Recent News: Sept: 11th 2016
Tim's photo of John Tullett with NN on short finals.
The recent weeks have been totally pluvial with the result that the airfield is now far too wet for the use of the two-seaters and bid to be so for the first half of October. That there was any flying at all smacked desperation more than anything else. John Tullett got away in his K6E on the 6th September and again on the 11th a club day for 30m. John Spence managed 44m in TE and Les Sharp got 19m and 1hr 33m also in TE. A trio of private owners did alright – 3hrs 54m for Tim Hardwick-Smith in his Discus XC, 2hrs 36m for Peter Cook in his Discus YT whilst Glyn Jackson got 2hrs 29m in his Ventus VV. I don’t know whether they all used the same solitary thermal or what though John Spence mentioned the power station thermal. The day’s X-Country efforts may well have been simply from one side of the town to the other and back again.
The AGM was held during the month with usual people attending and the usual people elected to the usual positions. John Spence came along though and was elected onto the committee before he could get out the door. The various awards, notable by their absence last year were in place this time
The Normona Cup went to Tim Hardwick-Smith, The Ranges Cup went to Will Hopkirk and the Most Improved Award to Dougal Wickham. All were well deserved and we look forward to keen competition this year – if the weather be better!!
More details in the next Recent News.
German Hill in 1970. The N/S runway in use, the E/W under construction. No hangar. The Rhonlerche being towed back to the launch-point. Gliders had to be rigged and de-rigged at the start and end of each day.
John Tullett has volunteered me to put together a history of the gliding club. I had already embarked on a non-narrative type which I suppose will go in parallel. I’m going to have an interesting time going through records and photos. The above is one of them.
25 Years Back:
The President’s report by Peter Miller told of the membership standing at 28 and the flying hours as:- Aircraft Hours Flights
Blanik JB 97.1 258
Blanik IS 118.26 280
Astir NG 46.26 59
Piper BRY 88.33 611
(with an av tow of 8.7m BRY must have done some extra flights.)
An electric starter had been organised for the Cub (whilst Bob Struthers on holiday!) and the Astir had time out for repairs after a heavy landing. Rod Smith did a 22500ft Diamond Gain during the year and a 550km at Benalla for Bob Struthers.
Colin Gould and Bob Shewry study their options.
The take-off run.
Safely airborne.
An Ivan Chinnery-Brown photo I ihink of the Uruti expedition group. Probably waiting for the Tiger & Rhonlerche to return.
The Uruti adventure:
The above series of photos were taken at Uruti on March 3rd 1968 during a TGC expedition to Barnitt’s (now Radcliffe’s) airstrip. The aircraft were the club Rhonlerche and Bob Shewry’s Tiger Moth – both with no wheel brakes on a sloping airstrip. The lift was good in the valley during the afternoon but retreated with the onset of a sea breeze during the afternoon. One pilot chased the retreating thermals, quite out of gliding range, did not make contact and landed on the only available spot which was Vic Larsen’s airstrip several miles to the south. Bob Shewry took Peter Miller and a tow rope and went off in his Tiger Moth AJP to search for the glider and pilot. The first photo shows where the glider needed to be pushed uphill from. The take-off run and finally the climb away back to Uruti. Fortunately, Bob remembered to come back for me. The last photo shows the group of people near the fertiliser bins. Those attending were the Struthers family, Dick Stonnell and family, Murray Smith, Ivan Chinnery-Brown, Peter Miller, his parents and sister Geraldine. And Albert and Larsen & family too. It was a nice day. I have a short movie film clip of the Tiger Moth landing.
Papa Mike.
Th The Uruti adventure:
The above series of photos were taken at Uruti on March 3rd 1968 during a TGC expedition to Barnitt’s (now Radcliffe’s) airstrip. The aircraft were the club Rhonlerche and Bob Shewry’s Tiger Moth – both with no wheel brakes on a sloping airstrip. The lift was good in the valley during the afternoon but retreated with the onset of a sea breeze during the afternoon. One pilot chased the retreating thermals, quite out of gliding range, did not make contact and landed on the only available spot which was Vic Larsen’s airstrip several miles to the south. Bob Shewry took Peter Miller and a tow rope and went off in his Tiger Moth AJP to search for the glider and pilot. The first photo shows where the glider needed to be pushed uphill from. The take-off run and finally the climb away back to Uruti. Fortunately, Bob remembered to come back for me. The last photo shows the group of people near the fertiliser bins. Those attending were the Struthers family, Dick Stonnell and family, Murray Smith, Ivan Chinnery-Brown, Peter Miller, his parents and sister Geraldine. It was a nice day. I have a short movie film clip of the Tiger Moth landing.