Free Flight 1987 #1 p17

Club News

     BLUENOSE NOTES
         
I remember our visit to Cowley two years ago 
very well. My slides raised much inter-est here. 
The new England wave camps are more problematical 
as their sites fall to the developer’s shovel, 
also, the condi-tions they fly in can be quite 
dangerous due to the terrain and moist air A group 
to three or tour of us would be seriously 
interested in renting an aircraft between us 
either for the Summer camp or in the fall Would 
you ask around and see it anyone wouid be interested’? 
All pilots would be Silver C or better, 500± hours 
and cur-rent. Is any glider owner out west 
interested in this offer if so contact free flight 
or Bluenose Soaring directly Tony
         
BSC is more or less shut down for the winter 
except that we could use a K8 on the “local” 
ridge it the right weather turned up. We did 1,500 
launches, one Gold height, and not much else. Our 
glider utili zation is down. The weather gets 
blamed, but I’m not at all sure that’s the only 
problem the standard flying day is hard work dusty, 
fly-bitten, and boring.
         
I’m just back from a short visit to the UK. I 
visited the Midland Gliding Club at Long Mynd and 
went ridge soaring in a 40 kt westerly from a 400 
foot winch launch They regularly use a “light wire 
retrieve” system, getting a three minute turnaround 
on a single drum winch A professional winch crew 
does 11,000 launches per year! Unfortunately, there 
were too few people at the field the day I was there 
to use the full rig but I’m sure they are telling 
the truth. Also I went to Old Sarum near Salisbury 
(a regular winch operation) and Lasham met the angel 
Gabriel - Derek Piggot teaching in power gliders. 
They use car tow, or a Super Cub (with 100 foot tow 
ropes!!!). Found their ASK-21 super (the three 
wheels are great on the ground). K 13 has good 
visibility, Grob Acm is twitchy in pitch Interesting 
to see so much good gear although still much wood, 
cloth and steel tube about, even at Lasham
         
No too slow” signal is enforced on winch and auto-tow. 
This was a drawback at Old Sarum.. I learned just how 
slow a K-13 will fly on winch without falling out of 
the sky. Our people are taught to get off at less 
than 40 knots in our K7, but to signal above that 
and our launch speed control is cer-tainly better 
than some
         
Regards and best wishes from Bluenose
         
Dick Vine