Soaring in or around Maidenhead UK

[John Huthmaker]

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?

[Chris Ramler]

The nearest club would be Booker, near High Wycombe. That should be a good
choice.

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?
>

[James Thomson[_2_]]

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?
>
https://www.gliding.co.uk/club-finder

Lasham (biggest operation in UK) and Booker are both full time

[Graham Stanford[_2_]]

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?
>

Try Booker gliding club that's the closest.

Web site: http://www.bookergliding.co.uk

Address: Wycombe Air Park, Marlow SL7 3DP

Phone: 01494 442501

A bit further away but not mega far is Lasham Gliding Club

Or London Gliding Club at Dunstable

Cheers

G

[Dave Walsh]

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?
>
Kent Gliding Club, Challock (it's on the net), friendly club,
interesting field. Start praying now for suitable weather.

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 5:01:12 PM UTC+1, 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?

See:

https://www.gliding.co.uk/club-finder

You will be more or less in English gliding central. Of the major clubs, Booker Gliding Club at High Wycombe is very close. Lasham Gliding Society is about 35 miles away and London Gliding Club similar in the other direction. All are good but Lasham is worth the trip just to see one of the biggest best organised clubs in the world.

[Nick Hill[_3_]]

On 19/09/2018 17:01, 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?
>

The British Gliding Association (BGA) has a Club Finder on their web site

https://www.gliding.co.uk/club-finder

Not all operate seven days a week. If you need that then the following
are the nearest

Booker Gliding Club near High Wycombe
London Gliding Club near Dunstable
Lasham Gliding Society near Basingstoke
Bicester Gliding Centre near Bicester

--

Nick Hill

[John Huthmaker]

Great great info. Thank you everyone. Hopefully I'll get to see England from a better perspective than on the ground :)

[Gordon Walker[_2_]]

Lasham also sports the Heritage Gliding Hangars, 2 hangars stuffed full
of vintage gliders, well worth the trip even if the weather is slightly
inclement!

[Craig Funston[_3_]]

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?

Be sure to make arrangements ahead of time. Just showing up at the field may lead to some disappointment. I had a wonderful experience at Booker a number of years ago, but had arranged contacts, etc. in advance. I also dropped by Lasham without any prior contact & was able to see their large operation, but not able to fly. Not their fault, I just hadn't made any arrangements & they weren't set up to accommodate drop-ins. Good luck and have fun.

Craig
7Q

[JS[_5_]]

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

[Jim White[_3_]]

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

[John Huthmaker]

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

[Martin Gregorie[_6_]]

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

[waremark]

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

[Martin Gregorie[_6_]]

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

[John Huthmaker]

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.

[John Huthmaker]

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.

[Gordon Walker[_2_]]

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

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

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.

[Steve Barber]

Hi John
Thanks for your kind words. Glad we could accommodate you and
you enjoyed the flying even though the thermals were so feeble
we couldn’t do much more than circuits.
Steve
Shalbourne Gliding

At 16:03 26 September 2018, John Huthmaker wrote:
>I wanted to give a final update to everyone who was interested.
My trip
>go=
>t 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
>Las=
>ham and Booker. Both were fully booked. Again I assumed that
it was not
>g=
>oing 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
>somethi=
>ng. I pulled up the UK Soaring directory and found 5 clubs
reasonably
>clos=
>e. I called the first two, and they were fully booked. The next
two had
>b=
>ad phone numbers. I made my last call to the Shalbourne
Gliding club.
>Whe=
>n they answered I fully expected them to say they were all
booked. To my
>p=
>leasant surprise they said if I showed up at 1pm they would try
to fit me
>o=
>n 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
>prett=
>y 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
>p=
>lane 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
>fr=
>om Shalbourne monitors these groups, my hats off to you.
Thank you very
>mu=
>ch for making the time for me.
>