Author: pete smith

A glorious September day, not a lot in the way of thermals but there were some around. Great views through crystal clear blue skies.

Congratulations to Sam Modern on going solo! The third SUGC solo within 4 weeks!

thanks to Adrian for winching all day, except when Richard let him out to go soaring at the end of the day.

In between Dakota’s continued attempts to teach his Dad to fly, he captured the following shot of the launch point complete with moody post processing.

What a contrast between the two days

On saturday 4 gliders averaged 300km flights, with 217, N and 737 all getting round tasks to the north west. 217 turned the Long Mynd while the others did a arrowhead to Great Malvern, Devizes and Birdlip. Nick in FNE did the same but didnt quite make it home landing at Liddington Castle completing 290km.

 

Sunday was an Easterly wind and very humid and overcast, some good training in quite tricky conditions before drizzle and a tail wind forced us to put the toys away. Not before rigging the loaned K8 though.

Hmmm Easterly, our second least favourite wind of all the winds.

Thankfully on both days a touch of north allowed us to launch until early afternoon by which time it slipped round to ESE (our least favourite wind of all the winds) and curtailed events on both days. It was soarable but difficult low down and you needed to be in the right place at the right time.

Jim and I managed a xc to Oxfordshire where conditions were worse but did find the bake-off tent on the way home.

 

For those mathematically inclined cloudbase through the day could modelled as a function of 1/x

For those less so, it started out with lovely blue skies and by the time we packed up it was c800feet cloudbase. Shame as the breeze was good for 2000feet launches! Well we managed to get everyone flown thanks to a prompt(ish) start.

Caption competition….