Welcome to the Spring edition of Cabletalk, the SurreyHills Gliding Club magazine.

In this issue:

My Club by Mike Randles

Lasham & Back by Russell King

Mike Slatford answers questions

Safety winch launching

Introduction to Gliding by Bryan Yates

1999 Enterprise Flight by Ross Charlton

And much, much more.

Cabletalk Page 1 March 2010

March 2010

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Club Chairman—Adrian Hewlett

Secretary—Marc Corrance

Treasurer—Ed Brown

Membership Secretary—Russell King

Safety Officer—Michael Pointon

Club Instructor—Steve Codd

Chief Flying Instructor— Richard Fitch

Equipment—Steve Skinner

Cabletalk Editor — Richard Fitch

You can contact any member of the teamthrough the club at:

The Surrey Hills Gliding ClubKenley AirfieldKenleySurreyCR8 5YGTelephone Number -

020 8763 0091Website -www.southlondongliding.co.ukEmail -surreyhillsgc@gmail.com

Comments on this newsletter and any contribu-tions and photographs are welcomed andshould be sent to the “Cabletalk Editor” at theclub.

Cabletalk Page 2 March 2010

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New Workshop Arrives

Surrey Hills Gliding Club Team

Two new cabins arrivedmid February and arebeing combined toform our new gliderworkshop

I joined the Surrey Hills Gliding Club inFebruary 1994. This came about after a socialevening chatting to Geoff Bloomer, aneighbour, and (now former) member. Hementioned the gliding club and suggestedthat I came along.I had been retired for about 6 months fromBritish Airways so this seemed a very goodidea to give me a break from DIY and getinvolved with aircraft again, with plenty offresh air and physical activity as a bonus. Mylog book reminds me that my first flightswere with Peter Poole and Steve Dawes. Theweather was very cold and I soon learned todress warmly and keep busy.

A year and a bit later Iwell remember SteveDawes (former CFI)climbing out of K7 EFDand saying “You’re onyour own now”. Hefastened the rear harness,hooked me on to thecable and I was on myway and SOLO. Mymemory of that flight issketchy, it was nicebright placid day and Iremember talking tomyself round the circuit,every control movement,speed and altitude check,positioning for landing and then I was down.My first solo was just 4 minutes but began amost enjoyable fourteen years experience ofbeing in the air on my own and free, withinthe prescribed limits, to roam the local skiesaroundKenley. In between joining the club andgoing solo there were, of course, the othertraining experiences of “too low”, “too fast”,

“out of position”, “are you keeping a goodlookout”, and the inevitable “I have control”from the back seat.On the positive side there was plenty ofencouragement and the feeling that progresswas being made, albeit slowly. A big pluswas the friendly atmosphere of the Club itself,

and that is still very evident. When I amasked by an outsider gliding experience Iusually describe it as plenty of fresh air,physical exertion,friendly chat, combinedwith organising, launching and retrievinggliders, plus an enjoyable flight or two in aglider. My wife will add that, on arrivinghome, after asking me if I’ve had a good dayand cooking the evening meal, she usuallyfinds me asleep on the settee.As most of you will know, I’ve reached theage of 80 which is the normal cut-off pointfor solo flights, not from the British GlidingAssociation rules which don’t mention aspecific age (as far as I know) but from the

Club’s insurance provider. Whether there canbe exceptions made is still underinvestigation. I can still glide as P2 of courseand will come along as usual and see how Iget on

I have tried to think of ways of describingour club and there are several definitions of

‘Club’ in my dictionary including:-1. Stout stick , usually with one end thickerthan the other.2. A group or association of people withcommon aims or interest.3. An informal word for a friendly society.

I think the last two define our club very well.

Cabletalk Page 3 March 2010

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My ClubBy Mike Randles

K7 Glider

It was one of those days - the forecast the nightbefore hadn't suggested that it was going to beanything special... but then we all know that TVweather forecasts are never right. My regularcheck of RASP suggested that the thermals wouldweaken at around 3pm. So not a special forecast,certainly not one which would make you think "Ibetter plan something for tomorrow."

I arrived at the airfield, looking at the Cumulusstarting to bubble up. As is normal for a Friday,Dorcas greeted me in the office, asking whether Icould look at some problem she was having onthe office computer. A while later, I went roundto the hangar and pulled my glider out of thehangar and DI'd it as normal, still with no plansfor the day. Oh, how that was to change.

I took a launch at midday, and found the first ther-mal, getting straight to 1900ft. Hmm, this israther good. I headed towards Kingswood andReigate Hill, and found myself over the transmit-ter station there in under fifteen minutes, still atabout 1900ft. No, this is not rather good, this isexcellent. I better make this day count for some-thing.So, I turned around and headed back to the air-field, with a slight tail wind, getting there at1500ft. Need to loose height, I want to get downon the ground and prepare something. Find somesink, ah there you are, let's fly fast in a wide circle.No, Grob, don't come over and join me, I'm not inlift! I'm trying to get down! Once on the groundand retrieved back to the launch point, I men-tioned to Steve that I might try something. "Makesure you launch before 2pm" came the reply.So I quickly retreated to the club house; check thenotams, check the morning update on RASP, callthe NATS 0500 number for temporary airspaceupgrades, and plan a task - a 130km out andreturn to Lasham. Oh, and as it was 1pm, havesome lunch... might need the additional ballast,and I'm certain I won't have time to eat anythingin flight.Eventually, at about 1:45, I was back at thelaunch point with the glider fitted out with loggerand iPAQ, and I'd mentioned to Steve my inten-tions.

Cabletalk Page 4 March 2010

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Lasham And Back (Part One)By Russell King

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This is a trace showing theroute of Russell’s journey

I gave my keys to Trevor, who groaned,expecting me to land out, maybe on EpsomDowns again. I launched at 1:59pm, justscraping inside Steve's limit. The day didn'tlook as good as it had at midday. The firstthermal was reasonable, and this time I madesure I went back over the airfield to cross thetask start line. (You gain nothing if you don't

start - I'd learnt that lesson at Shobdon inApril.)Looking at the Cumulus, it didn't look as tallor as well defined as it did earlier in the day.Maybe it's not worth going, ending up in afield and needing to be retrieved...

...to be continued

Cabletalk Page 5 March 2010

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Competition

Lasham And Back (continued)

Following the success of the last mystery photocompetition, I have been given another earlypicture of one of our current members, thispicture was taken on Kenley Common.If you think you know who this intrepid aviatoris then contact the editor, there may beanother wonderful prize.

Closure Dates 2010

These are the closure dates that we have beengiven by the ATC.

Thursday 1st April – Sunday 11th April 2010(Easter)

Friday 28th May – Sunday 6th June 2010 inclu-sive (Whitsun Bank Holiday/Summer HalfTerm)

Friday 18th or Friday 25th June 2010

Friday 23rd July – Sunday 1st August inclusive

Friday 20th August – Monday 30th August2010 inclusive (Bank Holiday)

Friday 22nd October – Sunday 31st Oct 2010(Autumn Half Term)

The answer to the previouscompetition was, of course,

your CFI Richard after goingsolo last century

The British Gliding Association (BGA)has been running a ‘Safe Winch LaunchInitiative’ since October 2005. Theirweb site has some excellent informa-tion and computer simulations of whatcan (and has) gone wrong during winchlaunches. Please visithttp://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/safety/safewinchlaunching.htm

The simulations will give you some ideaof how quickly something like a wingdrop can develop into a major accident.Winch launch accidents are relativelyrare and most pilots will not see anaccident. This may be one reason whysome glider pilots become complacent.

Please read the booklet called ‘SafeWinch Launching’ which is availablefrom the web site or from he club-

house. This is essential reading for anysolo pilot and will explain to traineepilots the reasons behind the instruc-tion that they receive.

If you have questions about winchlaunching or have any concerns pleasespeak to an instructor.

Cabletalk Page 6 March 2010

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Safe Winch Initiative

From our Chairman

I have recently received a number ofmessages from BGA HQ on the subjectof safety. The key issues being exam-ined have been accidents on instruction-al flights and, in particular, flightsinvolving visitors on air-experienceflights. When these accidents wereexamined, nearly all were the result ofpoor judgement by someone – eitherbefore the flight commenced or duringthe flight.

At Surrey Hills, we have a core of expe-rienced instructors who are well awareof the limitations of gliding at Kenley,whether concerning airspace or theoptions available for landing out, partic-ularly close to the airfield. As a visitor

from Ringmer recently commented af-ter a site check – “There’s a lot ofhouses!”

But safety involves all of us and wemust be constantly aware of potentialhazards whether on the ground or inthe air. And now that the soaring sea-son is hopefully upon us, one of theskills we rarely get to practise is shar-ing a thermal! Do you know the rulesfor safe flying with others? Even if youthink you do, it’s not a sign of weaknessto seek advice and guidance from anexperienced instructor – it might justsave your life and those of others!

Adrian Hewlett

I recently asked Mike Slatford if hewould like to answer some questionsabout how he got involved with glidingat Kenley.

What do you remember about your first flightin a glider?I got two Charity Day flights as a birthdaypresent from my daughters.  It was a cold dayin May 1991. I chose to fly with Mike Abbott inhis K13. Not a long flight but I found it utterlyawe inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed it but feltthat flying would be too difficult for me. Ichanged my mind when I had the second flightand flew it a bit myself. Maybe I was right firsttime!?

Why did you join Surrey Hills Gliding Club?It was nearby and I didn't know any better!Now I realise that I couldn't possibly havejoined a better club because:   a. It's not rich.b.  It doesn't have a bar.  c.  It's full of incrediblynice people (who don't own Porches!).  It's

“probably the best club in the world”.

Who has had the biggest influence on yourflying?My first instructor – the much maligned ChrisEbbs. He was a brilliant pilot. He  radiated un-bounded energy and enthusiasm. He was aninspired teacher. He let me get on with myprogress, gave me confidence, and didn't nag.

What has been your most memorable flight?I have three, all different, and I can't decide be-tween them.

1.  I took off (K8) into what appeared from theground to be a grey claggy sky. The clag wasat 800ft. Above that, the sun was shining onthe tops of thin clouds as far as the eye couldsee in all directions. I could still see through theclouds to the ground if I looked down – abso-

lute magic.2.  I took the last flight of the day in a K8.It was so dark that I laughingly thought Ishould have brought a torch to read theinstruments!  The night view was utterlyfantastic with the car headlights, and thetowns lit up with their different colourstreet lights – more magic. Yes, I didsee the ground when I landed - just!).3.  I took off (K8 again) with rain in thedistance, rose rapidly on displaced air,tried to fly round the cloud but got envel-oped in absolutely torrential rain, no visi-bility. I could hardly hear myself thinkwith the noise of the rain clattering onthe glider and remember feeling veryalone up there. I dived down so that I

could just see the ground and felt my wayround the field to a perfect landing near thelaunch caravan in the still pouring rain. Firstcomment - “I wouldn't have missed that for theworld”.

Have you participated in any other type offlying?Model aircraft as a boy. Light power aircraft butnot as a pilot.

What changes to gliding have you noticedsince your first flights?It's got a lot more bureaucratic –  another wayof saying less fun.

What would you change if you were the CFI?Nothing, I'm happy with the way the club is run.

What would you like to change if you were thehead of the CAA?Leave gliding to look after itself.

What is your favourite film?Haven't got one. Used to be Fantasia.

Does your wife think gliding is the best thingsince sliced bread?Probably not, but it gives her a day of peace fromtime to time. Seriously, she likes the fact that I en-joy it and likes the social side for both of us.

Cabletalk Page 7 March 2010

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Mike Slatford

Reading Mike Randle’s reminisces inJanuary’s Cable Talk prompted me toapproach the editor regarding a similar intro-duction to Gliding.

As Mike said, in the forties and fifties “timeswere ‘ard” and the ATC gliding course wasmuch sought after. If I remember correctly, Iwas only the third or fourth cadet of 74Squadron to be fortunate enough to findmyself on the train trundling down to Folke-stone on Saturday 2nd November 1957, soonafter my 17th birthday. As I was the onlyflight sergeant in the party of about a dozen, Iwas put in charge, a totally different experi-ence when dealing with a group with whomI’d had no previous con-tact but we were soon inthe truck sent to collect us,and on our way up toRAF Hawkinge.

The course was for a fullweek and we all expectedto be flying that afternoon.Unfortunately, gale force winds were blow-ing and continued to blow in from theChannel for the next three days. The full timeRAF staff kept us busy with tuition onground handling and procedures to be fol-lowed. I can’t remember any lessons inairmanship, theory of flight or meteorology.One thing I do remember is the raven hairedWAAF Flight Officer in charge of theairman’s mess who, unlike the ordinaryWAAFs, wore high heeled shoes and even tomy inexperienced youthful eye, was a realcorker.

In the evenings we went into Folkestone andI can remember on one occasion, foolishly,being less than complementary about the kiltsworn by a group of Scottish National Servicemen, not much older than us. Fortunately ourbus back to camp arrived just in the nick oftime before the enraged Scotties could getacross the road and remonstrate!!

On the evening of November 5th the RAFlaid on a massive bonfire with fireworks forthe local children and we were invited to jointhe fun. The fireworks included lots of Verylights of various colours. The children had amarvellous time. Hot Dogs and hamburgerstogether with sweets were distributed

The next day, Wednesday, the wind droppedin the afternoon and at last we got to go glid-ing. On that first afternoon I had twelvelaunches in the Sedburgh (T21).

On Thursday it was into the Cadet for anotherfour launches and then on Friday eleven moreincluding three check flights with simulated

cable breaks and finallythree solo circuits.

And that was the end of it.The course was verymuch like a sausagemachine and we were putthrough as if by numbers.There was no expectation

of soaring and the circuits were all very rigid.You pulled off the cable at a thousand feetturned left to the edge of the airfield turnedleft again until you got level with the launchpoint turned left and then left again and land-ed. I think that the airfield was just the rightsize and the gliding angle of the Cadets such,that if you made the turns at the right timeyou were almost guaranteed to be at the rightheight to make the landing.

If I remember rightly, the pre-flight checkmnemonic was “cistrs” controls, instruments,straps, trim, release, spoilers. How thingschange.

This week in deepest Kent fostered mydelight in powerless flight but my dream of

“soaring like the birds” had to be deferred forfifty years until I fortunately found SHGCwhere with the invaluable help and assistanceof Steve and Richard, I eventually realizedmy dream.

Cabletalk Page 8 March 2010

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Introduction to GlidingBy Bryan Yates

Slingsby T-31, Tan-dem Tutor (CadetMark 3)

Ross has just been told that he hasbeen given the 1999 EnterpriseAward for this flight which he com-pleted in that year. This is his story.

The day was a good one, with pilots re-porting lots of lift. That was encouragingand so was Mick Hughes, the instructorin charge: “Go for it”, he said, “we’ll comeand get you”. And they did. Not from afield but from Challock, the intended desti-nation.

This was a flight I had wanted to do forsome time; Kenley, the only club insidethe M25, to Challock in Kent. Thestraight-line distance is not much, about65 kms as the crow flies. However a glid-er is not a crow. Its path is far fromstraight and this is controlled airspacewith international and other airports near-by. The glider was a K8 which is not re-nowned for its cross-country capabilities.

The height would be limited to 2,500 ftamsl for 39 kms, 3,500 ft amsl for a fur-ther 23kms and 5,500 for the last 3 kms.Kenley is at 566 ft. and Challock at 600.The technique would be: take any liftavailable; near the limit, go as fast aspossible while remaining at height; in stillair, fly efficiently: and in sink, speed up to

a maximum of about 60 kts. I must al-ways have a field within reach. Therewas not much wind. I had the quarter-mill,lower airspace, map and no radio.

Immediately after the launch, and havingfound some lift, I was off on track. Theoverall plan was to take Mick’s adviceand not stooge about waiting to see if thesky would go on being kind. The routewould take me between the corner of theSpecial Rules Area (CTA) for Gatwickand a safe distance from Biggin Hill.

Then I would follow theDowns eastwards and, hav-ing crossed the gap northof Sevenoaks, follow theridge to Challock. Naviga-tion would be easy and theslopes might throw upsome lift.The best laid plans of miceand men. . . . . . Flying eastand south over the tops ofthe Downs, conditions weregood. Leaving the homefield was exhilarating butthen the lift faded, becom-ing very patchy. A short

flight but a merry one? There were goodfields between the M25 and the Downsand I was sizing up a possible landingsite when some lift came and restoredboth my spirits and my height. Soon itwas a problem… 70 kts and I could justremain legal.

For a while I was able to follow the ener-gy and stay roughly on track but Seven-oaks was coming up and there were noclouds to the north. There seemed to belift to the south so, with overflying thetown not an option, I followed the A21south. Next, I must make my way east.Looking down there were not many fields,rather too many woods and what lookedlike greenhouses. Find some promisingclouds? There were none. Firm or fuzzy,none! The sky was pure blue!

Cabletalk Page 9 March 2010

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Kenley to ChallockBy Ross Charlton

So what about some ground features. Atone stage a scrapyard looked good andhelped. I struggled on and searched theground and the map for details that wouldindicate the 2,500/3,500 border. Finally Ireached a position where it intersectedthe Medway and I could go higher. Ifound lift shortly after that and experi-

enced the pure joy of a climb above theold limit. But then lift became scarce.

In sight of my goal, I was low over twolandable fields in occasional, weak lift.Up a bit.....down a bit. Planning a landing.Varying my circles, looking for lift. Chal-lock was just over there, behind thosetrees, at the top of the ridge, but I was toolow to see the field, let alone get into it.To the north of Challock there was a glid-er circling at a good height, so there waslift about. Later a pilot said he had been

near me and was in lift, marking it for me.I did not see him.

But patience paid off and I gained height,enough to reach the airfield. It had taken1hr. 55 min. Several people congratulat-ed me, which was kind, and, as promised,Mick and a crew came to collect me.

You can’t glide without favourable atmos-pheric conditions and, clearly, that daythey were good enough for that combina-tion of aircraft and pilot. But if you areflying a club aircraft, it is marvelous tohave a can-do, enthusiastic instructorand members who are wiling to do with-out the aircraft, and bring you home.

Ross Charlton 2010

Cabletalk Page 10 March 2010

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Kenley to Challock (cont)

Please send contributions and photographs for the nextCabletalk to the Editor at the SHGC clubhouse.