Full novice glider flight at RAF Kenley London | Winch launch, turn and land in 4 minutes

Newbie experiences winch launch, take off into low cloud, gliding, turning and landing of Grob G103 twin glider sailplane at RAF Kenley aerodrome in the Surrey Hills, London, January 2022.

Low cloud affecting visibility meant we had to release the tow cable around 800 feet for this, my second ever glider flight.

While lower than the usual 1000 feet plus, this was nevertheless a great experience of a more environmentally friendly way of enjoying and learning to fly, which uses under a litre of fuel per winch launch.

I was given control of the stick with the instructor retaining control of the pedals and air/wheel brakes. Note the position of the yaw string (aka slip string) on the canopy during the turns, indicating to the pilot how the glider must be yawed with the pedals to return the sideslip angle to zero. In a properly coordinated turn, just enough pedal pressure is applied to keep the string vertical (|) and counter the adverse yaw generated during the turn:

| properly coordinated turn
\ press right pedal to yaw right
/ press left pedal to yaw left

Many thanks to Sam and all at Surrey Hills Gliding Club for a wonderful morning and keeping me safe! Including daily inspection (DI) of the glider and running through the pre-flight checklist:

Controls full and free
Ballast within limits
Straps tight
Instruments legible, minimum approach speed marked
Flaps free
Trim free and set
Canopy fastened
Brakes operate fully and equally
Eventualities - release, recovery attitude, landing

Sam's channel:
   / @samcoolegliding3524  

More info:
https://members.gliding.co.uk/bga-saf...

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