A Day at the Club

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The day starts at about 8am, this is when the first members would start to arrive. They open the hangar doors, take the buggies out and when there are enough people they would start to take enough gliders out for the day. Other members on Duty such as the winch driver and tug pilots will start to arrive from this time, on a good day there may already be some cross country pilots getting ready for the day.

Once the gliders are out and ready to fly, the members come upstairs for a breakfast that is certain to set them up for a busy day on the airfield. The Duty Instructor would then also do a briefing for the day and cover details such as the intended launch direction as well as the local weather and if there are any local flying notices that we need to be aware of.

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It is then time to take the gliders to the relevant launch point and start the days flying. When the conditions are just right the pilots wishing to go Cross Country will head off.

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Around midday/early afternoon is when the duty team will take a bit of time for a lunch break. This is also the opportune moment for the pupils who flew in the morning to swap with those flying in the afternoon.

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It’s then back the airfield to continue flying. Later in the afternoon, depending on the weather, the pilots who left to go Cross Country will return.

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Once everyone who had wished to fly for the day had flown, it is time to pack the hangar and retire to the bar to share stories about the day that despite sharing, each pilot will have vastly different stories and experiences to talk about.

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