Club Fleet

We have an extensive, professionally maintained fleet of gliders, providing a variety of aircraft for students and members as they progress from training gliders to high performance cross country machines. Our tugs allow us to provide a fast launch rate, reducing the frustration of waiting in the launch queue.

Two seat Gliders

2 * ASK-21 (316 and KCZ)

The ASK21 was introduced by Alexander Schleicher in 1979 to replace the K13. It is made of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and has a fixed undercarriage, wingspan of 17m, a glide ratio of 34:1 and a VNE of 151 knots. The K21 is an excellent basic two seater trainer and can also be used for cross country training. It will only spin if fitted with additional weight at the tail.

Our K21s are used for most initial training.

ASK-13 (KLA)

The ASK13, built by German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher, is a very popular training glider, made of a mix of metal, wood and glassfibre, with fabric covered wings and rudder. About 700 were built between 1966 and 1978 before it was succeeded by the ASK21. It stalls and spins well, with an easy recovery, making possible all the exercises in the gliding syllabus. Its large canopy gives both pilots a good all-round view. It has a fixed undercarriage, wingspan of 16m, a glide ratio of 28:1 and a maximum speed (VNE) of 108 knots.

Duo Discus (315)

Introduced in 1993, the Duo Discus was designed by German manufacturer Schempp-Hirth as a high performance cross country glider, it is still being produced at Schempp-Hirth’s factory in the Czech Republic. Its easy handling makes it a delight to fly. It has a retractable undercarriage, wingspan of 20m, a glide ratio of 45:1 and VNE of 142 knots.

T-21 “Goofy”

A bit of aviation history, our T-21, “Goofy” comes out to play on special occasions and in calm conditions, for some gentle open-cockpit flying. The Slingsby T-21 prototype was designed during the war for the RAF, but initially not accepted. After the war variants went into production for both military and private training. Prior to this most glider training had been in single seat gliders! Goofy is privately owned but available for club member flying.

Single Seat Gliders

Pegasus (318)

The Pegasus (Pegase) was designed and built by French manufacturer Centrair from 1981. Made of glassfibre, it uses the fuselage of the German ASW20 with a different design of wing. It has a wingspan of 15m and a glide ratio of up to 41:1. The Pegasus is ideal for early and progressing cross-country pilots.

ASW 19 (319)

The ASW 19 is a single-seat glider designed by Gerhard Waibel at Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. It was originally designed as a Standard Class glider, but now mainly competes in the Club Class. The ASW 19 is known for its pleasant handling and is used as an early solo and cross-country glider.

Motor Glider

Falke (G-BRWT)

The SF-25 Falke is the product of the German company Scheibe. Designed as a touring motor glider, the Club uses it for circuit training, also for field landing checks and navigation exercises as part of the Bronze Cross Country endorsement. Our Falke is currently out of service awaiting spare parts.

Tow Planes (Tugs)

Robin (G-BLGH)

Robins are French wooden sports monoplanes with a distinctive ‘cranked’ wing giving significant lateral stability in flight.
GH is a Robin DR300 180R. The ‘R’ suffix stands for ‘Remorqueur’, the French for ‘tug’. It has a 180hp engine, a 4-blade prop and an extra external silencer. Robins are a sturdy aircraft and GH is well suited to the job we it to.

Piper Super Cub (G-AWMF)

MF is a PA-18 Super Cub. This aircraft started life as a 150hp Cub but was converted to a 180hp engine to take account of the fact that newer gliders were heavier. It is fitted with an extra external silencer. The Cub is a light easy to fly aircraft and is well suited for our operation here at Booker. MF has recently been fully recovered and repainted, however, it should be back in service this summer.

Simulator

We also have a fully functional simulator based around the fuselage of a K13 2-seat glider. It has full controls in both seats, include force feedback to simulate the differing control forces needed in flight; a simulated set of instruments for each seat and 3 large screens giving a panoramic view outside the glider. The simulator allows some training to continue in adverse weather and provides an effective demonstration of the concepts of gliding.