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Windrushers Gliding Club
Windrushers Gliding Club (also known as Bicester Gliding Club or simply "Bicester" within gliding circles) was a gliding club flying from Bicester Airfield in Oxfordshire until late June 2020. At its heyday, the club was one of the biggest gliding clubs in the UK, hosting various competitions throughout the year and maintaining the physical presence of the British Gliding Association's shop as well as numerous BGA staff members. The club operated seven days a week, with paid staff running various elements of the club's operations. The club also hosted Oxford University Gliding Club at their site until Windrusher's closure, where OUGC then relocated to Oxford Gliding Club. During their tenancy, the gliding Varsity match between Oxford University Gliding Club and Cambridge University Gliding Club was held at Bicester Airfield every other year, the other years it was held at Gransden Lodge Airfield. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic these competitions were not held but in the early summe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bicester Airfield From Above - Geograph
Bicester ( ) is a historical market towngarden town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in Southern England that also comprises an eco town at North-East Bicester and self-build village aGraven Hill Its local market continues to thrive and is now located on Sheep Street, a very wide pedestrian zone in the conservation area of the town. Bicester is also known for Bicester Village, a nearby shopping centre selling discounted branded clothing. Between 1951 and 2001 this historic market centre was one of the fastest-growing towns in Oxfordshire. Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and Banbury. It has good road links to Oxford, Kidlington, Brackley, Buckingham, Aylesbury and Witney and railway stations on two different lines: and . It has its own town council. In 2014 the Government, in concert with the local planning authority, planned for Bicester to become a garden c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Halton
Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. The Queen Consort is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton. History The first recorded military aviation at Halton took place in 1913 when the then owner of the Halton estate, Alfred de Rothschild, invited No 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps to conduct manoeuvres on his land. Following a gentlemen's agreement between Rothschild and Lord Kitchener, the estate was used by the British Army throughout the First World War. In 1916 the Royal Flying Corps moved its air mechanics school from Farnborough, Hampshire to Halton, and in 1917, the school was permanently accommodated in workshops built by German PoWs. The estate was purchased by the British Government for the nascent Royal Air Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gliding In England
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is also used for the sport. Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s. Initially the objective was to increase the duration of flights but soon pilots attempted cross-country flights away from the place of launch. Improvements in aerodynamics and in the understanding of weather phenomena have allowed greater distances at higher average speeds. Long distances are now flown using any of the main sources of rising air: ridge lift, thermals and lee waves. When conditions are favourable, experienced pilots can now fly hundreds of kilometres before returning to their home airfields; occasionally flights of more than are achieved. Some competitive pilots fly in races around pre-defined courses. These gliding competitions test pilots' abilities to ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin DR400
The Robin DR400 is a wooden sport monoplane, conceived by Pierre Robin and Jean Délémontez. The Robin DR400 first flew in 1972 and is still in production. The current model is designated 'DR401'. It has a tricycle undercarriage and can carry four people. The DR400 has a 'cranked wing' configuration, with the dihedral angle of the outer wing much greater than the inboard, a configuration which they share with Jodel aircraft. This model is considered easy to fly by many and quiet during flight due to its wooden frame. Development The Robin DR300 series were developments of the earlier DR.221 Dauphin and DR.250 Capitaine with a tricycle landing gear. The first variant was the DR340 Major, a tricycle landing gear version of the DR250 Capitaine which first flew on 27 February 1968, followed on 21 March 1968 by the DR315 Petit Prince, a tricycle landing gear version of the DR221 Dauphin. The DR315 was later replaced by the DR300. In 1972 an improved version, the DR400 was introduce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piper PA-25 Pawnee
The PA-25 Pawnee is an agricultural aircraft produced by Piper Aircraft between 1959 and 1981. It remains a widely used aircraft in agricultural spraying and is also used as a tow plane, or tug, for launching gliders or for towing banners. In 1988, the design rights and support responsibility were sold to Latino Americana de Aviación of Argentina. Design and development Most agricultural aircraft before 1949 were converted military aircraft and it was in that year that Fred Weick, based at Texas A&M University, designed a dedicated agricultural aircraft: the AG-1. The AG-1 first flew on 1 December 1950.Peperell/Smith 1987, pp.113-120 During 1953, Fred Weick was approached by Piper to become a consultant on the agricultural version of the PA-18, the PA-18A, in particular to design and test a distributor for dust and seeds. A few weeks later, Piper sponsored Texas A&M University to design a dedicated agricultural aircraft based on the AG-1 but to use as many PA-18A and PA-22 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scheibe Falke 2000 Motor Glider
The Scheibe SF-25 Falke ( en, Falcon) is a German touring motor glider developed from the earlier Bergfalke glider by Scheibe Flugzeugbau. Since May 2006 the business has been run by Scheibe Aircraft GmbH. Development The company had produced the Motor Spatz but decided to produce a better light aircraft based on the Bergfalke glider. It had a new forward fuselage with an enclosed cockpit with two side-by-side seats and originally a Hirth F10A2a engine in the nose. It first flew in May 1963 as the SF-25A Motor Falke. After an initial batch of aircraft the wing was lowered and it was renamed as just the SF-25B Falke. A number of variants were built with various engines and the type was licence built by Sportavia-Putzer, Aeronautica Umbra (Italy), Loravia (France) and Slingsby (United Kingdom). The current model is the SF 25C. It is currently available with a choice of three engines: the Rotax 912 80 hp, the Rotax 912S (100 hp) and the Rotax 914F3 (115 hp). Va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grob Astir CS
The G102 Astir is a single-seat glassfibre Club Class sailplane, designed by Burkhart Grob and built by Grob Aircraft. It was the first Grob-designed sailplane, with the first flight in December 1974. Grob had previously built the Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus under licence. Design and development The Astir CS lub Standardis of composite (fiberglass/resin) construction, has a large wing area, a T-tail and water ballast tanks in its wings. The large wing area gives good low-speed handling characteristics but its high-speed performance is inferior to other Standard Class gliders. In early versions, some of the fuselage frame was wood but this was replaced with a light alloy casting which sometimes cracked after heavy landings. The tail dolly is unusual by being a loose fit into a vertical hole and able to fall free if take-off is attempted with the dolly in place. A slightly improved Standard Class version, the CS 77, was introduced in 1977. It has a different rudder profile ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schleicher K 8
The Schleicher K 8 (also known as Ka-8) is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser and built by the Alexander Schleicher company of Germany. Design and development The K 8 was derived from the earlier Ka 6 design as a simple single-place sailplane with air brakes using construction techniques similar to the Schleicher K 7, simplified for amateur construction from kits. Emphasis was on rugged construction, good climbing ability in thermals and good handling characteristics. The prototype K 8 made its first flight in November 1957 and over 1,100 were built in three main versions. The original K 8 had a very small canopy. Side windows for improved visibility were introduced in the next version, and the K 8B, by far the most numerous variant, has a larger one-piece blown Plexiglas canopy. The K 8C features a longer nose, larger main wheel located ahead of the center of gravity and deletion of the larger wooden nose skid resulting in a roomier cockpit. The cantilever high w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grob G103c Twin III
The G103C Twin III is a high performance tandem two-seat sailplane made by Grob Aircraft. It replaced the Grob G103a Twin II, Twin II in production and features a new triple-trapezoidal wing, automatic elevator connection, lower control forces and higher airspeed limitations. Most Twin IIIs (102 of 115 built) were Twin III Acro models, with G-Limits of +6/-4g. However, aerobatic maneuvers were limited in 2003 by an airworthiness directive and could only be reinstated with fuselage reinforcements. Specifications (Twin III Acro) See also References External linksHomepage of Grob Aircraft AG {{Grob aircraft 1980s German sailplanes Grob aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1989 T-tail aircraft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander-Schleicher ASK 13
The ASK 13 is a two-seater glider that was built by German sailplane manufacturer Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & Co. It was and still is widely used for basic training of glider pilots. Design and development In 1965 Rudolf Kaiser continued development of the two-seat Ka 2 and Schleicher Ka 7 by introducing the ASK 13, using a mixture of materials including metal, wood and glassfibre. It has swept-forward single-spar wings, positioned lower than in the Ka 7, which allows for a large blown canopy providing a good all-round view for both pilots. The 6 degree forward sweep of the wing allows the rear pilot to be seated near the centres of gravity and lift. The glider therefore maintains the same trim whether flown single seated or dual seated. The D-type leading edge torsion box is of plywood and the whole wing is fabric-covered. There are metal Schempp-Hirth air brakes above and below the wing, and the wooden ailerons are fabric-covered. The fuselage is a welded steel tube stru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shenington Gliding Club
Shenington Gliding Club is a British gliding club near the village of Shenington in the Cotswolds, seven miles north west of Banbury. The club changed its name to Edgehill Gliding Centre in 2022, but still operates from Shenington Airfield. The present club was founded in 1991, though gliding had been a regular activity at the airfield since 1984. The club operates every day of the week and currently has two K13, a K21, a K8, a motor glider, two lpg powered winches and a tug. There are numerous privately owned gliders. The club hosts trial lessons for visitors and runs courses with professional instructors from March to October. RAF Edgehill The airfield was completed in 1941, and called RAF Edgehill. No. 21 Operational Training Unit (OTU) was based at the airfield operating Vickers Wellingtons, Miles Martinets and Hawker Hurricanes also No. 12 OTU were based at the airfield as well. No. 1 Flying Training School RAF also used Edgehill at some point. The airfield was also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAFGSA
The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association is a British organisation which provides recreational flying in gliders to RAF personnel. Purpose The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association (RAFGSA) is a voluntary organisation which exists to provide recreational flying to all RAF servicemen and women, in particular those normally employed in ground duties. The RAFGSA Centre is at RAF Halton, employing a full-time staff to provide central organisational, training and workshop facilities. The Joint Services Gliding Centre (JSGC), located at the RAFGSA Chilterns Centre, RAF Halton, is part of the Joint Service Adventurous Training (JSAT) Air Sports organisation and provides training courses for military personnel. History In 1945, the British Air Forces of Occupation (BAFO) in Germany began using captured German gliders to provide recreational flying for RAF personnel. This resulted in a demand for similar facilities in the United Kingdom, and the Royal Air Force Glidin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
