Riding the winch launch - The Flying Reporter goes gliding

I go gliding again and experience the winch launch at the Kent Gliding Centre near Ashford and the Volunteer Gliding Squadron at Kenley.
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[@MreViewer]

Memories of being in the ATC and flying in an open cockpit Slingsby T21 at Kenley in 1967! Happy days Jon ...

[@barrytaylor6565]

The Air Cadets is one of the best youth organisation in the UK, not only does it help young people get an understanding of discipline, teamwork , respect and reward it also gives them a good insight into life in the forces, I was an Air Cadet for 10 yrs and I can honestly say that it made me more confident, self aware, and had such a great time it will never be forgotten, and gliding was a great part of that, mind you we were in T31s and T21s, open cockpit aircraft! bit different to these space age aircraft.

[@cavok1984]

That acceleration looks intense!

[@SgtSteel1]

It is, it's roughly 0 to 60mph in about 3 seconds

[@grahamkehily5503]

That takes me back - I did my first solo flight at Kenley in 1981, in a T31 glider :-) Delighted to see that 615 is up and running again.

[@mackenzieholmes5245]

Winch launch is great I did mine at 644 vgs at RAF systerson a couple years ago with air cadets

[@kevelliott]

Some great memories for me here - I was a CI (civilian instructor) at 617 VGS Manston, in the 80s. I was there during the transition from the old wood T31/T21 to the Grob 103s, and that's the first time I've been back in the the cockpit of one since! I also did some gliding at Challock, but they were still wood in those days. Great stuff and glad you enjoyed it.

[@TheOneTrueSpLiT]

As a cadet in the ATC in the early/mid '80s I used to fly ASK-21s from West Malling in Kent (now a damn housing estate), we only ever used winch launches and they were probably the best experiences of my life, along with grabbing thermals over Maidstone's business parks and then GEC Avionics up at Rochester Airport (for whom I would later work at for 20 years) to get some serious altitude for flying in peace and tranquillity all over Kent.

[@AndysEastCoastAdventures]

First time I did a winch launch it was a definite 'WFT!!' moment. It's so fast and brain feels completely muddled and like you wondered how on earth the pilot was so composed and in control but I suppose you just get used to it.

[@timzo5313]

My first few winch launches were so crazy, however when I first started flying the launch you realise that your body focuses less on the thrill and more of the flying as the more of them I flew the calmer it felt and the less I noticed it.

[@dhdove]

Great stuff Jon, that brought back memories of being a student at Sutton Bank many years ago, “stick and rudder!”.

[@royhills]

Only just seen this - great video. I first flew on the winch with Peter at Challock, and I remember him telling me to relax. He was right, but for some reason I always felt better when I was flying the launch, even though Peter and the others could do it so much better that I could!

[@BruceDuncan]

Can't wait to see you doing the winch launch failure exercises 😉

[@DMC888]

And a bit of spin training.

[@AnthonyHigham6414001080]

The thing about gliding is that the old adage "Takeoff is optional, landing is mandatory" really applies with no option for a go-around.

[@stuartessex4535]

Looked great, loved the acceleration from the winch!

[@ChrisB257]

Oh to be younger Jon - always wanted to do that. :)

[@brushitoff503]

Freaking loving this! @12:35 Another benefit of learning to fly gliders first should be mentioned. It teaches one the basic principals of flight! (My personal opinion is this should be mandatory for any Aviator) It's cheap & cost effective training. Anyway, back to the video ha ha, Cheers form Australia, just found your channel by chance 18/04/2023.

[@craighermle7727]

Soaring teaches power pilots pretty quickly about adverse yaw. I used to fly power and glider, so I'm not being condescending. I used to get a kick out of giving power pilots their intro flights ,and seeing the nose predictably yawing as turns were initiated by the guy or gal in the front seat.

[@stratotramp6243]

Really good episode, missed this one. Great publicity for air cadets 👍

[@TheOddVideoChannel]

One small hint Jon, best to fly a glider with just three fingers on the stick (thumb and two others), you can rest your arm on a leg. That way you have more fine control and feel much better what the glider does in thermals, also in a bit of turbulence (thermals) your arm won't be bounced around as much. A thermal will push an aileron up, with a very light grip on the controls you will feel this.

[@philippehendrickx1109]

P

[@mikeyswingsacrossthesky2244]

There are significant facial changes from the fun and laughter as a passenger and the concentration of flying the take off! Would ever take up gliding or just happy for the odd experience?

[@ineffige]

Cool to see glider produced in my country:) correct pronounciation is "pookhach"

[@Jake_Rounds_Gliding]

Love to see you do more gliding

[@CudHppr]

That was very cool. Great memories taking cadets there for their first-time flying experiences.

[@ranh71]

Really interesting Jon, looked like a lot of fun!!

[@JATJAT330]

I did my gliding scholarship with the ATC at Upavon in the Grob Viking in 2007 when I was 16, loved every second of it!

[@SgtSteel1]

The Grob Viking is a great glider

[@OfficialSheffieldCouncil]

Loved this. Fantastic video

[@musoseven8218]

Fascinating video in every respect - thanks for posting 👍😊

[@sotecluxan4221]

Incredible, cannot sleep!

[@TheSkipjack95]

Just noticed, you flew in G-CGCK. My club across the Channel has F-CGCK, in the guise of an ASK-21

[@CameTo]

Wow this brings back memories. I flew these in my air cadet days 22 years ago! gliding scholarship, and then went onto RAF Syerston Central flying school for advanced training, and then to Scotland portmoak for the second part. If I told you how long it took from seeing the glider to going solo, you wouldn't believe me, but Im sure with all the health and safety the time it takes today is probably a few days or longer.

[@danielsummerfield7328]

kenley is a great laugh to glide at been there a few times as a visiting and yea there is quite a few fixed wing that come over the airfield very low but great video

[@amandastubbs1763]

Brilliant video, Jon, thank you. I did my first gliding via winch launch earlier this year. I'm glad I did it but I'm sticking to powered flight for now 🙂

[@lawrencemartin1113]

Love it! We take our RAF Cadets to Kenley from our School CCF. They have a great time. Personally.....I love the flying....HATE the winch launch!!

[@Heneling]

I’m going gliding in a week with the royal airforce! Hopefully all goes well.

[@theflyingfrog]

Gliding is great fun... must do it again sometime myself (it's been 40 years... 😳)

[@dirtyharry3479]

Similar experiences Winch cost was 80 pence THEN

[@ParesisUK]

Brilliant! Memories of a couple of air cadet gliding experiences at Henlow, many moons ago. Motorised glider then so no exciting winch launch. In that aircraft if you weren’t careful, the airbrake handle would destroy your legs when suddenly deployed!

[@craighermle7727]

I've never flown a winch lauch; all of my flights were done with the help of tow planes. I haven't flown gliders in years, but I did accumulate a lot of time the the G-103s. I never did much cross country flying, and flying in the local clubs usually put a time limit on flights, that is, if someone was waiting to fly. I had one of those days were everything lined up. I was flying at Franconia, NH USA mid week, and no one was scheduled. The White Mountains in NH, USA can provide, incredible condtions for soaring. My flight was blessed with those conditions; thermals were everywhere, and ridge lift was quite strong. I'd get tired of pounding the ridge and fly thermals. That cycle repeaded for 5.5 hrs. The only reason I landed when I did was due to a"nature call". I remember sprinting to our outhouse I had to pee so badly

[@JuanKing73]

I regularly run round Kenley Airfield and see both the RAF and the civilian gliding club going up and always think the same thing... A plane without an engine... sod that.. 😅

[@SgtSteel1]

God, I miss this :(

[@steveanacorteswa3979]

I did an auto tow camp for a weekend and got the aero tow only removed from my ticket, it was pretty amazing, an old station wagon doing the snaps.

[@auspilot6119]

Looks like great fun, although seemed like pretty questionable VMC on release for the first launch! 🥶

[@markcourtney7251]

And the second!!

[@Jmcc150]

No reason for it to be VMC in Class G. Better practice used at civilian clubs at the start is to assume a glider is ready to launch when the cable is accepted. Keep your hand on the release and if you are not happy go all-out, just release.

[@auspilot6119]

@@Jmcc150 are you saying you don’t need to remain VMC in the UK in a glider if it’s in Class G?

[@wojciechkomala4045]

I am just doing my glider training flying Puchacz :) and Bocian.

[@gordonbruce2416]

The concentration on your face when downwind at Kenley.

[@peterandersson3812]

Never seen Jon so focused 😁

[@lugash4]

Rate of Climb like a fighter jet!!! I have had several flights in a glider and winch launch is the best!!!! (and cheaper!!) a tow launch is very sedate you could read a book!!!!!...... Good practice for an engine out in a powered a/c flying a circuit in a glider not to lose too much height and keep the speed up ( i know an a/c is different in weight etc but it just sharpens the senses.)

[@peterwilson53]

Get them to take you cross country next time...

[@malcolm4956]

At North Weald we could back feed the cable and often achieve 4,000 feet. Fun when going into cloud.

[@thomaswilliams1082]

Do you mean flying the glider like a kite and paying out the string as the wind lifts it up?

[@danielasuncion9991]

Training gliders used to look a lot less sleek than that one.

[@ARobinson26]

I can’t be the only one that did a double take at the first glider’s registration…

[@Avgeek1564]

GCK?

[@DustinDawind]

Yikes. In the US launching into clouds like that would be illegal. Need to be at least 500 feet below.

[@grahamh7080]

Once I have a cable connected my hand stays on the release, my life could depend on it, the VGS requires letting go of the release to signal, upstack and all out, not sure I would want to do that.. brave

[@cor7740]

That's exactly what i was thinking! Especially on the all out??! What happens if you cant get your hand back In time to the release or you fumble? its a ground loop waiting to happen! That can be safe at all. Why is the pilot calling all out and not the wing runner??

[@markcourtney7251]

Should have released before going into cloud!!!

[@PolskiPilot]

Puchacz you pronounce it like poo-hatch 😊

[@simianwarthog]

Exciting! You wouldnt catch me flying in that fog! You looked worried too!!! Nice videos bud. You clearly have a journalistic background.