Stratford-on-Avon Gliding Club: Photo Gallery

Golf buggy for retrieving gliders

Golf buggy for retrieving gliders

We use golf buggies for retrieving gliders from the landing area. They have good all-round vision, and are quiet enough that you can easily hear the pilot behind you when you're towing. They have sufficient room to carry what we need, such as a tail dolly, and sufficient power (just) to tow a heavy two-seater up one of the slopes on the airfield.

They're designed for short trips with idle periods, which suits our needs. The engine, which runs on LPG, stops when the buggy is not in use, and starts as soon as touch the accelerator. They're also built so that it is easy to get on and off them. They also have two seats, so training is straightforward, and it's useful to be able to transport a parent to a youngster who's just landed.

We used to use tractors, most recently small Kubotas. These did the job, but they were noisy, didn't like you stopping and starting the engine a lot, didn't have much carrying capacity, and only took one person so training was always difficult. The buggies are much better.