UNEASY GLIDER

When at Laxton Grammar School, Oundle (1951 to 1955) I joined the Oundle School Combined Cadet Force Air Section, which meant that during cadet sessions I wore a blue RAF style uniform and learned about matters aeronautical. Learning to fly a glider was part of the training …

The school’s Air Section possessed a simple glider known as a Grasshopper, a single seat device with a long skid (rather than a wheel) beneath the seat, that was intended to familiarise would-be glider pilots with the basic techniques. The student pilot would sit strapped into the seat while someone held one of the wing tips to keep the craft level; a long elastic rope known as a ‘bungee’ was attached by its middle to a hook beneath the craft’s nose; the tail of the glider was restrained by a cable attached to a hook screwed firmly into the ground; two equal groups of cadets would then take up the ends of the bungee and start to walk away from the aircraft at an angle of some 45 degrees from the centreline of the arrangement. When the bungee was fully extended a situation similar to that of a wad of paper about to be propelled by an elastic band obtained. The student pilot would yell out something to the effect that he was ready for takeoff, he would pull a knob that was known inexplicably as the ‘tit’ and would then be catapulted forward at some speed. The speed would create lift from the aerofoil section of the wings, the elastic rope, its energy consumed would fall away, and … hooray and up she rises – for a few seconds.

Normally a launch such as this would put the craft some 6 or 7 feet into the air, it would plane for a few seconds and then glide, quite swiftly to earth whereupon it would slide upon its skid until friction brought it to a halt. Such was not the experience of young Diggle as he attempted his maiden flight. As he watched the yellow ball of the bungee being pulled into its ring, the sign that the elastic rope was fully extended, he yelled the necessary ‘All Out!’ and released the cable that was holding back the aircraft. His fellow cadets, all acting on a predetermined and evil plan, then ran as fast as they could while still holding the ends of the rope. The result was that all the impetus provided by the energy contained in the rope was added to the effect of some 16 healthy lads adding their musclepower to the launch and the highly nervous novice suddenly found himself flying at a height of more than 20 feet with every indication that the flight would continue until the aircraft left the launch site and plunged into a hedge or worse. Without any understanding of the sensitivity of the control stick within his trembling fingers he translated his desire to be on good old solid earth into a robust forward movement of the stick. One minute was was up in the air and then he crashed to earth.

After the impact he clambered to his feet but could not stand because he was still strapped into his seat. The seat was, however, detached from the rest of the craft which was in turn detached from itself in every significant particular. It was a pile of matchwood that the lad left behind him as he discarded the seat and offered a word or two of protest to his horrified companions.

From Keith Winfield Diggle's Memoirs 'Not Heavy Enough To Win A Prize?'