Like most things, how much would Sir or Madam like to spend? Motorgliders come in various guises, training tools, single and two-seater self-launching high performance sailplanes, single and two-seater touring, and although technically not classed as motorgliders there are the self-sustainers. These have small pop out engines of varying types which can be deployed when you “run out of wind.”
Coupled to these types are of course the various required licenses and endorsements. However, for us at Lincolnshire Gliding Club most of these motorgliders are irrelevant. Let’s face facts, there’s no room in the hangar and you wouldn’t want to rig and derig a motorglider every day, taxiing out to the runway could be challenging with the current pothole pattern and then there’s the expense.
So what’s the point of this article? Well there is one type of motorglider which is very useful to our members and that’s the side by side Motor Falke. When you reach the point of doing your field selection and landing training, your navigation test, your cloud flying endorsement or for those with motorgliding aspirations, your self-launch endorsement, then this is a most useful tool. Our neighbouring club at Kirton has a privately owned Falke that the owners are happy to use for such training flights. It’s an example of gliding clubs working together for the benefit of all the members.
There’s also another fantastic use for these motorgliders: guaranteed flying when the conditions aren’t suitable for soaring. Consequently they are often used for introductory or pleasure flights which is what Ann took at Sutton Bank (see pic.) with an hour’s trip around the sights of The Vale of York with her pilot Paul. Her view: loved it, brilliant history lesson included, would do it again. My view: how did this motorglider flight get onto my account?
And then there’s the home build: the shed built motorglider. There’s always someone with a shed who fancies a project and let’s be honest here, most of these projects stay in the shed. This is a good thing. But once in a blue moon an unusual project is finished and such a motorglider features in this rare video footage. Enjoy.
