Mr Soggy – Cornish Gliding Club

Eric

you’re correct as ever. I guess the original canopy was a victim of one of the “arrivals” which resulted in repairs.

Dave

Eric

you’re correct as ever. I guess the original canopy was a victim of one of the “arrivals” which resulted in repairs.

Dave

Some nice pics there!!
I never knew the gliding club at Perranporth dated back so far!
They seemed to be quite a small group when I was flying planes from perranporth between 2004 and 2007.
Although I know a few of the flying club members at perranporth during my time there were former gliding club members.

Some nice pics there!!
I never knew the gliding club at Perranporth dated back so far!
They seemed to be quite a small group when I was flying planes from perranporth between 2004 and 2007.
Although I know a few of the flying club members at perranporth during my time there were former gliding club members.

One thing which has changed is that the little fairing “ears” on the canopy in the first picture seem to have disappeared. I must work out what’s happened there, and whether they need to be rebuilt.

Dave

Not only that. The entire canopy appears to be different. Not just the glazing (I seem to miss the starboard window), but also the frame. Compare the high wooden lower sides of the original with the thin new one, as well as the screws in the front, the painted edges, etc. I would say that’s a completely different canopy?

One thing which has changed is that the little fairing “ears” on the canopy in the first picture seem to have disappeared. I must work out what’s happened there, and whether they need to be rebuilt.

Dave

Not only that. The entire canopy appears to be different. Not just the glazing (I seem to miss the starboard window), but also the frame. Compare the high wooden lower sides of the original with the thin new one, as well as the screws in the front, the painted edges, etc. I would say that’s a completely different canopy?

One thing which has changed is that the little fairing “ears” on the canopy in the first picture seem to have disappeared. I must work out what’s happened there, and whether they need to be rebuilt.

Dave

One thing which has changed is that the little fairing “ears” on the canopy in the first picture seem to have disappeared. I must work out what’s happened there, and whether they need to be rebuilt.

Dave

Photos of the ex-Cornish Gliding Club 1967 ‘Wills’ Swallow under restoration at Feshiebridge, many thanks to David (Astir 8) and the syndicate owners:

I am really pleased to see her looking so good at 45 years of age, she was apparently well stored for a few years at Feshiebridge and the climate in Scotland seems to suit her.

Phil

Photos of the ex-Cornish Gliding Club 1967 ‘Wills’ Swallow under restoration at Feshiebridge, many thanks to David (Astir 8) and the syndicate owners:

I am really pleased to see her looking so good at 45 years of age, she was apparently well stored for a few years at Feshiebridge and the climate in Scotland seems to suit her.

Phil

The glide performance may not be that good but it does however loop rather well. One of my 2 Swallows took part in the Air Cadet flypast at RIAT on the Sunday last year and hopefully be making an appearance at another airshow this year.

The glide performance may not be that good but it does however loop rather well. One of my 2 Swallows took part in the Air Cadet flypast at RIAT on the Sunday last year and hopefully be making an appearance at another airshow this year.

Phil

PM me your email address and I’ll send a couple of photos of BZL as she is now.

Dave

Phil

PM me your email address and I’ll send a couple of photos of BZL as she is now.

Dave

Fantastic! Great news and I’m so glad to think she’s in good hands, many thanks for taking the trouble with this old lady.

The Wills logo, tobacco leaves in gold colour, was on both sides of the fin, about half way I remember.

The airbrakes are very effective, but not that pleasant to use/adjust.

She doesn’t penetrate well, so pardon me for trying to teach you to suck eggs, but do counsel your glass glider pilots not to get too far downwind on the base leg 🙂

A syndicate of early solo pilots would get a lot of good-value fun out of her, and she goes into small fields more comfortably than glass.

Phil

Fantastic! Great news and I’m so glad to think she’s in good hands, many thanks for taking the trouble with this old lady.

The Wills logo, tobacco leaves in gold colour, was on both sides of the fin, about half way I remember.

The airbrakes are very effective, but not that pleasant to use/adjust.

She doesn’t penetrate well, so pardon me for trying to teach you to suck eggs, but do counsel your glass glider pilots not to get too far downwind on the base leg 🙂

A syndicate of early solo pilots would get a lot of good-value fun out of her, and she goes into small fields more comfortably than glass.

Phil

Phil

thanks for the reply, and especially the photo. The colour scheme obviously hasn’t changed, which was one point I was interested in! I’ve got some “Slingsby, Kirbymoorside” transfers so can slap then on. One of the guys here reckons he has a tracing of a tobacco leaf or some kind of Wills logo that was on the glider somewhere, so she could end up looking pretty original.

From the logbook the glider got beaten-up a bit more at Feshie – one or two major repairs had to be done in the past but we’ve done a lot of internal exploration of the fuselage and wings by webcam and most of it looks like new. She had new fabric in the 1980’s and that’s good as new too. She was stored, rigged, in the roof of the new, totally dry Feshie hangar for 10 years, which is as good as it gets for a wooden glider.

So hopefully in a few weeks, we’ll get some (3rd party) insurance and fly her!

cheers
Dave

Phil

thanks for the reply, and especially the photo. The colour scheme obviously hasn’t changed, which was one point I was interested in! I’ve got some “Slingsby, Kirbymoorside” transfers so can slap then on. One of the guys here reckons he has a tracing of a tobacco leaf or some kind of Wills logo that was on the glider somewhere, so she could end up looking pretty original.

From the logbook the glider got beaten-up a bit more at Feshie – one or two major repairs had to be done in the past but we’ve done a lot of internal exploration of the fuselage and wings by webcam and most of it looks like new. She had new fabric in the 1980’s and that’s good as new too. She was stored, rigged, in the roof of the new, totally dry Feshie hangar for 10 years, which is as good as it gets for a wooden glider.

So hopefully in a few weeks, we’ll get some (3rd party) insurance and fly her!

cheers
Dave

Hiya Astir!

My apologies, I did miss the PM.

I remember it well, and have many, many launches in it. In fact after my 3 ATC cadet soloes in the Cadet Mk 3/T31 for my ‘A & B’, your ‘Wills’ Swallow was the next glider that I flew solo, and the first that I flew solo at Perranporth. I flew my Silver duration and gain-of-height in her.

As you know, I am sure, WD & HO Wills were valued sponsors of the gliding movement in UK in the 50/60’s. They promoted a competition between Gliding Clubs, in which each Club’s nominated representative (an ab-initio) who was trained by their Club to solo standard, and then tested by the BGA in every aspect of their efficiency in gliding operations both in the air and on the ground.

This would include the academic and practical aspects as well as general flying ability. This tested the Club in the quality of their training and instruction.

The competition was won by Mr Noel Ellis of the Cornish Gliding (& Flying) Club, where your Swallow, (a Dart canopy model) came and joined another Swallow (a tear-drop canopy one). She remained at Perranporth doing typical Club early-solo service, I suppose until replaced by a K6-CR, perhaps in the 1980’s.

New early-solo pilots inevitably took proud ownership, and she was kept looking good despite of hard use. I don’t remember and notable incidents to cause her damage in our ownership, although you may find ply repairs to her under-side due to our rough old runways.

The ‘dart-canopy’ had a ‘low-cut’ foreward edge which gave excellent forward visibility, but I found it disconcerting, wanting always to raise the nose in relation to the horizon, and therefore flying it on the slow-side.

It climbs very well on the launch, 50-55 kts as usual, even with airbrakes fully extended which I once demonstrated to my shame. The airbrakes tend to ‘snatch’ out when you unlock them. You can’t really stop it, just expect it and ease them as you need. ( I seem to remember some Swallows had a bungy modification to ease this snatching but I may be mistaken.)

Being light, she goes up well in a thermal, and her short wings make for good aileron response. The marked wash-out, I can only suppose that was introduced as a matter of necessity or thought to be advisable given her use as an early-solo machine.

She was much loved and gained many first-soles, Bronzes, and even Silver legs, and I am absolutely delighted to think that you might get her airborne again.

If you’ll forgive the vanity, here is a picture of me in her.

Avions Anciennes, you are quite right, we were poor as church-mice, and could only afford Woodbines, but had few other vices!

Best wishes,

Phil Hawkey.

Hiya Astir!

My apologies, I did miss the PM.

I remember it well, and have many, many launches in it. In fact after my 3 ATC cadet soloes in the Cadet Mk 3/T31 for my ‘A & B’, your ‘Wills’ Swallow was the next glider that I flew solo, and the first that I flew solo at Perranporth. I flew my Silver duration and gain-of-height in her.

As you know, I am sure, WD & HO Wills were valued sponsors of the gliding movement in UK in the 50/60’s. They promoted a competition between Gliding Clubs, in which each Club’s nominated representative (an ab-initio) who was trained by their Club to solo standard, and then tested by the BGA in every aspect of their efficiency in gliding operations both in the air and on the ground.

This would include the academic and practical aspects as well as general flying ability. This tested the Club in the quality of their training and instruction.

The competition was won by Mr Noel Ellis of the Cornish Gliding (& Flying) Club, where your Swallow, (a Dart canopy model) came and joined another Swallow (a tear-drop canopy one). She remained at Perranporth doing typical Club early-solo service, I suppose until replaced by a K6-CR, perhaps in the 1980’s.

New early-solo pilots inevitably took proud ownership, and she was kept looking good despite of hard use. I don’t remember and notable incidents to cause her damage in our ownership, although you may find ply repairs to her under-side due to our rough old runways.

The ‘dart-canopy’ had a ‘low-cut’ foreward edge which gave excellent forward visibility, but I found it disconcerting, wanting always to raise the nose in relation to the horizon, and therefore flying it on the slow-side.

It climbs very well on the launch, 50-55 kts as usual, even with airbrakes fully extended which I once demonstrated to my shame. The airbrakes tend to ‘snatch’ out when you unlock them. You can’t really stop it, just expect it and ease them as you need. ( I seem to remember some Swallows had a bungy modification to ease this snatching but I may be mistaken.)

Being light, she goes up well in a thermal, and her short wings make for good aileron response. The marked wash-out, I can only suppose that was introduced as a matter of necessity or thought to be advisable given her use as an early-solo machine.

She was much loved and gained many first-soles, Bronzes, and even Silver legs, and I am absolutely delighted to think that you might get her airborne again.

If you’ll forgive the vanity, here is a picture of me in her.

Avions Anciennes, you are quite right, we were poor as church-mice, and could only afford Woodbines, but had few other vices!

Best wishes,

Phil Hawkey.