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Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:29 pm
by EGNX
Some shots from another day at 'work'.  :)

ZE529 reaching 50kts and transitioning to the full climb...
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A crowd gathering to launch ZE602 into the air...
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Silhouette of the hangars as the sun sets behind them...
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A lucky snap of a Vigilant taking off into the evening sky with the sun setting behind the trees...
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The crowded hangar at night as we wash the gliders and put them to bed for the night...
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Cheers for looking,

Luke.  :)

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:31 pm
by flyboy 28
8-) 8-) 8-)

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:44 pm
by Hagar
Excellent. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

It was rather different in my day.

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:49 pm
by beaky
That's the kind of stuff this forum's all about!  :)
But how about a picture of the winch, etc.? I've never seen one.

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:00 am
by expat
Nice shots.
Does the RAF have a new secret weapon.....The woolly hat winch launch ;D

Matt

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:01 am
by ozzy72
Very nice. Gliders look a lot prettier than they did in my day as well ;D

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:32 am
by EGNX
That's the kind of stuff this forum's all about!  :)
But how about a picture of the winch, etc.? I've never seen one.


I would of got some pics of the winch but I wasn't sent down to drive it. You can see it in the distance on shot 1! :P

Here's a link to 615 VGS' website, they've got a good overview of the winch and some pics!  :) Clicky Clicky

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:57 am
by expat
That's the kind of stuff this forum's all about!  :)
But how about a picture of the winch, etc.? I've never seen one.


I would of got some pics of the winch but I wasn't sent down to drive it. You can see it in the distance on shot 1! :P

Here's a link to 615 VGS' website, they've got a good overview of the winch and some pics!  :) Clicky Clicky


A wild Winch, I prefer launching and driving a Tost. A nice V8, it may be me, but the launch just feels crisper. Also by cable break, the drums are far enough apart not to interfere with each other. With the diesel, getting the power on fast enough as the broken cable comes down or by parachute failure can lead to cable all over place.

Matt

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:27 am
by J.
ahh the might Grob Viking lovely little aircraft :) did my GS in one at hallavington (or however you spell it) was never very good in the gliders though.... much preferd the mighty mighty Vigilant :)

nice shots though :) operating those winches is a boring task though

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:51 pm
by Omag 2.0
Must be quit a feeling to be tossed up into the air like that! Powerfull thing, that winch.

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:09 pm
by EGNX
nice shots though :) operating those winches is a boring task though


Hmmm... Very much so. Unless you take an interesting character down with you to be the 'Winch B*tch'. But i've experienced 5 hours of solo winching.. and boy... does it get boring after 20 mins! :P ;D

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:25 pm
by J.
i spent 3 hours on being the winch B*tch, we had a 20min brake after every 5 launches, and the guy never spoke a word! was soo boring, being a GS student sucked at times!

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:07 am
by The-Black-Sheep
;D Lucky I was never a winch b*tch then  :P

Did my GS at hullavington back in summer 2005...was great fun (except waiting around to fly again)

Food in the base next door was great  :D

You stay in the "Wendy House" when you were there J?

Black Sheep  8-)

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:41 am
by Rifleman
So is it all "launch and land" or do you get to work some thermals too ?

Re: Gliding Goodness

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:58 am
by EGNX
So is it all "launch and land" or do you get to work some thermals too ?


Winter months yes, averaging a 7 min flight... On that day we did actually have some 2kts thermals!... So we did have a few of the guys getting away for some time. But obviously when the summer picks up we can get aircraft gone for hours... I think the record is 5 hours 30 minutes before the pilot needed a wee! :P ;D :)