[chevvron]

Solo 2 Aug 1957 T31 XE807 633VGS Cosford

Final 23 Mar 1996 Viking ZE504 retiring as CO 634 VGS St Athan

Hmm I'm probably wrong but weren't the 'XE' batch actually Mk 2s rebuilt with a Mk 3 wing?

[Exatco]

Solo 2 Aug 1957 T31 XE807 633VGS Cosford

Final 23 Mar 1996 Viking ZE504 retiring as CO 634 VGS St Athan

Hmm I'm probably wrong but weren't the 'XE' batch actually Mk 2s rebuilt with a Mk 3 wing?

I think you are thinking of the T8 Cadet Mk2s that were converted from Mk 1s by replacement of the parallel chord wing with the taper tip wing , but remaining single seaters .

The redundant T7 wings were used for T38 Grasshoppers .

[Lefty]

All this discussion about this mark, or that modification sail right over my head.

I was aged 14-16 and I was just grateful to be able to jump in to an aircraft and fly. I didn’t stop to ask what wings had been bolted onto which airframe - I just leapt in and flew - at every opportunity.

[Mike Tango]

The trailer recovery, dragging it on then towing it back to the launch point behind a Land Rover, was also rather neat.

[Adrian]

Scampton, April 1982.

It's not often that I am the youngest in the room!

Sorry!

Weston Super Mare, August 1984.

[foxmoth]

‘62 from Tangmere for me, used to stay in Thorney, happy memories of “riding the chute” at the end of the day, also one of the instructors driving down the runway with a loudspeaker under his bonnet and all sorts of sound effects - machine guns, elephants charging etc. etc.

[chevvron]

I was aged 14-16 and I was just grateful to be able to jump in to an aircraft and fly.

Something which todays cadets don't do anywhere near enough of.
Where else could so many 16 year olds learn to fly a glider solo at no cost?

[golfcharlie]

RAF Kenley, Summer 1961. Magic. Ground to Solo in three days.

[PaulSS]

RAF Upavon, Spring of 1982, aged 16. They had spare capacity so I was able to do my A&B certificates, which was nice

One lasting memory was trying to land during a rain shower with the water droplets stinging my face and me squinting a LOT. I bought some goggles after that

[Ian Melville]

Bovingdon June 1968 for me. Good memories

613 Halton did several detachments to Bovingdon before 617 moved in from Hendon; I flew the first ever launch from Bovingdon on 21 Jun 1965 in Mk3 WT 871.

I flew WT871 at Gaydon 2nd July 77 and was my first solo on the 16th July

[Middles]

Dalcross 1968. The same day a Kirby Cadet came to grief in a hedge at the airfield.

[chevvron]

Bovingdon June 1968 for me. Good memories

613 Halton did several detachments to Bovingdon before 617 moved in from Hendon; I flew the first ever launch from Bovingdon on 21 Jun 1965 in Mk3 WT 871.

I flew WT871 at Gaydon 2nd July 77 and was my first solo on the 16th July

I hope you didn't try to shave the hair off the back of the sheep while you were flying at Gaydon.
(NB I will elucidate depending on Ian's reply)

[Ian Melville]

Not that I am aware, and you will have to elucidate me as well.

[chevvron]

Not that I am aware, and you will have to elucidate me as well.

Wasn't sure if you'd heard of it.
637 VGS moved to Little Rissington when they were chucked out of Gaydon. I was appointed admin officer on a course at Rissy in 1991 and one of the instructors told me about a 'sheepstrike' which had occured at Gaydon.
Apparently, a Mk3 had been coming in to land and passed very low over some grazing sheep. One of them was startled enough to leap up and hit the glider striking its head on the bracing wires between the wing struts with sufficient force to cleave away the top of its skull and dying.
I've since learnt that in fact the incident wasn't as bad as that, the sheep merely lost a patch of its fleece along its back and survived.
There was no damage to the glider.

[Ian Melville]

I don’t recall any sheep around. there was a lot of rubbish around and on my first solo had to hop over an empty drink can in the middle of the runway. Air Scouts(paracending) had half the runway and the ATC the other. Whole place was rundown.