Exploits of our Forefathers

By John Bayliss

Aged 90, James Ralph Court DFC ADC RNZAF (Ret) passed away peacefully 2 June 2010. He achieved Gold C No.2 (Dick Georgeson has No.1) and 3 diamonds.

Ralph joined the RNZAF in 1940, and flew Kittyhawks in combat in the Pacific region, completing his service in 1945 as Commanding Officer of No.22 Squadron flying Corsairs. His DFC was awarded later that year at the age of 25.

On the other side of the globe, the UK furniture factory Elliots of Newbury had been converted to produce such iconic aircraft as the Hurricane, Spitfire, Mosquito and the troop carrying Horsa gliders. At war’s end its workforce was kept engaged churning out non-military gliders. Renamed the Olympia, these were a beefed-up version of the German designed 15m Meise (Tomtit) that had been selected as the one-class glider to take part in the planned 1940 Summer Olympics. Due to the war that event had been cancelled.

In its day the Olympia was the epitome of streamlined beauty, however the glide was fairly challenging at 25:1. Lorne Welch had test flown all of the Elliots of Newbury (EoN) gliders. Spoilt for choice Ralph hand-picked the glider with the best test results for shipment to NZ. And the price was very good – lots of gliders, few customers. In 1950 this EoN Olympia 2B (091) – the fixed undercarriage variant – was the first glider registered in NZ: ZK-GAA. The glider was jointly owned by Gordon Hookings and Ralph. Their quest for 3 diamonds began in earnest.

Gliding activities did not fit comfortably with the post-war aviation regulations and CAA needed guidance. The idea that Gliding could be an independent self governing body operating to a mutually agreed set of rules would be proposed to CAA. Having rejoined the Territorial Air Force (1952-55, latterly as Aide de Camp to the Governor General) the much-respected Ralph teamed up with George Bolt – charismatic aircraft technical engineer without equal – and Gordon Hookings, who drafted the embryo Manual of Approved Procedures. With Ralph as Chairman, Gordon as Secretary and George as Technical Officer the NZ Gliding Association

was formed and CAA accepted the structure as proposed.

Training in primary gliders, student pilots were effectively flying solo from day one. Prangs were inevitable and frequent. As Auckland’s CFI and President, Ralph was adamant that the Club urgently address the problem with a two-seat trainer. He inspired the Club to purchase a kitset Slingsby T31. The fuselage was built in Wynn Craven’s garage, the wings in the Airplane Services hangar at Mangere (courtesy of Doug Greig) and the tail-plane built in a jig nailed to the floor of Ralph Court’s lounge. After some 2000 hours of Club labour and George Bolt’s progress inspections the glider was launched with great ceremony in June of 1952 at Mangere, now the site of Auckland International Airport. Of course, the test pilot was Ralph.

Having trained many an airman in ‘blind’ flying, Ralph was accomplished at the art of cloud flying. Intent on a badge height gain he tested his skills in a thunderstorm, making front-page news in the Auckland Star 23 October 1956. Scary.

As glider designs evolved Ralph held strong views that the playing field had become increasingly tilted in favour of those with the deepest pockets. He also felt ever more disappointed that modern gliders were making something of a mockery of the much higher skill levels required to achieve a given badge distance or height gain in the relatively low performance early gliders. Looking for new challenges Ralph moved on to enjoy two-dimensional sailing in latter years.

Notes View on YouTube; First glider registered in New Zealand 1950. EoN Olympia 2B: ZK-GAA Gordon Hookings pilot. Filmed and narrated by Wynn Craven. View on YouTube; Test flight of Auckland Gliding Clubs first two-seat trainer Slingsby T31 ZK-GAD in 1952. Test pilot Ralph Court. Also auto-tow launch at Ardmore. Filmed and narrated by Wynn Craven. Author John Bayliss, with grateful thanks to Ron Meadows for photos and information, and to Wynn Craven for video clips from his collection of movies “Early Gliding in New Zealand”