Gliding pics

[Toots Hibbert]

This is one of three Grob103 duel seater training gliders at Gawler. in the background can be seen the new hangers built at taxpayers expense due to the impact of the Northern Expressway cutting off part of the original airfield.

A G103 coming in to land. Note the partially open airbrakes on the wings

Something you don't see everyday. A K7 vintage glider being rigged to fly. This was built in 1964 and is based on 1930's technology being steel framed with fabric covering.

Most of us had a fly in this thing. Yours truly is in the front here with the owner climbing in the back. He was a former defence scientist but advancing years have seen him take on some of the characteristics of the villagers of Dibley.

 

[Toots Hibbert]

The K7 needs little runway to get airborne and is best launched on grass.

I got lucky taking these pics with the dark clouds in th background while the tug/ glider combo was in bright sunlight

The K7 on base leg prior to turning onto final approach

That's actually part of the Northen Expressway in the background. There's going to be a lot of drivers getting distracted or thrilled with gliders coming in to land over the top of them.

The guy landing the K7 here is the chief instructor at Gawler for Jabiru's which are a single engined light airplane that due to it's capabilities can fly with less regulations than normal light planes

 

[Relativity]

I don't know if it's the trick of photography Toots but the wing in that last photo seems to have an aweful lot of flex.

 

[Power Pete]

I don't know if it's the trick of photography Toots but the wing in that last photo seems to have an aweful lot of flex.

That's not a glider! That's them old ones, where the wings go up and down fast so it can fly... LOL

Great shots there Toots.

 

[Toots Hibbert]

I don't know if it's the trick of photography Toots but the wing in that last photo seems to have an aweful lot of flex.

Hehe, I can assure you that it was structurally sound otherwise noone would have got in it! I don't think there's any tricks of perspective, what the photos show is pretty much how it looks with the wings angled up and forward. The weight of the fuselage hanging between the wings would accentuate the up angle of the wings to some extent during flight.

It was quite a historical day really because most of us had never seen one of these close up before, however one of the guys that helped us rig it actually had done extensive maintenance on this particular glider years earlier including completely replacing the fabric surfaces.