Winch cable changed
Soaring done
Nimbus fettled*
Managed to only spend 2 figures at the garden centre*
Roast dinner*
What did you do?
(* only Claire and Pete)
Saturday 3rd
Bank Holiday weekends often suffer from a lack of members and this one likely to be more so with the returning expedition participants needing to replenish brownie points. Certainly, there were only a few of us there to setup. However, shortly after toys ready and in the right place there was an influx and I had a long list of those looking for the services of an instructor. I took the first launch (with a TL) – straight off the launch into a thermal to 3,000′ and that’s the way it seemed to work for most flights. Most training flights were half an hour of soaring followed by creative (and instructive) ways to remove surplus height. A few launches found the sink between the thermals resulting in circuit (Bill O claiming the prize for finding most impressive sink with a 4 minute circuit off a 1,400’launch).
We only managed to fly because Steve B was prepared to winch all day with Richard D pitching in so that Steve could at least get a flight. Richard, Bob B and Ken R helped me work through the instruction list, without their help some folks would not have got to fly.
One Wyvern pilot appeared with his Nimbus 2A with Upavon being closed. He took longest flight of the day honours of 2:34.
Of the 4 hangar flights 3 took an hour or more. 21 hours flown off 27 launches with a cloud base of up to 3,900.
Sunday 4th May (meanwhile – back at the ranch)
With precious few people operating on the ground, only the tireless efforts of Steve G on the winch and Pablo at one time both retrieving cables and operating the signals ensured we all got airborne – and for the most part stayed airborne. Gliders were launched and stayed that way for extraordinarily long times. I’ve never seen a day with so few launches and so many hours. Selvam and Graham got priority launches and duly achieved their target one and two hour flights as planned – well done both. Then two Nimbuses (ii?) flown by Jim and a visitor from Upavon, me in the LS3 and two Kens in the Duo got aloft to tour the countryside for a few hours.
Meanwhile DI Richard gave extended instructional flights to all and sundry, with soaring still active until the last glider was derigged.
The kind of day we all dream about.
Club exped – last report
As I write this most members who came up to Portmoak are now back down south. Trevor and I are towing the remaining gliders back later today but so just time for a quick update covering the last few days of flying.
On Thursday the rain finally stopped around 5.30 and with the local evening flying group cancelled it was down to Shalbourne to run the airfield. With the aid of the professional winch driver and the rest of us manning the launch point Nigel took the Vega up for a 8 minute circuit swiftly followed by James who contacted a patch of lift which enabled him to stay up for 10 mins.
After the early low cloud cleared Friday turned out to be a reasonable day
and both Nigel and Paul both had their first flight in a Junior. Nigel remarked that with Paul flying it should be called a Senior!
All in all a great week and I’m sure we will be back 🙂
