Gliding and other ways to idle away a sunny day
Don't Mess With Me - I Have a Camera!
A place for images old & new to finally see the light of day
Sorting through my images from the latest CGC course's prompted this website to make it easy for any victims that I photographed along the way to download relevant pics. Can't promise best quality at all times, some older images may be pre-digital! This site is only days old and I have no idea which way, or even if it will, develop. For now it will serve it's purpose to get pics to interested parties. Not just gliding either, I will probably add anything that that takes my fancy and from anyone who wants to contribute -provided I like the subject matter!
Images from the courses will be displayed in the Gallery. The Blog will have others possibly available on request. If I promised you images you will have a password to download them. If not contact me and, if I like you, I will give you access!! Joking apart some images understandably may not be available to download.
Find
Go to the Gallery page to view the images. Listed by date so the latest will be at the top.
Select
Locate any of interest and view at your leisure by clicking on an image to open the light box.
Download
Click on the 'Download Icon' next to the image gallery you selected and download the zip file.
Just about me...
Cotswold Gliding Club was my first intro to gliding on a holiday course in May 1995. Joined in 1996 after another holiday course when instructor Mike Pirie sent me solo. Had some long stints away from gliding, also had a couple of years at Bowland Forest ridge flying but CGC was always my gliding 'home'. Photo is my brother-in-law taking an experience flight with me in the club ASK 13, don't know why he is smiling he hadn't seen me fly yet!
Something of a Petrol Head
Back in the day my son and I remodelled Toyota MR2 Mk1's and attended track days. This was one of my cars which eventually had it's 1600cc engine replaced with a 2.0 litre Turbo unit. Image was taken at Anglesey Circuit.
Before the beginning of time...
Started building control line model aircraft when I was twelve. Went into radio control models when I could afford it right up to beginning gliding in 1995 when I more or less drifted away from the hobby. Always aerobatic both power and gliders. This one was a particularly good aerobatic glider built from scratch. Good racer too.
So that's enough about me.... read on
Archive Video
Two video's from 1996 one year after I began gliding. Taken with a non digital camcorder (obviously) so I have done what I can regards quality. Back then the club used Reverse Auto Tow.
CGC had two automatic Ford 7.0 litre V8 trucks, left-hand drive, steering column shift, bench seat and sun roof (handy for looking backwards at the glider as it passed overhead on tow -trust me!)
The cable was single strand piano wire and needed to be nurtured with care, abuse was not an option - although that happened more frequently than we would have liked!
Take a look at the vids, although only 25 years ago both capture a time most people coming to CGC today will not know. It may enable them to appreciate more of what CGC have now. You may even recognise a few faces!!
