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Wednesday 30th

I must be tough on Bill C – turn up at the airfield with a reasonable day in prospect to be faced with the dilemma “rig the Duo Discuss or the T21”.  On Wednesday the answer was “both”.

The day started blue, folks were staying airborne by stumbling into lift and working it.  Clouds did start to pop but going into a climb with an idea with where to head next mostly had to be revised as those clouds were no longer there.   Steve B downgraded his plan for a 300km in HZD down to 100km.  Mid afternoon conditions got significantly better – in fact about the time I returned in the LS3-17 to hand it to Colin B.  He then romped off around the Devizes/Wantage/Rivar 100km triangle.  That meant it was left to me to test fly the Vega which involved climbing to well over 3,000′, thermalling, spinning and side-slipping (all to the left and the right) all within 16 minutes.  Having helped rig 5 gliders and doing a stint on the winch Perer E returned from a 7 minute flight to discover HZD needed collected from Bidford.
22 hours flown off 25 launches with 4,000 being reported the highest ahieved.

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Sunday 3rd August

Busy day – several T/Ls plus returns, together with several recent new members – good to see!
Cloud base  later over 4000 feet. Jim managed 300 km (it was a Nimbus!) – Peterborough return; Phil and Carol did Bicester/Devizes. Ken P gallivanted around Wiltshire and Alan H landed out near Welbourne to ‘phone a friend’ to return him to the airfield  for a ‘selfie’ retrieve.
Locally, cloud base improved with very strong thermals AND over 6 knots sink. Later, mostly the latter curtailed flight times, although Richard with gliding visitor, Catherine, managed almost an hour for a tour of the area. Trevor, having driven all but 3 of the winch launches of the day also scratched away for a decent flight at the end of the day!
Bob

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Saturday 26th

A good day was anticipated and 6 private gliders rigged.  However, they sat on the ground for the first 3 hours as club gliders mostly doing circuits.  The exception was Nigel B who was the only one to soar (not once but twice).  Then Paul P launched in the club K8 and just kept going up and up.

Paul P’s progress attracting interest

That provided the trigger for the private gliders to launch.  Lots of soaring for the next 3 hours.  Carol P and Phil M claimed longest flight honours with 3:19.  Having been once round the Wantage/Devizes/Rivar triangle they decided to do it a second time but faster.  Climbs to 5,600′ were on offer and some tasty streets available.
We were pleased to welcome Ben P who turned up for a Trial Lesson and joined on the spot.  Nigel gave him a taste of soaring which included seeing his home in Hungerford from the Puchacz.
It was the last chance to see an old familiar friend on the horizon – Didcot cooling towers.  In the early hours of Sunday 3 of the towers were demolished.