Fleet
This page will give you information about NUGC's own glider, as well as Cranwell's fleet.
NUGC Glider
Nottingham University Gliding Club owns a two seater Schleicher K13 glider - registration 'HPE' - for training purposes. It has been with the club since 1994.
Alexander Schleicher ASK13 (2 Seat Basic Trainer) - 'HPE'
The K13 was designed by Rudolf Kaiser in 1965 introducing many improvements over the K2 and K7. The aircraft is built of a variety of materials including metal, wood and glassfibre. The wings are of plywood and fabric covered consisting of a single spar and forward swept at an angle of 6° with 5° of dihedral (upwards sloping). A large one-piece Mecaplex canopy is fitted giving excellent visibility for both pilots and a non-retractable sprung landing wheel incorporated for softer touchdowns. The pilots have glassfibre seat panels and adjustable rudder pedals for greater comfort. The fuselage is composed of a steel tube frame and is predominately fabric covered with upper areas being lined with a plywood shell and the nose being of glassfibre. Metal Schempp-Hirth airbrakes are fitted and ailerons of fabric covered plywood.
Alexander Schleicher ASK 13 Training Glider
Cranwell's Gliders
As NUGC operates as part of the Cranwell Gliding club we have full access to their fleet, flying them at the same rates as servicemen. On most occasions members are given the option of flying either the higher-performance Cranwell gliders or the cheaper NUGC K13, but occasionally only Cranwell gliders may be available (high winds or yearly servicing, for example). See the pricing for more information on Cranwell's rates.
Alexander Schleicher ASK13 (2 Seat Basic Trainer) - 'R59'
As well as NUGC's own K13 glider, Cranwell also have a K13 to use for basic training, and spin training (You cannot use the K21 or the Duo Discus for spin training). It is kitted out with a slightly different instrument set than 'HPE', and a different paint scheme, but it is the same aircraft. NUGC students may have the option of flying either 'HPE' or 'R59' on most days.
Alexander Schleicher ASK21 (2 Seat Basic Trainer) - 'R18'
The fibreglass equivalent of the K13, the K21 is one of the most popular basic training gliders in the world. Used for training pilots ready for conversion to a fibreglass single seater (e.g. the Astir), the K21 is also fully aerobatic, capable of inverted flight and more complex manouvers than the K13's airframe will allow. It is an easy and pleasant glider to fly, and provides a good training platform to convert people to the Astir. R18 is the newest glider in the Cranwell fleet, arriving in November 2005 to replace the old K21, 'R35'.
Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus (2 Seat Cross Country Trainer) - 'R2'
The Duo Discus is one of only three in the entire RAFGSA's fleet - the others being 'R1', at Four Counties Gliding Club, RAF Wittering, and '26' at the Chilterns Gliding Club, RAFGSA centre, RAF Halton. A high-performance glider designed for advanced and cross-country training, the sleek and beautiful Duo Discus is the envy of many gliding clubs. With a pair of instrument panels to rival most airliners, sadly the Duo Discus is a little too advanced (and expensive!) to serve as a basic training glider, and cannot be soloed until you gain plenty of experience - but many NUGC members choose to fly it simply for the experience and breathtaking performance.
Alexander Schleicher ASK18 (Single Seater) - 'R56'
The Ka18 is the single-seater counterpart to the K13; a wooden and fabric glider designed in the 60s, it still serves as a perfect example of a reliable and easy to fly aircraft. In its day the K18 was a high performance aircraft. Today, what it lacks in cross-country performance it more than makes up for in local soaring ability, allowing pilots to soar in the weakest of thermals. For a glider of 16m span, it retains most of the excellent handling characteristics of other K-series gliders. This, coupled with the light controls and a good all-round view make the K18 a good introduction to single-seaters for recent solo pilots.
Grob Astir CS (Single Seater) - 'R57'
Cranwell also have an Astir CS - the same type of aircraft as 'NU', the only differences again being then instrument set and the paint job. Often both gliders will be available to fly, allowing several Astir pilots to fly on a soarable summer's day, although soaring charges apply in Cranwell's aircraft.
Schempp-Hirth Discus CS (High Performance Single Seater) - 'R39'
The Discus is a high performance Standard Class glider of 15m span. Winner of 6 World Championships during the 1980s and 90s, this glider is still one of the best of its type in the world. The Discus is delightful and responsive to fly, and despite its high performance, can be flown by any competent Bronze C pilot. This glider is regularly used for long distance cross country flights and competitions.
Rolladen Schneider LS8-18 (High Performance Single Seater) - 'R4'
The LS8-18 is a 15m/18m high performance cross country glider available to pilots with a silver badge and enough experience. The LS8 is often used for cross countries on soarable days in the summer months, its high glide ratio and good thermalling performance making it an ideal glider. Pilots will fly the LS8 in 15m mode a few times before being allowed to fly it with the 18m wingtips fitted.
Cranwell Powered Aircraft
Cranwell operate 2 powered aircraft, used for launching and training purposes
Slingsby T-61 Motorfalke (2 Seat Motorglider) - 'G-BUDA'
The T-61 Motorfalke is a 1960s design SLMG (Self Launching MotorGlider). Cranwell use theirs for cross country training, field landing or navigation practice. The engine can be stopped mid-flight and the aircraft thermalled like any other glider, although not as high performance as any of the unpowered gliders.
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk (2 Seat Glider Tug) - 'G-BCKN'
Starting its life as an RAF training aircraft, the Chipmunk is now used at Cranwell as a glider tug, towing gliders to any required height. It is a more expensive and slower launch method than using the winch, but is is more gentle and the glider can be launched to any height. Cranwell have several tug pilots available to launch using this method. The aircraft has 2 seats, so can be used for conversion training as well.
Private Aircraft
As well as the club gliders, many Cranwell Gliding Club members also own their own glider or motorglider, which can be seen around the airfield on most days in the summer months.