Author: Blogger

…in spite of the hour change, it still wasn’t fully light…..the field was so quiet it was spooky…but wait… what are those shadowy figures I see waiting at at the gate as I arrive?

Are they the ghosts of trial lessons past?

The undead (now then, now then!) waiting tirelessly for soarable weather?

Zombie ab initios marching inexorably towards the duty instructor baying for blood?

Souls of long departed glider pilots who roam the world restlessly howling for the days before the malign god EASA ruled the skies, sucking the heart out of our thermals?

Or have the committee just let the grass get a little too long?

Thanks to Chris for making me laugh out loud when I arrived in the gloom of this morning to see the lights flickering in their eyes.

Again a lovely autumn weekend day with thermals and a light northerly wind. A quiet start suggested sunday lie-ins but the launch point got progressively busier. 185 was the only private glider to rig but the club gliders were kept busy with soaring, annual checks and beginner lessons. Colin repaired the “new” Pajero so we are back to a full compliment of vehicles.

Another splendid day for October. No private owners rigged, but the four club aircraft were kept busy, amassing over 11hrs between them off their 24 launches, reaching over 4000ft again.

It was great to find two new members at the launch point as we walked the gliders down. We’d thought that we’d only need one two-seater but that soon changed with Peter Elison easily distracted from removing sheep ‘residue’ from the private Puchacz to fly one of the new members and a couple of trial lessons.

Rob Jarvis and Chris Keating had decided it would be a Ka8 day and Rob duely proved it with the longest flight of the day with an hour and seven minutes. Meanwhile Graham Tanner took me to cloudbase at 4000′ above ground where it was distinctly chilly. Well it is October.

I could have done without encountering the wing of the Puchacz on my way out of the hanger at the end of the day. Many thanks to those who patched me up. You’ll be pleased to hear the wing was completely unharmed.