Currently Owned by: Richard Vine
Carl Robinson
Pat Tye
Tim Hardy

STATUS: Destroyed

LOCATION: Bluenose Gliding Club, Nova Scotia

No. 77 was originally imported into the US by Thomas J. Oliver, who apparently was an Air Force Officer. The original Airworthiness Certificate was issued to an address in Arizona, but later in the year the registration address was shown as Shaw AFB in South Carolina. It was left there (in Arizona) in its trailer for many years, unused until partners in Calgary (Including Robert Young) bought it and reregistered it. It flew at the Cu-Nim Gliding Club, must south of Calgary and at Cowley, about 150 miles south near the Montana border. There is good mountain wave there, off the Livingston Range. This is a steep escarpment marking the eastern edge of the Rockies with a valley and the Porcupine hills further to the East. It is a very safe wave site since if the cloud closes over, one just flies east into prairie fields. The Mount Washington site in Vermont is less convenient, as one of our pilots got shut out and had to descent with spoilers out hands off and barely reached the field.

A group including Dick Vine bought the ship from Robert Young in 1984, when there were about 370 hours total time on it. It current has about 1650 hours. Dick as been the constant owner since UIL has been in the Maritimes. Other shareholders have been James F. Snell and Anthony Lock, both of Halifax, and Tony Toole, of Truro. Charles Yeates bought a share so he’d have something to fly at Julian. In 1997, Charles Yeates sold his share to Phil Backman and Karl Robinson, the current owners (with Dick Vine.) Tim Hardy bought into the ship in January, 2000. (See Phil Backman’s interesting account of flying the Cirrus over the Northumberland Strait in 1994 - http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/BSC/peiphil.html.)

This glider was destroyed in a launch accident early in 2002.  Piloted by partner Karl Robinson, the glider accelerated to normal launch speed and, about 100 meters down the field, pitched up about 80deg., yawed and continued till inverted and flew into trees at about 60deg. nose down.  It appears that the pilot moved back in the seat due to a rapid transition to a steep climb. Contact with rudder controls was lost and forward stick motion was not possible from the rearward position.