Ah, I remember RAF Sealand, When I was a teenager I used to cycle from Heswall on the Wirral all the way to Sealand on a nice warm summer's day to watch the gliding.
Many many pilots started this way. I still remember my PPL instructors words to me when we first met, " Do you lead with rudder or Aileron", I said neither, to which he relied "You must be an ex glider man". Wonderful memories and a great flying community.
Brilliant vid as ever. Particularly interesting to me as way back in the glorious summer of 1976 I flew my first aeroplane - a Slingsby T-21 primary glider on a gliding course at Nympsfield in the Cotswolds. It might have been simple, but it was an aeroplane and as the late great Brian Lecomber said (probably the best airshow aerobatic pilot ever and who died of natural causes) "don't ever treat any aeroplane with anything other than the greatest of respect - they have thousands of ways of killing you". The Tiger Club, who also flew aerobatics in simple but demanding aeroplanes, had a note on their panel "All Aeroplanes Bite Fools". I went on to fly and have a share in some complex and capable types such as the aerobatically-unlimited Yak52 and my favourite that I flew for 35 years, the fabulous 'mini Spitfire' taildragger Chipmunk. None of them, including that T-21 I flew in that hot summer nearly half a century ago, had such an admonition on the panel. Perhaps they all should have done. But far outweighing that is the fact that each and every one of them has thousands of ways of thrilling you - so long as you are not a fool or a f*ckwit. Thanks again for a super vid. Vince (not the Vince in your video but a much older one, obviously!)
Winch launches felt like riding a rocket - an incredible rate of climb. Loved it. Terry, you should also try a box on aerotow. You can then explore the edges on tow and getting back in position. Flying through the prop wash is interesting. And spins were some of the best fun exploring deep stall and stalling in a turn.
Brilliant video, brought back memories of flying in Sedbergh's in 1970 as an air cadet. Once the launch was over and the glider settled down, you could hear people talking on the ground hundreds of feet below you.
Soloed in one of these in 1977 at Saint Athan with a bag of concrete for company. You were told to hold the glider down until at least 90 knots (or even 100), and once you rotated, it went to 1200ft like a rocket. Being an open cockpit with a slow cruising speed(30 knots if you wanted), it was possible to talk to other crews in the air and even overhear garden conversations way below you. Such fun and amazingly agile for more than a 50ft wingspan.
@@nigelpocock9538@nigelpocock9538 I do recall executing a loop where we went close to 100 knots, and as we pulled up, I noticed a small plaque on the centre frame that said not to exceed 95 knots, I recall asking the instructor (an airline pilot) what would happen if we went too fast. And he said I should worry if the wings clapped hands...
I soloed in one of these at RAF Swanton Moreley March 1963. I'll never forget being able to hear my instructoe shouting at me from the ground. Occaisionly in Polish..
This was SUPER awesome! Thank you so much for sharing it here!! Yes, soaring is a very special and highly underrated activity. I'm happy you got to try it. Best regards from Brasilia, Brazil.
What a great video. My first flight ever in an aircraft was in one of these at RAF West Malling, with the air cadets in 1979. It was an amazing experience, like a flying in an armchair. We had the longest flight of the day, (20min!) after getting lift over some greenhouses. A flight I have never forgotten. What an amazing video Terry - thanks.❤
Flew one in the 70s as an ATC cadet at RAF Kirknewton near edinburgh. Happy days. If you think the cable launch is fun/scary ask him to do a practice cable break next time! 😀🫣 Great to see the old barge still flying.
Absolutely wonderful video that brought back so many memories for me. I got my solo glider pilots licence in a T21 in the late seventies at RAF St Athan, as a member of the Air Training Corps.
@@nauticski I think we overlapped. I was there summer 1977. I remember completing the A&B and then spending the rest of my time driving around in old land rovers. George Crump was the OC. 😀
Great video! This took me back to 1980 when I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford. While there I took my first glider flight at an airfield near Bicester. The scenery and the towplane pulling you along and then the near silence once you release took me right back to that day. I also completed my first, static line skydive at Weston on the Green. Thanks for reigniting a great memory for me.
An old gliding friend of mine was one of the large syndicate which owned BFY at Sutton Bank, so I have flown it. It's good to see it is being put to good use at its new home.
Terry I flew in one of those on an "experience" day in the 70s well before even thinking of taking up flying. As you say 5 minutes seemed like longer. I also wish Kamil the best for what ever direction he takes. Well done for taking him up on his offer.....Good to see PY & CZ out together.
First time I ever left the ground as an ATC cadet was in a T21 sedburgh glider at RAF Halton , I think around 1972 ! Caught the bug and flew hang gliders until 1994 then took my license and bought a Pegasus Quasar microlight and continued flying that for 22 years , I am a flying addict!!
Haha the smile on your face was perfect. Really good day and crazy airfield procedures. But it was great to understand gliding in more detail. Recommended.
This brings back memories of sports afternoons on Wednesdays when I was at RAF Halton during my apprenticeship in the late 70's. Our "Barges" had full canopies iirc but the takeoff with the winch launch to about 1200 ft was pretty exciting. I think I can even remember the preflight which was "CB SIT CB" for Canopy, Ballast, Straps, Instruments, Trim, Controls, Brakes (iirc). I didn't pursue gliding but in later years got my NPPL and am now building my next aircraft. Can't believe it will be 50 years next year that I went to Halton:|
Ahhh, the memories. Got 27 flights in the RAF version called a Sedbergh at Swanton Morley, RAF Central Gliding School during my Canadian Air Cadet exchange visit in 1975. Flew with F/L King, F/L Ladley, F/L Robin Miller, F/O Peet, C/I Rosenfeld and C/I Mike Edwards. At Manston I did one flight with W/O Goodman. Great guys flying beautiful aircraft.
Hello, my first solo was in one of these, glad to see they're still flying today. I trained at RAF Halton with the 2236 Stanmore air cadets, great times!
I flew this model glider in the 1970's at RAF Henlow whilst in the Air Cadets as a young adult. Launch by winch and indeed what fun we had learning and messing about too.
At the age of fourteen I took lessons in a Slingsby Sedburgh. It was at an RAF gliding club at RAF Wittering and the instructors were pilots who were flying Valiant V bombers all week and could not wait to go flying gliders at weekends! It was great fun - we even looped the loop on one occasion, I loved having an aero tow - after cast off the tow plane (Chipmunk) would flip over and fall away earthwards - such happy days!
Many, many, many years ago I was in the ATC in Oxford. We used to go flying in the Sedbergh and you never got over the experience of pulling the winch release "ball". Remember it well, even to this day.
Flew Sedburghs from Weston s Mare while I was in the ATC in 1957. My mate had an RAF flying scholarship and we could rent a Tiger Moth in Bristol for 12/6 and hour and nip down to Weston and buzz our mates in the Mk7's and Sedburghs. When on winch duty we had to do cable breaks and we discoverd that the wire cable had a hemp core which supplemented our meagre supply of Woodbine roll up tobacco. Little did we know!!! As a model maker I was also a dope junky. Great days.
Just stumbled across this on my feed and it brought back a lot of memories!! My first ever flight was as a gangly Air Cadet at RAF Upavon. It was in a Kirkby Cadet Mk3 which was very similar to the T21 (We flew in T21's as well until they were replaced by a Grob of some description, that was quite a step up!) but with a tandem cockpit rather than side by side. It was a damp, slightly misty Autumnal day and I was extremely apprehensive at flying in glider that looked like it had the aerodynamic qualities of a long stick with an open cockpit and I had no idea at all what to expect. Once we were up in the air though, I was hooked on flying for life and grab the opportunity whenever I can.
Ah memories of my first solo on a CCF cadet gliding course in the T21 during the early 80's at RAF Upavon, after just (less than!) 30min of tuition. Wild experience that I've never forgotten.
Another superb video, thank you. I used to fly in the Grumman Avenger at North Weald and the number of times the then resident Glider club would keep us waiting at the hold to take off for what I dont know. Avengers werent cheap to run!
I flew in one of these at RAF Burtonwood. It was so windy, too windy for cadets, but as I'd got my wings, the instructor took me up. He actually taught .e how to fly the thing BACKWARDS! At the end of the day we did 5 consecutive loops of the top of the winch. Brilliant day that was. I passed my wings at RAF Newton in another open cockpit machine. The Kirby Cadet Mk3. It was sobering some years later to see the aircraft I soloed in on display at IWM Duxford!!!
Brought me back to my time at the Kent gliding club in the 1960’s. T21’s don’t stay up very long unless you get a strong thermal. Kamil looks like he will go far.
Many young air cadets over the years have flown in the Barge, at 16 I was lucky enough to fly a solo circuit in one (RAF Catterick) Great experiences and you are right, the launch is epic.
Delightful! Thanks for taking us along. I read an article back in the 70's (It may have been 'Flying' magazine) written by an American pilot who flew the Slingsby glider in the U.K. and how he fell in love with the aircraft and flying in the U.K. I've always wanted to fly it. If I ever can make it back to the U.K. flying with Kamil in the Sling would be a must do. I'll drop a line to an online travel vlogger from Scotland who loves flying. I've been encouraging him to take his first flying lessons and I think he would do well to vlog and log his first flight with Kamil.
Must have been 1977 as an air cadet when I went for my flight experience in one of these. The exhilaration of that first cable launch has had me looking for similar thrills ever since! The RAF pilot scared the wits out of me when he stood it on its wing tip for a 180 deg turn at the end of the field for the landing.
Wow. Very recently, I spoke to my wife (and best friend ever) about trying a glider flight. I googled Wormington to find it is only eighteen miles from my home. I know where I and my wife will be trying my glider experience :) Great video, thank you.
I had a couple of glider flights at Edgehill a year ago, they were super friendly and quite happy letting me fly my microlight in there. I really loved flying in the glider, far more than I enjoy 3-axis flight, but as for riding the thermals, I’ll need a lot more practice !
Great memories flying these with the ATC in the late 60s/early 70s at RAF Locking. Was sent on a pilot course and got my license in 72 (can’t remember where, it was a long time ago!). The only time I was scared in one was at Locking when the pilot decided to show me that those gliders can do aerobatics and did a loop!
My first solo flight in a glider was in a T21 at Farnborough in the early 1970's. That was when the airfield was used by the MoD when it used to be called the 'Royal Aircraft Establishment'. It's now a privately owned (and very busy) business airport called 'Farnborough International Airport'. Sadly gliding from Farnborough has now long since gone and the nearest gliding airfield is the long established 'Lasham Airfield' set between Basingstoke and Alton in Hampshire.
nice vid - takes me back to ATC days in the 60's. Proper Bird flight. One of the greatest thrills of my life doing 3 solo's, The silence ( except wind rush when insufficient rudder in the turn) Also taking control of the Enclosed Slingsby at Dunstable Downs.
Back in the early 90s, I've actually had the opportunity to take a couple of introductory lessons, here in the states. It truly is a wonderful experience. We followed a hawk into a thermal, and spent a good hour in that thermal, taking it to 4000 feet, with that hawk always off our wing tip. Thanks for sharing this with us. :)
Another great video Terry, I was always wary of glider airfields when flying (although I used to try to visit my local glider airfield, by car, once or twice a year just to watch and get a feel for their MO - tug pilots are fun to watch when overflying roads, fair bit of sidesliping going on). My dad used to fly T21s back in the day. As I wrote elsewhere, real bugs in the teeth aviation 😲😀👍
Like lots on here this was our introduction to gliding. For me it was a warm evening in 1975 above sealand with the See glistening silver in the distance. Wonderful.
Slingsby T21 Sedbergh - learned to fly these at RAF St Athan in S. Wales back in the 70's. Went on to solo in Kirby Cadet Mk3 Just retired after 40 years in the aviation business, ATC, Airport Safety and Regulator
A 5 min flight, bliss. I went solo at 16 but in a Kirby cadet mk3, most of my flights were 3 - 4 mins long. The air cadet gliders had the penetration of a brick. I was however treated to a flight in a Bocian all metal sailplane one snow covered boxing day at RAF Cosford.
in 1972/3, Singapore, serving with the Australian Army, we had a fling club using this bird on a cable winch for lifting, this is where I got many flying experiences, learning to fly where now is Changi air port
Wow, how cool is that thing. When I was a cadet in Canada, we had old schweizers... enclosed cockpit. That thing looks like it is as basic and as close to flying like a bird as you can get!
Ah the memories, I flew in a Sedburgh and a “Curby cadet” (think that’s what it was called) many times doing my glider pilot training in the ATC in the 70’s. The flights were done at RAF Kinloss with beautiful views across the Moray firth and up the NE coast of Scotland. Worst flight was when it hailed on us just after take off!
Great video Terry. What an incredible induction into gliding. It goes to show that you can have fun in the air at both ends of the cost spectrum. That T21 looked brilliant. I used to own a little X’Air microlight which was about as aerodynamic as a barn door and flew at about 55mph but it was so much fun!
Hi Terry, This piece takes me back many, many years to a visit to a BAE site near Manchester. I cannot remember the name of the place but I do remember seeing a couple of Vulcan bombers parked up outside their respective hangers. This alone made the trip worthwhile, though retrospectively I wish I had had, at the time, a greater appreciation of the history associated with these remarkable aircraft. But to the business at hand. The site was operating a very similar winch based glider launching facility to the one featured in your piece. I can still distinctly recall the feelings of dubious scepticism upon inspection of the winch, as mounted into a 'cutout' in the side of an old wheel less coach, whose engine provided the power. But nevertheless, when my turn came, I bravely took my place in the nose seat directly in front of the pilot and off we went. The ensuing... complicated mix of thrills tinged with abject terror is to be experienced. But only once for me, I'm afraid! When invited for a second go, I politely, but firmly declined. What a whimp!! Hahaha. We really are, in many ways, just a rag tag collection of memories. Cheers for stirring up a few of mine. Stay safe that man.
I for one have fond memories of learning to fly in one of these barges back in the day; Old Sarum airfield, Salisbury. Middle of winter… very draughty!
Wow this takes me back to my days as a member of The Woodford Gliding Club in the eighties one hobby I wish I had kept up with the T21 is a beautiful aircraft
Hi, Martin.....My Dad was also a member of the Woodford club ( David Ilett ) My uncle (John Ilett ) was a gliding instructer there in the 1960s. I only flew once in the "red " glider.... (one behind the other)....My sister flew in the T21 "blue " glider. My Grandad was airframe inspector on Lancasters during the war.....Long after his death, my gran remarried to an inspector on Vulcans..... I am the Black Sheep of the Ilett family.....I never worked at AVROs.....or in the RAF......i went downwards instead. .....I joined the Royal Navy and served in submarines. I lived in Bramhall ...schooled at Hazel Grove and now live in Orkney where i have just retired from being manager of Eday Airfield. Wishing any aviation / submarine enthusiast ....All the very best......Mike Ilett.
@@d165354 Hi David it was a great club I got introduced to by my Scout Leader who was ex RAF Regiment after he was asked by a contact if any of our venture scouts were interested in trying it out so I jumped at the chance and also flew in that red Glider. Then I then found out I could join as an older cousin worked at BAE Chadderton. never worked there myself (to thick 😂) but had great time in the club and met some wonderful people. I live in Tameside now and it's a shame now that it's now a housing estate.
I had my first glider air experience flight in a T21 at RAF Kenley, with the ATC in 1967! Memorable not least because one of the cadets hooked the cable to the wrong fixing so the pilot had to do a bit of a sky dance to get us released!
loved flying a T21 slow amazing flights, we didn't have money for cable on our winch so we used fence wire, needless to say we were all experienced at cable breaks.
Experianced this piece of brick also in A.T.C. iN 1970 ties!!! Now learning in modern gliders .. in gliding fraternity this brick is revered for some reason.. a breeze block flies better , thankfully only 1 flight a long time ago .. nice video , well posted and camera work in such bright conditions , especially with these new screens one cannot see in the bright sky..well done ..oops sorry gliding community about comments about this brick/ breeze block ..😊😊
I loved flying the T21 as a cadet getting my glider wings as I was too big for the K3 back then, average flight of 4 to 8min in the summer but I do have a 30min one in my log book. I remember my instructor saying that if the ASI failed not to panic as you could tell if you are near Vne as you hang in the straps and the screen vibrate and the stall was indicated by the stick going slack and there being no noise from the airframe 🙂
My first flight ever was in a T21, about 45 years ago. Winched up to 800ft, followed by a spiral descent back to the field, we were probably airborne for about 2-3 minutes, but it was still worth the 2 mile trek there and back across fields from the nearest bus route.
I never did feel comfortable in the Slingsby and Cadet when I was 13 in the ATC, scared witless is more apt. But I found my true love with powered flight after my 1st flight in a Chipmunk 😁
What a nice impression! I see the glider has a Dutch registration. This takes me back to my time on EHHV (Hilversum), where I worked for a banner towing/sky-writing/sight seeing company. EHHV is still a three runway grass field and I love and support it. It also houses a flight school, a glider club and a parachutist-club. At busy summer days we had three parallel uses of the active runway. The runway itself, the double winch at the back of a truck for gliders (gliders also taking off behind Piper Cubs from the runway) and... our banners, lying parallel to the runway before taken into the air by our Piper Cubs and Cessna's). Our (one of two) AT6 Harvard taking of to write 7UP in the skies over the Dutch beaches and the tower getting really busy at the end of the day when the sky-divers started floating down from the skies. Thanks for bringing me back!
The Slingsby Sedburgh, a wonderful assembly of wood, wire and cloth and a delight to fly. It's been 55 years since I flew those and Mk. 3s. Real fun. Kids, join the Air Training Corps for this and more.
We had an American Visitor once who had only ever flown All Metal Aircraft on the big, American Style Airfields with tons of space and spacing. I came with the Job-15-180. The first thing that amazed him was that Wood and Canvas fly. Then how well Wood and Canvas fly: Fast, light, agile, responsive, quiet and comfortable. He started squirming when he saw that our first strip was short, as straight as a Elton John, no taxiways, hilly, confusing layout and of course: All Grass. He White-Knuckled through it. He even got used to our traffic shennanigans, like passing over someone on the runway and landing behind him and generally being space efficient and able to put our Aircraft down exactly where we want to. They don't train that in the US, just Go-Arounds as soon as there is even the possibility of any kind of obstruction or traffic. He did like how forgiving Grass is, in that you don't have a lof traction right after touchdown, so there is less of a sideways jolt if you aren't perfectly lined up. And you don't get stuck in Ground Effect nearly as much. In the End we agreed that what they call Bush-Flying is just Flying to us.
It was a pleasure having you and showing you around Terry! Really glad you enjoyed your experience :)
My dad used to fly T21s back in the day. Real bugs in the teeth aviation 😲😀👍
It was an excellent day Kamil, thanks buddy.
great idea to invite this guy!
It was a pleasure to see that, for all your experience, you were grinning from ear to ear the whole flight just like Terry.
Hello Kamil from Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona USA that was really cool. I’m a private pilot and I like to fly drones as well.
Brings back memories as a teenager in the Air Cadets in 1974 flying in that type of glider from RAF Sealand.
Thanks for watching and commenting Gary.
Me too Gary. RAF Sealand but in 1979. 3 solos at the end. Sedbergh glider just like this one. Used to have to tap the altimeter as it would stick LOL
Ah, I remember RAF Sealand, When I was a teenager I used to cycle from Heswall on the Wirral all the way to Sealand on a nice warm summer's day to watch the gliding.
RAF Cosford for me. Happy Days
Many many pilots started this way. I still remember my PPL instructors words to me when we first met, " Do you lead with rudder or Aileron", I said neither, to which he relied "You must be an ex glider man". Wonderful memories and a great flying community.
It was great fun Giles, I can see why it's a little bit addictive.
I remember aileron drag from when I flew in a Blanik.
@@potrzebieneuman4702 they were metal construction from memory.
@@GolfFoxtrot22 yep all alloy, nice sailplane to fly but they grounded them eventually because of spar failures I think.
Brilliant vid as ever. Particularly interesting to me as way back in the glorious summer of 1976 I flew my first aeroplane - a Slingsby T-21 primary glider on a gliding course at Nympsfield in the Cotswolds. It might have been simple, but it was an aeroplane and as the late great Brian Lecomber said (probably the best airshow aerobatic pilot ever and who died of natural causes) "don't ever treat any aeroplane with anything other than the greatest of respect - they have thousands of ways of killing you".
The Tiger Club, who also flew aerobatics in simple but demanding aeroplanes, had a note on their panel "All Aeroplanes Bite Fools".
I went on to fly and have a share in some complex and capable types such as the aerobatically-unlimited Yak52 and my favourite that I flew for 35 years, the fabulous 'mini Spitfire' taildragger Chipmunk. None of them, including that T-21 I flew in that hot summer nearly half a century ago, had such an admonition on the panel.
Perhaps they all should have done.
But far outweighing that is the fact that each and every one of them has thousands of ways of thrilling you - so long as you are not a fool or a f*ckwit.
Thanks again for a super vid.
Vince (not the Vince in your video but a much older one, obviously!)
Winch launches felt like riding a rocket - an incredible rate of climb. Loved it. Terry, you should also try a box on aerotow. You can then explore the edges on tow and getting back in position. Flying through the prop wash is interesting. And spins were some of the best fun exploring deep stall and stalling in a turn.
I definitely want to experience more gliding 👍 Have a wonderful Christmas
Brilliant video, brought back memories of flying in Sedbergh's in 1970 as an air cadet. Once the launch was over and the glider settled down, you could hear people talking on the ground hundreds of feet below you.
I think it is great that old gliders like that are still flown.
With such young pilots, the whole setup is awesome.
Soloed in one of these in 1977 at Saint Athan with a bag of concrete for company. You were told to hold the glider down until at least 90 knots (or even 100), and once you rotated, it went to 1200ft like a rocket. Being an open cockpit with a slow cruising speed(30 knots if you wanted), it was possible to talk to other crews in the air and even overhear garden conversations way below you. Such fun and amazingly agile for more than a 50ft wingspan.
90 to 100 knots is about vne!!
just looked it up 92 knts
@@nigelpocock9538@nigelpocock9538 I do recall executing a loop where we went close to 100 knots, and as we pulled up, I noticed a small plaque on the centre frame that said not to exceed 95 knots, I recall asking the instructor (an airline pilot) what would happen if we went too fast. And he said I should worry if the wings clapped hands...
Youre remembering wrong
I soloed in one of these at RAF Swanton Moreley March 1963. I'll never forget being able to hear my instructoe shouting at me from the ground. Occaisionly in Polish..
haha... brought back memories of my time in the Air Cadets, flying Chipmunks from RAF Woodvale & these Gliders from 30MU RAF Sealand... good old days
Yep, same with me both 10AEF Woodvale for the Chippies and Sealand for the Sedburgh's.
The look on your face in that glider was priceless. Ear to ear joy! Very enjoyable vlog Terry thanks. 👍🏼
I said this earlier in the comments Charlie, that reaction was 10% for the thumbnail and 90% pure enjoyment, thank you sir as always.
Fantastic - what a great trip and experience - even just to get in and out of a glider site without any grief is an achievement!
This was SUPER awesome! Thank you so much for sharing it here!! Yes, soaring is a very special and highly underrated activity. I'm happy you got to try it. Best regards from Brasilia, Brazil.
What a great video. My first flight ever in an aircraft was in one of these at RAF West Malling, with the air cadets in 1979. It was an amazing experience, like a flying in an armchair. We had the longest flight of the day, (20min!) after getting lift over some greenhouses. A flight I have never forgotten. What an amazing video Terry - thanks.❤
Flew one in the 70s as an ATC cadet at RAF Kirknewton near edinburgh. Happy days. If you think the cable launch is fun/scary ask him to do a practice cable break next time! 😀🫣 Great to see the old barge still flying.
Same here we did are flying from R.A.F Spittlegate happy days
@@andym1578 West Malling here. 2096 (N. Lambeth) Sqn
A few friends got their glider wings there. I think one was actually an instructor. That was the 1970s as well.
Absolutely wonderful video that brought back so many memories for me. I got my solo glider pilots licence in a T21 in the late seventies at RAF St Athan, as a member of the Air Training Corps.
What a wonderful experience! We have gliders operating at our field too. Had an awesome experience years ago. Must do it again. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you.
What an amazing young man. Thank you for sharing this video. Wish all the success for him.
Happy memories! A&B cert in a T21 at RAF Cosford with the cadets in the 1970s. Really nice to see them still flying. Thanks.
Me too! Finished my A&B in February 1975 and stayed on to become an instructor until 1990.
And me. 633 VGS. solo in 1971. Flt Lt George Crump was the CO.
@@stevemills9982 Were you at 495 ATC squadron in Sutton Coldfield, with a brother called Keith?
@@nauticski I think we overlapped. I was there summer 1977. I remember completing the A&B and then spending the rest of my time driving around in old land rovers. George Crump was the OC. 😀
@ yes! Were you with 495 Sqn too? I’m still at Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing.
Great video! This took me back to 1980 when I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford. While there I took my first glider flight at an airfield near Bicester. The scenery and the towplane pulling you along and then the near silence once you release took me right back to that day. I also completed my first, static line skydive at Weston on the Green. Thanks for reigniting a great memory for me.
An old gliding friend of mine was one of the large syndicate which owned BFY at Sutton Bank, so I have flown it. It's good to see it is being put to good use at its new home.
What a beautiful day for flying! And, amazing to get to fly something so vintage!
That was awesome! When I saw Kamil I thought he can't be more than eleven years old, thank you for posting. 😊
Yes made me feel very old indeed.
@@ShortField I'm creeping up to my 7th decade Lolz!
Great to see! I remember our barge sailing quite happily in weak conditions when the sleek modern ships couldn't stay aloft.
Terry I flew in one of those on an "experience" day in the 70s well before even thinking of taking up flying. As you say 5 minutes seemed like longer. I also wish Kamil the best for what ever direction he takes. Well done for taking him up on his offer.....Good to see PY & CZ out together.
First time I ever left the ground as an ATC cadet was in a T21 sedburgh glider at RAF Halton , I think around 1972 ! Caught the bug and flew hang gliders until 1994 then took my license and bought a Pegasus Quasar microlight and continued flying that for 22 years , I am a flying addict!!
I had the pleasure of flying in a T-21 during my time in the Air Training Corp back in the late 70s and early 80s at Little Rissington. Great fun!
I flew a barge as an air cadet many moons ago at Catterick - great memories. Really enjoyed the video.
Yep, solo on 16th birthday. Never been in a glider since!
i LOVE the geometry of the T-21, old school draftsmanship !
What a great flight!
I learnt to fly in one of those many, many years ago.
Well done Kamil. It's great to see such enthusiasm for flying. 👍
Haha the smile on your face was perfect. Really good day and crazy airfield procedures. But it was great to understand gliding in more detail. Recommended.
This brings back memories of sports afternoons on Wednesdays when I was at RAF Halton during my apprenticeship in the late 70's. Our "Barges" had full canopies iirc but the takeoff with the winch launch to about 1200 ft was pretty exciting. I think I can even remember the preflight which was "CB SIT CB" for Canopy, Ballast, Straps, Instruments, Trim, Controls, Brakes (iirc). I didn't pursue gliding but in later years got my NPPL and am now building my next aircraft. Can't believe it will be 50 years next year that I went to Halton:|
Ahhh, the memories. Got 27 flights in the RAF version called a Sedbergh at Swanton Morley, RAF Central Gliding School during my Canadian Air Cadet exchange visit in 1975. Flew with F/L King, F/L Ladley, F/L Robin Miller, F/O Peet, C/I Rosenfeld and C/I Mike Edwards. At Manston I did one flight with W/O Goodman. Great guys flying beautiful aircraft.
Hello, my first solo was in one of these, glad to see they're still flying today. I trained at RAF Halton with the 2236 Stanmore air cadets, great times!
Very cool!
Great video ... really made me smile! 😃😃
That reaction was 10% for the thumbnail and 90% pure enjoyment, thank you.
I flew this model glider in the 1970's at RAF Henlow whilst in the Air Cadets as a young adult. Launch by winch and indeed what fun we had learning and messing about too.
I’ve liked this before even watching it.... I know it’ll be a treat!
Thank you Dan, you're always so supportive sir.
At the age of fourteen I took lessons in a Slingsby Sedburgh. It was at an RAF gliding club at RAF Wittering and the instructors were pilots who were flying Valiant V bombers all week and could not wait to go flying gliders at weekends! It was great fun - we even looped the loop on one occasion, I loved having an aero tow - after cast off the tow plane (Chipmunk) would flip over and fall away earthwards - such happy days!
Many, many, many years ago I was in the ATC in Oxford. We used to go flying in the Sedbergh and you never got over the experience of pulling the winch release "ball". Remember it well, even to this day.
Flew Sedburghs from Weston s Mare while I was in the ATC in 1957. My mate had an RAF flying scholarship and we could rent a Tiger Moth in Bristol for 12/6 and hour and nip down to Weston and buzz our mates in the Mk7's and Sedburghs. When on winch duty we had to do cable breaks and we discoverd that the wire cable had a hemp core which supplemented our meagre supply of Woodbine roll up tobacco. Little did we know!!! As a model maker I was also a dope junky. Great days.
Just stumbled across this on my feed and it brought back a lot of memories!! My first ever flight was as a gangly Air Cadet at RAF Upavon. It was in a Kirkby Cadet Mk3 which was very similar to the T21 (We flew in T21's as well until they were replaced by a Grob of some description, that was quite a step up!) but with a tandem cockpit rather than side by side. It was a damp, slightly misty Autumnal day and I was extremely apprehensive at flying in glider that looked like it had the aerodynamic qualities of a long stick with an open cockpit and I had no idea at all what to expect. Once we were up in the air though, I was hooked on flying for life and grab the opportunity whenever I can.
Ah memories of my first solo on a CCF cadet gliding course in the T21 during the early 80's at RAF Upavon, after just (less than!) 30min of tuition. Wild experience that I've never forgotten.
Another superb video, thank you. I used to fly in the Grumman Avenger at North Weald and the number of times the then resident Glider club would keep us waiting at the hold to take off for what I dont know. Avengers werent cheap to run!
That's so cool Martin, didn't know that. Thank you sir.
That brings back memories. I learnt to fly in one of those at RAF Abingdon in the 1970’s - Loved the open cockpit flying 😎
I flew in one of these at RAF Burtonwood. It was so windy, too windy for cadets, but as I'd got my wings, the instructor took me up. He actually taught .e how to fly the thing BACKWARDS! At the end of the day we did 5 consecutive loops of the top of the winch. Brilliant day that was.
I passed my wings at RAF Newton in another open cockpit machine. The Kirby Cadet Mk3. It was sobering some years later to see the aircraft I soloed in on display at IWM Duxford!!!
Brought me back to my time at the Kent gliding club in the 1960’s. T21’s don’t stay up very long unless you get a strong thermal. Kamil looks like he will go far.
Wow reminds me of my ATC days and gaining my wings at RAF Henlow back in 1969 the lad looks younger than 18 and congratulations to him
10/10/70 for me at Henlow.
That T21 is so badass!!! I love it!!!
Many young air cadets over the years have flown in the Barge, at 16 I was lucky enough to fly a solo circuit in one (RAF Catterick) Great experiences and you are right, the launch is epic.
Great vlog Terry, from your expression it looked like you really enjoyed that! I have every respect for those who fly without an engine 🫣 👏🏻👏🏻
Me too. Thanks Kev
Delightful! Thanks for taking us along. I read an article back in the 70's (It may have been 'Flying' magazine) written by an American pilot who flew the Slingsby glider in the U.K. and how he fell in love with the aircraft and flying in the U.K. I've always wanted to fly it. If I ever can make it back to the U.K. flying with Kamil in the Sling would be a must do. I'll drop a line to an online travel vlogger from Scotland who loves flying. I've been encouraging him to take his first flying lessons and I think he would do well to vlog and log his first flight with Kamil.
Must have been 1977 as an air cadet when I went for my flight experience in one of these. The exhilaration of that first cable launch has had me looking for similar thrills ever since! The RAF pilot scared the wits out of me when he stood it on its wing tip for a 180 deg turn at the end of the field for the landing.
Wow. Very recently, I spoke to my wife (and best friend ever) about trying a glider flight. I googled Wormington to find it is only eighteen miles from my home. I know where I and my wife will be trying my glider experience :) Great video, thank you.
Very nice! I learned to glide as a teen in the 1970s. We flew enclosed Schweizer 2-33 gliders back then. I'd love to try an open cockpit one.
Memories of 622 GS at Old Sarum late 60's. Flew the Barge, T31 and Prefect there.
Your name rings a bell. Were you a staff cadet their in about 70-72?
69 - 71, the only Paul I can recollect lived in the New Forest area and had the nickname " Snowy ". Could that be you?
I had a couple of glider flights at Edgehill a year ago, they were super friendly and quite happy letting me fly my microlight in there. I really loved flying in the glider, far more than I enjoy 3-axis flight, but as for riding the thermals, I’ll need a lot more practice !
Great memories flying these with the ATC in the late 60s/early 70s at RAF Locking. Was sent on a pilot course and got my license in 72 (can’t remember where, it was a long time ago!).
The only time I was scared in one was at Locking when the pilot decided to show me that those gliders can do aerobatics and did a loop!
My first solo flight in a glider was in a T21 at Farnborough in the early 1970's. That was when the airfield was used by the MoD when it used to be called the 'Royal Aircraft Establishment'. It's now a privately owned (and very busy) business airport called 'Farnborough International Airport'. Sadly gliding from Farnborough has now long since gone and the nearest gliding airfield is the long established 'Lasham Airfield' set between Basingstoke and Alton in Hampshire.
nice vid - takes me back to ATC days in the 60's. Proper Bird flight.
One of the greatest thrills of my life doing 3 solo's, The silence ( except wind rush when insufficient rudder in the turn)
Also taking control of the Enclosed Slingsby at Dunstable Downs.
It was nice see the landing at Andrews field I learned to fly there great club great instructors.
Back in the early 90s, I've actually had the opportunity to take a couple of introductory lessons, here in the states. It truly is a wonderful experience. We followed a hawk into a thermal, and spent a good hour in that thermal, taking it to 4000 feet, with that hawk always off our wing tip. Thanks for sharing this with us. :)
You cannot compete in that machine but what a fun ride!
Another great video Terry, I was always wary of glider airfields when flying (although I used to try to visit my local glider airfield, by car, once or twice a year just to watch and get a feel for their MO - tug pilots are fun to watch when overflying roads, fair bit of sidesliping going on).
My dad used to fly T21s back in the day. As I wrote elsewhere, real bugs in the teeth aviation 😲😀👍
Yes I love that, 'bugs in the teeth' expression, certainly was a little breezy :-)
@@ShortField 👍😀😀💜💜
Like lots on here this was our introduction to gliding. For me it was a warm evening in 1975 above sealand with the See glistening silver in the distance.
Wonderful.
Slingsby T21 Sedbergh - learned to fly these at RAF St Athan in S. Wales back in the 70's.
Went on to solo in Kirby Cadet Mk3
Just retired after 40 years in the aviation business, ATC, Airport Safety and Regulator
A 5 min flight, bliss. I went solo at 16 but in a Kirby cadet mk3, most of my flights were 3 - 4 mins long. The air cadet gliders had the penetration of a brick. I was however treated to a flight in a Bocian all metal sailplane one snow covered boxing day at RAF Cosford.
That was awesome Terry! Thank you. Glididng is amazing
Fab! Reminded me of Air Cadet days in the early 70s.😁
I had a flight in a T21 years ago at RAF Catterick, winch launched too. Wormingford has an amazing wartime history, mostly used by the USAF and USAAF.
I've been a passenger in a T21, flown by the Upward Bound Trust at the Haddenham airstrip. Happy days😊
in 1972/3, Singapore, serving with the Australian Army, we had a fling club using this bird on a cable winch for lifting, this is where I got many flying experiences, learning to fly where now is Changi air port
My first Glider flight was in one of those in the early 1980's as an Air Cadet on a Summer camp at RAF Sealand (now long gone)
Lovely video! I am surprised how well that antique open cockpit glider flew!
Wow, how cool is that thing. When I was a cadet in Canada, we had old schweizers... enclosed cockpit. That thing looks like it is as basic and as close to flying like a bird as you can get!
It felt like a mixture between a boat, a garden shed, a soap box racer and an aeroplane :-)
Im used to a parachute
Ah the memories, I flew in a Sedburgh and a “Curby cadet” (think that’s what it was called) many times doing my glider pilot training in the ATC in the 70’s. The flights were done at RAF Kinloss with beautiful views across the Moray firth and up the NE coast of Scotland. Worst flight was when it hailed on us just after take off!
Great video Terry. What an incredible induction into gliding. It goes to show that you can have fun in the air at both ends of the cost spectrum. That T21 looked brilliant. I used to own a little X’Air microlight which was about as aerodynamic as a barn door and flew at about 55mph but it was so much fun!
Well said Nick 👍
Hi Terry, This piece takes me back many, many years to a visit to a BAE site near Manchester.
I cannot remember the name of the place but I do remember seeing a couple of Vulcan bombers parked up outside their respective hangers.
This alone made the trip worthwhile, though retrospectively I wish I had had, at the time, a greater appreciation of the history associated with these remarkable aircraft.
But to the business at hand. The site was operating a very similar winch based glider launching facility to the one featured in your piece.
I can still distinctly recall the feelings of dubious scepticism upon inspection of the winch, as mounted into a 'cutout' in the side of an old wheel less coach, whose engine provided the power.
But nevertheless, when my turn came, I bravely took my place in the nose seat directly in front of the pilot and off we went.
The ensuing... complicated mix of thrills tinged with abject terror is to be experienced. But only once for me, I'm afraid! When invited for a second go, I politely, but firmly declined.
What a whimp!! Hahaha.
We really are, in many ways, just a rag tag collection of memories.
Cheers for stirring up a few of mine.
Stay safe that man.
Think it would have been Woodford? Now a housing estate but still with a vulcan - at the Avro museum. Got my PPL there in the 90s.
@@macscott5290 Woodford it is, then. Thanks.
I for one have fond memories of learning to fly in one of these barges back in the day; Old Sarum airfield, Salisbury. Middle of winter… very draughty!
Oh, sweet memory! I soloed in one of these in December '76 at RAF Debden as it still was, courtesy of 614 VGS.
Ah! Another Debden Eaglet!
Wow this takes me back to my days as a member of The Woodford Gliding Club in the eighties one hobby I wish I had kept up with the T21 is a beautiful aircraft
Hi, Martin.....My Dad was also a member of the Woodford club ( David Ilett ) My uncle (John Ilett ) was a gliding instructer there in the 1960s. I only flew once in the "red " glider.... (one behind the other)....My sister flew in the T21 "blue " glider. My Grandad was airframe inspector on Lancasters during the war.....Long after his death, my gran remarried to an inspector on Vulcans..... I am the Black Sheep of the Ilett family.....I never worked at AVROs.....or in the RAF......i went downwards instead. .....I joined the Royal Navy and served in submarines.
I lived in Bramhall ...schooled at Hazel Grove and now live in Orkney where i have just retired from being manager of Eday Airfield.
Wishing any aviation / submarine enthusiast ....All the very best......Mike Ilett.
@@d165354 Hi David it was a great club I got introduced to by my Scout Leader who was ex RAF Regiment after he was asked by a contact if any of our venture scouts were interested in trying it out so I jumped at the chance and also flew in that red Glider. Then I then found out I could join as an older cousin worked at BAE Chadderton. never worked there myself (to thick 😂) but had great time in the club and met some wonderful people. I live in Tameside now and it's a shame now that it's now a housing estate.
Fantastic video! What a way to spend a day flying.
I remember flying in a T21 at Aston Down about 20yrs incredible glider. Feels like you are going backwards at times
I had my first glider air experience flight in a T21 at RAF Kenley, with the ATC in 1967! Memorable not least because one of the cadets hooked the cable to the wrong fixing so the pilot had to do a bit of a sky dance to get us released!
loved flying a T21 slow amazing flights, we didn't have money for cable on our winch so we used fence wire, needless to say we were all experienced at cable breaks.
Experianced this piece of brick also in A.T.C. iN 1970 ties!!! Now learning in modern gliders .. in gliding fraternity this brick is revered for some reason.. a breeze block flies better , thankfully only 1 flight a long time ago .. nice video , well posted and camera work in such bright conditions , especially with these new screens one cannot see in the bright sky..well done ..oops sorry gliding community about comments about this brick/ breeze block ..😊😊
I loved flying the T21 as a cadet getting my glider wings as I was too big for the K3 back then, average flight of 4 to 8min in the summer but I do have a 30min one in my log book. I remember my instructor saying that if the ASI failed not to panic as you could tell if you are near Vne as you hang in the straps and the screen vibrate and the stall was indicated by the stick going slack and there being no noise from the airframe 🙂
My first flight ever was in a T21, about 45 years ago. Winched up to 800ft, followed by a spiral descent back to the field, we were probably airborne for about 2-3 minutes, but it was still worth the 2 mile trek there and back across fields from the nearest bus route.
Loved the video😀 Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Love the "placard". what a mint summer day out there doing it
I never did feel comfortable in the Slingsby and Cadet when I was 13 in the ATC, scared witless is more apt. But I found my true love with powered flight after my 1st flight in a Chipmunk 😁
Awesome Video!
Thanks!
What a nice impression! I see the glider has a Dutch registration.
This takes me back to my time on EHHV (Hilversum), where I worked for a banner towing/sky-writing/sight seeing company.
EHHV is still a three runway grass field and I love and support it. It also houses a flight school, a glider club and a parachutist-club.
At busy summer days we had three parallel uses of the active runway.
The runway itself, the double winch at the back of a truck for gliders (gliders also taking off behind Piper Cubs from the runway)
and... our banners, lying parallel to the runway before taken into the air by our Piper Cubs and Cessna's).
Our (one of two) AT6 Harvard taking of to write 7UP in the skies over the Dutch beaches and the tower getting really busy at the
end of the day when the sky-divers started floating down from the skies.
Thanks for bringing me back!
What lovey experience!
The Slingsby Sedburgh, a wonderful assembly of wood, wire and cloth and a delight to fly. It's been 55 years since I flew those and Mk. 3s. Real fun.
Kids, join the Air Training Corps for this and more.
Wow, takes me right back to 1984 at RM Condor (Arbroath) for my first flight (in one of those) as an Air Cadet! 😃
We had an American Visitor once who had only ever flown All Metal Aircraft on the big, American Style Airfields with tons of space and spacing. I came with the Job-15-180.
The first thing that amazed him was that Wood and Canvas fly.
Then how well Wood and Canvas fly: Fast, light, agile, responsive, quiet and comfortable.
He started squirming when he saw that our first strip was short, as straight as a Elton John, no taxiways, hilly, confusing layout and of course: All Grass. He White-Knuckled through it.
He even got used to our traffic shennanigans, like passing over someone on the runway and landing behind him and generally being space efficient and able to put our Aircraft down exactly where we want to.
They don't train that in the US, just Go-Arounds as soon as there is even the possibility of any kind of obstruction or traffic.
He did like how forgiving Grass is, in that you don't have a lof traction right after touchdown, so there is less of a sideways jolt if you aren't perfectly lined up. And you don't get stuck in Ground Effect nearly as much.
In the End we agreed that what they call Bush-Flying is just Flying to us.
Really good video. 👍
I vividly recall flying in the T21B Sedberg aka "the Barge." That was when I was a CCF Cadet, out of RAF Thorney Island, I think.
What a glider flight!
Flew these regularly at St Athan (ex-1344 Sq. ATC, Maindy Barracks)....lovely memories