Sun 4th May

 With a call out last night advising of no instructor for the majority of the day, there were only six hopeful names on the two-seater list. Thanks to Ian Mitchell for  offering to run the field, and JB arrived at about 10.30am having missed all last night's messages, which meant hopes were raised as he agreed to instruct instead of flying DD3 as planned, - thank you both. The airfield was then set up, with aerotow only, due to lack of experienced members to run the winch,  (Tuggie Robert Lee was pleased about that!) This also meant the three booked trial flights could be flown by Shaun Dayman, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed their flights. 

The Pundits line up on the grid (Sally Hender)

 Flying began at 12pm, with the new Junior members flying first, staying at the club the night before to get to the top of the list is a good idea it seems!
Private owners, Pete Startup (230), Simon Minson (SM) and Dan Hender (JDP) set off just after lunch on the Club task…. Out and Return to Salisbury 212kms. 

JDP arriving back (Sally Hender)

"JDP - What a day, not as good as it looked, it was hard work. Good run out to Salisbury, then a hard leg back, with limited sun on the ground. Overall difficult flight but managed 75kph" - Dan Hender

Other owners took the opportunity for local soaring: Phil and Gill Morrison (DD3), Barbie Fairclough (DFK), Paul Medlock (JDD) and Alan Rappaport (FWH) .. after helping with the tug duty.

Ian Mitchell arrived to help instructing mid-afternoon, and James Flory also popped across, and after getting clearance from Mrs F, stepped in and helped instruct (and tug too!). JB was then able to take his opportunity to fly DD3 with Phil Morrison.

Overall, from what seemed like an unlikely day to succeed, we managed to fly everyone on the list. A big thank you to Gordon Hutchinson and Rob Hender who did an exceptional job running the airfield, neither of whom actually flew, thank you. - Sally Hender

Sat 3rd May

 Today looked to be another good opportunity to get some more flying in.  The kit was all out and checked by the 9:20am as requested.

James Flory carried out the morning briefing as he was kindly filling in the Duty Instructor role due to illness.  The busy clubhouse then partially emptied and flying commenced at the west end of the airfield. It was great to see many newer faces on site today.

As it was my first full duty as DSGC launch marshal, I was keen to do my best and help to get everyone flown. However at times it felt like this - But Blindfolded!

juggling everything 

…..But with a mix of training, check flights, card renewals, and spinning, it kept everyone busy.

We were grateful that Peter Smith supported James with some extra capacity for more instructional flights during the day, a super effort by all.
Dan Hender, Tom Sides and Stuart Procter flew the visitors today, as well as some friends and family flights. All seemed to have a good time. Thanks guys. 

Ellis Goodland - first taste of gliding (Lisa Humphries)

The new Junior members started training on the ground tasks at the west end, while at the east end, a big thanks goes to Gordon Hutchinson for super-long winching stints in order to allow even more training. Two more winch drivers signed off.
Hopefully the more people we get signed off on all the tasks, the more we will all collectively gain. Good progress today, keep it up.  

 Special mention to Joel Roulson, as he managed to do stints in Launch control and then the winch, as well as flying the Junior for 45min, and also to James for instructing all day. Great work thanks.

Good to see Mark C at the club again, as the CFI , he put in a stint in the K21 with Simon Leeson flying back seat, and then was seen flying the tug!  Great news. 

CFI back in the air (Rich Roberts)

 
So what about soaring opportunities? Depending on the time you launched it was either very good locally or you found nothing but down.
Josh Howlett having resoloed on Thursday, then followed up completing his 1st 1hour flight.

A day that was hard work in the air trying to soar, and a busy day on the ground trying to get into the groove and make the logistics all gel. A demanding day, but we got there….lets do it all again.

- Rich Roberts (ed: and a big thank you to Rich on his first DLM duty and he did it all day without flying - magnificent job!)

Fri 2nd May

 The last day of the  Club Open Week looked like it was going to be the best day of the week. It had potential with a high RASP star rating but it didn't really deliver what was expected. On the plus side, there were some clouds, but on the down side the viz was initially poor, so longer than usual waiting times between launches were called for. Fortunately, some hardly noticed the difference!

Despite the favourable forecast there was only a handful of members present at the morning briefing which resulted in decision to aerotow-only for the day. The first flight launched from the east end for a change but it was quickly changed to the west end due to the tail wind.

 

Waiting for aerotows (Mark Layton)

Mike Sloggett, James Flory and Andy Pincombe had to share the limited number of training flights (Andy mainly, as Mike had to leave early and James flew the EuroFox most of the day sharing a few tows with Robert Lee). The rest of the crew wanted to fly their own gliders  Pete Startup 230, Dave Perriam DG1, Shaun Dayman JDD, Ashley Thomas 877, Mark Layton 477 and Chris Woodward HKB. Some had more success than others, the thermals were difficult to find let alone keep in for any length of time. 

 

After another hot day (yes it is still the first days of May after all) everyone seemed quite glad when we finished and packed everything away at 16:30 before retreating to the clubhouse for cold drinks.

A huge thanks goes to Mike who drove up from Plymouth everyday to keep the Open Week running whilst being assisted by various other instructors. - Mark Layton

Thur 1st May

It was one of those days when it was probably better going to the beach or sitting in a pub garden with a nice cold beer! But alas there were a large number of members at the morning briefing (expertly presented by Shaun Dayman as part of his instructor training) that thought going gliding would be a far better option.

The persistent south easterly weather system this week did not produce much, as predicted today. Circuits were what we expected and that was what we got. Even the aerotows didn't fair much better. Mike Sloggett assisted by James Flory worked through the very long two-seater list with various training requests. 

Congratulations to Josh Howlett (Mike Sloggett)

 Congratulations to Josh Howlett who was put through his paces with launch failures sending him to different locations around the airfield before completing his first solo at North Hill, and promptly followed it up with a second. This was some 20 years after his previous gliding at Nympsfield. 

A short grid  and short flights (David Clements)

DG1 (Dave Perriam), 877 (Ashley Thomas), FUN (Andy Williams) and FAJ (John Borland) all flew their own gliders, but unfortunately the flight times were still all relatively short. 

Great shot (David Clements)

 
As packing-up time approached the R151 cub arrived to allow a new syndicate member to get signed off for towing. Various members obliged and carried on into the evening.

A busy day with plenty of launches making the most of hot conditions left everyone happy to have flown. - Mark Layton

April 2025 - Portmoak

With only two gliders Cirrus, CEC  with Guy Adams and Mark  Wallis and ASH 711  with Ron and Dan  Johns,  the North Hill contingent was a rather thin ! But so far we have flown 4 days with a great potential for Friday. Portmoak offering such a fabulous mixture of wave, ridge and volcanic thermals on Wednesday with a 6000ft cloudbase. 

Majestic ASH25 711 (Dan Johns)

 

The club has been amazing helping us to get launched everyday even though now no professionals are employed. Ron even took an aerotow behind the smaller engine EuroFox 120 hp . In no wind and 27 degrees . I can honestly say I recognised every tree and swan around the Loch, but it does mean with a headwind it would be fine ish ! 

Scottish Hills (Dan Johns)

Mark had his first land out at Balado, which has upped his confidence ( if anyone has a used electronic gizmo he needs it ! ) We have another visit in September - let me know if members want to tag along. It’s a fabulous place to learn with a huge easy airfield and two amazing mountains to soar. - Ron Johns

Wed 30th April

Hot and sunny was the forecast and that was what we got. The wind varied from the predictions, less in strength and often in direction but not so as to interrupt proceedings. There was lift from the off but not consistently so. Many had  extended flights some up to and over the hour. 

 

Lining up (John Allan)

 
Spin and upper air checks for Andy Williams and Mike Horwood were among the first and well done both. 

 

North Hill looking serene (Peter Smith)

 
 
Nick Harrison achieved 66mins in K21 HCX and Sandy Harrup 60mins in Junior FZF.  Andy Davey’s first flight in Ventus JB was 80mins from an aerotow followed by 37mins using the engine for the first time.  

 

A race? to the other end (John Allan)

 
Gliders were hangar landed and put to bed soon after 17:00 with everyone feeling the effects of the unaccustomed long hot day. 34 winch launches and 4 aerotows - Peter Smith

Tues 29th April

A plethora of activity on the airfield today despite what one photograph might suggest and not least of all thanks to a substantially better turn out than yesterday. Stu Proctor arrived courtesy of the Cub and took CFI Mark Courtney for a jolly. Nick Harrison also popped in for lunch in the RF5. And in the not so distant background could be heard the very distinctive sound of the Merlin engine from the Spitfire currently flying from Dunkeswell. No fly past unfortunately.

 

North Hill 's Got Talent Judging Panel (Ashley Thomas)

Chris Woodward was having some refresher winch driver training with Dave Periam and John Borland completed his training in the Perkoz now cleared to fly it from the back seat. 

R151 (Shaun Dayman)

Wall to wall sunshine and blue skies albeit not a great day for any prolonged soaring. Neverless plenty of training was had with potential for a first solo later this week ... well at least first solo in a glider anyway. Watch this space. - Shaun Dayman

Mon 28th April

 Despite the forecast for sunny blue skies and flyable weather the Clubhouse was rather quiet first thing.

With the arrival of our visitors from Dartmoor Gliding Society to continue their Instructor training alongside Shaun Dayman from DSGC, and with no immediate plans to start flying, primarily due to limited numbers, Mark Courtney was soon putting our visitors through their paces - with Gavin Short from DGS being given the opportunity to complete the Daily Briefing to those present.

Gavin giving the Daily Briefing (Mike Sloggett)

The morning continued with theory briefings being demonstrated to / completed by / discussed with Shaun, Gavin, Phil Hardwick and Scratch Hitchen to Mark and other DSGC members and with the simulator soon also being brought into use.

 

Theory Briefings (Mike Sloggett)

With an expectation of more members arriving to take advantage of the good weather both K21s and a Junior had been brought out of the hangar and canopy covers put on to protect the instruments in the now warm sunshine. Alan Rappaport had also brought the EuroFox out of its hangar with it being evident that if any flying took place it would likely be aerotow only. 

Aerotow only (Mike Sloggett)

 At lunchtime, there was enough interest to get flying underway, the only question then was whether to launch from the East end and avoid a long walk to the East end - despite the best handkerchief skills being used the wind direction was a tad challenging to work out. So the first few launches were completed from the East end and then with the wind having evidently more East to it the remainder of the launches were undertaken from the West end.

 

Dave had a couple of flights (Mike Sloggett)

Dave Perriam (DG1) took the opportunity to take his glider for a couple of flights and Ashley Thomas flew the Junior whilst Mike Sloggett and Andy Pincombe completed some currency and training flights. Martin Woolner provided Gavin with the opportunity to practice his aerotow training patter.

Alan kindly allowed Mark to regain some currency by flying  with Ian Mitchell in the EuroFox for some circuits and then gave the tug up for the rest of the afternoon allowing Stu Procter to do the final tow of the day.

Not as many flights as one might have expected in this fine weather but as ever the most was made of the day  others for getting us in the air (you know who you are)! - Mike Sloggett

Sun 27th April

  Even with the morning briefing at 9.30am, the gliders and Launchpoint had already been taken out to the East end, set up and DI’d. So it was short work to get the winch setup and members across to the launch as soon as the briefing was complete. 

Duty Instructor, Mike Sloggett, assisted by James Flory and Simon Leeson started the (short) two-seater list at 10:15am, Rob Hender getting the fun of spinning after a delicious fry-up courtesy of Vicki (North Hill Cafe). 

Paul Summers looked after the two booked trial flight visitors and families, with the extremes in age of 14 years old (coming back next week) and an 82 year old! Both went away smiling. 

Cheryl Smith kept the airfield in order for her DLM duty, Stirling taking over for the pm duty. Private owners, Trevor Russell (877), Robert Lee (DKU), John Borland (FAJ), Richard Roberts (V5) and Shaun Dayman (JDD) all taking their turns to find the improving lift as the day progressed and the convergence moved north, as the sea air arrived. 

 

Birthday girl Sally going for a flight or 3 (Rob Hender)

Mike took me for a ‘Birthday’ flight, thank you 🎂. Flying continued, some pilots getting a second chance to launch. Everything was packed away by 5:30pm, and then tea and cake were enjoyed in the clubhouse. - Sally Hender (birthday girl)

Sat 26th April

 After the midweek club days gave flyable but just short flights on both days, it was hoped that there might be a change in the weather after the fronts  on Friday and a returning back to high pressure.....

Wednesday showing the daisies (Ashley Thomas)

Just the two of us decided to fly today!
 
Well, just Dan really! Having got JDP back from Target Aviation at Nympsfield, having had the worst of the osmosis on the wings sorted out.  

Rob in FZF - (Sally Hender)

 

I just took a launch in FZF to make it worth the duty tuggy getting the Fox out! (Thanks Mr Leeson). In fairness Ian  Mitchell flew SC (no surprises there) and Simon & Dave Weeks had a jolly in the Fox as it was out.
 
I managed to keep the Junior airborne for a whole 25 minutes off an aerotow, and Dan did 31 mins in JDP. So not a huge amount going on in the air, but we didn’t expect it, we just fancied a quick float around.

Thanks to Dave Weeks for DI’ing FZF for me (I really ought to learn) and the others for getting us in the air (you know who you are)! - Rob Hender