Expedition reports, cross-country flight achievements, cadet milestones, and airfield updates from Gransden Lodge Airfield.
Every winter ā as is traditional ā a handful of Cambridge University Gliding Club (CUGC) members will gather for a week, and mimic our migratory bird counterparts; except, instead of searching for warmer climates, we seek out shiveringly-cold mountains and hills in the UK, hoping to catch some ridge or wave lift (and do some … Read more "CUGC Expedition to Lleweni Parc & Sutton Bank"
This is a follow-up post to Part One. Read that first! So, how did it go at Denbigh? See our proper expedition report for a more general write-up, but hereās what I learned and how it compared to my expectations. My wife tells me Iām a fairly impatient person who likes to cram too much … Read more "Denbigh Expedition: Reality!"
CGC Expedition to Lleweni Parc, 4ā12 January 2025 Lleweni Parc (Welsh for āLion Parkā) … Read more "Lleweni Parc Expedition Report"
It's always a pleasure to host visiting aviators at Cambridge Gliding Centre but particularly so when they look like this. All glider pilots enjoy sharing a thermal with professionals like these, so it's great to see one up close. Thanks to Dave Bishop and Andy Hollidge of the British Falconers Club for showing these amazing … Read more "Visiting Falconers"
As pretty as this photo is, it's not a view we like to see. That's not a lake or a river; it's standing water on the concrete perimeter track around the airfield, and it shows just how waterlogged everything currently is. Even though there's no flying going on right now, any day on the field … Read more "Little Gransden Lake"
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"
In mid-January, a dozen or so people from Cambridge gliding club are heading to Lleweni Parc near Denbigh for a gliding expedition.Ā Weāre at very different stages of our gliding career: two of us are solo, but still flying two-seaters under instructor supervision. Iām a qualified glider pilot, flying various single-seaters, but have only done … Read more "Denbigh Expedition: Expectations"
"Landing Out" is very much part of gliding and something all glider pilots prepare for and expect to do from time to time, as you would expect from flying an aircraft with no engine ā but it is not an emergency or, in most cases, of any significant risk. Any time a glider is near … Read more "Landing Out"
The Cloud Rally 2024 ā Cutting the Last Umbilical By far the most important date in my diary is the Cloud Rally ā the highlight of my gliding pastime. There are many reasons for this ā itās fun for pilots of any experience (you donāt even need to be solo to participate in cross-country racing … Read more "Cloud Rally 2024 ā Cutting the Last Umbilical"
