On the 15-16th June 2018 Nordsjællands Glider Club in Gørløse celebrated its 75th birthday. From Albatros we were 7 ultralight aircraft and 11 pilots attending the fly-in on Friday 15th. We started the day from breakfast in our flying club in Måløv:
After the briefing we left for EKGL. My friend Henrik Mahler joined me as a co-pilot:
EKGL is a gliding aerodrome, and only a very limited amount of operations in a powered aircraft is permitted per year due to environmental restrictions. For this very special occasion both UL and GA aircraft were invited.
Nordsjællands gliding club is like home for me. I learned flying there, and I love visiting it. When I have a chance, I always fly by, make a round, wave with the wings, and take a photo. I spent many wonderful days there.
With Bjørn Grønlund, a friend from the gliding club, on apron. We got our glider pilot licenses approximately at the same time:
Our flying club came with a gift – a framed photo of the Gørløse Gliding Club. From left to right: Egon Trust (EKGL), Lars Toft, me, and Carsten Svendsen (EKML), and Kaj Lund (EKGL).
The air traffic was coordinated by Palle Jensen (far right), and Trine Varmer (front left). Trine joined gliding sport when she was 18. Today, she is a skilled, experienced, and respected glider pilot.
Glenn Carstensen and Per Christensen below in front of an ASK-21, an exceptionally good trainer aircraft. The club has 2 of them, OY-XKI and OY-XVC. I also got my training in them.
Gørløse gliding club’s building and hangars from air (photo below by Peter Rasmussen). The club has around 25 gliders, and about 130 active members. It is the largest gliding club in Denmark.
Kaj Lund, the chaiman of the board, had a speech and welcomed everybody:
On arrival, non-members received a number for participating in a lottery draw. The prizes were flights in vintage gliders from DaSK, an associasion for maintaining a history of gliding sport in Denmark. Johan Moltke did the drawing, and the winners were announced:
Torben Søemod is known not only as a proficient glider instructor, but also for his excellent cooking skills. He always takes charge of preparing food for small and big events. Here he is, grilling sausages for the guests:
Visitors enjoyed lunch in the garden with the most beautiful view:
Lennart Aarup and Peter Øberg (EKML) in front of the SAAB T-17 military trainer from the Danish Airforce Flying School, visiting EKGL on the occasion:
After lunch the flights began. Vintage gliders were lined up. The first one is an exceptional glider with an interesting background – Kranich from 1943. I got a flight in it later that day, and will write a special post about it.
Christian Schlichtkrull with Nimbus 4-DT. When I was a member, I flew this remarkable glider with Christian a couple of times, also through the clouds.
The aircraft below is a Høgslund/Traugott-Olsen 2G from 1949, with Jørgen Thomsen as a pilot, and Perle as a passenger. I got a flight in it as well; it was a tremendous experience that deserves a separate blog post (coming soon). Photo by Ole Nicolaisen:
Carsten got a flight in ASK-21 with Jakob Svenningsen. Jakob is the youngest pilot in Denmark who as the first one was granted permission to fly with a passenger at the age of 16! He is a skilled pilot, and Carsten told me he enjoyed his flight with Jakob.
Gørløse gliding club did a very good job – gliders were taking off and landing all the time. Two powered aircraft and a winch were used for towing, to give as many flights as possible. And it was the best day for gliding this year weather-wise. Photo below by Ole Nicolaisen.
I spent the rest of the day after lunch hanging out on the runway 28 where all action took place. I had two of the most memorable flights in my life (so far) that day: one in Kranich, and another one – in 2G. I couldn’t wish for more.
I was the last one leaving from the visiting aircraft, and I only left because I had to land in my home airfield within operational hours. It was such a pleasant day, with so many fascinating experiences! Many thanks to the Nordsjællands Gliding Club for inviting us! And happy anniversary!