Many thanks for the comment telling me that the club was originally formed at RAF Lynham in 1957.
Anyone know who the CFI was at the time and any other details?
When did it move to RAF Upavon and when did it close down?
Best regards,
Chris
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I was a member of RAFGSA Moonrakers located at RAF Upavon in December 1958 when I was given a site experience flight by Eric Reeves and in January 1959 my log book shows that John Williamson had joined us. I remember the car journey with a young Pilot officer telling Sergeant John Williamson all about gliding - only to be amazed that everyone at The Moonrakers Club immediately recognized the RAF’s Champion Glider Pilot!
ReplyDeleteOn 22nd Feb 1959 Flt. Lt Roger Mann CFI carried out my solo checks.
About this time Roger Mann then moved on and the CFI then became Flt Lt Ken Fitzroy. Within 6 months John Williams had taken over the CFI’s position as witnessed by him certifying my log book in September 1959, because I was moving on.
Other notable instructor members of The Moonrakers at that time were: -
Chief Tech. Owens, Junior Tech. Geoff Chandler, Corporal Mike Mantripp, Dick Stratton (later to become BGA’s Chief Technical Officer) from Boscombe Down as was Major John Evans.
Flt Lt. Eric Reeves was The Moonrakers Club Secretary and instructor when he was not flying Large Transport Aircraft out of RAF Lynham.
Dick Stratton attended a “Home Command Gliding Instructors” course at RAF Detling in 1955 (I was there as an ATC cadet in 1953 where Derek Piggot gave me an “above average’ rating following my week –long course)
Dick Stratton received his BGA category from Anne Welch at the Isle of Wight Gliding Club in 1956. He was the Chief Flight Engineer on The Saunders-Roe “Princess” Flying boat, which was demonstrated at The SBAC Show in 1952 and 1953 (I was lucky enough to be there to witness this spectacle)
The Club Fleet at that time consisted of; - T21B, T31, Tutor, Grunau Baby 1a, Kite 1, Gull IV and a Kranich (after receiving the attention of Chief Tech. Owens and Junior Tech. Geoff Chandler
At one time John Williamson was able to get the loan of a Dagling Primary Glider, which was flown by a few instructors only. On a different occasion an Eon Olympia graced the skies over Upavon.
Thanks for your comment Harry. All new information to me.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for 2012.
Hallo Christopher,
ReplyDeleteI can give you a bit more info about The Moonrakers. My first flight in the club was on 29th January 1956 at Lyneham in a T.31 (my battered logbook is open before me as I write). My check pilot was F/L Morris, who was also our CFI at the time. My last flight at Lyneham was on 2.5.1956. Due to the increasing RAF Transport Command flying at Lyneham the club moved away from there soon after: the next flight I had was on 19.5.1956 at Netheravon, but this was just a temporary "fix", and quite soon the club moved permanently to Upavon. My first flight there was just a year later on 11.5.1957. In the interim year I flew with the RAFGSA at Cosford, where I had been posted, but the "atmosphere" there did not suit me, and I took to hitchhiking down to Upavon at the weekends. I flew my Silver C distance from Upavon to Gt. Torrington (165 km) in the Blue Tutor on 23rd June 1957. Other names from that period in addition to those mentioned by Harry: our two stalwart instructors at Lyneham - Tom Docherty and Dave Wilson (where are they now?), then my lifelong friend (now, sadly gone before) Pete Wilby, F/O O'Brien, F/O Dent, Miss P. Wilson, J. Steele, F/L Bailey, John Apps, S. Denning, Barry Hughes, Mr. Strutt, Farquharson, G/Capt Cooper, Grice, Hosie, and Barry Docker, amongst many others. Not to forget Jeff Chandler, who I believe emigrated to New Zealand. Oh, so much more to tell, many, many happy memories. I will post some photos from that time on my own (new) blog (google moonraker56).
Best wishes
Robin
PS: The Moonrakers was already well-established at Lyneham at the beginning of 1956, but I don't know how much earlier it was founded, or by whom.
Hi Robby, Jeff Chandler here. Had a look through your blog. Just to let you know I am in New Zealand thou have not practiced gliding since 1966. My association with aviation these days is keeping bees as a hobby. I saw Mike Mantripp shortly before he died. I understand from your blog I gather Pete Wilby is no longer with us. I'm not sure if you will get this communication so will not rabbit on any longer. Jeff
DeleteHi Jeff Chandler, I'm Paul, Mike Mantripp's son.Heard about you often since I was born in 1959 - just wanted to say hello!
DeleteTom Docherty is well and living in Dundee.
DeleteHello Robin,
ReplyDeleteI was mooching around, Googling ‘Upavon’ when your Moonrakers blog popped up up, and was staggered to find myself mentioned in your piece. I tried to post this on the page but for some reason Google would not let me in. However, here goes:
Yes, I was gliding at Upavon in 1957 though for some reason I recall the club’s name as the Wessex Gliding Club. Was this renaming, or is my senile decay getting worse?
I recall one or two names —yourself, Flt Lt Bailey , Grp. Capt. Cooper and John Steele spring to mind right away. There was also an Upavon Signals corporal named Elliott, who married Paula, an Upavon PTI. He eventually bought his own Slingsby single seater for £30.
I recall your flight to Torrington. What you have not mentioned is the subsequent recovery of the Gull IV (as I think it was). The Landrover and trailer set off back to Upavon in the dark, a bit late leaving the pub, and were stopped by the Devonshire Constabulary on his bike. The constable was exercised by a dodgy tail light, but he then decided that there was a further serious charge in that the trailer exceeded the legal length of 26 feet.
A tape measure was produced, and the trailer was found to be exactly 26 feet not counting the tail light. The copper insisted that it should include the tail light, and for a while this was noisily disputed. No breathalysers in those days . . . If I remember rightly it was resolved by a quick leap into the Landrover and roaring away (well a bit faster than a country copper on a bike anyway) into the night. Nothing more was heard.
I also remember us buying a tractor from a local farmer for cable retrieval. £50 it was. In my time anyway it was all winch launch — no tug aircraft in those days.
I was a corporal medic on Upavon SSQ and was demobbed at Christmas.
I was never able to continue gliding in civvy street — you just couldn’t get it for 3d a launch (and wasn’t it 6d per mile for recovery if you got away)?
All the very best to everybody. I’ve bookmarked the blog.
I can be contacted direct at upavon57@live.com.
Barry Hughes.
Just relived old memories reading through these comments.
ReplyDeleteHappy 2015 to all old Moonrakers.. Chris (Micro) Morris
Eric Reeves sadly passed away in late 2014 having retired as a Wing Commander. His involvement with gliding continued to the end of his life, and he was a long standing member of Welland GC in Northants. One of the last true gentlemen, even when ill health grounded him he still mucked in on open day welcoming visitors at the airfield gate. His last involvement as a private owner was as a member of our Capstan syndicate, whose members tended to launch at lunchtime with their sandwich boxes and tobacco pipes and who finally landed when the sun started to set having spent the best part of the afternoon at cloudbase. Regards, Mark Rushton, WGC
ReplyDeleteI had many interesting aerotows behind Eric, a tight fit in a chipmunk. A lovely man. Still remembered.
ReplyDeleteI joined moonrakers was taught by John Willy and flew solo in march 1960, Dick Stratton was also one of my instructors. John said my first solo was the best he'd ever seen, quite a compliment from him.Iremember Nasser and group captain Cooper landing across the cables and being taken for a check flight with Jeff chandler, we could hear the language from the ground. Taff Evans took us there in his new mini.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the recent posting left by an unknown person, Jeff Chandler's language was never foul though the word "bloody" was in his vocabulary. I cannot remember or imagine why landing across the cables was a sin requiring a checkout. launching would be held back if a glider was on the late stage of a final approach as a safety measure for this sort of incident. I would think that a word in the ear of the individual landing across or anywhere near the cables would be sufficient pointing out the safety considerations and inconvenience in that it would delay launching until the glider was well clear of the cables. To gain a clearer picture of the situation, I would think that Nasser and group Captain Cooper landed across the cables in separate flights and not together in a two seater. Who was Jeff Chandler checking out during this during this language from the sky flight?
ReplyDeleteJeff Chandler still has his gliding log books so possibly the poster can give a date for this incident that Jeff can recall this day. To avoid airing this in public you may communicate with me direct jchandler38@gmail.com
Further I wonder why the person chose to recall and share with the readers this seemingly unsavoury incident.
May all the readers be happy and in good health at this later stage of our lives.
my regards to you all
Jeff Chandler