Expedition reports, cross-country flight achievements, cadet milestones, and airfield updates from Gransden Lodge Airfield.
Thursday 3rd July was widely reported to be the âday of the yearâ.  And it was.  Sort of. But perhaps not quite as good as we had hoped â the height of convection a mere 6,500 ft and not, as confidently predicted by Skysight, the 8,300 ft we had been promised. However, we didn't know … Read more "An epic day"
This article is aimed at the junior XC pilot, not the sky Gods who regularly eat 300Km tasks for breakfast and spit out the pips. On 3rd July I flew my first 300Km task. Hereâs how I did it. The thermals were high, strong, all day long and over all of the country, as predicted. … Read more "My First 300Km"
Thursday 3 July had been predicted by Topmeteo and Skysight as a fantastic day â with best-in-year potential â well in advance, and so it was no surprise that a good crowd was already on the field, rigging, when I turned up around 8:10. In the spirit of incremental advances, I had planned on what … Read more "Notes on a 750km flight on 3 July, Mosquito âGBâ"
This week is a great week for gliding, by April standards. Each of the little fluffy clouds you're seeing are at the top of a thermal, so we're getting lovely long flights. Come along and try it! Everyone is achieving new milestones in their gliding journeys. Some have converted to new types of glider, others … Read more "Sightseeing tour of Cambridge"
I had experienced a little gliding with the air cadets, so after university I joined CGC. In 2022 I went solo, qualified, and made my first 300km flights. Last year I acquired my highly underrated DG-300 glider and flew in my first competitions, including the Junior Nationals held here at Cambridge. This year I … Read more "Charlie and James"
The Cloud Rally 2024 â Cutting the Last Umbilical By far the most important date in my diary is the Cloud Rally â the highlight of my gliding pastime. There are many reasons for this â itâs fun for pilots of any experience (you donât even need to be solo to participate in cross-country racing … Read more "Cloud Rally 2024 â Cutting the Last Umbilical"
Having completed my check flight with instructor Martin, he gave me the go-ahead to fly my first solo aerobatic flight. This flight would be the final step towards earning my Standard Aerobatic Badge, a milestone I had been working towards for some time. As with everything in gliding, life and weather had delayed this moment, … Read more "First Solo Aerobatic Flight"
I've been in a syndicate with John Birch in a Duo Discus Turbo since 2002. Over the years we have had many wonderful shared flights. We hadn't flown together in the last 4 to 5 years, a combination of Covid and John's increasing age. On the 23rd June the forecast looked very good in East … Read more "300km glider flight to the coast and back"
