Author: Blogger

It was the first day for a while it was good enough to go XC, Saturday too was OK but I was working.
Jim was flying the Nimbus so we agreed on a short XC; Elkstone Sackville Ashbusy and back home.
Just over 300km.
Now just to get things straight, it’s as well not to try to keep up with Jim Clarke, he’s actually really very good. Next don’t try to keep up with a Nimbus in an LS7, especially when flown by James Clarke, see previous sentence….
It was difficult conditions with the occasional cumulus popping, but get it wrong and by the time you got to the thermal it was collapsing. The working height was around 3,500 MSL give or take a little and it was slow going.
We both took the first two turn points but then the air seemed to collapse around me which, at this time was about 4pm. Struggling I got past Milton Keynes only to land straight into a field of ling grass and clover.
The people were lovely and very helpful but it was still about eighty miles from home. Have I ever said what a terrific guy Richard Dann is??? He turned up a few hours later with my trailer and helped me fetch the glider out of the field.
We got to Rivar at about 10pm and we didn’t even get to have some food.
Richard I owe you a big fat pint and a meal.
Jim got back due to superior piloting and bloody long wings. Mostly piloting to be fair.
My ClearNav shut down and wouldn’t start just past Sackville so I was reliant on chart and Oudie, god bless redundancy in moving maps!
I also tried my latest pee system. Why I don’t just urinate myself and save with all the flipping faffing I just don’t know.
So once again I didn’t get back but it wasn’t easy at all. Should I give up or keep trying, just harder?
See you up the field!

The last day before the green mist descended and stops us getting too high for a month.  The Olympic map came into force the day before but the zone limiting our vertical progression only came into force on the 16th – phew!  Not only was it a flyable day (not something we’ve been able to take for granted this “summer”) but climbs to 4,500 were available – if you launched at the right time.  A very cyclic day, only 10 of the 40 flights managed more than half an hour.  Four private gliders rigged (Janus, Duo Discuss, LS7 and the Nimbus) and were all reward with extended flights – though, most had more than one attempt to get away.  The exception was Jim C in the Nimbus who disappeared off for the best part of 3 hours – no idea where he got to.
At the end of the day we made the mistake of asking Trevor G to take the last launch to get the Vega to the top end of the field.  Off the wire and away he went.  With the aid of airbrakes he returned 20 minutes later to report the last cycle of the weather and it was now booming – he knew we were all standing around the hangar waitng so kerbed his natural instinct to soar.

On Friday Peter kindly brought his crane along to the airfield and we transferred the Tost winch from the back of the bus onto the new trailer. Thanks are also due to Colin for his help.

A really big ‘well done’ to Liz sparrow who won her recent competition.

You’re a super star!!!