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[RMH]

This is what I like to do when not building or playing with the boats. Took the sport up last year and went solo a few weeks ago.

[sheerline]

Congratulations RMH! What a thoroughly enjoyable experience it is, I have done it once, over the Black Forest and flying without a motor strapped to the front is certainly an experience to be remembered. My pilot reckoned he can always tell the model aircraft enthusiasts from everyone else as after a minute or two's flying he said " You fly model aeroplanes don't you, I can always tell because you all fly as though it were a model"! I suppose that was a derogatory remark about my flying abilities but it didn't stop me enjoying the flight which was short lived as we couldn't get into lift. He reckoned a propellor was fitted to aircraft to keep pilots cool because he says when it stops, you can see beads of sweat beginning to form on their foreheads!!

[Wetwater]

   I started to learn in the 1960s. Nearly got to the stage of going solo and then found a new girlfriend, now my wife of
   43 years.  Couldn't afford both at the time, still applies now, so the gliding took a back seat.  :'(  Never did get to go solo
   although I have been up a few times over the years.

   An old mate, even older than me,  ::)  went solo a few years ago and loves it.

   Congrats, RMH.

[sinjon]

I joined the local gliding club when I was an apprentice at Saunders Roe, on the I.O.W.
One of our gliding instructors was the company test pilot, wow did we feel privileged, did lots of flying, but some idiot pancaked the two seater (T20?), and the club could not afford the repairs whilst I was there, so never went solo.

Colin

 

[DickyD]

Saunders Roe,theres a name from the past.
Can still remember when the UK had aircraft manufacturers scattered all over it.
In my youth I used to pass the Handley Page and Dehavilland factories in Radlett and Hatfield on my way to work in Stevenage.
Happy days  ::)

[Welsh_Druid]

Me too.  Went solo in 1967 -  finished flying in 1984 when the chap I shared our Slingsby Kestrel with was killed.  By then I had a nice Gold Badge with three diamonds on it and over 1000 hours in my log book.
 
I sometimes think I ought to fly again but I'm too old and my reactions just would not cope

But what memories I have - flying cross country for over 8 hours and 500+ kilometers, climbing in wave to over 22,000 ft. - oh happy days 

Keep at it RMH - it gets better and better as you get more experience.

Don B.

[RMH]

I now have 37 minutes solo in my log book so  I have some way to go to catch up with Don. My aim for this year is to get to Bronze level. When I get the cross country endorsement I want to fly over my house in the shadows of Didcot power station, everyone else does. It's what got me into gliding, looking up and thinking I wish I was up there. I used to fly model airplanes but I'm finding it cheaper and more fun to fly for real.