Single click on the above for more details on our location

Tel : 01668 216284 (weekends) or email : admin@bordersgliding.co.uk

You can now buy your trial flight or gift vouchers on line or by mail. Click below for more details. You can also pay on the day at the airfield (by cheque or cash). We also accept British Gliding Association vouchers.

Scroll down for the Latest News

---

---

Air experience gift vouchers are available. Please check out the Visitors lounge for details.			The morning briefing in our modern club house given by Keith Latty who is one of our many qualified instructors.
We operate every Saturday & Sunday, weather permitting, as well as several full weeks throughout the year.			Our 2 seater fleet; Alliance,Ka21 & Grob Acro lll. We have an Astir and a Pirat for solo pilots. All launching is by aerotow.
Our Webcam takes pictures every hour. Go to the Weather section where you can find pictures and weather information.			We fly all year round as can be seen from this stunning picture taken 30th December 2000. Look in the Gallery for more.
Listen to the current airfield weather on 07969 577765

---

Latest News and Achievements

Click on any photos to see a larger version in a new window

---

The latest proposals from the CAA regarding the use of Mode S transponders could have a major impact on gliding. All members are being encouraged to read the information regarding these proposals and to respond to them. This must be done by 31st May. The following link :- http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/airspace/modes2008.htm takes you to the BGA website section where all the relevant information and links are to be found. Please take time to respond to the proposals - this concerns YOU.

The new flying fees, effective from 1st May are posted on the website Noticeboard.

WANTED: A Head rest for our Astir - anyone out there got one ?

Saturday 26th April saw our wave TRA(G) opened again. Ian Surley reached 19,500' to claim his Gold & Diamond heights but gave up at that height because of increasing cloud cover. Mark Fielding & Keith Arkley also managed Gold climbs. Congratulations to them all.

Then weekend of 19th/20th April provided some welcome thermal soaring - although with a very low cloud base restricting flights to local soaring. Kate Ashley, on a roll at present, comfortably achieved her first bronze leg with a flight of 80 minutes - congratulations.

The Club AGM took place on Sunday 30th March and was very well attended. Kate Ashley was welcomed onto the committee and was also the recipient of the Coulson trophy for progress. The height trophy was presented to Brian Brown and the President's cup, for services to the club, went to Andy Turnbull. Whilst Andy isn't a flying member of the club his background work as our aircraft engineer keeps our tug fleet flying !

For the weather watchers amongst you, you will be pleased to know that a new wind vane and anemometer have been fitted. We will suddenly discover that the prevailing wind isn't North as the indicator has shown for a lot of the time. Many thanks to Keith Latty for organising the replacement. Also apologies. The webmaster forgot to reset the annual rainfall to zero at the start of the year so the current total includes all 2007's rain !

We were pleased to help "Fix It" for Andrew Charleton on Sunday 9th March. Northumbrian Water's in house magazine has arranged various "Fix Its" for their staff and Andrew, who works for them, had written asking if they could "Fix It" for him to go gliding. Whilst the weather forecast looked marginal the day produced great conditions. CFI Bill Stephen gave Andrew a wonderful soaring flight during which he flew the glider himself. Andrew's grin, which could be clearly seen as the glider came in to land, said it all ! Andrew wasn't the only happy pilot. There was plenty of soaring on the hills, in thermals and wave. Julian Sutton and Malcolm Parkes both reached around 11,000'

The CFI congratulates Andrew The smile says it all !

For Sale

Not usually on the front page but the club has for sale an Astir trailer. German, factory made, it has an alloy skin on a metal chassis with a wooden floor. It needs to some minor work to the floor (tail wheel well) but otherwise serviceable. We imagine it could easily be modified for most 15m gliders. £1500. Contact the club via :- admin@bordersgliding.co.uk

On Saturday 9th February Jules Sutton climbed to just over 17,100' in wave. Normally impressive but outdone on the day by Mike Crews who, whilst still in lift, stopped his climb at 19,500' . His logger worked this time and his Diamond height claim is being processed. Well done to both pilots.

CONGRATULATIONS !

We congratulate founder member and Club President Jimmy Hogarth and his wife Eilean on their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Jimmy had hoped to fly Eilean on Friday as a special celebration but, sadly, the weather did not co-operate. We send our best wishes to them.

At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club on Saturday 12th January the meeting voted for the changes to our constitution to change the club to a Community Amateur Sports Club - CASC. Having CASC status allows us to claim Rates relief and is in line with a lot of the requirements we had already adopted to allow us to apply for Lottery grants.

Our recent runs of good wave days continued over the year end with climbs to just under 15,000' on 23rd of December and just under 9000' on 6th January!

The Club loggers have been calibrated (thanks to Mike Smith) and the relevant certificates are with the claim forms in the Clubhouse. With the recent runs of wave days they will be needed. Sunday 16th December produced climbs to 12,500'.

November 17th produced another good wave day, giving flights to around 11,000'. Brian Brown took these photos early in the day on a flight with Keith Latty in the Motor Falke. Increasing cloud during the day eventually curtailed the fun.

The coast at Holy Island Looking South over the site

Congratulations to Mike Smith who gained a Silver height on Sunday 11th November. He took the photo, below, with the site on the left of the picture.

We seem to be having a run of good wave at present and the 'Old Farts' benefited on November 2nd. Although we only flew 10 launches every one was a soaring flight with over 24 hours flown. Jules Sutton and Derek Robson got to just over 11,000' but Andy Bardgett went to over 16,000'. He took the photos below.

The site, middle distance A series of bars going off downwind

There's also a short piece of video on You Tube which gives some idea of the beauty of soaring at this sort of height:-

The 27th of October is a day we will remember for a long while ! Fantastic wave conditions prompted the opening of our "wave window" (or TRA(G) to be correct) with John Richardson being the first to gain Diamond height. He was followed by Brian Brown to claim his, whilst Jules Sutton, who already has a height Diamond, romped up to the top of the box at FL240. Ian Russell and Mike Crews also got Diamond heights but, sadly, Dave Wilson missed his by only a few hundred feet because he ran out of oxygen. Robin Johnson took these photos on the day.

Waiting for a launch Work done !

Sunday 28th appears poor after Saturday's exploits but Graham White was delighted - "much more exciting than going solo" - to reach 12,000'. Derek Robson and Andy Bardgett stopped at 10,000' after long flights because of the cold but went to Rothbury and Coldsteam.

Our last two October flying weeks were blessed with great weather - only 1 day lost. Whilst all the others days were soarable we didn't have any 'classic' days. Roger Fielding took these photos from 11,000' though, on a day with nil wind on the ground, hence the mist paches. We are starting to wonder if history repeats itself. No sooner do our visitors leave than we have some fantastic wave. Honestly you should have been here tomorrow (and the day after) !

Nil wind on the ground 30kts S at 11,000'

The Webmaster has had difficulty in keeping up with achievements in the last week. On Saturday 20th October Ema Gamlin and Colin Niel re-soloed in the Alliance whilst congratulations are due to Bill Brittain and Keith Latty who both soloed in the Super Cub on the same day. Not content with going solo in gliders, Arran Farquhar (see below) soloed in a Warrior at Newcastle on Wednesday 24th and in the midst of all that Dr Kate Ashley also did her first solo (pictured below with CFI Bill Stephen) Congratulations to them all.

The Duty Roster, from November, is now available on the Noticeboard. Many thanks to Bill Brittain for taking on this job, (and making the webmaster's much easier), and to Gerry Newman who has done the roster for a long time.

The flying week from Monday 1st to Friday 5th October was blessed with wonderful weather. Soaring took place on every day and, whilst our classic wave didn't appear, the conditions did give climbs to around 7,500' and many hours of soaring.

Saturday 29th September saw two first solos. Congratulations to Arran Farquhar and Craig Newbold pictured below (click on the photos to see a larger version in another window)

Arran Farquhar :- and Craig Newbold :-

Another good weekend on the 22nd & 23rd September. On Saturday Robin Johnson reached 15,500' and Graham Mitcheson reached 15,200' taking the photos below. On Sunday Iain Russell and Lianne Hollingsworth took the Acro to 10,000'.

Looking North. Note the string carefully moved to show Torness Power station !

Looking South down the coast at Berwick upon Tweed

And two photos of Holy Island (Lindisfarne) with the tide low enough to show the causeway.

Holy Island with the causeway across the sand.

Ema Gamlin also took some photos which she posted on our forum - just to sicken those pilots who didn't manage to catch the wave. The flash gives an eerie quality to the panel.

Congratulation to Lianne Hollingsworth (pictured below) on her first solo on Saturday 8th September.