Yes, there was some activity at Rivar Hill on Saturday. We rolled out JMX but only to find that an air brake fairing was loose. As Andy hadn’t finished the annual inspection on JPC, that could have been a show stopper, but fortunately Alan Pettitt was at hand and, following a trip to Kintbury to obtain the requisite equipment, he secured the fairing and declared it airworthy. Then having observed the ritual of towing the Land Rover round the park until it coughed into life we got on with the serious business of moving the winch.
Overnight frost had consolidated most of the mud and a light northerly drift meant not having to drag the winch down the hill, from whence its recovery would have been uncertain. So we elected to deploy a single winch cable lest the tow vehicle buried itself.
But in true Shalbourne spirit all was forgotten once flying commenced. We got in some well needed air time made even more enjoyable by Harris’s Smooth Winching Services. The Sun shone, we ate Rowland’s lardy cake, a flock of lapwings passed by and gliders were once again seen over the Downs.
Well one does have to finish on a lyrical note đ
