Category: Flying Reports

What a difference to the previous Wednesday – thermic from the start.  Cloud base starting off three times higher than the previous week.  About a third of the 30 launches were an hour or more.  Jonty H reported a climb to 4,000 and Steve B took longest flight honours with just under 2 hours.  Jonty’s friend from Sydney experienced Aussie like climbs at 5 up on the average (a choper pilot who was a bit taken aback by nose down approach on finals).

Modest turnout for such a glorious day with only one private glider rigged but 3 folks turned up for Trial Lessons.  One who was, briefly, a member in 2006.  Also returning, after his recent enforced layoff, was our very own Colin B looking fit and well.  It took him very little time to organise the next grass cut (and clear some of the area).

This time  the “weather gods” did not smile on Wednesday.  Any other day of the week would have been a far better day to fly.  We were subject to a low cloud base (1,200′ and less at times) with a vicious crosswind.  Lessor aviators would have sat in the clubhouse drinking tea and complaining about the weather but not our hardy “Wednesday boys”.  Mind, there were fewer in attendance than usual.

Joint honours for longest flight of the day being taken by Tony P and Ken H.  At 10 minutes though they weren’t exactly “long”.  Instead of easing through the day the wind got more challenging in the afternoon.  It was then debatable whether we should continue with the Trial Lesson Evening that was booked in.  We waited a while before Nigel B and I took test flights and concluded the conditions had eased (less wind, higher cloud base) and we would press on.  Half the group had cycled from Newbury (and beyond) and went away with big smiles on their face and the hill heading down this time.  The organiser took the last flight and was rewarded with one of those rare opportunities of being launched above scattered cloud to be then able to look down on them and gently descend through the gaps in between.

Paul B took the first launch in the K8 and stayed airborne while others did circuits.  His 1:04 flight became the time to beat but no one got close to that until Charles McC clocked up an impressive 1:05.  Climbing faster in that first thermal than drifting west was not easy but even so about half the 22 launches managed to do so.  That included Peter E providing his grandson with a couple of flights as a post-exams reward.   Jeremy K thought taking a launch late afternoon would be a good move as the wind would abate.  Unfortunately, it didn’t and the last few flights of the day were decidedly lumpy.