Visiting the Ulster Gliding Club, June 19th 2018
*Note: If the slides are moving to fast for you, hover the ‘mouse pointer’ over the photo, and that stops the automatic change.
Coleraine Probus takes to the sky
In that long spell of remarkably sunny weather, from late May until well into July, the club managed to pick one of the few days without a blue sky and decidedly 'iffy' prospects for rain, to visit the Ulster Gliding Club (UGC). However, the member's spirits were not dampened by the weather prospects and our special club outing on 19th June turned out to be both an interesting and enjoyable day.
Members with a longer memory may recall that on the 7th November last ('Click' this link), Jay Nethercot and James Weston from the Gliding Club came along to tell our members about gliding from their base (airfield?) at Bellarena. At the end of the talk, Jay and James held a surprise raffle. The prize was a flight in one of their gliders, and the winner was our senior member, Norman Irwin.
Members with a longer memory may recall that on the 7th November last ('Click' this link), Jay Nethercot and James Weston from the Gliding Club came along to tell our members about gliding from their base (airfield?) at Bellarena. At the end of the talk, Jay and James held a surprise raffle. The prize was a flight in one of their gliders, and the winner was our senior member, Norman Irwin.
Norman with Grandson Christopher (L) and Flying Instructor Owen Anderson (R)
With Norman now rapidly approaching his 100th birthday, he reluctantly came to the conclusion that engine-less air flight may be a little too exciting to manage. He kindly donated his prize to Grandson Christopher, but made sure he was on hand to oversee the raffle-winning trip.
The President and all the Probus members attending the UGC outing, wished to extend a sincere 'Thank-you' for a splendid visit and the warm welcome they received at the airfield. A very special extra 'Thank-you' has to go to Graham Palmer the UGC Chair and Owen Anderson the Flight Instructor, for the time and extra effort they put into arranging the flights and food (great BBQ - WebEd!), and making us so welcome. Jerry Egan and several other members of the UGC were also on hand to make our visit such a memorable one.
Needless the say, the Probus members with a camera also had a field day! So let's take a look and some more of the many shots we received for the website…
The President and all the Probus members attending the UGC outing, wished to extend a sincere 'Thank-you' for a splendid visit and the warm welcome they received at the airfield. A very special extra 'Thank-you' has to go to Graham Palmer the UGC Chair and Owen Anderson the Flight Instructor, for the time and extra effort they put into arranging the flights and food (great BBQ - WebEd!), and making us so welcome. Jerry Egan and several other members of the UGC were also on hand to make our visit such a memorable one.
Needless the say, the Probus members with a camera also had a field day! So let's take a look and some more of the many shots we received for the website…
*Note: If the slides below are moving to fast for you, hover the ‘mouse pointer’ over the photo, and that stops the automatic change.
(Special thanks to "Ken's Kamera" as well as our President, the Ulster Gliding Club
and our WebEd for photos on this page)
What a great day out! Want to find out more about the Ulster Gliding Club? Take a look below…
Graham Palmer (the UGC Chair), Owen Anderson and all the members and volunteers at the Gliding Club could not have been more helpful and welcoming. Here are a few notes for their website to get you even more interested…
Trial Flights - just £80
Want to try gliding? Simply take a trial flight for £80, and you can come back as many times as you like in the next three months for £35 per flight!
**However, if you have a word with club Chairman Graham, and explain that you are a member of the Coleraine Probus Club (good idea to take along your badge!), the you can get that 'Introductory' flight for just £35. (A BIG thank you for that generous offer Graham, from the Probus committee).
Training
'Our goal is to promote the sport of gliding in Ireland by making it as accessible as possible to all interested individuals' - says the website. That means the Gliding Club welcomes people of all ages and abilities. Any of our Probus members that have an interest can be certain of a through and understandable training. For instance, another clip from the UGC website…
Glider Training Northern Ireland
Put simply, a glider - also known as a sailplane - is a small, sleek aircraft without an engine. To fly the unpowered aircraft, the pilot relies on the same naturally occurring air currents that birds use to fly.
Gliding relies on three types of rising air to remain airborne: -
Thermals: columns of rising air produced when the sun heats the atmosphere
Ridge or hill lift: air pushed upwards when it blows against the edge of a slope
Mountain wave: currents of air that rise to get over the top of hills or mountains and then flow and rebound, creating a wave-like motion that can continue for hundreds of miles
Using these invisible currents of air, known as 'lift', the pilot can soar to great heights and travel amazing distances around the country at average speeds of over 100 miles per hour. AND "Yes", that could be you in the glider below…
Trial Flights - just £80
Want to try gliding? Simply take a trial flight for £80, and you can come back as many times as you like in the next three months for £35 per flight!
**However, if you have a word with club Chairman Graham, and explain that you are a member of the Coleraine Probus Club (good idea to take along your badge!), the you can get that 'Introductory' flight for just £35. (A BIG thank you for that generous offer Graham, from the Probus committee).
Training
'Our goal is to promote the sport of gliding in Ireland by making it as accessible as possible to all interested individuals' - says the website. That means the Gliding Club welcomes people of all ages and abilities. Any of our Probus members that have an interest can be certain of a through and understandable training. For instance, another clip from the UGC website…
Glider Training Northern Ireland
Put simply, a glider - also known as a sailplane - is a small, sleek aircraft without an engine. To fly the unpowered aircraft, the pilot relies on the same naturally occurring air currents that birds use to fly.
Gliding relies on three types of rising air to remain airborne: -
Thermals: columns of rising air produced when the sun heats the atmosphere
Ridge or hill lift: air pushed upwards when it blows against the edge of a slope
Mountain wave: currents of air that rise to get over the top of hills or mountains and then flow and rebound, creating a wave-like motion that can continue for hundreds of miles
Using these invisible currents of air, known as 'lift', the pilot can soar to great heights and travel amazing distances around the country at average speeds of over 100 miles per hour. AND "Yes", that could be you in the glider below…
Hopefully, having wetted your appetite for gliding and wanting to find out more about, and how to contact the UGC, then simply 'Click' on the logo below to visit their website (this will open in a new window) and soon you could be seeing views like this:-
