewired hangar, hot andl coldwater, "his" and "hers" toilets and a radio.We are Iplanning four courses for nexl season- one public, one club, one cross-countryand one expedition to another site.Al the last winter lecture, Eric Clutton, thedesigner and builder of the Fred HomebuildAeropl'ane, gav.e us a slide show on "How 10bllild your own aircraft," and "Oshkosh1980."In June. we will have an open day andexhibition to support Leek Sports Week.P.F.STRATHCLYDE (Slralhaven)Weeks of wet and windy weather have seriouslycurtailed llying since the end of Sep"tember. With only Falke flying possible mostdays due to unfavourable winds, we haveconcentrated on the drainage scheme althewest end of the field. .The club Swallow has been on twoe"peditions to the Cairngorm GC at Feshiebidgewhere Lawrence Ward gained his Silverheight. Congratulations also to Dal.'id lohnson.Martin Roberlson and Joan Prentice oh,going solo; also to Tim Barnard on gaining ·his·Bronze C and duration whi'le at Portmoak.Our Chairman, Arlhur Hughes, ret·ired atthe AGM in November. We tihank him for al'lhis hard work and welcome Des Tait as areplacement. We are considering the possibilityof having a tug.P.A.PI,PER SUPER CUBSCSE are· sole aulhorised distribulors lor Iheversatile PI~r PA-1a Buper Cub and all otherPiper aircraft in the U'.K. and Eire. Full supportservices ror enginel and airframes lor all Piperaircraft ,are oflered al our Oxlord Airport maintenancefacility.For all details of Super Cubscontact Dick Slralton (eXl 244).CSE Avlalion L1mlledOxford Airport, Kldllnlllon, Oxford OX5 1RATel: Kldllnlllon (086-75) 4~21. Telex: 83204• ~~~~~~~ii~--_.Plug -0'0'Re loIa. Powel~.,..Dews and described in S & G, is once more $.,...,- ~.. I Statlo~ Road.Columbla, DIStrlC1 9, ~..",'IaId'h 1"% d' I -::y-::,,. WashIngton.ava, be an now WII '" ,scounl or a NE387BD. Te1:l06321471525 t ~limjted period. It will charge NiCd or lead acid 'I~ Pleasesendme__ SolarPanels a ..12V batteries with a lolal charge of up 10 1 Ah . I T..ype 2200 at £59.60 each ;nclus;ve. "''''I'''The Solarex Unipanel as used by Colin , ' 'IHIIII\ f!o: SOlapa.k LImited. Robmso~ House. I'''~_fyne and Wear. ~Ialper day. Charge CUHel1t l,80mA jn tull sun. I enclose a cheque tor(--- ~ 4..They're simple to install and have a 5-year 0. payable to Solapak limited and ......... r~nder~t.and [hal this sum will ~ r~turne -........ Iguarantee. WithJ no moving parts there's 0111nothing to wear out. I In hill If I relurn the paneHs) wlthm 7 days. '... IThey ctilarge indefinitely but they. COSI nQthing .;/• Less p&p on overseas orderS.to run, .' . . I, Name: 1Solarex Uni panel type 2200 101mB I' Add'e.s IPrice lESS £70.115£59.6015%' UNTIL 30lh APRIL, 1981"""111....... ' L- I - ....J-I8010pOk Solar Generator Systems •February/March 1981 35

SAILPLANE/GLIDER/AIRCRAFTINSURANCETRY THE SPECIALISTSJ. A. Harrison (Brokers) Ltd.SECURITY HOUSE160·161 BROMSGROVE STREETBIRMINGHAM B5 6NY•RATES ARE REDUCED BYQUAlIFICATIONSPECIAL SCHEME FOREXPERIENCED PILOTSTelephone: 021-692-1245,Telex: 335142The World FamousCAMBRIDGEVARIOMETER SYSTEMSand theIRVING TOTAL ENERGYUNIT£9.55 inc VAT + SOp p&pare available fromSOUTHDOWN AEROSERVICES LTD.LASHAM AIRFIELDALTON,HANTSTelephone Herriard (025 683) 359PeakinPeakin P,arachute SystemsSouthwick Industrial EstateSunderland, Tyne and WearTel 0783 493613Pa,achute 'Y/temlAnnounce the arrival of two new systemsTHE SPORTSMANSPECIAL NOTICEA highly developed Iight-welght low bul:k parachute Peakin Parachutes are conductingvery simi!lar to the fine Strong Para-cushion but a field survey of the users of ourlighter and LJtil:ising snap ejector hardware at a'lI three parachutes.attachment points:We would like all owners or users ofour parachutes to write to us for aquestionnaire.THE CLUBThe information that you send usTo fill the need for a simple robust parachute. It has will help us to improve futurebeen designed to be comfortable but rugged, reliable designs and enable us to keep youbut not comp.licated and adjustable to fit a wide range appraised of safety information onof users.your parachute.In order to help }Iou to put pen toBoth these parachutes are available in our widepaper we wifl be conducting a drawrange of colour options and canopy choice.of all completed questionnaires -the first one out of the hat to win£25; the winner will be published inSailplane and Gliding.Please note that you can now telephoneus on the same number asbefore but now during normaloffice hours.36 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

ULSTER (Bellarena, Co Derry)Gliding experience at an early age for 7 year-oldGemma Rodwel/. photographed by Mike Polowayhefore one of several back-sear rides in the UGC'sr",'in Astir.If it is not invalidated by his barograph windingdown, Jim Weston will have completedthe dub's fourth Gold C with a wave climb inthe DG-IOO to 12 OOOft from an exceptionallylow point on November 23, one of our bestdays in a rotten year. One point on which Jimis determined is that his Gold, if and when hegets it and unlike the other three, will havebeen obtained in solely Irish air.The newly erected hangar is addingimmensely to our enjoyment of winter flying,with earlier starts, later finishes - and arrivalat Rosie's or Marie's fireside for the obligatorylIpn l s-\lo! hot whiskeys comfortably by5pm. It easily accommodates both twoseaters,rigged; the de-tipped Skylark 3 andthe tug and when we have side-wheeling doiliesmade. and a floor laid, it will probably bepersuaded to hold more. including one aircraftslung from the roof.Due in December was a brand-new powerplantfrom the USA for the Citabria which,since mid-November, had been running happilyon two-star Mogas to the Treasurer'sevident. delight. Also arriving in Decemberwas a venerable Grunau Baby 3 which AlanSands was collecting from Bamberg as astep-up from flying his Pik 20D. Alan has alsobought a Kestrel 19' in Miss,issippi in anticipationof a long sojourn in the States next year.Another import. is a Monnett Monerai kitwhich Louden Blair has ordered and plans tobuild at his home in lame. Meanwhile, thebadly broken K-6 which Bob Rodwell purchasedin that state - i,t saved him the botherof breaking one himself - escaped the !Hallowe'enbonfires and is now beginning to looklike a sailplane again.R.R.R.UPWARD BOUND TRUST(Aylesbury Thame)After our fmnt page splash in the Octoberissue (well one of our members is holding Ihebungey) we thought it Was time to contribute alitHe more. We fly from Aylesbury (Thame)airfield at Haddenham - it's the place youlanded! at when y,ou didn't quite make it backfrom lasham to Dunstable or Hus Bos toiBooker. Our fleet, dub Ilnd private, totalstwo T-2i1s, a Bergfalke 2 and a Pi'ral: a smallbut enthu,siastic club.Congratul'ations to Chris "Giblef' Shepardwho would have gone solo on his 16th birthdaybut i,t rained, so he got away on the hextflyable weekend.A.D.o ©. 0o6: 0:1• • 5 •• 2SQL 4 3 VOla 0TM.61TM.61 GLIDER RADIOoNow the new TM.61 Glider Radio. same sizebul improvedoutput to 1.8 wall at l2.S volts.ActuaJ size )( 7 ~ to long, up to 6 Channels, normally sup.plied with IJO.1 and IJO.4. comple1e wi,h hand-held mike(or Swan-neck boom mik.e. optional extra,aI (20). rspeakerpnd wiring harness. PRICE £210LONDON SAILPLANES LID Plus VATTelephone Dunsroble 62068WOLDS (Pocklington)Our annual dinner-dance was on November14 with prizes awarded to Bill Young (Clubladder), Eddie Room (longest flight) andBernie Svenson (the most meritorious flightand most progress).One of our K-7s is being given a "face-lift"by Bob Fox and helpers and should be asgood as new and back on the line beforeChristmas. We have a new scheme with eachinstruc-tor andl a group of members beingresponsible For a piece of equipment, so thatmaintenance etc ,is carried out with theminimum of aggravation.!H.N.WOODSPRING (Weston-Super-Mare)The first of the winter"s north-easterlies gaveJohn Toy, PhillipHogarth, Em Williarns, RaySnelling and David Nichol their five hourswith David's father, Alan, and Alan Humecompleting their Bronze Cs on the Buttonridge. Congratulations to Gary Humphries onsuccessflllly cQmpleti ng his instruc'tors'course and to Peter Adshead and StanMcCaffrey on goin,g solo.We are negotiating for 'the use ofa field as asoaring site on the sQulh-west facing MendipHills jus,t above Cheddar Gorge. To this endwe are converting a three ton truck as anexpedition winch.AJ.H.~[E[Ri~~~[E~[EW~BICESTER (RAFGSA Centre)The Libelle on its usual autumn trip toAboyne was joined by the Cirrus, DG-IOOand, Kestrel in the first major Bicester expeditionthere for three years. About 20 membersenjoyed their visit and although there were noDiamond's - Ken Hartley was only about250ft short - most had some wave flying withNow the New TM.62 Ground SetFitted with 129.9, 130.1 and 130.4.Actual size X 8" deep.Price £210 plus VAT5 watts output.Send for details to: London Sailp1anes Ltd., Tring Road,Dunstable, Beds. lel. Dunst:oble 62068.February/March 1981 37

Gold h~ights for Whitson Bush, Mick Dry,Peter Sowden and Martin Lawrey, Martincompleting his Gold C,Our bus winch launches are in demand and,there has been flying and occasional soaringmost weekends and on some weekdaycour'ses, wilh Jackie, Hymers having a thelmalflight of 21-2hrs in November. A few moremembers have gone solo including a 852 piloton a visit and Mick Alexander and Mick Dryhave become full Cats.J.W.CRANWELL (RAFGSA)PIK-20E HIGH PERFORMANCE"FLAPPED 15" MOTOR SA'ILPLANE• GOOD TAKE-OFF PERFORMANCE (300m)• GOOD RATE OF CLIMB• EARLY DELIVERIES• DEMO AIRCRAFT AVAILABLE• IN FULL SERIES PRODUCTIONBALL ELECTRIC VARIOMETERSSole UK Agency• Latest models instock• Very low batteryconsumption• All self-contained no awkward bottles• Standard sizes 3Vaand 2% inchavailable• Netto, cruise,variable gain,variable damping,averager availab'leAnd of course:Mode/400/6• FIBREGLASS TRAILERS FOR 15 METRE SAILPLANES• GOOD RANGE OF INSTRUMENTS• REPAIRS TO ALL SAILPLANES WHATEVER MATERIAL• C;s of A• WOODEN TRAILERS BUILT TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONJOHN HU'LME'BOTTISHAM, CAMBRIDGETelephoneCambridge 811323We have had a good autumn with first solosfor Doug Ramsey, Sally Youngs, Ted Scarborough,Peter George, Nigel Olding, JohnGunns and MalcolmScott. Vicki Garndonand Robin Simpson have resolv~d after longlay,olrs; Bill Barker has his Bronze C; DickKenny silver height and Ken Pick Silverheight and distance.lan Barrow (K-8) climbed to 10000ft inwave but couldn't continue as oxygen wasn'tfitled. The Tutor is flying again after its C ofA and recoverimg and the l.-Spatz is in thehangar naked, ready for a recovering job.Our new bus winch is on line and givinggood. efficient launches and has launched theK-8 to 3000ft. (J.R. again.)Dave Almey has his j:nstructor rating butwill be busy repairing our Eagle which wasbadly damaged. We held our AGM and fancydress party and it looks as though we will behosting the Vintage Glider Club ear,ly in theseason. Finally, best wishes to Ken Pick andhis family who have been posted to Germany.G.A,B.FENLAND (RAF Marham)Our expedition to Portmoak was quite successfulwith Gold 'heights for Ken "Shirley"Reeves and Stll Lawrence, who ,both reached12 000ft. Sue Smith and Mitch Page gainedSilver heights. Mitch al'so gelling· his fiveMITY LINKSThe new stainless weak link as deSCribedin theApril/May issue. Complete with threebuller discs and TWO pairs ofslaples(please state whether 900 or 1100lbrequired).1 to 9 £&.36 each plus VAT101035 £5.72 each plus VAT36 up £4.71 each plus VATCarriage paid UKJohn Astley and Son:s LldGosford Street, Coventry CV1 5DJ0203·2077138 SAILPLANE & GLIDING

tlours on the same night. Altogether we did115hrs and had six gliders airborne.This month we say goodbye to Tony Povy,posted to Harllon,. and PhiI Southam whojoins Four Counties.S.S.FOUR COUNTIES (RAF Syerston)Our AGM was a grea:t suceess with TimBrailsford. John T8ylor, Tony Satchell, WarrenFearon and Trevor Gor.ely winning cups. Wethank Claire Farmer for the splendid catering.Two of our pilots, Chrts Cur'tis and GaryStingemore, are through to the next year ofTeam Training Week sponsored by the BGA.Another, John Maniolt, :is doing year oneagain due to bad weather.We now have the sound of Police dogs alour airfield with kennels inside the hangar.G.P.S,PEGASUS (RAF Giitersloh)First news of our AGM. Our cross-countrykilometres have been limited by poor weatherootlaunches are up on last year and funds areheallhier. Trophy winners were J. Edyvean(most nolable actlievemenl); A. Batchelor(unsung hero) and J. McGivern (most pro-gress by ab-inilio).Our Vennebeck expedition went well withtwo Bronze legs for J. McKFlight anddurations for D. P-ennock, T. Wiseman andGeoff Ridgeway, More than 80hrs were Oownand a great dea'l was learnt.We have a 101 of grOlmd wor,k to do and aChristmas Iparly coming up. Planning hasstarted for 001' comps Flext year and we lookforward to going to Systeron.B.P.TWO RIVERSIRAF Laarbruch)The final ,quarter of 11980 saw someexpeditions to Vennebeck with good Oyingincluding a duration for Saral'lBailey to completeher Silver C. We have five new AssistantCats to give a favourable instructor/pupilralio.The AGM is on Janllary 17 and somemembers are going 10 Sisteron in March.l.R.N.WREKIN (RAF Cosford)Our thanks to Andy Miller for spend'ing aweekend with us and giving the club two newfull Cats - Mick Davis and John Richardson.On the nying side. congratulations to TaffAgius and Dave Wakefield for their convers'ionsto Ihe Blanik and to Gary Feeley for hisGold height in Scotland.Our AGM j,n November was a success withtrophies won by Mick Davis, Rhod Evans,Rod Witter, Bob Jones, AI Stacey, MossieWilliams, John Lambert, AI Marshall and LesCa'd'ogan for hard work and flyingachiev,ements.Sadly we will soon be losing our airfieldentertainment, Keith "Teggy" Tegg, but 110doubt Fulmar's MT member will w.elcomehim with open arms.J.L.R.A.E. SUPPLIESNew and Ex Mini$try AviationInstrument$ and EqUipmentAlti meters, Accelerometers,Airspeed Ind.. An.emometers(hand held). Aerials. Air TemperatureInd., Ai,rband Receivers,Compasses, Climb and DescentInd., Clocks, DirectionalGyros, Fire Extinguishers. Horizons,Headsets, HOUlrmeters,Hair Hygmmeters,. Inverters.Knee Boards, Life Vests. INavigationEquipment, PressureGauges. Pressure SWiltches,Rescue Strobes, Sextants. Sliptubes,Stopwatches. TemperatureGauges various, Venturi,Vacuum Pumps. Variometers,Wrist Watches.Lots of items in stock, send SAEfor free part illustratedCatalogue to:A.e. Supp'lies, 1 Arnolds YardOld Market Place, AltrinchamCheshireShOp Hours Monday to Friday 9.30 to 2pmclosed Thursday. Saturday 9'.30 to 5.30pmPhone 061-941-3780 or .Iler 2pm 061'-980-7451f The UK's top soaringsite- Flying 364 days a year with 6 tugs and 4lowcars;- Free of airspace restrictions;- rhe UK 801km record flown fromLasham;- Over 75,OOOkm flown from here in 1979 _ Janus on order*The UK's besttraining centre- Elementary and advanced residentialcourses 50 weeks a year;- Full time professional InstrUctorsalways available;- Four ,two-seaters (Kl~'s);- One Super-Falke;• The finest clubamenitiesComfortab'le accommodation, modernclubhouse witn 7 day 8 week canteen andbar, first class caravan and campingsite.The Alton spons Centre is only 4 milesaway wi'th swimming, squash, tenniS.badminton, table tennis etc.Private owners are we'lcome, or join Surrey' ana Hants ana fly the Club's fleet; 1 Kestrel 19, 1 Mosquito, 3 Astir CS's, 1 Sport Vega,1 K6E. 5:1

NATlONALLADDEA WINNERSDear Editor,COllgratulations to the pilots who havedone so well on the Nationa/ladder, especiallythe winners,It seems to me, however, that the purposeof the National Ladder is beingdefeated. The privileges enjoyed by amember of the British Team and officials ofthe BGA in being able to use the back-upfacilities of Met, launching etc at a NationalChampionships would seem rather unfairto those lowly club mortals w'ho would notget the same privileges.Shouldn't these pilots be satisfied withtheir competition flying and the extrafacilities given to practise for World Championshipswithout also stealing the breadfrom the ordinary club members?ROGER HARLOW, Enfield, Middlesex.WHAT IF HE DID HIDE HIS VARIO?Dear Editor,Peter Riedel in his article in the Octoberissue, p228, suggests that in publishing hisbook in 1932 Kronfeld deliberatelychanged the word "variometer" to theword "altimeter", in order to keep secrethis use of the instrument. There are anumber of twists to th,is strange storywhich throw some doubt on it.First, the manuscript was not written inEnglish, so it could have been a translatingerror. (It was translated by J. Manchot withthe help of Rudoll Flinsch and family, sothere is one possible line for further inquiryif any of those people are still alive.)Secondly, contrary to what Peter Riedelsays about the book being published inEnglish only, a version of it was also publishedin French in 1935. lt was translatedby W. Korporinde, but it does not say fromwhat language. The pertinent passagesalso use the word "altimetre".Thirdly, C. H. Latimer Needham's bookSailplanes was also published in 1932 andnot only mentions the vario but includes aphoto of a :tSm/sec instrument, presumablyGerman, because it reads Steigt andFa lit. So the "secret" was out anyway; to befollowed by an article in Sailplane andGlider, March 3, 1933, by someone rejoicingunder the nom de plume of "Ventre aTerre", which mentions that WoH Hirth hadinsisted on the indispensability of the varioat the London Club Christmas dinner.40There may have been earlier references inS&G, my set is incomplete, but my point isclearly that Kronfeld had no reason anylonger to hide his 'lario, because it wasalready being talked about.If, however, Kronfeld had hidden hisvario in a paper bag in 1928, there musthave been a conspiracy with othersinvolved, for it is hard to believe that. workingat the Wasserkuppe, Kronfeld couldhave hidden the instrument or its significancefrom Professor Georgii, Fritz Stamerand A. lippisch. All three of these pioneerscontributed long, important articles to theearly numbers of The British GlidingAssociation Journal (Nos. 1, March 1930,and 3, January 1931) and none of themmentions the vario! Or perhaps there wasno conspiracy: they merely did not think itwas very important for slope soaring, andthermal soaring was still in Its infancy.In any case, what if he did originally hidehis vario in 1928? Wouldn't most of yourreade~s have done the same in his place togain a litlle time over the competition?WILlIAM MALPAS, Upper Montclalr, NJ,USA.MANDARINS BEAT RETREATDear Editor,After my letter in the October issue, 1'254,it is a pleasure to report that the SportsCouncil for Northern Ireland has beenreprieved and is to continue as an effectivebody with executive powers and a dedicated,qualified stall rather than become apowerless ministerial plaything.The relevant minister, Lord Elton, wastaken aback by the huge volume of protestwhich his previously ill-considered planproduced from about 120 voluntary bodiesrepresenting sports and recreations rangingfrom aeromodelling to water skiingand youth hostelling. In December the governmentbeat an almost complete retreatand announced that the SCNt would continueas an executive and professionallystaffedbody, with only a minor trimming ofits powers in one respect.Gliding's voice was ,in there with the protestersin the form of effective pressurefrom the BGA through the Chairman, TomZealley. Our thanks go to Tom - and toanyone else in the movement who, inresponse to our appeal, found the opportunityto express a view.The BGA has served us, one of its smallerclubs, very well on this occasion and weare duly grateful.BOB RODWELL, Secretary, Ulster GC.STAMPING OUT FIELD LANDINGSDear Editor,Well, any reaction is better than none!(See "Competition and Field Landings" letterin the August issue, 1'203.) I am gratefulfor lan Patterson's lelter (October issue,p255), and would have liked to discuss anypoints he might have made, but apart fromtelling me I am talking rubbish, and suggestingwhere I should go, he hasn't saidanything.However, I take his point about the CompetitionEnterprise people being a wonderfulcrowd (aren't we all?) although I am notsure whether John Fielden's altitude tofield landings differs any from the BGA's.I am particularly pleased to get someopinions from Ralph Jones (last issue,p306), because when someone in the gliderrepair business disagrees as strongly as hedoes with my ideas about field landings,then I begin to think that I may have saidsomething valid. He makes the point thatsome people get less adventurous with oldage, and some people get more adventurous... a profound statement which isdifficult to argue with. However, it must bevery difficult in Ralph's position to be completelyobjeetive about the "average"altitude to final glides, in the same way thatan outbreak of the plague must give rise toconfused emotions in the breast of anundertaker.I agree that the real damage caused tofarmers' property by field landings is minimal,but my fear is that the general resentmentagainst gliders landing near glidingsites might not remain in proporticm to thedamage. There is very little romanticadvent'ure about stretching one's glideunneoessary to an unknown landing field.All competition pilots hawe a good ideahow to force land without 'injury to themselves(which takes care of the personalcourage aspect) so I must conclude thatthe stimulation is the prospect of a loss ofinsurance no claims bonus, or telling thesyndicate partners that they have nothingto fly for the rest of the season. If thisexcites the youthfUl, then perhaps I am gettingold - please send me your measurementsRalph, and I'll knit you something fornext Christmas.As to general reaction since my letter, thepeople I have spoken to have generallyexpressed cautious approval (including, Iam pleased to see, Platypus in the Octoberissue, 1'210). Does this mean that the silentmajority of readers can't be bothered towrite because they don't feel stronglyeither way?Offhand, I can think 01 no other sportwhere a competitor gets proportional scorepoints for partly completing the course.Marathon running, ding1hy racing etc, youeither finish or you have" retired" and. so itshould be with modern gliders. In my"Proposition One" I suggest that passing2X is a means of crediting a competitorwith actually competing on the day,Whereas "Proposition Two" and "Three"are my British compromise suggestionswhich hopefully would lessen the inducementto stretch final glides.The chief difficulty in getting competitionorganisers to use new scoring systems istheir fear that the BGA will decide that anydeviation from the accepted CompetitionHandbook will render that particular meetinginvalid for rating purposes.Some years ago, a "Placing System" wastried at a Dunstable Regionals, and thefinal results differed only slightly fromthose arrived at using the official system. Isuspect it didn't catch on (a) because it wastoo simple (the present system must besuperior, just look at all those lovely computers!)and (b) it couldn't give the pilots aNational Rating figure. I would like the BGACompetitions Committee to giwe theirapproval to any Regional competition thatSAILPLANE & GLIDING

wishes to experiment witn more up-to-dateIdeas on scoring, (eg mine) and give it aRating qualification nevertheless.It is no good saying "by all means go offand organise your own compelilion. bul itwon't carry a Raling", because the event inquestion wilt then appeal only 10 CompetitionEnterprise type pilols who are notinduced or inclined to play "Final GlideChicken" and show suspicious tendenciesof enjoying gliding for its own sake.If approval were given, we wo'uld getsome genuine feedback of opinions Iromboth organisers and competitors in thefield (preferably an approved one).MI~E FAIRMAN, Welwyn Garden City,Herts.MORE 'liKE OVER-REACTIONDear Editor,Although Mike Fairman asked for reactionsto his proposed amendments of BGAcompetitioll rules I cOAsider that the tworeactions you have published so far readmore like over-reaction. Are their authorsreally unable to see the connection betweenthe prevalent loading of our .insurancepremiums to discourage competitionflying, and the essence of Mike's. letter?And do the young and fearless reallybelieve that they can escape t,he consequences·of their actions, or even isolatethemselves from the rest of the glidingfratern ity?CHARLES ElUS, lIford, Essex.S&G ORIl"ICISEDDear Editor,I purchased my very first copy of S&Gand started to read. With growing concern,I looked again at the cover. Yes, it definitelysaid "Gliding", but what had these articlesin common with the delightful weekend Ihad Just spent as a new member of a glidingclub? Nothing! Quite frankly I understoodnot one word. Nevertheless, I havepersisted with my subscription cOl"lfidentlyexpecting that sooner or later articles of aless advanced nature, written especially fornewcomers to the sport, would be bound toappear. I am still waiting.I am firmly convinced that we beginners,struggling towards that magical event "thefirst solo" and hopefUlly on to the dizzyheights of Bronze C, greatly outnumber theelite sect of noble folk performing brilliantfeats In the various gliding competitions towhom this magazine addresses itself. S&Ghas 'not always been so esoteric - look atyour early 1970 editions.Kind sir, we are full of enthusiasm eagerfor k>nowledge - we love gliding - alas,we are 1'101 very good at it. Please speak tous, encourage ar;ld educate us, we will thenbecome your most attentive and loyal subscribers.VAL CARTER, Taunton, Somerset.(We a'lways contend that S&G should bejudged oyer one year for content, not oneach issue. We try and get a fair balancebut are very dependent on the quality andvariety of contributions. However we donormally pitch ourselves above Ihe earlybeginner, simply because there is already awealth 01 basic literature lor the ab-initio.Glider pilots rearn fast and they wou'ld soonSPECIAL OFFERBarographs., Ultra small * Ultra lighṯ--REPLOGLE eAROGRAPHUses pressure sensitive paperforfaultless recordingPrice £144.50 each Inc. VAT plus £1.50 p&pMelnel.Sp9rts .Shawclough Road. Rochdal~. LancashireTel: Rochdale (0706) 55131'be bored with a magazine which didn't tryand encourage, and keep abreast with, theiraspirations, Nevertheless, thank you Val loryour criticism. It is always helpful to havesome feedback and we hope that as themonths go by you will find us better value.EO)BGA ACCIDENT SUMMARYDear Editor,I note the BGA Accident Summary publishedin the December issue, p293, AccidentReference No. 121 Mini Nimbus which, stated "On landing reported by witnessesto be normal the undercarriageGRP 'legs failed allowing fork ends to moverearward and become embedded in fuselageat bottom of wheel-box. Inspectionsuggests failure was progressive." t, wouldpoint out, as both the Schempp-HirthAgent in lUK and repairer of this particularaccident damage, that the "normal landing"was su,fficient to burst the tyre andtl:lbe, write-oH the wheet hub and distortthe steel tube fr.ame on which the undercarriageis mounted - and this is a "normallanding"? Perhaps in future the compilersof the accident summary will restricttheir comments to the damage caused andnot set Inemselves up as structural experts!R. J.oNES, Lambourn, Berks.ArthurDoughty, Chairman of the BGASafely P,lnel, replies:Accident summaries have been publishedin S&G for the past year because it washoped a wider exposure of the detailsthrough this medium would assist in effectinga reduction in the currently poor accidentrate. The summaries are compiledfrom the accident reports submitted byclubs.In the ease of the subj.ect accident towhich Mr Jones refers, the landing wasobserved by the CF!, a pilot with over1100hrs experience. The comments on thetechnical aspects were supplied by aninspector who has held BGA approval forFebruary/March 1981 41

about 17yrs and whose experienceincll!Jdes 3yrs as an instructor filler in theRAF. The compiler of the summary was inno way setting him~elf up as a structuralexpert but merely summarising for publicalionIhe comments contained in the accidenlreport.I suspect Mr Jones considers the words,"Inspectiol'\ suggests failure was progressive"infers some criticism ot the prod uctThis is not tile case. Tile· fail'ure may havehad its or,igins some time previously andeach SlJbsequent landing, take-off andground run could have contributed a smallpart to the final collapse.The purpose of accident reporting is,inter alia, 10 attempt 10 determine thecaljSes witil a view to preventing accidentsof a similar nature In Ihe flut'ure, not toascribe blame. Defecls f,requenlly manifestthemselves when products pass imto theharldsof users and rectHicatlon or modificalionis sometimes required. In ·this casethere is nothing 10 suggest such action isnecessary but as GRP for 'Undercarriagestructures is a relatively new application forthis material the accident prevention messageis that owners should look at theirundercarriages.However, as Mr Jones indicates, therewas rather more damag.e than' one wouldexpect from a simple collapse so it maywell be the. landing was somewl1at heavierthan indicated in the report. Withol,lt thisadditional ,irlformation (and i,t is quiteimpracticable to follow up each 'and everyreport for further informalion,) it is o[1llypossible to 'summarise tihe contenls of Ihereport as submitted.In conclusion, it may interest Mr JQnes toknow the accident was assessed as"undercarriage collapsed" Group 11 inBGA analysis and not as a "technical"accident Group 19.CREATING FRIENDLY FARMERSDear Editor,Takenl from the American magazine.soaring, creating friendly farmers, is a verygood idea to be promulgated.When landinginl a farmer's field oneshould always have a camera and take apicture of him, or preferably his child, sittipgin tile cockpit. One cannot really offertfie farmer money, although a SOp piece tohis ehild wOllld be appreciated, but hewould be thrilled and most grateful to havea photograph.Persoil,ally I have done this on a fewoccasions and have had some lovely lettersof t,hanks. Normally I always write andthank. the fS'rmer for the use of his field. butin 'fulure I liTlust tJse the camera too.My Lasham cl'ub holds a Farmers' Partyevery year for those who hav:e been helpful.Having been bom and worked on a farmmyseU I am able to t.alkfarmill1g to Ihef'armef. As a g,roup lhey are only tooJ:)leased to· have the opporlunity to converSewith eact:, other. and at Ihe Farmers'Party they are more interested in themselvesthan us.'Perhaps other ipilots and c1.ubs will takeIUp tl1ese ideas which mllst give our sporttll1e best possible image.HUMPHRY DIMOCK, Gasport, Hants.42FIRST INTERNATIONAlDear Editor,The first International Gliding Contestwas held In JUly 1,937, but is not included inthe list of International Contests given atthe end of The History of Gilding by' AAnWelch (reviewed on p47), who came intoBritish gliding just after it was over. II is notin the index bllt merltion of it will be foundon p135-6 where itis stated that "The Britishteam won no prizes ..." Actually onJuly 9 Fit Lt P. M. Watt (later Sqd ILdr) wonthe daily prize, which was for height with aclimb 01 2330m. On the 12th W. B. Murrayof the RAF and J. S. Fox put up an internationaltwo-seater duration record of 9hrs48min - the first to be recognised by theFAI.UnfOlrtunately Sqd Ldr Watt lost his lifeearly in the war in an RAF plane Which thepilot was trying to land im fog.A. E. SiLATER, Cambridge.WEEKENO CLUB TRAININGDear Editor,The major problem with weekend glidingfor ab-initios is havingl a bost 01 differentInstructors. from one weekend to another,resulting in a slow progress rale and theneed to jostle for flights om the daily list.Some clubs operate evening COlHses andby having, tile same InslructQrlst·udentcombination continuity is achieved. It islairly simple 10 do the same at weekendsand has beerl done with great success atsome clubs.The weekends are divided into four withmorning and afternoon courses. Someclubs even add an extra course ,iA midsummerby starting al El to ,6:30am until10am.Even if one doesn't reach this admirablelevel 01 enthusiasm, one can Improve onIhe semewhat haphazard morning list. Ihave found instructors wilt always respondto such suggestions because the reward isthat they' start to fly wi,ttlthe same peopleinstead of a chaotic mixture where the firstlIighl is a "get to know you" trip in spite oflogbook notes.Team spirit also results, especially Iromnew members Who really leel t,hey belongto the club instead of turning up Orl thefield and'being asked who they are. Alsothere is more time for proper groundinstruction, wives don't lose their husbandsfor a whole day and the "waiting allday for a flight" syndrome is eliminated.nle system can be supplemented byhaving a casual list for check rides etc.Try it out at your club. You will be sur"prised at the interest it generates.J. S. DOWNES, Booker, Bucks.FIVE YEARS IN FIVE OAYSIOear Edilor,Following V. J. Chambers' letter in theAugust issue (p204) about gliding at the SebrjngSoaring Centre in Florida, USA, I caner:ldorse his recomm.endation wholehear·tedly; not only for the gliding bllt as an allroundholiday with visits to attractive diversionssuch as Kennedy Space Centre andDisney World close by. I decided to visit theCentre on the way back from attending acomputer training ,course in the USA andwas well rewarded.My experience of glidingas'a tug pilot torthe last five years has been to try and getsome gliding hours In between compswhen tugging at the Northern Regionals,but due to the English climate achievingonly 1'4hrs in five yearsl In five days atSebring last MarchJ I flew 14hrs, and as theprevious correspondent also stated, Icould have easily doubled lhal time.J. J. SMITH, Lelgh on Sea, Essex."WE MUST REMAIN BROTHERS"Dear Editor,I am a fellow aviator, a brother not abrother-in-law (see the last issue, p271). Iam a hang glider pilot and a British HangGliding Association Council member. I amin the Ihick of things which is limiting myHying like it does any who get involved withthe organisation 01 our delightlul silentforms 01 recreation in: the sky.I am very concerned, as you .are, that weseem to be coming into conflict in certainareas and are in danger of limiting all ouractivities. I have been charged with theBHGA responsibUi,ly for trying 10 preventthis.Recreational flying is based on the conceptthat the a'ir is ,(,relatively) free. Wewould have no future in the sky if that ideawere completely abandoned. Those whoown the land beneath us would be toorestrictive as they just do not understand orsupport aviation, except perhaps whenthey want to travel on a commercial airline.We all fly gliders, although their characteristicsare different to a degree. We allsearch for rising air. We ,rather reSentsomeone else using il when we want it andthere just is not room for another inreasonable safety. Our experiences tend toenable us to predict and fit in: with 1ll1emovements 01 someone flying a similarmacnine. Patterns can be developed morereadily if all using constricted airspace aretravelling at similar speeds.We seem to resent a fellow 'aviator moreif he is nol only using air we WOluld like, butis also flying a machine that is rather differentfoo often the resentment and differencesare magnified because we do notget t0gether afterwards and socialise.S'uitable hills are rather scarce adjacentto some of the more highly populated areasin this country. Greed for the space availabreis beginning to show Itself and we arebeginnimg to quarrel. There is no doubt atall that open quarrels will be viewed withconcern by others, particularly if there is alack Clf harmony in the air.None 01 us want a collision and we try tofly in such a way as to minimise the risk ofthis. We still flY. Ground lubbers think weare alii too brave 10 be safe anyway and willstrongly oppose our activities if we givethem the chance. If we are quarrelling andapparently prepared 10 have conflict in, thesky, then, it presents them with everyreason for wanting more control. I wouldnot blame them. Collisions are unpleasarltfor those immedialely inIJolved. They areSAILPLANE & GLIDING

very emotive happenin,gs, particularly ifyou happen to, be I,mderneath when thedebris is fall ing,What can we do to prevent this quarrelbecoming more widespread?' We have toreach agreement and that means talk. Thelatest attempt to produce a BHGA/BGAstrategv is being considered by BGA representatives.An agreement can be reachedat the national level, but ,it will need' to ,befully supported at club level too.The only acceptable solution is too shareairspace. If we start dividing it oH, wherewill it end? 6xclusive use around take-olfpoints will in my view be ve'ry unaccept·able, even i,f they are aerodromes only inthe aviation sense,I can understand that there is resentmentwhere crowded areas are becoming morecrowded, That resentment must be constrainedand agreement for necessary controlsmust replace it. We must remainbrothers.DAVID BEDDING, Monks Rlsborough,Bucks.BENT NAILS AND COACH BOLTS!Dear Editor,Contrary to his expectations, Mr I, 0,Smith (see the last issue, p306) may beeven more horrified to learn that I am quiteprepared to fly a glider held together withbent nails and coach bolts if:a) It was designed to be held togetherwith bent nails and coach bolts andb) Said bent nails and coach bolts conformto the designer"s requirements.It is possible that the answer to my question"Why does flying need special regulations?"(see August issue, p202) is containedin Mr Smith's assertion ", .. thepotential hazards are greater ..." Probably,like M.r Smith, the instigators of specialtreatment for lIying justified theirattitude by emphasising its "potentialhazards," I mentioned some other productsthat can be bought and operatedwithout reg,ulations similar to thoserequired for flying, because these too present"potential hazards" just as formidable,The passage 01 time ha$ revealed oneother aS,pect of the non-uniqueness 01"flying", for i,t has demonstrated that sincethe,y must depend 'ultimately upon thehuman factor, legislated procedures introducedto improve safety cannot be reliedupon to (he extent previously imagined,and their :justification now becomesquestionable. With hindsight perhaps wemight have guessed that if we institute proceduresthat linsert more humans into achain 01 events we ar.e also increasing thenumber of "weakest links" and the correspondingchances lor error.CHARLES ELUS, IItord, Essex.PARACHUTE ASSOCIATIION WARNINGDear Editor,During the past two years, the number ofENSTONEREGIONALS8-16 August36 Entrants in 2 ClassesApply to Ken Sparkes(Enslone Eagles Gliding Club)Tadmal10n House FarmTadmarton, BanburyOxfordshireTel: Banbury 0(0295) 721242individuals participating in sport parachlltingin the lJK has doubled to some23000. There has, naturally, been a concocmlta'1t'ncrease in the intensity of0peralions at our drop zones, both on airfieldsand notitied sites. These sites arepromulgated 1'1 the UK Air Pilot RAC Section5.8.1. In most cases these sites arenotified on the 1:500,000 aeronauticalcharts by a small parachute symbol.A recent incident has highlighted a misunderstandingof the inherent dangers offlying int.o such airspace without priorcommunication. SPOlrt parachuting takesplace from heights (OFE) of up to 12 OOOftwith the parachulist(s) ,falling at a terminalvelocity of some 120mph (1761I1sec) beforeopening their parachutes at 2500ft agl.Only a few months ago in the USA a freefalling parachutist hit a Helrcules. Theparachutist was fatally injured and the aircraftseverely damaged - if it had beenanything: less :tharl a He~cules it is. likely thatthe aircraft wOuld have, had to force land atbest.The ,aim of this letter, theref,ore, is to givethis potential danger situation the maximumpublicity 'because the Safety andTraining Committee of the British ParachuteAssociation believe that, If light aircraftand gliders continue to fly blatantly orat random over promulgated drop zones, itis only a question of time befete the tragicUSA accident is regeated in this countrywith an equally tragic 0utcome.DOUG PEACOCK, National Coach andSafety Officer of the British ParachuteAssociationSOAR INTO THE EIGHTIES WITH QUALITY AVIONICS FROM WALTER DITTELTop European pilots have used OITTEL equipment for years and it has an unbeatablereputation' tor ruggedness and reliability. Now this, comprehensive range 01 equipment,especially designed for sailplanes, motor gliders, Iballoons, powered aircraft and groundstalions, is available 10 the English pilot. ...~c~:~~"~~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~nsumPtion* Weightapprox1kgSmall size* Intercom facility for 2 seaters * Very simple to install* Meets latest CM specificationsAVAILABLE FROM THE SOLf UK AGENTSSPEEDSOARING11 Shaw Close, Blcester, Oxon0869242691 'or 084421 4132Sales and serviceIREF ELECTRONICS, High Wycombe 049481 4483;FebruarylMarch 1981Both these transceivers incorporate sophisticated circuitry 10 prevent overload from nearbypowerful transmitters, 'reject elect'rical interference and oplimise talk power however themike is used. A large range 01 accessories includes tleadsets, mikes, speakers, aerials, handportable carcry cases and intercom sets.All equipment carries a fulllwo vear /Darts and labour guarantee and there is lull UK spares'and service backup,TRADE ENQUIRIES INVITED43

I BOOK REVIEWSThe Story of Gliding (second edition) byAnn Welch. published by John Murray at£9.75,A new book from the pen, of Mrs, Welch isusual,ly an event of note, in the gliding worldand th,is book is no exception. Strictlyspeaking I1 is not a new book being thesecond edition of the original work by Annand her husband Lorne pUblished wayback in the 19605, However it has beenextensive,ly re-researched, revised andrewri,uen and in its present form it deservesa place on the bookshelves of anyoneinterested in our sport and ,indeed o,f anyoneinterestedl in an excellently written,informative and 'entertaining book.In the last decade or so there has been agreatly increased interest shown in the historyofman's efforts to Hy and Mrs Welchhas kept up to date with the latest researchand has included many anecdotes andincidents which one has not previouslyheard of. But this is no dry as dust historicalchronicle. It is essentially a book abouthuman endeavour and human idiosyncrasiesand the great characters andeccentrics who pioneered and developed,human flight lo its present advanced state.Perhaps -the best description of the lbook isin lheautho'ress's own words in her introduction"This book ... is about some of thepeople w1:lo wanted 10 fly in the same manneras the birds - on their own wings.using the ener9Y of the sun and the wind".Fascinating anecdotesPart 1 lightly sketches in the early beginningsof aeria:1 knowledge from the Chinese'kites of 3000 years ago. through the fumbl·ing development of airborne man-carryingdevices and on to the Wrlght brothers andthe start of the first World War. There arefascinating anecdotes, mostly with ahumorous touch, and much speculation onthe reasons why it took mankind so long toreal'ise his dreams of flight. A splendidlywritten mixture of legend, fantasy and factfrom which the scientific basis of modern«light slowly emerges. but without any ofthe often tedious theory of flight andaerodynamics which can often confuseand bore the layman.Part 2 takes us through the early days ofsoaring in Germany. :Britain and elsewherewith scor,es of stories of the pioneers exciting, humorous and sad, and all excellenllytold within the framework of historicalfact. Many famous names and manyless famous ones are included and there ismuch lively desc:ription of what Ann callsthe "Golden Age" - the discovery of howto use thermal currents and waves and tosoar across country. This Go'fden Age endswith the starl of the second World War.There are many photographs and drawings·of the early 9liders and their pilots inthis first half of the bOok which, add muchinterest and w.ill bring nostalgic memories44to !hose of us old enough to remember the1930s.The third part covers ,the early Britishsoaring pilots and the developments thattook place in this country from 1929 to thepresent day. The enthus'iasm and spirit ofthose days is well captured in the stories ofthe first gliding camps and competitionsand of the personalities who~bounded andwho 'left their mark on. the sport. The firstcross-country flights, the first Channelcrossing and the first British Gold C(In umber three in the world) are all here,often in the words of the pilot himse'lf andalways graphically and sometimes l.yricallydescribed. Some splendid photographsaccompany the text.Finally the last section is devoted to awor'ld-wide review of progress, still with thesame personal touch and filled with anecdotesof people, places and things. Muchfactual information is given with manyphotos of modern gliders, pilots and per·sona'lities together with personal accountsof great pioneering and record fligl'lts. In afinal chapter there is a detailed account ofhow the wheel has come full circle in thedevelopment of the hang glider. Ann isPresident of the British Hang GlidingAssociation and as such is better qualifiedthan most to describe this latest of aerialsports which she does in considerabledetail including the two World Hang GlidingCtlampionships so far held.All in all th1s book is a story of people firstand foremost and gives a fascinating pictureof the struggles of the pioneers andtheir successors. The first half of the bookis especial,IV good and of interest to anyonewho enjoys a gOOd story well told. The secondhall i,s of more interest to the devoteesSTORCOMMRugged' reliable communlcaUonTIR 760(3 - 2 watt, two-unit air setTR 7804 - 5 wait, dash mount vehiclesetBoth sets have four channel capabilitywith 1-30.4, 130.1 and 129.9 fitted asstandard.Receivers have ll-pole crystal filter todefine selectivity.Supplied absolutely complete and readyto use.Send for de/ailed information /0:George StoreyH.T. CommunicationsP.O. Box 4SUNBURY ,ON THAMESMiddlesex, TW16 7TAMaking glider radios since 1967of gliding and contains enough informationto settle many an argument about whodid what and w.hen. The illustrations aoreexcellent throughout and the book is verywell printed and produced. A worthy addi,tlon to anyone's bookshelf it will undoub·tedl,y take its place among the classics ofgliding literature.J. SfANLEY ARMST'RONGtn search of World Records by GeorgeWorthililgton. Published by Hang GlidingPress 1980. Price $9.95 plus .$1.50 p&p. POBox 22552-6, San Diego, Calif 92122, USA.In this book the author describes his tremendousneed for personal recognitioliland in trying to achieve this pursued manysports Includililg gliding which he took upin 196,7, gaining his Diam.ond and someCalifornian State records in the course ofthe next few years. He bougl'lt an ASW-12 in1970 and relates some hair-raising storieswhile he was leaming to fly this glider. Inthe end he became r.ather scared of it andvery wisely sold it.He moved over to hang gliding in 1975and at last has lound his niche, getting therecognition he so badly wanted by becominga well·known American hang gliderpilot with lour world records to his name.The book, is crammed full with incidentsand close calls, however, he has been lIyingfor forty years, first as a US Navy pilot,then glider pilot and now hang gliderpilotand has amassed over 10 OOOhrs withoutpersonal injury. So. pe:rhaps, taken overthis large amount of hours the incidentsare few and far between.Unforlunately there are rather a lot ofprinting errors In Ihe book which is rat;herirritating for the reader.RIKA HARWOODBritish Gliders, edited by P. H. Butler andpublished by the Merseyside Aviation SocietyLtd. Available from the BGA for £3.90.plus 35pp&p.This third edition of British Gliders hasbeen completely revised and given morephotographs and pages. It is a comprehensivelisting of sailplane registrations aMidentities used in the UK from 1930 to June1980, the last entry being: S8·58 - No,2690.The register makes fascinating reading,allowing us to follow up the fortunes ofgliders flown and known, and the columnfor extra details about the sailplane addsgreatly to the interest.A new trend noted by the editor since thelast edition in 1975 is the variety of vintagetypes brought to the UK through the effortsof our enthusiasts.GILLlAN BRYeE-SMITHSAILPLANE & GLIDING

REPLOGLEBAROGRAPHSF 24A MOTOR SPATZ single-sealer moto, glider withopen trailer. British Registered. Airtrame excellent condition,engine needs some work. Domestic crisis r,orees'sale. Reasonable offers. Tel 0884 820028 (evenings)..GRUNAU BABY 3. Built 1955. Lovingly re-fabricated and',e-sprayed by senior C of A inspector. Blue and white.Immaculate. Steel trailer, instruments, aerotow hook, airbrakes. Only 10 launches since refurbishment. New C 01 Aon delivery. £1050. Call John Eaton at FQwey (0'72683'3594).ne Replogle Barograph is Americandesigned and made by a specialist in productengineering. Tile concept is 01 brilliantsimplicity. The instrument is in general usein the USA and over 2,000 have now 'beenmade. It offers a number 01 excellentfeatures:'* It weighs only 2 Ib and measures only7" x 5" x 4".• Its exterior is made of a strong resilientplastic.• Its clock mechanism is an "off the shelf"item, easy to maintain and with theinherent reliability of an item made in11Undreds of thousands.• It is designed to be used with pressuresensitive paper which requires no ink orblacking. (It can, of course, still be usedwith blacked foil il so desired).• No 'r

PIK 200 - Carbon fibre - tintedcanopy - superb panel - TM6 AlH Bohli - accelerometer - PZL Ball vario with Dolphin - unique oxysystem with direct reading ins!. 2 batts and special charger - WinterBaro ca!. 12km - new parachute factory trailer with special riggingaids - one-man tow system. BasedLasham. Offers over £12 000 to StagSyndicate LGS. Lasham. Or tel BillMaidment, Farnham 713876 (evenings).ASTIR CS 77. Excellent condition. Iow hours. Full panelplus radio. AlH. Excellent lowline melal Irailer. Riggingaids. Musl be seen. £8500ono (consider sa,~ withoutinstruments). Conlact Mike Coffee 021 622 1635 (day) or021 4277219 (evenings).15-290 exceptional value low hours prang tree t5m flappedglider. Very comtortable with excellent approachcontrol. Includes trailer parachute. dust covers, barograph.instruments and radio. Located at Dunstable.No. 664 as shown in Janes Sailplanes. £6500ono.Contact Peter Roberts 01-7480900 evenings.CANOPIESTo fit most glidersBob ReeceTel Worcester 353372(evenings)PA-18 "SIJPER CIJB", 150hp. tow hook. completely overhauleqin t977. offers around £7600 to LuftsportvereinAachen. Postfach 932. 0-5100 Aachen. West Germany.K~E 1'967), trailer. covers. full inslruments - bargain at£39000no. BG 12/16 (1977) enclosed trailer. fullinstrumenls. K-6E performance £4500ono. F !lerx.Anjelierenlaan 48. B-3080 Steenokkerzeel. Belgium. Tet(02) 75t 7216.OLYMPIA 2 in good condition. Parachute. Winter barograph.dry closed trailer. extras Include electricvario/audio. 12 months C of A. £1850. 0482-654t92.K-6E, basic instruments plus electric vario and radio.Excellent closed trailer and rigging aids. View Dunstable.£5200. Barrell. 01-449-4855.FQCKE WULF KRANICH 3, lwo-seater. l8m span, 30:1glide, buill 1·955, known as best two-seater glider 01 itsperiod. With basic il"l5truments and trailer, good condi·tion. German Cot A until ~ebruary 1982. K-8B, built 1969.rebuIlt 1978. new 'large canopy. with basic instrumentsand electronic variometer and trailer. good condition.German C 01 A until February 1982. K:ESTREL 19, fusel'gedamaged, with instruments and closed trailer, Flugtech~nische Arbeitsgemeinschall. Goetheslrasse 1. 0-5100Aachen. or ring (010-49-241) 63473 or 790t7 or 74951.Fly again fast withPETERBOROUGH SAILPLANESTel: 0733 264585 (Peterborough)O

LS3·17 (LS3 with tips). Comp No50. My much admired machine isoffered in as new condition havingf1owl"l only 50hrs. Comprehensivepanel includes Rico Vario,720 Dittel radio, mini altimeter andBohli compass. The entire kitcomes gin wrapped in an immaculateKomel I.railer painted tomatch the aircraft Will sell a,utrightor possibly syndicate withone other at Booker. £15000.Genuine el1qlJides please toMaidenhead 27925.SKYLARK 4. Superbly maintained cross-countrymachine. Good Trailer with excellent fittings. Basicinstruments. Comp No 69. C of A until July 81. Can beseen aI Oxford. £38500no. Tel 0865 49370 evenings.SLINGSBY. Tutor. very good condition. basic instruments.covered trailer if required. Tel J. M. Cox021-777·' 137.K·2 (two-piece canopy). good condition. basic instruments.yea,-s 0 of A £2100. Ooug Gardner. Barcombe(E. Sussex) 400232 (evenings).WEIHE SAllPLA'NE. 28:1. Beautiful condition. Withinstruments. Cof A, Custom bu ill open trailer. Based atRAF Cranwell. Offers around £2850. Contact Barry Briggs.52 Main Road. R8IIenshead. Nottingham. Tel 06234 2411.BERGFALKE 3 (Similar K·13). Well instrumented. Opentreil'er. Super training machine at low cost. 12 months C ofA. £4250. Contact David Minson, Chard 2237.CARBON MINI NIMBUS. Immaculate condition. Will sellhull only, ot comp1lete with radio, basic instruments, rig·ging aids and trailer. Davis, 0225 833459.SWALLOW, goodl condition. basic instruments. C of A.CI300. Tel Ooug Gardner. Barcombe (E Sussex) 400232(evenings).yEG.... New C of A. Hull only £9250. Komet trailer. WilllaJ

ADVERTISERS' INDEXA. E. Supplies 39AMF Enterprises 33Anglo Polish Sallplanes'ltd 2John Aslley & Sons Lld 38Austin Aviation 17Avionic Denmark APS 21Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club 48British Gliding Association 29R. Bull 47Cambridge University Gliding Club 39Chiltern Sailplanes Lld 4Classifieds 45·47Competition Enterprise 34Cornish Gliding & Flying Club 48Coventry Gliding Club 33. 48Crystal Trading 41CSE Aviation Lld 35Deeside Gliding Club 48Doncaster Sailplane Services 32Enstone Regionals 43Flow Technology (2000) Limited 3Glider Instruments 21Gliderwork 21A. W. Hanfrey (Sailplanes) 34J. Hardy (Instruments) Lld 14J. A. Harrison (Brokers) Lld 36Herefordshire Gliding Club Lld Inside back coverHT Communications 44J. Hulme 38JSW Soaring 29Kent Gliding Club Lld Inside back coverLasham Gliding Society Lld 33. 39Lomond Country Inn 14London Gliding ClubInside back coverLondon Sailplanes Lld 8, 37Mainair Sports 41Marks of Distinction 48R. L. McLean 46The Merlirl Automatic Co 14Midland Gliding Club Lld Inside back coverMidland sailplane Services 48Mowbray Vale Insurance Brokers 5Nine Four Aviation Lld 8Norfolk Gliding ClubInside back coverNorfolk Sailplanes 48Peakin Parachutes 36REF Electronics 21Redwood Instrument Co 26Ricardo Avionics 45Sailplane & Engineering Services Lld 34Sailplane & Gliding 12Scottish Gliding Union Inside back coverSebring Soaring Centre 16Slingsby Engineering Limited Inside front coverSoaring (Oxford) 4Solapak Products 35Southdown Aero Services Lld 36Southern SailplanesBack coverSpecialised Mouldings Lld 7Speedsoaring 21.43Speedwell Sailplanes 9Thermal Equipment Lld 27Three Counties Aero Club Limited 28Brian Weare 21Welsh Hang Gliding Centre 47Westley Aircraft 34C. P. Witter Lld 43Wycombe Gliding School InsiQe back coverYorkshire Gliding Club (Pty) Ltd33. Inside back coverSPORTS TROPHIESprizes and awards with club orcompany insignia.Write or telephone for catalogue andquotation.~ ~ r1JJ ft. ~Jt:...0- Marks of Distinction lid124 Euston RI)(ld.londonNWl2AN. Tel: 01·3873772.ITHE BEST MODERN GLIDERS AREGRP T~~~~~E~WHY?• MAINTENANCE FREE• RUST, ROT & CORROSIONPROOF• MADE TO MEASURE• LIGHTWEIGHT• STRONG• DRIER INTERIOR• STABLE & FAST ON TOWHOW? OUR NEW CONCEPT INCONSTRUCTION - NOT MADE IN AMOULD - COACHBUILDING IN GRPAS SUPPLIED TO THE B.G.A.PRICE? FROM £1250NORFOLK SAILPLANES158 Ipswich Road, Norwichfel (0603) 53448MIDLANDSAILPLANESERVICESC's of A and repairs on allglider typesVintage sailplanes restoredApproved by major Germanmanufacturer for repairs to rangeof glass fibre sailplanesContact: lain BarrThe Lodge, HighfieldsHusbands BosworthLeicestershireTel: Market Harborough(0858) 880519Bristol & Gloucestershire. Gliding ClubWelcomes private owners,beginners and holiday members at theirunique site in the CotswoldsOpen 7 days per weekApril to October - Normally weekends onlyin winter. bUl weekday flying is possible byprior permission of the Manager.TeI0453·860·342Courses run from April to OctoberFor details write to:The ManagerBristol & Gloucestershire Gliding ClubNympsfleld, StonehouseGlos. G110 3TXIf you're an experienced glider pilot llndlooking for a good base to fly from on yourholiday, Coventry Gliding Club is ,the placefor you.Situated just outside Husbands Bosworthwithin easy reach 01 many other Clubs.Aero-tow launching ensures maximumsoaring oppor1unity for both long distanceand local gliding.Club facilities include LiCensed Bar, firstclass accommodation, good company andeasy access from motorways.We also extend a very warm welcome tothe not so experienced and the beginner,our holiday cou rsesare amongst the very best.For details ring:Market Harborough 880429 or 880521For holiday courses ringMarket Harborough 880484or write to: COVENTRY GLIDING CLUBHusbands Bosworth Airfield.Husbands Bosworth. Leics.The Cornish Gliding and Flying ClubTrevellas Airfield, PerranporthCornwall. Tel. Perranporth 2124Gliding courses in modern fleetfrom May - B.G.A. fully-ratedinstructors - fine soaring lovely coastal airfield - idealfor a different family holiday.Details with pleasure from:The Course SecretaryTremearne, Breage, HelstonCornwallTel: Helston 62294ABOYNE, ABERDEENSHIREBOOK EARLV FORWAVE SEASONMARCH-APRIL 1981Limited Numbers AcceptedEnquire 10:A. J. MIDDLETONDEESIDE GLIDING CLUBABOYNE. ABERDEENSHIRETel: Dinnet (033-985) 339I48SAILPLANE & GLIDING

SHOBDONYour easily accessible wave site insuperb unspoilt country on theWelsh borders.Falke, Blanik, Twin Astir, aerotowingseven days a week. Easyto-get-away cross coun\rypossibilHies. Good wave set up bythe Welsh mountains. Privateowners and club expeditionswelcome, but be sure to book.Courses tailored to your requirements,Power and parachutingavailable. An excellent area for smaHhotels, amiable landladies, seltcatering,historic towns, statelyhomes. beautiful walks and choicepubs.Please write to the Secrera.r¥.Herefordshire Gliding Club,Shobdon AIrfield, Leomlnster,HerefordshireTelephone' Kmgsland (056881) 369-=·v- -- -LONDON GLIDING GruBDunstable Downs; BedfordshireTelephone: 0582 63419Situated at the foot 01 the Ct1ilternhills. and within easy reach ofLondon and the Midlands by road(just off the M1). The Club has acomprehensive fleet of dual andsolo aircfaft, reliable launchingequipment including tug aircraft.This famous site has plentifulthermals in summer and hill soaringwith favourable winds throughoutthe year, Resident instructors,catering every day (weekends onlyin winter), licensed bar. accommo·dation and other facilitieS. Visitorswelcome.Write for Course brochures orclub membership details to theManager, or ring 0582634194 or 5·day glidIng holidaysRIdge Site with wInch and aerotowlaunches.From £110-£195.(All inclusive of professional instruction,accommodation, meals and VAT.)VIsiting gliders welcomeKent GUDlnG CWBPlease ring Challock (023 374) 274 or307Or write to The'Secretary, Kent Gliding ClubChal/ock. Nr. Ashford, Kent.NORFOLK GLIDING CLUBSILVER "C" to M.G.P.P.LComplete conversion course on Super IFalkeMotor Glider. C.A.A. qualified Instructors ,and Examiner on site. Sm

SOU· 'ERN'SAil lA ESU.K. Agents for SCHEMPP-HIRTH range of highperformance sailplanes - contact us for detailsMembury Airfield, Lambourn, Berks.Tel. Lambourn (0488) 71774REPAIRS - Our unrivalledservice is bei.ng improvedeven more to a'llow us toturn round your damagedship faster by mechanisingour processes as far aspossible, but the final,critical part of finishl'ngwi 11 still be done by hand!

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