Historic flight News

Gliders need trailers! While some of the airworthy examples in our fleet live “rigged” in a hangar (currently in shared hangarage at the Bristol & Gloucester Gliding Club) the rest of the fleet has to live in suitable trailers.

Even the airworthy gliders (unlike powered aircraft) need to be readily road transportable, either so we can take them to shows and exhibitions or for maintenance, or as a “just in case” in the event of one being unable to return to the airfield and ending up in a farmers field…

Vintage gliders don’t fit in the modern slim-line trailers commonly used for composite gliders, so the ACHF have a variety of trailers of all sizes, suitably kitted out to take the different models. These range from compact rounded trailers for the Prefects and Tutors, to large slab sided trailers for the Sedbergh and a very special shaped trailer (pictured above) for the Grasshopper gifted to us by one of our major donors!

In the era of the wooden gliders, the schools were usually equipped with a variety of vehicles that were surplus to front line RAF use. In the 1970’s and 1980’s this was usually the Land Rover Series lla or lll, Truck, Utility, ½ ton ( commonly called a Lightweight or “Air Portable” Landrover ).
Currently on loan to ACHF (with a view to acquisition) after extensive restoration this example was originally an ex army (fitted for radio) 24v 1/2 ton Lightweight left hand drive. This example has had all the 24v kit replaced with 12V for ease of use and been converted to right hand drive. Now painted in RAF yellow it looks the part!
Extensive restoration work included a new galvanised chassis, a decent bulkhead, new doors, and a brand new canvas top and metal hoops for the roof. Luckily the (petrol) engine and gearbox appear in good condition.
As good examples of RAF 1/2 ton lightweights are rare (especially after years of being driven by teenage staff cadets!) this restoration is a valuable addition to the ACHF equipment roster, and more common in use in the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons than our original, diesel powered, Landrover

Having limited types of gliders in use enabled use of some specialised equipment by the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. Here you can see a tailor-made retrieve trolley which allowed for easy retreive of a Cadet Mk3 back to the launchpoint after landing – much more efficient than the normal tow-rope which required a walker at the wing-tip & someone by the nose (to prevent over-runs).

In the era of the wooden gliders, the schools were usually equipped with a variety of vehicles that were surplus to front line RAF use. In the 1970’s and 1980’s this was usually the Land Rover Series lla or lll, Truck, Utility, ½ ton ( commonly called a Lightweight ). For most 16 year old Staff Cadets the familiarity with and fondness of these yellow Landrovers was probably only just matched by the gliders and just as much part of the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons.

In 2005, BRUT ( down to its registration) was found languishing in a field near Swanage. It was purchased, hand painted yellow and has been serving the Historic Flight ever since. Whilst not an RAF original some Gliding Schools were equipped with standard Series Landrovers, so it is in keeping with the vehicles that would have been used.

We’re hoping to add some pictures of 621VGS serving Lightweights… although we are struggling to find one that isn’t up to its doors in mud, upside down or generally trashed …. Probably a reflection on allowing teenagers without licences to drive them !

The Historic Flight has now been able to source an original, petrol powered, “Lightweight”, which will replace BRUT as our primary airfield “mover”.

The Historic Flight winch, known as ‘The Babe’ winch, is a rare Wild Winch (originally used for barrage balloons) and Hullavington was the home of the RAF’s last Balloon unit.  This winch is a Wild Mark 4, originally modified by 4 MU Ruislip and acquired from GSA Halton courtesy of 10 Regiment, Aldershot.

Examining an original RAF Manual for the Wild Winch it is clear to see that fairly major modifications had to be made to the winch to fit it for its new role as a glider winch. As a glider winch its cable would be pulled out across the airfield to the glider launch point, the glider attached, slack taken out of the cable and the glider launched by reeling in the cable at high speed. When used as a balloon winch the cable would be reeled out slowly as the balloon rose under its own buoyancy, and remain attached all the time the balloon was aloft.

A balloon might have to be lowered quickly in an emergency (ie attack by enemy aircraft, gale etc) but this would be very slow compared to launching a glider. Major items removed as redundant had been the cable drum (holding 7,000 feet of cable (considerably thicker than glider cable), the dashboard and warning lights, and the 6 cylinder petrol engine (?Ford) now replaced with a Leyland Diesel unit.

Glider operations required the addition of a single smaller cable drum. It was still possible from the original remains of its structure to see where all the original equipment has been sited. The winch was originally mounted on a 6-wheeler lorry chassis (most likely a Ford) but it appears that has been cut off at both ends of the winch and the whole assembly re-mounted on a 4-wheeled trailer chassis. We have been able to identify the trailer on which the winch is now mounted as being that of a contemporary trailer used for transporting gas cylinders used for inflating Barrage Balloons.