The Jonker Sailplanes United Kingdom Club Class Nationals

~Nympsfield, 3rd – 11th August 2024~

Jonker Sailplanes proudly supported the Jonker Sailplanes United Kingdom Club Class Nationals held from 3^rd – 11^th August 2024 at Nympsfield Airfield, home of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club. There were 5 competition flying days out of a possible 9 flown in varied soaring conditions and over differing terrain.

**Left to Right: Jordan Johnson (best Junior, best First Time Entrant), Tom Arscott (2^nd), John Roberts (1st), Tim Fletcher (3^rd)**

The winner and new UK Club Class National Champion was former British Team pilot John Roberts flying an LS3. Second place was taken by the current world standard class champion Tom Arscott flying an LS7 with Tim Fletcher third also in an LS7. All three received hexagonal crystal trophies engraved with the Jonker Sailplanes name and logo courtesy of Jonker Sailplanes’ sponsorship.

**Left to Right: Tom Ascott (2^nd), John Roberts (1^st), Tim Fletcher (3^rd), Jordan Johnson (Best Junior, Best First Time Entrant)**

Jonker Sailplanes also sponsored two additional trophies: Best First Time Nationals entry and Best Junior. Both trophies were won by Jordan Johnson who flew his ASW20 into 4^th place overall – surely a name to watch for the future. Jordan was closely followed by three other Junior pilots in 5^th, 6^th and 7^th places overall.

Full details and score here: https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/club-nationals-2024/results

The Club Class features older sailplane designs that are no longer competitive in unrestricted FAI classes. They compete against each other using a handicapping system that compensates for performance differences between the different glider types making it a true test of relative pilot performance. The Club Class glider types have often filtered down through the gliding movement over the years as the original owners upgrade to newer designs and are typically very affordable making Club Class a great entry point for younger pilots into national and international competition. We hope to see many of the Club Class competitors upgrading to Jonker Sailplanes designs in the future and enjoying the benefits not only of cutting edge performance and handling but also the high level of safety and crash protection that all Jonker Sailplanes designs offer.

Article written by Andy Davis,
Sporting Director Jonker Sailplanes United Kingdom Club Class Nationals 2024.