June-July 23

Want to conquer mountains? Learn how to stretch your soaring abilities while minimising risk in the June/July issue. You can also read about the first unpowered 1,000km in Japan, the evolution of an electric winch and how to prepare for an aerotow launch failure.

There are many things an experienced cross-country pilot can do to stretch soaring abilities: competitions; distance flights; and coaching. But if you haven’t been mountain soaring you have missed a whole world of learning, challenge, fun experiences and – occasionally – scary stuff. G Dale tells us why we should venture into the mountains, and how to minimise the risks. It’s essential to prepare for the challenges with a good instructor. G explains how mountain soaring is about understanding what you’re doing, measuring the risks, making interesting and challenging flights, but still coming home safe at the end of the day.

Nine Japanese glider pilots have flown 1,000km flights overseas, but Kenshi Tagami has set the record for the first unpowered 1,000km in Japan. It took him 18 years from first aiming for the 1,000km in domestic wave to succeeding, but continued support enabled Kenshi to continue the challenge without giving up. The flight took advantage of Ou Wave – weather conditions in the Ou mountain range said to occur only a few days each year.

Skylaunch MD Adam Greaves returned from AERO Friedrichshafen in 2019 with an ‘unwelcome’ challenge. There had been 42 enquiries about the possibility of an electric winch. The arguments against the practicalities were many, but ultimately a company must be led by customer demand. Certainties gleaned from past winch builds had to be cast aside and the team sprang into action to build a product that would sit alongside Skylaunch’s existing range in terms of longevity and reliability. Extensive testing was carried out at UK clubs over a six-week period, including Lasham where the launch rate each day is heavy work for any winch, with favourable results. The Evo ‘Electrique’ winch is now operating in Germany.

Aerotows were historically more reliable than winch launches. Today’s professionally made winches and polymer cables are more dependable. Nonetheless we continue to expect winch launch failures, have plans to recover from them and practise these regularly. In contrast, some pilots’ plans for aerotow failures are to ‘travel hopefully’, trusting any failure will be high enough for a return to the airfield. The BGA Safety Team highlights a steady trickle of broken gliders and injured pilots when decisions were rushed or options limited, and offers valuable advice on how both pilot and tug pilot should prepare for aerotow launch failures.

Also in this issue: BGA Chairman Andy Perkins says we should prepare to seize the day and make the most of long summer days. Mike Till is in the spotlight for our pilot profile. Paul Maddocks has a lengthy search for a K-2. Owen Sparkes experiences gliding in Hawaii. Ian Masson reflects on a landout in beautiful surroundings. How honeybees share the navigation style of the first pilots. Jordan Johnson bags Diamond height just 18 months after starting to glide. Jo Hoy reports on her Libelle’s journey to Paris to appear in an exhibition. Ebenezer Grimshaw makes various attempts to wake up from a catatonic state. Kevin Atkinson talks about hitting a thermal plumb centre. Alison Randle looks at the benefits of mentoring. Pete Stratten looks at what airspace modernisation could mean. Andrew Jarvis reports on vintage events. Plus, many more of your stunning images in the Gallery pages.

Fly safely and have fun