News Update Mid April 2025

Latest gliders

1.)    The 17m Phoebus is now available to fly. Geoff Clark carried out the first test flight on 25 March. Note the cockpit limits are 85kg -110kg (187 lbs – 243 lbs). If you haven’t flown a Phoebus before you need a briefing, one from Geoff Clark – or from, Richard Moyse, Gary Pullen, Colin Short once they’ve flown it.

2.)    Skylark 4 (prototype) BKA almost ready to fly as I write this. Definitely expected to be available for the Flying Week.

Flyable GHC gliders in 2025

For 2025 the available gliders with ARCs/CofAs will be:

Bocian, TG3, Mu13, Ka3, Zugvogel, EoN Eton Primary, Phoebus, Sky, Skylark 4 (prototype).  Likely to be another 2 by early summer.

Dependent on how many say they’ll be attending the Flying Week we could temporarily increase the “4 single seaters + 1 two seater airborne at any one time” current limit.

The Dorset Gliding Club vintage rally.

This is being held at the Dorset Club 2 -5 May. We’re taking “Gertie” the Sky – note that the entry list is now full. If you’re thinking of going and want to fly “Gertie” please notify Gary Pullen ( garygliderl99@gmail.com ).

(“Gertie”, 11 Apr 2025 at Lasham)

The GHC Flying Week

Saturday 17 May to Friday 23 May – note Nationals comps start at Lasham on Sat 24th.

• Each day will start with a briefing at 10:30, tea and coffee will be available. This will begin with a replay of the LGS 9:00 am briefing. Glyn Bradney will then sum up the soaring prospects.

• With “how the day looks” detailed who flies which GHC glider to start the day will be decided plus follow up flights.

• We then move to the hangars to get the gliders out, get them DI’ed, and moved to the launch point.

  This is a communal task, everyone needs to participate!

• And at the end of the day we all help to get them back in the hangars else safely secured outside – before concluding the day on the other side of the airfield in the Lasham clubhouse / bar, hopefully outside on the patio!

• Note not all of the GHC gliders have serviceable trailers. Those that have will be flagged during the briefings.

So as to enable us to judge the likely Flying Week attendance if you’re planning to attend on all or some of the days could you please notify either Glyn Bradney (FGBradney@outlook.com) or Gary Pullen + flag that you expect to be flying GHC gliders if that’s your intention.

As always GHC members who normally fly their glider at other sites are most welcome to come to the Flying Week and bring their glider(s). Please notify Glyn Bradney/Gary Pullen. Note unless you’re already a LGS (or LGS reciprocal) member you will need to register with the LGS before flying and may require a check flight.

The UK National Vintage Rally Sat 24 May – Fri 30 May

At the Midland GC, the beautiful Long Mynd.

This starts immediately after the conclusion of our Flying Week.

If you want to take a GHC glider to the rally please notify Gary Pullen or Glyn Bradney which one and who will be flying it.

Glyn Bradney, 13 April 2025

Spring 2025 Update

This last winter seemed to last forever, wet grey and cold without much of the winter apricity that most of us would love to enjoy on a cold but sunny day, although we did manage a little flying in the snow.

Upcoming events.

That said, Spring is on its way and with it a new soaring season for us all and with us being the Gliding Heritage Centre, what do we have lined up for this year? 

We are expecting the annual pilgrimage from The Netherlands of our dear Dutch friends in April

We are also expecting a visit from another group of Vintage gliding enthusiasts from the club on the famous Wasserkuppe mountain in Germany. We are sure to enjoy visits from other GHC members from clubs all round this country to.

 We will of course be having our monthly first Sunday in the month flying days whenever the weather is kind of course and other flying days on a more ad hoc basis.

As you will have seen from our recent email, we have setup a secure, no banter information only WhatsApp group in order to publicise these ad hoc flying days which by necessity are only arranged at short notice depending on the weather. The response has been superb, and we look forward to some great flying days as the weather improves.

 The GHC flying week will be held between Saturday 17th May and Friday 23rd May. This is the week before the Nationals which start on Saturday 24th May.

Hangar Talk.

This is a great time to have a bit of a clean-up in the hangars. Although it's difficult to get all the gliders out onto the meadow at this time of year it is still possible to give them a clean and spruce up in situ. The static display gliders do get very dusty and need to be washed fairly frequently. Please feel free to come over and wash one or two on a non-flying day, we do have everything you'll need in the hangars to give them a clean and your volunteer work will be greatly appreciated.

The hangars and gliders within them are always changing around, if you haven’t visited for a while do come along, there is usually something new to see as well as the more static gliders in the roof and on the floor.

Right now, the latest additions to the hangars are the newly restored EoN Eton Primary, which is awaiting its first post restoration test flight, it’s first flight for more that 63 years.

The Bolkow Phoebus which is swopping between the workshop and the hangar as its restoration continues under the expert eye of Geoff Clark.

 Gordon MacDonalds Slingsby T42 Eagle has been put back in place in the bottom hangar looking fabulous after it’s repainting and maintenance.

Group visits

Our Sunday 2pm visits continue every weekend and particularly when the weather is good are still popular and busy. We have been pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors over this winter despite the poor weather that we have suffered.

We already have quite a number of pre-arranged group visits in the diary and I’m certain as we get into Spring properly, we will be taking bookings for many more. I make no apologies for appealing again for more guides to add to our list.

We have a straightforward training package for anyone who would like to help, an in-depth prior knowledge of Vintage gliders and gliding is not necessary at all.

All that is needed is a willingness to observe a couple of tours or so with an experienced guide and a printout of the gliders history's in hand, (or the website open on your phone) as an aide memoir and you are good to go. It really doesn't take long to build confidence and the tours are very rewarding to undertake.

Please do consider joining our list of GHC guides, the more guides we have the less work for all!

What's going on in the workshop

With the 2025 season on the horizon work has been continuing to get this seasons flying gliders ready for our members to come to Lasham and have a fly.

In 2025 we are planning to have airworthy and flying the Bocian, The TG3a, the prototype Skylark 4 the MU13a the Ka3, the Foka 4 and hopefully later in the year the Bolkow Phoebus. 

 Geoff Clarke continues to make steady progress on the restoration of our first 'glass' glider the Bolkow Phoebus. we hope that it might be flying again by the middle of 2025.

 Steve Pullen and his small team have completed the restoration of the EoN Eton Primary glider, it is now rigged and in the top hangar waiting for its test flights before being released to the membership to fly.

Pop into the workshop anytime and have a look, the workshop is open Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays everyone is welcome but be warned Gary may well find something for you to do!