VGC News/Newsletters - Lakes Gliding Club

am met by several people all wishing to help push my gliderback to the launch point!The whole fortnight went very well not only on the flyingside but also the social side as well. Being a typical Brit myconunand of "Forieghn" languages is minimal, however it wasa great feeling to become fr,iends with peop'le from half adozen countries, from Slovakia to the USA. The camp-site inthe evenings had a truly wonderful feeling of internationalcameraderie.Only at events such as the VGC's Rallies where we allhave a common interest can such friendship be generated.What a shame that the numbel' of visitors to the Rally waswell down on previous years, es:pecially from the UK. Theymissed a great deal. I did hear several people cite the "~reat"distance involved but can only assume they haven't thoughthow far the trip from, say, Switzerland to Sutton Bank is.Plans fOl' next year's RaH)' in France seem well in hand andI for one look forward to it very much, after all I have lots offriends to meet.From a letter from non-member, Peter London, 73 ChatsworthWay, New Milton, Hamps, BH255UQI am currently collecting information together in order toproduce a history of aviation in Cornwall, from 1910 to thepresent day. Could anyone possibly give me any informationabout a glider from the mid 1930s named "Cornish Maid"? Ialso believe a gliding club existed in Cornwall before the war,possibly at Treligga, near Delabole. Any information wouldbe gratefully received.From Peter Ocker, Eythweg 15. D-89542, Herbrechhingen,Germany.In September 1994 Ulli Seegers sold me his Weihe D-0700,after some three years of permanent phoning and writing, ashe was running out of space for hangaring, and time for flying.During my first participation in a VGC Rally (as a crewmember for Otto Grau and his Wolf) I had decided that sometime I'll own a Weihe, which is my favourite glider. I wasimpressed by Werner Tschom's flights, always slarting as oneof the first, and coming back as one of the last. I talked to a lotof people and all said that the Weihe is one of the best glidersever built. After some attempts to buy one, (either too expensive,in too bad condition or with broken w,ings) VIIi offeredme his famous Weihe, built by Bernhard Muller of Grel1chen,Swizerland, and participant in the 1956 and 1960 WorldChampionships in that Weihe. He won a daily task in the 1960Champs, some 24 years after the type first flew! This Weihewas also owned later by our Swiss member, Fritz Fahrni. Hetold me last year, "Peter, 1'[1 give you good advice ... never,ever, sell a Weihe." I was restoring a Grunau Baby for theDelJtsches MuseumlFlugwerft Schle,issheim from 1989 to1992 together with the Hanickel brothers, both now professionalaircraft restorers ill that museum. I asked the chief if itwould be possible to hangar the Weihe dUl'illg the winter thereas I worked a lot all the Grunau now on display.Peter Hanickeldecided to build a new, "old-style" canopy in his spare time onSatllfdays, while I did smaller repairs necessary after all thoseyears - like new wires.The first real Fally For the vac Rally in 1995 the can0pywas finished in the most professional way ever seen. A wellknown VGC member called it a "Piece of Art."During that rally the Weihe was not much flown, and PeterHanickel was repairing the Harbinger elevator, and the rearskid of ,the Petrel. In the winter of 1995/96 the Weihe receiveda new skid and some other repairs.The rally at Farkashegy was reaHy great, but on Saturday amisfortune happened. Two motor planes stood on the landingarea, ready for take-off, when I approached. I decided to landin front of them, but then they started to move. So I had to doa short landing in front of the landing-1f on rough ground.When I climbed out I saw a hole ill the elevator and in therudder. I thought that someth'ng lying on the ground had hitthe Weihe, but when I walked back I saw that the skid hadcome , off. Christian Kmll found a part of my skid suspension~that made the holes in the elevator, rudder and two additionalholes in the fuselage!With the great help of all participants we derigged theWeihe there and carried the fuselage .10 a small workshopbetween the hangars. Peter Hanickel of the muSeum (luckily Ihad invited him to the rally!) had all his tools and wood withbim and immediately we started work.The next three days weren't expected to be that good forflying,. so nearly all dIe German participants came to helpPeter would like to thank... Both Peter Hanickel andMarkus Lemmer (GB2b) did most of the day and night workin repairing the fuselage, skid and tail. Christian Kroll(Cumulus) and Klaus Schickling (Ka2b) repaired the rudderwith their own repair materials. Also the son of ChristianStachulla (T21) and Christine Rothenbuhler (daughter ofPhi pps, Spalinger S19) helped. The Hungarians gave usmissing tools and machines (and we now know that a vacuumis called "porsivor" in Hungarian) and Laszlo Revi alsohelped in organising filler and gave Peter the use of hiswelding machine.Laszlo repaired a hole in Rudiger Heins' Meise's fuselagethat was there one morning ,in the hangar.This help was so incredible that I want to thank againeverybody involved. This showed again that we are a biginternational famil,y, enjoying the meetings each year.Thanks to the organisers, led by Laszlo Meszaros, and toImre Mitter. He presented me on the closing evening with theprize for the best restoration of this rally, probably for thecanopy made by Peter Hanickel, and the high quality repairsduring that rally.Thank you all for those two exciting weeks.Peter Ocker's Weihe seen at Oberschleissheim by GrahamFerrier in 1995.32