April – May 2002
I’m afraid we can’t fix the weather, but the April-May S&G contains almost everything else you need for the coming UK summer – just add a glider!
Iain Baker believes that flights of 600km to 750km are in within reach of the average British cross-country pilot. He backs up his claim by sharing with you his seven tips on how to fly longer distances, based on the 750km he did in a Vega one June day.
Before you set off on your epic cross-country, refresh your memory by reading Carr Withall’s regular update on airspace – an essential pre-flight briefing for all glider pilots.
If 750km sounds a bit too ambitious, why not extend your experience by sampling a different site this season? We print a map of UK clubs and their contact details to help you plan a weekend or holiday somewhere new.
Meanwhile, our series of celebrity interviews continues with Peter Hearne’s fascinating feature about Jacques Noel. For the technically-minded (and any instructor who cares about his or her back) we print Dr Tony Segal’s findings on what happened when he drop-tested a two-seater. For the visionaries among you, we detail amazing American plans to soar stratospheric wave. And Jochen Ewald test flies the latest addition to the HPH stable: the 304C.
Finally, we pause to pay tribute to the late Geoffrey Stephenson, who died recently. More than 50 years ago, as the first person to soar the English Channel, he too pushed back the boundaries of the possible. Ann Welch, Roger Barrett, Ted Hull and Platypus share their memories of Geoffrey and we reprint his own account of that remarkable flight.
All this and more in the April-May issue – out at the end of March.
Helen Evans
Editor, Sailplane & Gliding
Flight test: HPH 304C
Jochen Ewald tries out a new version of a Glasflügel design aimed at the club market
Look to the future now
S&G’s annual description of some of the highlights of this year’s BGA conference and AGM
Drop-testing a glider
Dr Tony Segal reports on an investigation into why in some recent accidents the instructor in the rear seat was severely hurt while the front-seat pilot wasn’t
Bigger and better
Iain Baker shares his seven success factors to help you fly further this season, based on his experience of flying 750km in a Vega one English summer
Soaring to space
Pressure suits at the ready, two pioneer glider pilots are planning a flight in stratospheric wave to 100,000ft. Diana King reports
BGA club map and contacts
If you’re new to gliding – or want to sample a different site this season – this map and list of UK clubs is for you
When the Tairi Pet roars
Gavin Wills’ series on mountain soaring continues with a look at New Zealand’s summer wave
Gliding and UK Airspace
Carr Withall’s useful summary of what you need to know before you take to the skies
Master of the mountains
Leading French pilot Jacques Noel is interviewed by BGA Vice President Peter Hearne in our occasional series about eminent glider pilots
Accidents and instructors
Mike Cohler explains why he disagrees with Graham Morris’s article in the previous issue on this controversial subject
Across the Channel
Geoffrey Stephenson’s record flight – as reported in his own words at the time in S&G’s predecessor, The Sailplane and Glider
Also in this issue:
BGA and general news; BGA Development News; your letters; reviews; Gliding Gallery; club news; club focus (Surrey & Hampshire GC); obituaries; BGA Badges; incident and accident summaries; safety articles (Our smart weapons? And Can our RSOs help you?); classified adverts
Tailfeathers: Platypus covers his wings, is bemused by batteries – and reflects on the passing of one of gliding’s great pilots
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