Down Memory Lane - From the Log Books #14

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Memory Lane #14

 

 

Post War Transitional Single Seaters. (Part 1)

 

 

The term ‘transitional’ is one that I use for the types where the gliding movements settled down from the pre war, generally hand crafted, gliders and evolved into post war production runs and development in the various areas of styling, performance and learning from the past.

 

 

The trends were already becoming clear in several countries but perhaps UK gives the best impression as the flow was probably clearer there as opposed to countries like Germany and Poland who took a bit of time to put themselves back together – although surprisingly not too much time.

 

 

While I have covered the Gull series I have not yet touched on the Slingsby Kite series that were significant aircraft in their own right.

 

 

Kite 1. This was a pretty little strutted glider with a slightly gulled high wing. Emerging in the mid 1930s they proved popular and several were manufactured. The type was a successful attempt by Slingsby to copy and improve on the, by then, established Grunau, but had the gull wing and a much more streamlined fuselage

 

 

At the outbreak of war all UK civilian light aircraft and gliders were grounded and/or taken over by the military. Several Kite 1s were included in this and performed a number of different evaluation roles amongst which was probably becoming the world’s first deliberate anti radar stealth aircraft! The stimulus was the already proven German ability to land shock troops from gliders.

 

 

One Kite was built that had the absolute minimum of metal parts, using wooden pushrods for controls etc. It was virtually invisible to the radar at that time. This aircraft returned to civilian life after the war and is still flown today.

 

 

While the Kite 1 pushed the Grunau design to somewhat better, the Kite 2 was to push the Kite 1 into more practicality and the first one flew in 1945 as soon as the war was over.

 

 

Kite 2. While superficially similar to the Kite 1, this type had a less curvy, straight tapered wing without the gull joint, but still had the lift struts each side. It was progressing towards simpler construction and production.

 

 

I had the opportunity to fly one of the few left at an expedition I ran from Lasham to Camphill. This was deliberately for low hour pilots who got a look in on very few club expeditions etc which as such were mainly aimed at experienced pilots.

 

 

Taking a flock of low hour pilots along with the entire club low end single seater fleet to a savage hill site in the Peak District was a bit wearing on an instructor’s nerves even though I knew the site backwards and had done a full professional season there.

 

 

Anyway, I got them used to the fact that the entire planet was not flat, gliding could fit into this, and how to stay safe on the ‘big bad hill’. As I progressively got them checked and off in the single seaters then so I got more time to myself (other than continual careful watching until the last glider was put away at the end of each day!)

 

 

Leigh Hood, who I knew from Germany days, had asked to tag on and brought his Kite 2 as had a Skylark 3 syndicate from Lasham. Leigh was a CFI but while the bastard would not do any instructing for me because he was on holiday, he freely offered the Kite when he was not flying it – which was most of the time. By then I simply had to fly it because Kay was already filling her boots with it (the situation being somewhat simpler to get someone to take over the flying logs than it was to get anyone to take over the back seat of an ASK13 so Kay had more time than I to indulge herself). Kay was not about to let me forget that she was another type up on me – and most certainly did not forget to do so!

 

 

It was late autumn and the usually weak UK thermals were weak and there was only a Westerly airmass drift so the ridge was not really working either. But between the two I got in another flight in a classic glider at a classic site.

 

 

Once again – the Kite was basically unremarkable to fly. Certainly she was a bit twitchy fore and aft so you could not afford to get into any ‘stick stirring ceremonies’ near the ground and also needed to be current for good security. Not, I think, an early solo aircraft. But aloft she was a breeze and soared the weak lift effortlessly – being light.

 

 

Control harmonisation was good for a glider. Stability generally was very good and there were no dramas with her. Being light she could be flown easily at low speed and although the approach control systems were not brilliant they were also more than adequate. Landing was just the normal full hold-off affair.

 

 

So, while the Kites evolved along what (I believe) would become Slingsby’s main drive towards a satisfactory entry level single seater other things were also happening – and this seems to primarily have come from the Gull series.

 

 

The ATC Connection and Some Sorting Out. Slingsby was UKs major gliding manufacturer but there was possibly a bit of confusion in the camp. Slingsby had survived the war well and kept its facilities and workforce occupied building troop carrying gliders and various projects (as well as doing a bit here and there on the sporting glider development).

 

 

But the major post war outcome was Slingsby targeting the Air Training Corps (ATC) for training glider supply. So the situation did become a bit confused because the ATC wanted neither performance nor expensive machines while the civilian clubs were looking for affordable performance.

 

 

While the Kites and Gulls were being evolved an almost parallel type development started for the ATC. This primarily revolved around two types the single seat Tutor and the two seat Tandem Tutor (or T31 as it was generally known) which was very similar in appearance (bloody basic!) but with the second seat under the wing.

 

 

Between civilian clubs and the ATC also emerged a single seater known as the Prefect. This was another remodel of the Grunau but not as expensive or refined as the Kites. This in essence became Slingsby’s offering of an entry level single seater for clubs while giving the ATC something a bit better.

 

 

All of these three types were very underwhelming and although safe and stable enough were just very basic tools. Even so the ATC fitted flat plates to the leading edges of some of them to destroy the performance even more and ensure they got a square circuit with minimum judgement having to be exercised.

 

 

The other main emerging manufacturing contender was Elliots who had long experience in furniture building so the wood skills and equipment to build gliders and chose the EON cover name to do so. In particular they latched onto the German Meise and built their own version as the Olympia – the main production version becoming the Olympia 2b (known affectionately as the ‘Oly’).

 

 

Gull 4. The most performance orientated development around this period was the 15 metre Standard Class Gull 4. This had a simplified wing without the gull shape of the earlier Gulls and was intended to be a replacement/alternative for the Meise. Expressed differently – it was in direct market competition with the EON Olympia and the Olympia won!

 

 

I wanted to fly the Gull 4 because it was unusual in that there were very few of them. So I sought one out. This was at a small and struggling club trying to get by and the Gull was their ‘hot ship’.

 

 

The most remarkable point about the event was not flying the glider but where it was flown. This was at an ex RAF bomber base which was a particularly poor example. The buildings and paved surfaces were decaying into brick, concrete and iron debris that was liberally sprinkled through the overgrown grass and thus invisible. The club could not afford/did not do much grass mowing so you had to listen to briefings and be extremely careful where you landed.

 

 

I was disappointed with my first view of the Gull 4. But by this time I was well used to seeing and flying it’s successors. Of interest was that the glider carried the clear stamp of design that was to follow into the Skylark series of sailplanes.

 

 

The day was poor – a leaden grey early winter sky and not a thermal in cooee! The take off and winch launch was totally normal, the flight, circuit, approach and landing were normal – in fact everything was normal – it was damn near boring. And that my friends is the major hallmark of a well designed glider to serve a club purpose – you do not want any challenges to low hour pilots if you want to keep your fleet intact.

 

 

The glider was simply a very easy, safe, stable machine with adequate cockpit room, controls that came easily to hand and good airbrakes. But it was still a Gull, at least by name, and that meant a lot to me!

 

 

Olympia 2b. The dear old Oly really was a winner. It was a slightly refined Meise that had been a bit ‘breathed upon’, rounded a bit more and give a blown bubble canopy. The glider really was a classic in it’s own right. Viceless to fly, comfortable, good approach control, soared well and had a responsible, if not exotic, glide angle. For many years it remained a valid Standard Class competition glider and the intermediate level mainstay of many clubs

 

 

I flew a number of them here and there and never had any grizzles with them. They were not exciting machines but still retained an elusive character that did make them a pilot’s glider.

 

 

The Oly’s came to Australia as well and several were built from plans. The most notable of these was the ‘Yellow Witch’ which was actually a Chilton Olympia and slightly different from the EON factory produced ones. If you can find any Oly then fly it and get a good look at some early gliding culture. You will enjoy just flying it but do not go roaring off in an attempted 500 km without three cut lunches and some fierce levels of flight planning!

 

 

Sky. Ah well! This was special to me. I do not know whether it was the glider or the circumstance, but was probably a combination of both plus a lot more things that defy writing down.

 

 

With the transitional types Slingsby were not slow in producing a copy of the Weihe. Like the Eon Olympia this was basically the same thing but a trifle swished up – and worked well.

 

 

While Elliots had won the Club and Standard Class race with the Oly, the Sky was very much an affordable open class machines that clubs could also access.

 

 

I flew the Sky also at Camphill at the time I was working there. Skys were very rare and this one had been owned since new by the same syndicate who themselves were renowned in British gliding from the early days. The glider lived in it’s trailer and was seldom flown – it was a treasure to be treasured.

 

 

I am afraid this gets ‘very British’ but that is the way it was! I plucked up enough courage one evening to suggest to one of the owners that I was very interested in the Sky and would really appreciate any opportunity to fly it, if even for a circuit. I received a basilisk stare in reply and the comment ‘Would you!’

 

 

Nothing happened for a few weeks and then I was approached and told (not asked) to make myself available at the launch point on a forthcoming Sunday Morning and not go home between the courses that I was spending all week on. The Met omens apparently were favourable. I was also informed to just wait and that I was to have no involvement of rigging the Sky from its trailer. I did not protest as the basilisk stare was lingering behind the penetrating eyes regarding me.

 

 

I appeared as ‘ordered’ and watched the Sky be taken out, rigged and brought to the launch point. It was taking six guys to hold it down as we had 30 knots of wind across the hill. At the launch point it was positioned and turned into wind with a crew of three holding the tail up and killing the angle of attack so it would not take off by itself.

 

 

I was beckoned over and invited to pre flight the machine and a syndicate member followed me every inch of the way. I was by this time discomforted if not yet actually rattled.

 

 

So I got in. That was no particular problem glider wise but it was situations wise. Camphill had a public car park and got entry fees from the public (the area was a National Park) but allowed them to get right up to the gliders and watch what was going on.

 

 

There were bloody hordes of sticky tourists with icecreams etc crowded around intently watching ME and undoubtably hoping that I would at least break the glider if not kill myself, for their further entertainment.

 

 

I do not like that sort of thing and had imaginary visions of what the true pioneers felt like going into the sky with crowds around them and cutting edge machines that nobody really knew much about. It was sobering and I just slipped into normal pre-take off mode and shut the world out.

 

 

A quick fling from the winch and I was out of it all and climbing away. You do not need a big West launch at Camphill and I got probably 450’ because I hardly tried – just take it easy on the glider. Once into the ridge lift then it was up and away.

 

 

I felt part of the Sky as soon as it left the ground and it was a very powerful feeling. The glider was big at 18 meters and so a bit ponderous in roll. But you could ‘read’ the sky constantly through it.

 

 

It would be trite of me to say that the glider was unremarkable. In many respects it was – it was easy to fly. But in other respects she fed my soul and fed my hands and fed my senses. It was a glider that you really flew and that became partner to a willing partner so that you enjoyed the sky together.

 

 

The West wind approach at Camphill in real hill soaring conditions is demanding at the best of times and the Sky dealt with it beautifully.

 

 

The Syndicate and their helper crew picked me up. The only thing that I got from them was ‘You did not keep it up long enough’ and ‘go and have a beer we will look after this.’ So I slunk off and had a beer!

 

 

Bit of a Summary. What the UK gliding world seemed to come out of this transitional phase with was the Slingsby two seaters basically having a foot in the club door. The Slingsby Prefect having a go at the entry level club first single seater. The Eon Olympia stitching up the intermediate soaring supply and the Slingsby Sky giving advanced soaring supply.

 

 

But things were already changing in Europe and were also changing in UK. Next time we will take a look at how the other side of the Channel fared with their own transitional period.