UK gliding club gliders are available for training
and trial gliding lessons near Cambridge, Peterborough and Huntingdon. |
There are 2-seater gliders which can be used for instructional purposes
or flown solo, as well as dedicated single seaters for solo flying.
This glider is known as a K7, and is a tandem (ie. the instructor sits
behind the pupil) 2-seat training aircraft. The NVGC owns two of this type of
glider. This glider is a high-winged aircraft (ie. the wings join the fuselage
body at the top) so although there is good all-round visibility from the front
seat, the instructor can have difficulty trying to see things that are to the
side and above. The glider has a performance glide angle ratio of 25:1, that means
that in a straight glide the glider loses one foot of altitude for every 25 feet
it travels forward. Obviously the higher the glide angle ratio of a glider the
better performance it is, as it will be able to travel a greater distance for
the same amount of altitude loss.
This glider is known as a K13, which is also a tandem 2-seat training
aircraft. The NVGC owns one of this type of aircraft. You can see that the wings
join the fuselage in the middle, so it is referred to as a mid-winged aircraft.
The glide angle ratio is similar to that of the K7 although the visibility for
both pilots is better.
At NVGC, trainee
pilots are taught to fly using the K7 or K13 as the handling characteristics and
cockpit/control layout are very similar. On completion of training, the pilot
is sent on their first solo in either a K7 or K13. The 'fledgling' solo pilot
will then continue to fly solo in a 2-seater glider to build up some experience.
The next progression is to convert to a single seater.
K8 Single Seater club glider
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The glider in this picture is a K8. It is of similar construction to the K7 / K13, and on the inside there is little difference in cockpit layout. This makes it a fairly easy transition for the early solo pilots. The NVGC owns one of this type of glider. The K8 is more responsive on the controls that the 2-seaters and with a best glide angle ratio of 28:1, is slightly better in performance. Many of the club pilots will gain a lot of their early single seat flying in the K8, with many pilots completing Bronze and Silver badge awards. Once the pilot has gained suitable experience in the K8, the next progression is onto a higher performance glider.
This glider is known as a 'Junior' and as you can see is a lot more
streamlined and aerodynamic in comparison to the other club aircraft. This results
in a best glide angle ratio of about 34:1. The NVGC owns one Junior type glider.
The Junior is an excellent glider for undertaking cross country flights and is
a popular glider amongst the club members.
Although club gliders are
available for use by any club members, many members decide to join a sydicate
and purchase a private glider. Although there is the expense of insurance and
other running coats, the advantage is having a glider that is available when you
want it. Private owners pay the usual launch fee but do not have to pay any form
of soaring fee.
Within the club there is also a privately owned
Sedberg T21 . The T21
(affectionately nicknamed 'the barge') is an open topped, side by side 2 seat
glider and on a calm, hot summer day is great fun to fly in. What the 'barge'
lacks in performance it more than makes up for in character and charm!!
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