Nottingham University Gliding Club
Encyclopedia
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| Type designation | G103 Twin II Acro |
| Tail Letters | NU2 |
| CAA Registration | G-NUGC |
| Max. Crew | 2 |
| Wing Span / Best L/D | 17.5 m / 36.1 |
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| Type designation | Grob G102 Astir CS-77 |
| Tail Letters | FTR |
| CAA Registration | G-CFTR |
| Max. Crew | 1 |
| Wing Span / Best L/D | 15 m / 36 |
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| Type designation | Skylark II Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and... |
| Tail Letters | CCS |
| Max. Crew | 1 |
| Wing Span / Best L/D | 14.63 m / 30 |
The Nottingham University Gliding Club (NUGC) is the gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
club of the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
. The aim of the club is to provide affordable flying in order to introduce as many members as possible to unpowered flight. Affiliated with the Cranwell Gliding Club (CGC), the club is open to any full or associate member of the University of Nottingham Students' Union
University of Nottingham Students' Union
The University of Nottingham Students' Union is the students' union at the University of Nottingham, England. The Students' Union is housed in the Portland Building on University Park campus a building shared with some non-Student Union activities...
.
Current status
The club is one of some 28 University Gliding clubs within the UK, and with over 150 members for the 2009-10 academic year is also one of the largest. Flying takes place all year-round on weekends and bank holidays at RAF Cranwell, though several expeditions to other gliding sites are organised throughout the year.The current president is Chris Adamson, Jack Brewer is Vice-president and Tom Parker is Secretary. Mitchell Clark is A & E Officer, Mike Gatfield is Treasurer, Guillermo Guzman is Publicity Officer and Louise Beech is Flying Organiser. Matt Lumley and Charlotte Billingham are Social Secretaries, and the First-year Reps are to be decided early in the 2011 - 2012 Autumn term.
History
The club was formed in the 1970s, and was officially affiliated to the Buckminster Gliding ClubBuckminster Gliding Club
The Buckminster Gliding Club is a gliding club based at Saltby Airfield on the Leicestershire / Lincolnshire border, England. It is affiliated to the British Gliding Association and runs a seven-day-a-week operation throughout the year except on Christmas Day.-History and changes:Saltby Airfield...
at Saltby
Saltby
Saltby is a village within the civil parish of Sproxton and Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It lies close to the River Eye and the border with Lincolnshire.The village includes the former RAF Saltby....
Airfield. The founding member was Mr Brian Spreckley, then an undergraduate at the University, and subsequently the 1987 World Gliding Champion. In 2005 he was also the recipient of the FAI
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
Paul Tissandier Diploma for services to gliding.
In 1990 the club moved from Saltby to begin a new affiliation with the Four Counties Gliding Club, flying from RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
until 2004, and subsequently at RAF Barkston Heath
RAF Barkston Heath
RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire.RAF Barkston Heath is the home of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School which, for a period between approximately 1995-2010 operated the Slingsby T67M260 Firefly two seat trainer. The school now operates the Grob...
. The affiliation with Four Counties ended when that club moved to RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
.
Since May 2005 NUGC have been affiliated to and fly with Cranwell Gliding Club at RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
.
Club Fleet
The current club fleet consists of:- Grob G103a Twin II Acro (NU2). Purchased in December 2006 from the RAFGSA, the ‘Twin II’ Acro is a high performance two-seater sailplane made by Grob Aerospace. The aircraft is of T-tail configuration, with glass fibre construction, and is fitted with a non retractable undercarriage and upper surface airbrakes. It is designed for training, high performance, and aerobatic flying.
- Grob Grob G102 Astir CS77 (FTR). Purchased in 2011, the Astir CS 77 is a high performance single-seater sailplane made by Grob Aerospace. The aircraft is of T-tail configuration, with glass fibre construction, and is fitted with a retractable undercarriage and upper surface airbrakes. It is designed for cross country flying.
- SlingsbySlingsby AviationSlingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...
Skylark IISlingsby T.41 Skylark 2-References:* Ellison, N.H. British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970. A & C Black, 1971* Simons, M. Slingsby Sailplanes. Airlife Publishing, 1996 - ISBN 1-85310-732-8...
(CCS). This glider was donated to the club in 2006 as a replacement for the clubs written-off Astir "NU", and is a basic single-seat glider of wood and fabric construction.
In addition to the NUGC fleet, club members also have access to Cranwell Gliding Club's extensive fleet. This includes:
- Two-Seaters
- Duo DiscusSchempp-Hirth Duo Discus|-See also:-References:*...
(R2) - ASK 21 (R18)
- ASK 13 (R59)
- Falke (G-BUDA)
- Duo Discus
- Single-Seaters
- LS8Rolladen-Schneider LS8The Rolladen-Schneider LS8 is a Standard and 18 metre class single-seat glider developed by Rolladen-Schneider and in series production since 1995. Currently it is manufactured by DG Flugzeugbau.-Development:...
(R4) - Discus CS (R39)
- Astir CSGrob G-102 Astir-References:**Hardy, M. Gliders & Sailplanes of the World. Ian Allan, 1982*...
(R57) - ASK 18Schleicher ASK 18|-References:Gliders and Sailplanes of the World by Michael Hardy Ian Allan Ltd 1982 ISBN 0711011524-External links:*...
(R56)
- LS8
NUGC's members are not charged soaring fees (i.e. not charged a 'per minute' fee) when flying NUGC gliders. Cranwell gliders are charged at either 75p or £1.00 per 5 minutes flight time (first 10 minutes free). As per standard gliding custom, neither NUGC nor Cranwell Gliding Club charge for instruction.
Fleet History
Current & previous aircraft owned by NUGC:| Type | Reg | Date Bought | Date Sold | Additional Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grunau Baby V | BGA1903 | 1973 | 1976 | |
| T-21 Slingsby T.21 |-References:* Ellison, N.H. British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970. A & C Black, 1971* Simons, M. Slingsby Sailplanes. Airlife Publishing, 1996 - ISBN 1-85310-732-8... |
n/k | n/k | n/k | Nicknamed Rhubarb and Custard. |
| Ka-2 | BGA2439 | 1979 | 1984 | Damaged after a failed winch launch at Saltby Feb 1984. Flying again in May after extensive repairs. However, in June it was written off in an incident at Camp Hill. |
| Blanik LET L-13 The L-13 Blaník is a two seater trainer glider produced by Let Kunovice since 1956. It is the most numerous and widely used glider in the world. In United States Air Force Academy service, it is designated TG-10C and is used for basic flight training.... |
G-ASVS | 1984 | 1994 | Now flies under the trigraph EVR. |
| ASK 13 | HPE | 1994 | 2008 | Sold to Dumfries & District Gliding Club. |
| Ka-8B Schleicher Ka 8 |-References:*Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67. London:Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1966.**... |
EPT | n/k | 1997 | 1/2 share. Now flying at Lasham Gliding Society. |
| Ka-6cr Schleicher Ka 6 -Bibliography:* Coates, Andrew, Janes World Sailplanes and Motorgliders. London. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0 354 01119 7... |
FNP | 1997 | 2001 | Bought from a member of Buckminster GC. Sold to Trent Valley Gliding Club. |
| Astir CS Grob G-102 Astir -References:**Hardy, M. Gliders & Sailplanes of the World. Ian Allan, 1982*... |
NU | 2002 | 2006 | Written off at Keevil Airfield, June 2006 (Pilot unharmed). |
| Acro | NU2 | 2007 | Present | |
| Skylark II Slingsby T.41 Skylark 2 -References:* Ellison, N.H. British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970. A & C Black, 1971* Simons, M. Slingsby Sailplanes. Airlife Publishing, 1996 - ISBN 1-85310-732-8... |
CCS | 2007 | Present | Donated to the club as a replacement for NU. |
| Astir CS-77 | FTR | 2011 | Present |