Visit to London Gliding Club on Wednesday, 27th May 2015
On a day blest with blue skies and a few fluffy white clouds (perfect gliding weather) our convoy of 12 cars set out from the Hub to drive the 8 miles (approx.) to Dunstable Downs. With convoy keeping together some 20 minutes later reached the London Gliding Club. This is something of a success, as the last time we tried driving in a convoy to a venue, some members were lost and arrived late.
We met our guide Adrian Hobbs in the briefing room. Adrian has been a member for many years and is an experienced glider pilot. He first gave a history of the club and how they searched for a suitable site for the airfield. The ‘early’ gliders caused some amusement in the group. The flying taking off on the other side of the field were cross-country flights, where the pilots had set themselves a task for the day, they may be going on a triangular flight path that may be as far as Oxford, Leicester and Bury St Edmonds. Adrian then described the controls and how a glider flies. I always thought that the fin is used to change direction of flight but the ailerons on the trailing edge of the wings are the primary means of control and the fin only assists.
After coffee we were taken to the club hanger which is sited under the club dining room. The club’s high spec. 2 seat training glider was in and so we were able to view the cockpit and controls. Modern gliders are built from carbon fibre and mostly come from Germany.
We walked to the launch site near the club house and spent about an hour watching launches and landings. Tugs were towing some gliders and others were being winch launched. Tugs took the gliders higher and provided a gentler at take-off. The winches, however, put the gliders up to 1900 feet in 40 seconds. They left the ground at an incredibly steep angle. Departures were controlled by a wing man who communicated with the pilot, the control tower and tug pilot or winch driver.
The morning was rounded off with lunch which, for some, was somewhat spoilt when there was a power cut and the chef was unable to continue cooking. However, it was an excellent visit and we are grateful to Adrian for making it possible.
We met our guide Adrian Hobbs in the briefing room. Adrian has been a member for many years and is an experienced glider pilot. He first gave a history of the club and how they searched for a suitable site for the airfield. The ‘early’ gliders caused some amusement in the group. The flying taking off on the other side of the field were cross-country flights, where the pilots had set themselves a task for the day, they may be going on a triangular flight path that may be as far as Oxford, Leicester and Bury St Edmonds. Adrian then described the controls and how a glider flies. I always thought that the fin is used to change direction of flight but the ailerons on the trailing edge of the wings are the primary means of control and the fin only assists.
After coffee we were taken to the club hanger which is sited under the club dining room. The club’s high spec. 2 seat training glider was in and so we were able to view the cockpit and controls. Modern gliders are built from carbon fibre and mostly come from Germany.
We walked to the launch site near the club house and spent about an hour watching launches and landings. Tugs were towing some gliders and others were being winch launched. Tugs took the gliders higher and provided a gentler at take-off. The winches, however, put the gliders up to 1900 feet in 40 seconds. They left the ground at an incredibly steep angle. Departures were controlled by a wing man who communicated with the pilot, the control tower and tug pilot or winch driver.
The morning was rounded off with lunch which, for some, was somewhat spoilt when there was a power cut and the chef was unable to continue cooking. However, it was an excellent visit and we are grateful to Adrian for making it possible.