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Wednesday 27th March

It was soarable from 11:30 to 16:30 and Stephen had gone moving furniture to the Principality!

By 13:00 all seven aircraft were airborne (four club + HBO & CDF plus an impressive appearance of AP’s gleaming ASW 15).

A welcome absence of gliders

In the meantime Bob and I got stuck into a formidable flying list including three requests for last minute annual checks…… No further comment necessary!

Then I really got stuck in JPC. My recently returned parachute was, as usual left with the webbing hanging loose for adjustment. The ‘chute I was wearing had the strap on the main lift webbing hanging loose. As I attempted to exit the back seat, the end fold of the webbing caught under the trimmer wire (see pic) and I had to sit down again to release it. Thus chastened I folded the hanging straps and slid them into the elastic retainer. Just as well I didn’t have to step out in a hurry!

Hung up – wrong!

 

Looped – right!

We never stop learning!

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Same ol’, same ol’

Midweekers may be in danger of becoming a little blasé about clear blue skies and ridge winds, but Wednesday, despite the blue skies, didn’t quite live up to the previous two weeks. However, seagulls in the adjacent field provided some entertainment, following the plough before settling in a sunny hollow, then lifting as one into an unstable whisp, pushing forward to the ridge before returning to the ploughed furrows and then repeating the process.

Unfortunately all of this was happening below 200 feet, so not much use to us.

Weekend doesn’t promise much does it? Looks like good soaring might be had in the Bristol Channel though.

sea soar?
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A break in the weather

A brisk wind between fading Atlantic storms dried out the airfield and provided a welcome opportunity for flying in clear blue skies dotted with skipping white fluffy things. Even though only there for decorative purposes they did provide an incentive getting airborne.

Launches, proceeding with metronomic regularity, yielded three hours of airtime which would have been more impressive had there not been thirty of them. Anyway, some good training opportunities arose and some much needed currency was topped up. So the best was made of a short, sunny, cross windy day.

‘All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be’

JW landing in a rosy sunset and long shadows,
heralding the end of the last day day in November.

Stephen’s rare absence was apparently due to him being closeted with his accountant and dentist (hopefully not both at the same time). Thanks to Ken R and Peter E for helping me out in the back seat and organising JPC derig.


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When I were a lad…

All this youthful exuberance got me thinking back to days of sports cars, sans Mrs. B and sans mortgage. My first solo in a single-seater was a Slingsby Swallow at Kent Gliding Club in June 1972. Imagine my surprise when Alan P announced that he had located the same aircraft and was rebuilding it. Here it is 46 years later in its original livery with me on board and I’m very grateful to Alan and Paul for letting me fly her again.

I could never have imagined that I would still be so totally absorbed by gliding, so many years down the line.