Air tow at the Yorkshire Gliding Club - Sutton Bank

All is not what it seems to be!

This is a composite image with a 'fake' tow line. I was not able to get a decent shot with both aircraft in the frame, hence the above. The tug and the glider were not this close together during the tow. I estimated the length of the real tow line to be in the region of 150 ft/45 m, but I could of course be wrong.

I watched this glider take off, and having gained altitude, be released from the tug to do whatever it is glider pilots do. Ten minutes later, much to my surprise, I found it landing and coming to a halt close to me on the edge of the airfield. There appeared to be a discussion between the pilots as they sat in the cockpit for a couple of minutes, perhaps about the location of the landing. When the recovery vehicle arrived the post flight debrief was continued!

The glider under tow is a Slingsby T21B, a trainer, the first example of which flew in December 1947. Slingsby Sailplanes had factory in nearby Kirbymoorside which opened On the 4th September 1939. Slingsbys ceased all glider production in 1982.

The Landing & discussion (rather close to the edge of the airfield and the footpath)


Deplaneing


Post filght debrief (how did we get here?)



The Yorkshire Gliding Club operate from an airfield on Sutton Bank in the North York Moors National Park, England. The club formed in 1934 from an amalgamation of gliding concerns from the West Riding of Yorkshire and has been in existence for over 80 years and has had many famous fliers such as Nicholas Goodhart, Amy Johnson and Fred Slingsby.

The club's location, on top of Roulston Scar and Sutton Bank over the White Horse of Kilburn, and the sheer drop away of the cliff, has made it a notable aircraft launching point. It is the most popular gliding club in the north of England.