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Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK



 
 
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  #11  
Old September 20th 18, 12:29 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
JS[_5_]
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Posts: 624
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

On Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 9:01:12 AM UTC-7, John Huthmaker wrote:
I am heading to England this afternoon for work. I'll be staying in Maidenhead for about a week. If I have any free time, it would be awesome to get in the air. Can anyone recommend a place I could get some glider time in that would be relatively nearby?


You're probably already transatlantic.
Maidenhead is very close to Heathrow, so you'll be having lunch in one of the pubs along the river toute-suite.
I've flown at Booker and Dunstable, with just a call in advance. Yet to visit Lasham, which Val Phillips insists needs to be remedied.
Went XC out of Booker, in a Pegase and before moving maps. The airspace floor was pretty varied.
The ASK21 off Dunstable's winch was fun too.
Have fun!
Jim
  #12  
Old September 20th 18, 02:52 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jim White[_3_]
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Posts: 286
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

At 16:01 19 September 2018, John Huthmaker wrote:
I am heading to England this afternoon for work. I'll be staying in
Maiden=
head for about a week. If I have any free time, it would be awesome to
get=
in the air. Can anyone recommend a place I could get some glider time

in
=
that would be relatively nearby?

Friday weather looks OK but windy. Weekend naff. Monday and Tuesday look
good. If you email me direct, I can arrange some flying at Booker for you.
Booker is around 15 minutes drive from Maidenhead.

Jim

  #13  
Old September 21st 18, 05:36 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Huthmaker
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Posts: 24
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

Hi Everyone,

I didnt want you all to think that I abandoned this thread. Unfortunatley my journey out has been not good from the start. My original flight out was cancelled. I was supposed to arrive mid day yesterday so that I could start my work today. After the delays I didnt arrive till 6am local time today; and of course my luggage didnt make it out (although they just dropped it off at the hotel). I had no sleep for almost 2 days, so it pooched any chance of working today. That has now compressed my schedule. This weekend is now not going to be possible to do any soaring. The only potential day for me will be Wednesday. And from what I'm reading, it will depend on the weather if that works out.

I havent given up hope. I'd really like to see what its like to do a winch launch, and see the countryside from the air. But if doesnt work out, I'll just have to make another trip out here. My wife has been dying to come here, so I have an excuse to come back anyways.

John
  #14  
Old September 21st 18, 09:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Posts: 699
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

On Fri, 21 Sep 2018 09:36:25 -0700, John Huthmaker wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I didnt want you all to think that I abandoned this thread.
Unfortunatley my journey out has been not good from the start. My
original flight out was cancelled. I was supposed to arrive mid day
yesterday so that I could start my work today. After the delays I didnt
arrive till 6am local time today; and of course my luggage didnt make it
out (although they just dropped it off at the hotel). I had no sleep
for almost 2 days, so it pooched any chance of working today. That has
now compressed my schedule. This weekend is now not going to be possible
to do any soaring. The only potential day for me will be Wednesday.
And from what I'm reading, it will depend on the weather if that works
out.

I havent given up hope. I'd really like to see what its like to do a
winch launch, and see the countryside from the air. But if doesnt work
out, I'll just have to make another trip out here. My wife has been
dying to come here, so I have an excuse to come back anyways.

John


Wednesday is looking OK-ish at the moment according to UK Met Office
synoptic charts, though not great as it will be toward back end of a
high. Its center should be over the southern Irish Coast at midday
Monday, the Dutch coast at midday Tuesday and that's as far as the 5-day
forecast goes. RASP (a blipmap equivalent using GFS forecasts) more or
less agrees with the Met Office for Tuesday, and for Wednesday it
predicts weak blue thermals (2.5-3kts to 1500 ft) and an 8 kt southerly
breeze at flying height, so fingers crossed.

I'm planning to fly at Cambridge on Tuesday.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org
  #15  
Old September 22nd 18, 07:05 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
waremark
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Posts: 377
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

Booker is a-t only. Winching should be possible at London Gliding Club at Dunstable or at Lasham if the weather obliges. There is an LGC specific weather forecast at http://www.instructor.andrewroch.co.uk/weather.htm
  #16  
Old September 22nd 18, 08:47 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Posts: 699
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

On Sat, 22 Sep 2018 11:05:35 -0700, waremark wrote:

Booker is a-t only. Winching should be possible at London Gliding Club
at Dunstable or at Lasham if the weather obliges. There is an LGC
specific weather forecast at
http://www.instructor.andrewroch.co.uk/weather.htm


Lasham could be a win-win for a day trip. If its flyable, you get to fly
off the winch and if it isn't there is the vintage glider collection on
its airfield.

For future reference, though its further from Maidenhead, there's
Cambridge Gliding Club at Gransden Lodge. Like Lasham, we winch seven
days a week in summer and 5 days a week in winter, and in addition are
reasonably close to both Duxford (a WW2 airfield that offers both museums
(Imperial War Museum museum the USAF Museum) and the chance to see and/
or fly vintage planes ranging from a Tiger Moth to a Spitfire) and the
the Shuttleworth Collection (a big collection of airworthy planes from
pre-WW1 up to and including WW2 types plus rarities like the Percival Mew
Gull and a DH.88 Comet - both '30s racing aircraft).


Links
=====
CGC: http://www.camgliding.uk/
Duxford: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford
Shuttleworth: http://www.shuttleworth.org/



--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org
  #17  
Old September 23rd 18, 06:49 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Huthmaker
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Posts: 24
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

After the rough start, I was able to knock my work out yesterday. I was expecting to have to work all weekend, and through next week. But I now have today (Sunday) off. I think I'm going to attempt to do Lasham. The only thing I really wanted to do besides soar is to check out Stonehedge, and it looks like Lahham is mostly on the way there. And I'd get to try a winch launch. So it really is a win win. I think I'm gonna get my day started. I'll call them when they open, and if its soarable weather, I'll make my way over. If not, then I'll just continue on to Stonehedge, and I'll plan to go back on Wednesday.
  #18  
Old September 26th 18, 05:03 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Huthmaker
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Posts: 24
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

I wanted to give a final update to everyone who was interested. My trip got off to a pretty rough start. By the time Monday rolled around, I figured that it was most likely that I would not be able to go soaring. Because of that I didnt try to book with a club. Come Tuesday afternoon I called Lasham and Booker. Both were fully booked. Again I assumed that it was not going to happen.

Well I woke up this morning and stopped in to see my customer. Everything was going well, and I realized I was going to have all day to go do something. I pulled up the UK Soaring directory and found 5 clubs reasonably close. I called the first two, and they were fully booked. The next two had bad phone numbers. I made my last call to the Shalbourne Gliding club. When they answered I fully expected them to say they were all booked. To my pleasant surprise they said if I showed up at 1pm they would try to fit me on to their books.

I got there and met with the chief flight instructor. Everyone at the club was really nice. Within probably 20 minutes of my arrival, I got my first winch launch. WOW, that is really something. I assumed it would be pretty thrilling. But actually doing it was simply amazing. We flew in a K13. That was a really glider. Nice a smooth. Probably the most easy to fly plane I've ever been in. And the views were just stellar.

Thank you very much to everyone who replied to my thread. And if anyone from Shalbourne monitors these groups, my hats off to you. Thank you very much for making the time for me.
  #19  
Old September 26th 18, 05:32 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Gordon Walker[_2_]
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Posts: 11
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

Glad you managed to get airborne, and off a winch launch.

  #20  
Old September 26th 18, 05:35 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
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Posts: 1,383
Default Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

Hey, glad you got to fly.
To those with suggestions, great, thanks.
To those with suggestions and some "secret clues" even better.

I was to the U.K. once (down by Heathrow), never had a chance to get around other than a day trip to London. This was a 2 week trip for work.
Still want to do winch launch, likely at KS's place, sounds like fun, maybe a handful. Still worth trying.
 




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