85 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

And here is something different - my other sport.

I've just landed after a 3 hour flight in my vintage sailplane, a Schleicher Ka6CR.

It is another great sport and very challenging to fly well, get a good height gain, fly cross-country and/or keep airborne for a long time.

 

And another of the Cooper 'S' trying hard on an Historic Rally:

Edited by Cooperman, 21 January 2015 - 09:01 PM.

[Mini Manannán]

And here is something different - my other sport.

I've just landed after a 3 hour flight in my vintage sailplane, a Schleicher Ka6CR.

It is another great sport and very challenging to fly well, get a good height gain, fly cross-country and/or keep airborne for a long time.

 

And another of the Cooper 'S' trying hard on an Historic Rally:

 

What's the difference between a sailplane and a glider then Peter?

[Cooperman]

A sailplane is normally regarded as having a good performance in soaring with an excellent glide angle.

'Glider' is an overall term and covers sailplanes and the army gliders used, for example, in WW2. Gliders now include the old air cadet gliders like the Slingsby T21b - I own a share in one of those and fly it regularly in Summer, but not in Winter as it has an open cockpit.

I never think there is a hard & fast rule, but my Ka6 is definitely a sailplane as far as I'm concerned. It flies so beautifully as well with excellent flight handling and good soaring performance. Not as good as the modern glass fibre aircraft, but still nice to fly. The old wooden sailplanes have a sort-of charm about them - a bit like classic cars really. I like to park my 1964 Mini next to my 1965 Ka6 on the airfield. It's a bit like yachts & boats. A yacht is always a boat, but a boat is not necessarily a yacht.

Gliding is a lot less expensive than classic car ownership and maintenance. My aircraft cost me £2000 inc. trailer, 'chute and rigging gear.

Edited by Cooperman, 23 January 2015 - 07:48 PM.

[Cooperman]

Non-Mini, but this is the result I had on the Scottish International Rally in 1969 - before & after! Oh dear, it seems to be broken.

Car is/was an ex-works Lotus-Cortina and we were lying 2nd overall when this happened just behind the SAAB of Simo Lampinen/John Davenport, having been leading a few hours earlier.

 

[mingy]

Non-Mini, but this is the result I had on the Scottish International Rally in 1969 - before & after! Oh dear, it seems to be broken.

Car is/was an ex-works Lotus-Cortina and we were lying 2nd overall when this happened just behind the SAAB of Simo Lampinen/John Davenport, having been leading a few hours earlier.

 

Good job it wasn,t a Ka6 pete....... , I managed to get a seat in that two seater Canadian spitfire last year as a thank you for some work i had done for a flying club, couldn,t see a bloody thing until it leveled out, but the noise of the engine was unforgettable then, two weeks later i did an auto-rotate in an R66 at Cumbernauld airport, brown underpants for a second or two i hasten to add...      

[Cooperman]

I've never got to fly in a Spit, although it is every pilot's dream. I do envy you - what an unforgettable experience. That is flying in the ultimate classic aeroplane. I did once have a demo of an engine failure/autorotate in a Hughes 300 and it was very interesting.

One thing we practice is a 'Sarayevo' approach to dump potential energy and achieve a short landing. You come over the boundary at around 55 kts at c.400 ft., stuff the nose straight at the ground and pull out full airbrake as you do it. The air brakes are speed limiting, so it won't exceed about 75 to 80 kts when almost vertical. Flare out very positively & accurately and the landing is short. It looks and feels dramatic. It's as much fun as handbrake-turning or driving a RWD car sideways on gravel between the trees  .

[whistler]

Just thought I'd chuck in 2 of mine, 1 driving and the other fumbling with a map.

 

The map one shows the start of a Maesteg MC evening event and I'm in one of the nicest and well kept Mk1 Cortina GTs on the road,  belonging to a friend of mine. We were only going to watch the event but once we'd seen the runners and riders figured why not. Even had the driver's girlfriend as a rear gunner. Despite my bad navigation and throwing up we one the event. Another Pot for the mantlepiece. I think we went back the following year as number 1 but not whether we actually started. Circa 1970.

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[welldc]

 

Somewhere in Lincolnshire in the early 70's. Mike Huddleston and me

 

 

Road rallying in Yorkshire, probably late 70's. Mike Reed and myself

Edited by welldc, 02 March 2015 - 04:57 PM.

[Cooperman]

Here are my son Mick and me on the first Lombard RAC Revival rally. It was hard work in a Mini, but we got up to 7th overall out of 120 starters before retiring when I hit a kerb on the very last stage and snapped the RH lower arm inner pin. I sold the Mini and bought a Rover 214Si which was much more competitive.

 

[Cooperman]

I thought it was about time we had some more competition photos of our various cars on here.

So here is my then almost-new 998 Cooper on a Chelmsford Motor Club autocross in September 1964. I think I won the up-to-1000 cc class.

 

 

[Cooperman]

Here is a photo of me co-driving for the late Alec Lobb on the 1965 RAC Rally.

 

 

https://i.imgur.com/8o8Mk6S.jpg