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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 2154.PDF
FLIGHT, 14 December 1950 565 TWENTY-ONE MOTORLESS YEARS : B.G.A. MEMBERS CELEBRATE As recorded on the opposite page, the British Gliding Association celebrated its "*!*:( hirtiWfiiy anf^c-rf— fau Personalities m piese Flight photographs arei (top Lady KenglM? Lord Wills; (top right) Mrs. Ann Douglas and members of the Derby and Lanes Gliding Club ; (right) SI. J. Ward; Lady Kinloch, D. H. Clowes, (lower right) Dudley Hiscox, GC. G. M. Buxton ; (lower left) " Doc " Slater, D. G. Parsey and D. Snodgrass. On the left is the impressive Kemsley Trophy. westerly upper winds give the most suitable wave formation,usually topped at great altitudes by lenticular clouds with, perhaps, strato-cumulus roll clouds at lower levels. These tremendous forces—actually powerful enough to enablea powered aircraft to soar with engines stopped and airscrews feathered—virtually mean that the only limit to the glidingaltitude record is the lack of pressurized cockpits and heated suits. The present unofficial two-seater record stands at 36,500ft,at which height the pilot had to descend to avoid frostbite. Another recent flight had to be abandoned at 32,000ft when aclimb of 2,000ft/min was being experienced. Although many powered aircraft have encountered suchupward currents over Western Europe, exploration of the .gliding possibilities of standing waves in England is as yet in its infancy.A wave of relatively small intensity appears occasionally near the Derby and Lancashire Club's site at Camphill; a member,Mr. H. Cook, recently made a flight of about 45 miles, reported as being in standing-wave conditions, the record of which he isentering for the Kemsley Winter Cross-country Competition. Exploration of the " Sperrins wave " in Northern Ireland formed part of an R.A.F.G.S.A. report issued earlier this year; but littlehas yet been published in Great Britain on these phenomena. It will be recalled that F/L. Mallet gained his Gold Badge instanding-wave conditions in France. Development of wave-soaring technique in this country isgenerally considered desirable, but aero-tow launching will often be necessary if the wave is to be contacted. Also, the best waveconditions occur during high winds with their associated tur- bulence—a factor which normally discourages all but the mostventuresome pilots. * * #A PART from the first week, October was a poor month forthe London Gliding Club. There were 526 launches, 189 hours flown, and one cross-country to Cambridge. One " C "certificate was gained. Flying was mostly done by regular members, but Prince Bira also visited the club and flew theGull III. The comparative annual utilization rate for types of gliders used by the club were published in Flight of November16th; the following figures for two extra types can now be added: Gull IV, 185 hr : Tutor IV. 204 hr.
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