Swift Team at Abingdon 2009

[neocoders]

Just wondering - does he wear a parachute?

[gustavo87467357]

omg that guy's my dog!! amazing!!

[BIGBalls136]

Look like so much fun.

[Wells1955ATC]

Now I have to admit that a rather dislike gliding I find it boring and slow but I go gliding with air cadets because it is free but seeing aerobtics done like that kind of make me realise what gliders are capable of.

[mrcabdriver3]

@Wells1955ATC where abouts do you live... if u live in kenley, surrey england i got air cadets there

[ericgoujon]

Very good... no comment...

[jdn1954]

Mr wideboy,

I invite you to fly a glider and see how you get on.

[cirrusflyboy]

Obviously Mr Wideboy knows nothing about gliding! Most cross-country gliders have FULL 720 channel radios. The CAA are currently trying to require us to carry transponders. The reason we are against this is that all electrical equipment in a glider has to be battery driven and transponders draw a lot of current (120W). Not a problem for powered aircraft with alternators. Also where can I buy a transponder for £1k? The cheapest I know of is £2k including fitting.

[MrBigwings]

If you are such a hotshot in a Slingsby or a Pitts why not post a vid to show us how good you are? I bet £50 you are not as good as Guy. BTW hope that doesn't earn me another threat of a slap!

[aerosace]

Most gliders do have radios but . . . in what way is a radio a collision avoidance system?

Stop posing, look out the window.

[MrBigwings]

mrwideboy,I obviously misjudged you. I can see by your reply that you are an interlectual.I'm not suprised you have a degree in physics. Would you like my home address so that you can deliver that slap or would you prefer me to come to you?

[mrwideboy]

The about of time I have nearly hit clumsy gliders, they really piss me off, they hang about underneath clouds where you can't see them and when there is a thermal pull up with out consideration for other aircaft for where they are going or airspace rules.

I wouldn't mind if they had radios and a swark box, but suddely 3kg and 1kg for a battery is to heavy. Lose some weight fatty, a few kg's for safety isn't much.

[cirrusflyboy]

There is nothing clumsy about gliders or most of their pilots. They are generally far more manoeuverable than the average Spamcan, as proved by this video. Thermals are often found under cumulus clouds, so expect us to be circling there and keep a good lookout, rather than fiddling with radios and transponders (I assume that's what you mean by 'swark box'!). Most gliders ARE fitted with airband radios BTW.

[MrBigwings]

I would guess by your grasp of the English language that you are too thick to be a real pilot so I suggest you stick to video games .

[mrwideboy]

Haven't you ever heard of a typo, I guess you much be thick as well. And yes I am a pilot with a degree in physics and I have flown over 20 different types of aircraft. Gliders are a pain in the arse, as they never have radios and the reluctance within the gliding community of fitting them or using them. I suggest you piss off the next time you speak to me like that I will give you a slap.

[goatface1000]

A typical power pilot no lookout and I bet you don't know what the rudder is for. A degree in physics means nothing about your ability as a pilot.  Face the facts glider pilots are far more capable than the average spamcan driver. Ever done a solo spin loser

[mrwideboy]

yep, and a slingsby or a pitts spin a damn sight faster than a glider

[pikherk]

Your attitude to gliding is staggering, I would guess you have a fairly narrow experience of flying. By your comments, I'm not sure you really understand what a Transponder can do or for that matter "airspace rules". I'm happy to say that most gliderpilots I know fly many differnt types of aircraft and do not share your ignorance of other forms of recriational flying.

[mrwideboy]

No I dont have a problem with gliders provided they still stick to airspace rules and the use the radios whilst going cross country and informing the nearest ATC for a traffic service as this is good airmanship but they dont because very few glider pilots hold a FRTOL licence as the radio Frequencies on glider are fixed.

[mrwideboy]

Secondly I am well aware of what transponders do, and I wish they were installed on every aircraft, including a tcas system, they can be bought both for under a 1k each, But I dont know why the BGA resist everything the CAA try to implement on gliders. Why does gliders have a boy scout approach to flying.

[bendawsondawb]

The main problem is that gliders can stay in the air for longer than most spam can pilots think. Flights of over 5 hours are common. 8 hours + are not unusual. No battery will power a transponder for that long unless it is VERY BIG AND HEAVY!

[2121cadet]

that was absolute awesome!

I was there with 2121 squadron (ATC) and I was walking round with a clip board doing recruiting. I stopped in amazement and awe when watching the glider roll behind the tug and the smaller more nimble plane barrel rolling around the pair.

well done for such an excelent video!

[coolskul32]

awesome but ...... NICE

[luvstellauk]

This was just a small sampler, the real display was awesome

[mutters001]

Superb footage Iain, looking forward to the DVD

[snyperlt]

I thouth he lost it and will crash. Cool.

[carlosmurphy4u]

WOW, I've never seen a sailplane do a snap roll before, fantastic!

[blizzardthewatcher]

Great footage , cant wait for the dvd :)

[WildskaterboyJose]

Awesome Footage!