Darlton Gliding Club
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Darlton Gliding Club (DGC) is a gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
club located in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
near the village of Tuxford
Tuxford
-Geography:Tuxford is a village and a civil parish on the southern edge of the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It may also be considered a small town as it was historically a market town. Nearby larger towns are Retford and Newark-on-Trent. From Harvest Cottage, near the ECML, the...
.
Location
The address of the club is Darlton Gliding Club, Darlton Road, DarltonDarlton
Darlton is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the A57 road about north-east of Tuxford.The Church of England parish church of St Giles is 12th century and is in the Transitional style. In 1855 it was heavily restored by the architect T.C...
, near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, NG22 OTH. Click here for a map.
History
Darlton Gliding Club was formed during June 2007 by the merger of the former Newark and Notts Gliding Club and the Dukeries Gliding Club when both of these clubs lost use of their airfields. Darlton is now the only gliding club in the county of Nottinghamshire. The Dukeries club had been based at GamstonGamston, Bassetlaw
Gamston is a village four miles south of Retford in the county of Nottinghamshire. The village lies on the A638 road between Retford and the Markham Moor junction with the A1 and the A57 roads...
but when they lost the use of this site they were able to acquire the land at Darlton. Subsequently the Newark and Notts club lost the use of their airfield at Winthorpe when the adjoining showground did not renew the lease. After a short period of ground-sharing a formal decision was made to merge the two clubs into one and the new Darlton Gliding Club was formed.
Initially there were no facilities on site - gliders were rigged and derigged each day - so the priority was to erect a hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
. A portacabin was also installed to act as a clubhouse. Much work has been put into improving the grass, and it is now able to support year round operations. The club has an on-going plan for developing the site with a new clubhouse, and better provision of facilities.
The runway is oriented 05/23 (into the prevailing wind) and the area offers good soaring opportunities. Soaring
Lift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
flights have been achieved in every month from February through to November.
Operations
The club is run on a non-commercial basis by the members for the members. All non-flying activities are shared on a voluntary basis and instruction to ab-initio pilots is provided free of charge by a number of club members who are qualified BGABritish Gliding Association
The British Gliding Association is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 85 gliding clubs which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members , though a further 17,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.-History:A...
Instructors. Flying normally takes place on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays (weather permitting).
Club members can store and fly their own gliders or they may hire one of the club gliders. Training is carried out in the club 2-seater K13 gliders.
Launching takes place using a winch. Using this method the glider is attached via a cable running the full length of the runway to the winch; the club have two of these, one LPG powered and one diesel powered. To launch the glider the cable is wound in, pulling the glider forward. As soon as flying speed is reached the aircraft takes off and climbs steeply. The height achieved is dependent on many factors (length of cable, wind speed etc.) but at Darlton heights of 1200 to 1500 feet are usual.
At present aerotows are not possible due to planning restrictions, however motor glider operations are permissible and a group of members have a Falke motor glider
Motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: A fixed wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion ,...
based on the site.
The club actively encourages new members and offers visitors air experience flights and half-day or one-day courses. Young people are also welcome - solo flight is possible at 16 so you can fly before you can drive - and it's not expensive either!
Club Fleet
The current active fleet consists of:- K13Schleicher ASK 13|-References:**...
- Two seat trainer - K13Schleicher ASK 13|-References:**...
- Two seat trainer - K8Schleicher Ka 8|-References:*Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67. London:Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1966.**...
- single seat basic - JanusSchempp-Hirth Janus|-See also:...
- Two seat advanced - Sport VegaSlingsby T.65|-References:*Andrew Coates, Janes World Sailplanes and Motorgliders, ISBN 0 354 01119 7*Michael Hardy, Gliders and Sailplanes of the World, ISBN 0 7110 1152 4*Martin Simons, Slingsby Sailplanes, ISBN 1 85310 732 8-External links:*...
- Single seat advanced