Expedition reports, cross-country flight achievements, cadet milestones, and airfield updates from Gransden Lodge Airfield.
City University from London has established a tradition of bringing its engineering students with a keen interest in aviation to CGC, offering them a unique opportunity to engage in firsthand airborne data collection. Despite the harsh winter weather taking its toll on the grass runways, rendering them waterlogged and dotted with puddles, today marked a … Read more "Aerotow for City University"
Launching a glider into the air requires a fair amount of power, but unlike the the US Navy we don't have steam powered catapults to launch our gliders we make do with a slightly different kind of American power, an 8.2 litre V8 from General Motors. These power units are incredibly reliable and produce enough … Read more "Winch launch as seen from the winch"
A man with a watch knows the time, a man with two is never sure. Segal's law As you would expect the tracking available from FLARM units fitted to all the aircraft at CGC is much better than that from an Android phone, but it's still an interesting comparison. Both use a combination of GPS … Read more "Comparing FLARM GPS to phone GPS"
After you go solo there are many new things to learn, and new goals to reach which can often seem much more distant than the magic objective of âunaccompaniedâ flight ever did. Sadly, many people get lost on the way, and do not receive the help they need. These notes are not much, but perhaps … Read more "Things to do once you are solo"
Keeping track of your progress learning to fly can be more than just keeping your logbook up to date, there's a range of navigation and tracking software that glider pilots can use to create a digital record of each flight. All you need is a smart phone with GPS. As long as you can run … Read more "Tracking your flights"
Ten No 1 Sector RAF Air cadets visited Cambridge Gliding Club at Gransden Lodge Airfield the last year on the Evening of 12th Sep. They took part in STEM activities around how lift works on an aircraft wing, looked at the gliders in the hangar, listened to instructors talk about civilian gliding and best of … Read more "RAF Air Cadets on Cambridge Gliding Club's Flight Simulator"
Winter flying offers a unique and enjoyable experience, with crisp, clear days providing excellent visibility, especially when the sun makes an appearance. While it's important to bundle up for the cold, the cockpit can become surprisingly warm under clear blue skies. Winter is also an ideal time to learn to fly or prepare for the … Read more "Heavy Snow in Bedfordshire"
At the weekend I attended a course along with 7 other Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) staff & Young adults to become basic flight simulator instructors. We had 2 uniformed train the trainers officers deliver the training to the 5 staff members who were mostly private pilots with a variety of expereince levels from … Read more "Motion Base Flight Simulator"
