cstorey wrote:Yes indeed. Actually, my only gliding experience was the good old bungee launched Slingsby ( I think ) at school , where you generally got about 200 yards of flight per launch , although I did later have some goes at a Fournier RF4 which once you turned the motor off was lovely . The car launch brought back memories of Dunkeswell, where if the winch was kaput they had a Jaguar Mark IX to do the towing !
My one & only trip in a glider was at Farnborough in the late 70's, they were launched also in a stripped down Jag. Tow cables apparently wore out quickly due I think to the high friction surface of the main runway.
Still prefer a fan, otherwise theres no go around.....I know I'm a coward!
Keith
My only glider experiences were in a Schweizer 233, being towed by a Cessna L-19/Bird Dog no less. Sitting in the front seat you're the one who gets to release the tow line. The instructor was very nice and allowed me to have plenty of stick time...even let me fly her on the approach. The approach speed was 55mph if I remember correctly. The instructor told me that once you remember what 55mph sounds like (air moving over the canopy) you never have to look at the instrument panel when coming in to land. Makes sense.
I loved gliding too...I was an instructor on 617 Gliding School at Bovingdon first, then Manston. There is something very special about gliding and the lack of a fan in front has a lot to do with it. I never quite got the urge to fly Motor Gliders
All my glider flights were at RAF Tern Hill in Shropshire in the early 70's (now used as a helicopter training school I believe). First flights were in a Slingsby T.21 but we switched to the Cadet TX Mark 3 (Tandem Tutor) when I started on the gliding course.
Sitting in the front seat you're the one who gets to release the tow line. The instructor was very nice and allowed me to have plenty of stick time...even let me fly her on the approach. The approach speed was 55mph if I remember correctly. The instructor told me that once you remember what 55mph sounds like (air moving over the canopy) you never have to look at the instrument panel when coming in to land. Makes sense. 
