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Thursday 7th August – Task Week starts here!

A pilot who landed at Wroughton
His fifty K thereby did shorten
His return to the fold was really quite bold
But the trailer was missing a portion

Well done Paul P for his earnest attempt at 50k, cut short but terminating in a safe field landing. The only casualty being the mudguard that parted company with the trailer somewhere on the way back.

Even more well done Rob Jarvis who completed his Silver Distance to Aston Down.

Equally well done Justin B for gaining Silver Height.

The ‘jam on it award’ went to potential new member Jeremy Knight who, on his third flight in a glider, flew 56k in the Puchacz.

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Wednesday 30th

I must be tough on Bill C – turn up at the airfield with a reasonable day in prospect to be faced with the dilemma “rig the Duo Discuss or the T21”.  On Wednesday the answer was “both”.

The day started blue, folks were staying airborne by stumbling into lift and working it.  Clouds did start to pop but going into a climb with an idea with where to head next mostly had to be revised as those clouds were no longer there.   Steve B downgraded his plan for a 300km in HZD down to 100km.  Mid afternoon conditions got significantly better – in fact about the time I returned in the LS3-17 to hand it to Colin B.  He then romped off around the Devizes/Wantage/Rivar 100km triangle.  That meant it was left to me to test fly the Vega which involved climbing to well over 3,000′, thermalling, spinning and side-slipping (all to the left and the right) all within 16 minutes.  Having helped rig 5 gliders and doing a stint on the winch Perer E returned from a 7 minute flight to discover HZD needed collected from Bidford.
22 hours flown off 25 launches with 4,000 being reported the highest ahieved.

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Sunday 3rd August

Busy day – several T/Ls plus returns, together with several recent new members – good to see!
Cloud base  later over 4000 feet. Jim managed 300 km (it was a Nimbus!) – Peterborough return; Phil and Carol did Bicester/Devizes. Ken P gallivanted around Wiltshire and Alan H landed out near Welbourne to ‘phone a friend’ to return him to the airfield  for a ‘selfie’ retrieve.
Locally, cloud base improved with very strong thermals AND over 6 knots sink. Later, mostly the latter curtailed flight times, although Richard with gliding visitor, Catherine, managed almost an hour for a tour of the area. Trevor, having driven all but 3 of the winch launches of the day also scratched away for a decent flight at the end of the day!
Bob