It’s all about Teamwork

It takes a minimum of 5 people to launch a glider – an instructor pilot and pupil (assuming a two-seater), a wingrunner to assist the launch, a tower controller to signal the launch, and a tug pilot or winchdriver. When you land, you need assistance to retrieve the glider and bring it back to the launchpoint ready for the next flight.

In the morning, it takes a team to get the gliders out, conduct the ‘Daily Inspection (“DI”) and get the tower, tugs and winch ready for operations. Likewise, at the end of the day, everything has to be put away carefully.

So for members, it is not a matter of just turning up, flying and then leaving. The club only operates because everybody participates fully, to the best of their abilities and according to their experience and qualification.

Right from your first day your fellow members will (literally) ‘show you the ropes’. Alongside your flying training you will soon be expert at moving gliders around, ‘running the wing’ and all sorts of ground operations. You will acquire new skills, such as using the air-ground radio or driving a buggy or one of our tractors.

There is a formal ground training syllabus and check card. With this comes a very real level of responsibility. The wing runner is responsible for the safe launch of the glider and gives the appropriate signals, including stopping the launch if necessary, to the Tower Operator. The Tower Operator is responsible for the timely and accurate relay of these signals to the tug pilot or winch driver. These are all safety-critical activities so you will very quickly find yourself an important and essential part of the team.

The team is also constantly changing with the roles rotating – one moment you are the pupil, next you might take over as wingrunner, then you might drive the tractor to bring out the winch cables. It all makes for a very busy day and although the flying is the highlight, participating in the ground operations can be just as rewarding – as well as being good outdoor exercise.

Leave the ‘Otherlife’ behind

Although there are several levels of pilot and instructor qualification, you will find in our club culture there is very little preoccupation with concepts of individual ‘status’, ‘position’ or ‘seniority’. Any attempts at such sentiments are usually demolished by the unique glider pilots wicked sense of humour!

The person running the wing might be the Club Chairman. The ‘Duty Pilot’ (in the tower) might be a national champion. We are all equals as members and we depend on each other for safe and efficient airfield operation. Nor is age is a boundary, it is not unusual to find your instructor/tug pilot/winch driver to be half your age or younger than your own children. Or vice versa!

Flying a glider requires your full attention and can be both exhilarating and challenging, together with the ground activity it’s not surising that members find it’s a great way to leave ‘the otherlife’ behind. Nobody cares what you do for a living, how much you earn, where you live or what car you drive.

Duties & Volunteering

Every full member is expected to participate in the ‘Rota’ in which you spend one weekend day roughly every six weeks, as Duty Pilot, Instructor, Winch Driver or Tug Pilot (depending on experience/training). This is the minimum obligation of membership and we entirely understand that work, family or other pressures may leave little capacity for additional volunteering.

The club only operates through the efforts of our members. Apart from our club instructors, tug pilots and winch drivers, there are members who give their time to maintain our equipment and buildings, cut the grass or open the bar.

Every contribution of time, energy, or advice, however small is much appreciated, and helps to drive the community spirit of the club.