Nottingham University Gliding Club

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The Nottingham University Gliding Club (NUGC) is the gliding club of the University of Nottingham. The aim of the club is to provide affordable flying in order to introduce as many members as possible to the delights of 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.

NUGC Fleet
Type designation ASK 13
Tail Letters HPE
Max. Crew 2
Wing Span / Best L/D 16 m / 28
Type designation G103 Twin II Acro
Tail Letters JRW
Max. Crew 2
Wing Span / Best L/D 17.5 m / 36.1
Type designation Skylark II
Tail Letters CCS
Max. Crew 1
Wing Span / Best L/D 14.63 m / 30

Contents

[edit] Current Status

The club is one of some 28[1] University Gliding clubs within the UK; and with over 120 members for the 2006/7 academic year is also one of the largest. Flying takes place all year-round on weekends & bank holidays at RAF Cranwell, though several expeditions to other gliding sites are organised throughout the year.

[edit] History

The club was formed in 1973, and was officially affiliated to the Buckminster Gliding Club at Saltby Airfield. The founding member was Mr Brian Spreckley, then an undergraduate at the University, and subsequently the 1987 World Gliding Champion[2] [3]. In 2005 he was also the recipient of the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma for services to gliding[4].

In 1990 the club moved from Saltby to begin a new affiliation with the Four Counties Gliding Club, flying from RAF Syerston until 2003, and subsequently at RAF Barkston Heath. The affiliation with Four Counties ended when that club moved to RAF Wittering.

Since May 2004 NUGC have been affiliated to and fly with Cranwell Gliding Club at RAF Cranwell.

[edit] Club Fleet

The current club fleet consists of:

  • Grob G103a Twin II Acro (JRW). 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.
  • Schleicher ASK 13 (HPE). Purchased in 1994, the K13 was imported from Germany. The glider is a two-seater trainer constructed from a mixture of materials, including metal, wood, and glassfibre.
  • Slingsby Skylark II (CCS). This glider was donated to the club in 2006, 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:

NUGC's members are not charged soaring fees (ie 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). Neither NUGC nor Cranwell Gliding Club charge for instruction.

[edit] Fleet History

Previous aircraft owned by NUGC:

Type Reg Date Bought Date Sold Additional Comments
Grunau Baby V n/k n/k n/k Any data on this?
T-21 n/k n/k n/k Nicknamed Rhubarb and Custard
Ka-2 n/k n/k 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[5] G-ASVS 1984 1994 Now flies under the trigraph EVR[6]
Ka-8B EPT n/k 1997 1/2 share. Now at Trent Valley Gliding Club.
Ka-6cr FNP 1997 2001 Bought from a member of Buckminster GC. Sold to Trent Valley Gliding Club
Astir CS NU 2002 2006 Written off at Keevil Airfield, June 2006 (Pilot unharmed)

[edit] Competitions

The club, and its members, have a long record in competing in Inter-University, Regional, and National competitions.

[edit] Club

As a club, a number of competitions are participated in each year. These include events such as the Inter University Gliding Competition[7] and the Inter Club League.

[edit] Individual

Many of the club's members have competed with success at the Junior National Gliding Championships, the premier Gliding Competition for those under 26 years of age in the UK. Some members have also gone on to compete in both National Championships and at International level. The club's founder, Mr Brian Spreckley, has gone on to become a Gliding World Champion (see club history above).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Current University Gliding Clubs within the UK
  2. ^ 15-metre Class Winner: Brian Spreckley, United Kingdom; Glider: Rolladen-Schneider LS6
  3. ^ SSA World Soaring Champion Page
  4. ^ FAI Awards received by Brian Spreckley
  5. ^ CAA GINFO Database
  6. ^ British Gliding Association Register
  7. ^ Inter University Gliding Competition website

[edit] External links

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