Gliders In New Guinea

[MIflyer]

When you think of the CG-4 glider, D-Day 6 Jun 1944, comes to mind. A bit more research will reveal they were used in Burma. I must admit that I had not the faintest idea they were used in New Guinea. This story may help explain why they were not used more widely in the Pacific. This is from the Winter 1995 issue of the USAF Museum Friends Journal.

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting!

 

[fubar57]

Chindits used gliders in "Operation Thursday" Chindits 2nd Campaign 1944

 

[MIflyer]

Yes, they did. And on Operation Broadway. That is what I was thinking of relative to Burma. I even think there was an Errol Flynn movie about that.
But can you imagine towing a CG-4A 900 miles over the ocean? And why would anyone but the glider pilots want to ride in it?

 

[vikingBerserker]

I dont think there have ever been a class of pilots with bigger b*lls than glider pilots.

 

[MIflyer]

I think I have already related the story of a P-47 unit that was stationed in Germany at the end of WWII and the pilots were told that they could not go back to the USA until they had checked out their replacements in flying the Thunderbolt. But their replacements turned out to be a bunch of Army glider pilots. As challenging as flying a CG-4A was, I doubt the training prepared them very well for transitioning to the Thunderbolt. As far as I know, glider pilot training at that time in the war used modified L-3's andL-4's with the engines removed, so those guys presumably never had used an engine. I wonder what REMF thought up that idea? I don't think that two seat dual control P-47's were all that common, either, especially not in Europe.

But they did get glider pilots checked out in the P-47's and were able to depart for home. Of course, it was not unusual for fighter units to have an L-4 and maybe an AT-6 as well, so perhaps they did have some training aircraft to use.

 

[Glider]

I dont think there have ever been a class of pilots with bigger b*lls than glider pilots.

Totally agree. When I first started gliding a member of the club had been a glider pilot in Europe and he didn't say much about it apart from saying that he thought every night landing was going to be his last. Either because of the chances of hitting something on the ground or being behind enemy lines if you survived the landing.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

As far as I know, glider pilot training at that time in the war used modified L-3's andL-4's with the engines removed, so those guys presumably never had used an engine.

The father of one of my high school classmates was an assault glider pilot in WarII. He said about half the trainees in his day were guys who had washed out of regular flight training in the more advanced stages, more from a failure to adapt quickly to faster more complex planes, than for a lack of basic flying ability. He said he had bellied in a T6 because he didn't notice the "GEAR UNSAFE" indication after he put the gear down.
He said glider training was kind of the reverse of most flight training in that you started out in a higher performance ship (Schweitzer TG2 and TG3), then progressed to a lower performance bird (the "emasculated" L3, then the CG4). He said it was odd transitioning from a "loser" washout to an "old hand" as seen by the "greenies" off the street with no flying experience.
I've flown in a TG2. It's a floater, designed for minimum sink rate and maximum endurance, but flies TOO slow to be a viable cross country ship. REAL easy to fly, and an excellent trainer, but the back seat is a hellhole.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[MIflyer]

Only glider I've been in was a Blanik, and it was delightful. My first ride we broke sharply away from the Bellanca Scout towplane at probably about 1500 ft AGL, pulled up and made a climbing 270 to the right - then watched the Scout spin past us less than 100 ft away. At that point I was sure I was in the hand of lunatics.

On the ground, the Scout pilot explained that once the glider released, he decided to practice a stall. When the stall broke his harness released and he floated up against the roof of the cabin, releasing the controls as a result, and the airplane spun. I'd rather not be anywhere near that close to a spinning out of control airplane ever again, thank you.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

On the ground, the Scout pilot explained that once the glider released, he decided to practice a stall. When the stall broke his harness released and he floated up against the roof of the cabin, releasing the controls as a result, and the airplane spun. I'd rather not be anywhere near that close to a spinning out of control airplane ever again, thank you.

Actually, a spin is not a bad way to get the tug back on the ground quickly without shock cooling the engine as badly as a dive or a slip would do. The drawback is that a plane with a very tight spin characteristic risks fouling its own towline. One of the reasons the Bird Dog was such a great tug was it's 60° flaps with no slip restrictions, allowing a rapid descent while still carrying enough power to cool the engine gradually. But now they've all been painted in military schemes and marketed as warbirds at exorbitant prices. Tools to toys.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[Glider]

My favourite training glider was a K13. Its old school design which appeals to me and is outperformed by more modern designs, but its good enough to do some good flights and it was a good balance of handling but combined with a bite if you got it wrong and took too many liberties.

Spinning - My most awkward moment was in a stack which is a number of gliders in the same thermal all trying to outclimb each other. Try to imagine a vertical tube with the gliders circling the circumference of the tube. One of the gliders above me in the stack with a less experienced pilot overdid it, stalled and span down past all of us, effectively inside the tube with all of us trying to get out of the way. Total chaos.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Spinning - My most awkward moment was in a stack which is a number of gliders in the same thermal all trying to outclimb each other. Try to imagine a vertical tube with the gliders circling the circumference of the tube. One of the gliders above me in the stack with a less experienced pilot overdid it, stalled and span down past all of us, effectively inside the tube with all of us trying to get out of the way. Total chaos.

Been there, done that. When you're at the bottom of the stack and it "unstacks" like that, it's a__holes and elbows, and thank your lucky stars!

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Spinning - My most awkward moment was in a stack which is a number of gliders in the same thermal all trying to outclimb each other. Try to imagine a vertical tube with the gliders circling the circumference of the tube. One of the gliders above me in the stack with a less experienced pilot overdid it, stalled and span down past all of us, effectively inside the tube with all of us trying to get out of the way. Total chaos.

Been there, done that. When you're at the bottom of the stack and it "unstacks" like that, it's a__holes and elbows, and thank your lucky stars you didn't hit anybody!

 

[glennasher]

Although it was long before my time, my old unit in the 82nd Abn. Div. HAD been the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, before converting to jump status. I can't imagine how much they went thru on D-Day. They had a really tough time fighting on the causeways AFTER being "glider riders". Tough guys, every one of them, regardless of what S.L.A Marshall wrote about them later.

 

[MiTasol]

Actually, a spin is not a bad way to get the tug back on the ground quickly without shock cooling the engine as badly as a dive or a slip would do. The drawback is that a plane with a very tight spin characteristic risks fouling its own towline. One of the reasons the Bird Dog was such a great tug was it's 60° flaps with no slip restrictions, allowing a rapid descent while still carrying enough power to cool the engine gradually. But now they've all been painted in military schemes and marketed as warbirds at exorbitant prices. Tools to toys.
Cheers,
Wes

or toys for tools?

 

[XBe02Drvr]

or toys for tools?

Roger that, concur. At least it should extend their lives. Most of the airworthy airframes out there were working HARD for a living until they retired honorably into "pampered warbird" status. Wish my retirement value had shot up like that.
Cheers,
Wes