European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is Nancy Toner a glider rises Forward and up As the a me attached to it is rapidly wound into a Winch just visible in the distance. Ring is for and glider pilots too it pre have been a few rough landings on the Grassy Raf Wattisham Field but not major accidents. By Nancy Torner . Bureau you Haven t really flown until you be glided through the air without an engine to keep you aloft. At least that s the opinion of members of the Anglia gliding club who thrive on floating through space on nothing but the air currents under their wings. It s like being a Bird said staff so. Kevin Pratte with the 922nd recon so at Raf Mildenhall England. This is real  some people might consider it dangerous to soar like a Bird when you have no feathers. After All a Bird can Flap its wings against uncooperative air currents while a glider plane cannot. And if a Pilot runs into trouble in midair the fact that he or she is carrying a Parachute in t much Consolation. Many pilots admit that it s not unusual for them to be gliding too Low for a Chute to function properly if they have to jump. But these same pilots will Tell you that gliding in t any More dangerous than crossing a Busy Street. In 11 years i be Only seen one mishap said master so. Bob Riddle with the 100th manpower organization at Mildenhall. But he the Pilot Jas doing some stupic1  Riddle said gliding is less dangerous than attempting to walk across the Beck Row roundabout outside the Mildenhall base at lunch time he also said that in some ways it is safer to Fly without an engine than with one. None of that flammable stuff is on Board with you he pointed out. Granted there have been a few hard landings at Raf Wattisham where the Anglia gliding club holds its flying sessions. But John Hicks the chief flying instructor at the British base said there have been no major mishaps. It s a very Safe sport Hicks said. Our record is very  a equipment undergoes an inspection prior to each gliding session. There also Are strict rules on what glider pilots Are allowed to do in the air Hicks said. Beside practising safety glider pilots must practice patience during a flying session which judging from a recent Outing at Wattisham can last from Early morning to late afternoon. Each Pilot must take turns helping other fliers get airborne. It takes about six people to get a glider off the ground beginning with positioning it on a grass runway. A Cable which is connected to a Winch at the other end of the runway then must be attached to the front of the glider. When Allis ready the Cable is quickly rewound hoisting the Craft into the air. Once the Cable is released from the glider either by the Pilot or automatically when the glider reaches a certain Angle it s up to the Pilot to keep it aloft by Riding the air currents. Riddle said it is possible to visualize these currents As bubbles of boiling water which a Pilot uses to boost the glider. There Are fewer bubbles in cold weather than when it s warm and rides usually last just three to seven minutes in Winter he said. In the summer you re Only limited by Good manners Riddle said in describing How Long a Pilot could stay aloft. Why do people decide to go gliding Pratte admits that he gets a charge from rather unconventional entertainments. He d already tried skydiving and bungee jumping before he found gliding. This was just one of the things on the list. But i m. Hooked on it now he said. What he loves is the thrill of being aloft not the possibility that he could crash to the ground. You Don t do it for the danger you do it for the sensation he said. Senior airman Wade Walker with the 922nd recon so at Mildenhall said he d been thinking about gliding but did t get around to doing it until he came Home from a temporary duty assignment and Learned that his wife Robin had gone gliding in his absence. The Only thing i worry about is Landing because you re going to come Down one Way or another Walker said. His wife on the other hand does t seem to worry. About much of anything regarding the sport. It s gorgeous up there she said. However she said she had no desire to Solo in a glider. Her first ride was taken on a whim inspired by a video shown to her by Riddle. When so Learned her neighbor was going flying she could t think of any reason not to tag along. Master sgt. Mike Woods who works in flight maintenance at Raf Ben Waters said gliding is something everybody Shou try a least once. It the attraction of gliding is hard to explain if you be never done it he said. For Riddle it s the thrill of challenging nature. I just want to go higher and farther than i be gone before Riddle said. Is Muri Aith Winder instructor Joost Meislich explains the glider s controls to Richard Bennett a student flier. Is Nancy Tomor the glider s link to the ground is about to be Orclea std setting the Craft free. Gliding clubs looking for members military gliding clubs in Britain Are looking for some new adventurous souls because draw Downs . And British. Have taken their toll on the number of gliding members nationwide. The Anglia gliding club currently has a mixed membership of about a members said master sgt. Bob Riddle of Raf Mildenhall England. There Are about 100 . Gliding members in Europe Riddle said a majority of whom Are registered in the . There Are 11a gliding clubs in Britain of which 13 Are Royal air Force clubs six Are Royal Navy clubs and two Are British army clubs. The others Are private clubs he said. There also is a British forces Germany gliding Center Northeast of Osnabrock Germany and an Raf crusader s gliding club East of Warnaca Crete. The service clubs Are intended for military member Sand some charge higher club rates for civilians. Membership in one service club offers automatic membership in the other ones and Many of the private clubs offer reduced rates to members of service clubs Riddle said. Service people and civilians Are charged the same rate by the Anglia gliding club. A year s membership costs 50 pounds about $75. Temporary weekend memberships also Are available for 5 pounds. There is a 1.50 pounds fee per  said he encouraged people who thought they might be interested in gliding to take out a temporary membership. You Don t have to be skilled he said. There Are always people available to advise  people interested in gliding should Contact the British gliding association for More information about available clubs. The address is Kimberley House Vaughan Way Leicester let 4se, . The association also has copies of the 1991 edition of the British gliding clubs directory which was compiled by Riddle. The Book includes information on Tiow to Contact British clubs in Europe As Well As club facilities hours of operation and costs. It also gives directions to the different air Fields and lists hotel accommodations and local sightseeing possibilities. Riddle said other interested pilots can locate clubs by using a flying map that includes air bases and airfields. Glider clubs Asre usually designated on these is Munith Winder maps by three Gold John Hicks right the dub s eagles. The maps Are chief Hying instructor barks available at local out directions As club Mascot airports. Major stands guard. _ Nancy Tomer 18 the stars and stripes wednesday february 3, 1993 the stars and stripes 19