Volume 8 No 3 Jun 1957.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

eaching 1,800 and 2,000 ft. on 2O-minuteflights.C.M.KENYAF LYINGhas been continuing at Nakuru(100 miles N.N.W. of Nairobi), butexploration of the Nairobi area is going onapace with a view to finding a suitable sitewhich will not interfere with the considerableinternational air traffic around Nairobi.The first three months of the year weredry, hot and dusty, producing numerousdust-devils and occasional thennalsinwhich the "Queen Mary". could be soared.In January Paul Thornpson taok youngAlIan B::rnhardi (aged 12) for a quiet driveaJ'ound the circuit in the TIt b. They metone of these whoppers at 500 feet over thehangars, and eight minutes- later werefloating around 7,200 feet higher up (at analtitud-: of 13,900 ft. a.s.l.) still directlyabove the hangars. Th~ opportunity waswo good to be missed, so they set off for;-..rakuru Town, some eight.' miles away andachieved the distinctionQf being the firstglider (and the first schoelboy!) in history tofly ,Over Nakum, 'incid-:ntally making thefirst goal and return flight ever in EastAfrica.Another first waS recorded in Februarywhen Paol Thompson and Milly Visagietook oj' for a hangar flight just before darkand were whisked up 3,000 feet in a coldfront. Going up was easy; coming downwas a battle against the green, with theairfield rapidly disappearing in the dark,ness.The green ball persistently rear:ed its prettylittle head in spite ,of full spoilers and thesteepest possible sid-: slips but eventually.height was lost by a series of screamingdives and tight circles in every odd scrap ofdown. A night landing was made well afterdark in the lights of an improvised headlightf1arepath._Training is continuing in the T21 b, andthe standard of instruction is improving asthe instructors gain eJlperience. The instructors'latest fledgling at the time ofwriting is Norman Burbidge, who gainedhis A and B certificates after only 30 twoseaterlaunches, having had no previousflying experience at all.On the same day Tony Stocken obtainedhis B certificate, and Piet Visagie qualifiedfor his C. Piet's C was most gratifying as itis only the third to be won in East Africa.alKi the firs t to be gained by a strictlyab-initio pupil. He was convinced that theCadet would never soar carrying his 16!stone, but he counted without the kindlylocal thermals. He bumped ,into one at 600feet, rapidly gained 1,803 feet and then le~tit in a hurry when he was sure he had hisC sewed up, lncause he was caught short bya "gippy tummy."Our youngest pupil at present is PatHarry Mason, Chairman, and other members of the Bulawayo ,Gliding Club,. handling hisKirby Kite before take-offat Denver airfield.-163-