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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0980.PDF
TERLET. . . . AND LASHAM DUTCH AND BRITISH GLIDING CENTRES COMPARED THE forthcoming National Gliding Championships, thebiggest ever held in this country and, possibly, in theworld, have again focused attention on the Lasham Gliding Centre in Hampshire. It is interesting to compare Lasham withTerlet, its counterpart in the Netherlands, and, indeed, to compare the British contest with the recent Dutch nationals. The Lasham Gliding Centre is an amalgamated unit of sevenclubs. No Government subsidy other than a petrol rebate is enjoyed, and all revenue is derived from the members and fromweekly courses for non-members which are run throughout the year. Terlet, near Arnhem, is the National Gliding Centre of theNetherlands, and last year received a subsidy of approximately £17,000. During 1956, the permanent staff at Lasham consistedof two flying instructors, one glider maintenance engineer, one motor mechanic, one tow-car driver, two administration staff andone bar steward (a total of eight). Employed at Terlet were one director, four instructors, three admin, staff, ten glider repair andmaintenance engineers, one winch driver and two motor mechanics (together totalling 21). It should be remembered that, in this country, most of the workin gliding clubs is done by the members themselves in order to minimize cost. On the Continent, however, most countries enjoya gliding subsidy and large permanent staffs are retained. The following figures, although not put forward as proving that Lashamis more efficient than Terlet, make interesting reading: — Tartat RESULTS FOR IK* Launch** Hour* 10,217 1,905 20,606 3,350 Tarlat's float 2 Govier (German two-seaters) 2 Rhonierche (German two-seaters) 4 Grunau Baby 2 Skylark 2s - - , , 2 Skylark 3s 2 Sky .r 2 Fokker Olympian -. • • 1 Tiger Moth Monies racaivad £17.000 (subsidy) £10,000 (members' subscriptions, flying fees, etc.) Lasham's ffaat 3 Slingsby T.21 (two-seaters) 1 Slingsby T.42 (two-seater) 1 Weihe 4 Skylark 2s _..,•: . 4 Eon Olympias ~ ' 2 Tiger Moths • • , There are no privately owned gliders at Terlet, whereas Lashamhas 18; If a comparison were to be made, it would appear that Terlet and Lasham are about the same in efficiency if the private-owner fleet is costed into the main figure. But there the com- parison ends, for Lasham and Terlet have fundamentally differentprimary functions. The biggest club of the Lasham Group is Surrey G.C., which is open to all; the members are not subsidizedand they fly because they like flying. This also applies to the Crown Agents Club, B.B.C. Club, and B.E.A. Club, although theseare respectively restricted in membership. The Imperial College G.C. not only offers flying to students but goes further by 80 FLIGHT giving "educational" flying instruction to aeronautical engineeringstudents as part of their university studies. The Army Club is open to Army personnel but also gives gliding tuition to cadets ofthe Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, so that they may obtain a rudimentary appreciation of flight and its problems. Lashamtherefore provides gliding for interested men and women plus some "educational" gliding for selected pupils. Terlet, on the other hand, is primarily a training establishmentfor carefully selected boys, with some additional gliding for interested men and women. In Britain, it would appear thatofficial circles do not realize the value of gliding in this air-faring age. Apart from the Air Training Corps gliding effort, little or nohelp is given to the British gliding movement. In Holland it is quite different. This small but extremely intelligent and activenation has always been in the forefront of aviation, and their national airline, unlike ours, has realized the potentialities ofgliding in aircrew training. Gliding in Holland is more than a sport enjoyed by ordinary people; it is a means of pre-selectionfor Dutch airline and Service pilots of tomorrow. The Royal Netherlands Aero Club was granted 420,000 guilders(approximately £40,000) for gliding during 1956. This was divided between the Terlet Centre and 34 affiliated clubs. The adminis-tration of the fleet of 99 gliders which are allocated to the centre and clubs is carried out from Terlet. Boys between the ages of15 and 18 who are medically fit are given free ab irdtio training, and the best pupils who show an interest in a flying career aregiven advanced training. They continue gliding for as long as possible and are closely watched by their instructors, who assesstheir suitability for aircrew training. This gliding tuition is carried out largely by the clubs, thus leaving the centre to concentrate onthe training of instructors, and on high-performance soaring and blind-flying tuition. The clubs and the centre are open to thegeneral public who, of course, have to pay for their gliding. The Championships. The Dutch National Championships wereunique: never before, anywhere in the world, had pilots com- peting for the title of national champion been restricted to glidersdesigned and built in Britain. Fourteen Slingsby Skylark 2s were the chosen sailplanes and a very impressive sight they were. Thisstate of affairs in a highly competitive market does Fred Slingsby great credit and is surely an outstanding achievement in the historyof the British aviation industry. Of the 21 gliders entered, 16 were products of his company. The open class included a Breguet 901 flown by the Frenchchampion Lacheny, one Skylark 3, one Sky, 3 Fokker Olympias and a pre-war Dutch designed V-20. Those pilots who wishedto be considered for the national team for the 1958 World Cham- pionships, or those competing for the title, flew the Skylark 2s.The Championships were won by Lacheny but the title of Dutch champion went to Toutenhoofd, a twenty-two-year-old studentwho holds Holland's only Diamond "C," and who distinguished himself in the 1956 World Championships at St. Yan. Luckily,the day which has become a gliding legend in Europe—Monday, May 27—coincided with this year's Dutch contests and on thisday 6,000 km were flown from Terlet. Lacheny covered 764 km at 75 m.p.h. to set up a new French record. This is the thirdlongest flight completed in the world and the longest in North-west Europe. Toutenhoofd covered 561 km and nine other pilots flewover 300 km. The final order of the first five was: — LachenyToutenhoofd KaayKoch deBoer Breguet 901Skylark 2 SkySkylark 2 Skylark 2 7,498 pts.7,195 „ 6,261 „5,611 ;,5,541 „ In view of this performance at that tine of year, the questionarises as to whether, in future, the British Nationals should not be held at, say, the end of May. The weather seems to be kinderthen, the roads are emptier and the crops lower. It also means that if you are lucky enough to get another week's holiday, you canstill take the family to the seaside. The forthcoming British Nationals are interesting not onlybecause of the new league system which divides the men from the boys, but also the large number of Skylark 3 s entered in thetop league. Although the Olympias are still numerically the largest group—three in League 1 and 17 in League 2, the Skylarks are notfar behind. There are nine Skylark 3s and six Skylark 2s in League 1 and eight Skylark 2s in League 2. For the first time inNational Championships, the top seeded pilots are almost all flying the same type of glider. Out of the top seven pilots, fiveare in Skylark 3s. Philip Wills, the former world single-seater champion, will be fighting to retain his title of National Cham-pion. This year he intends using a new "secret weapon"—an electrically operated super-sensitive variometer designed by HarryCook, the inventor of die Cook compass. Whatever the result of the contest, and the struggle this yearwill be really tough at the top, it is certain that the gliding move- ment in Britain has never been healthier. W. A. H. K.
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