Ron and Muggles flew the ASH first thing, exploring the rather elusive wave, only coming down for lunch.
Rowan and Henry got checked out and Ian Hunt had a fantastic flight all with Mark C in the DG. It was Ian's first ever experience of real ridge running and how he grinned.
A decaying cold front brought heavy rain over lunchtime with gusts and high winds for a very short period, after which the air cleared for a fantastic afternoon. Unfortunately, James was over three hours into his five hour attempt when the rain hit, full credit for landing and not trying to sit it out in the air.
Paul Summers got checked in our DG with Muggles, taking the chance to rig and fly his new toy, the Cirrus (477) and his grin was even cheesier than Ian's!
The professional winch driver was due to finish his normal duties at 17:00 which caused a frantic scramble at the launch point. Ian and Mark has the penultimate launch at 16:55, Paul Summers launching at 17:00! They were all rewarded with booming ridge lift late into the evening.
Rowan Smith in the Junior
with Dan Johns and Simon Minson in the background
Rowan (KHA) and Henry (HRG, Portmoak's Junior) had launched much earlier and were keen to out stay each other in the air. They both found the ridge would consistently save them from wave seeking attempts, with lift in the bowls exceeding a very weak 6 knots! After the last thermals decayed both guys found wave to 4,000 ft at 1-2 knots. Stunning views over the Scottish highlands with the setting sun.
What an awesome start to the week. Rain forecast tomorrow at some stage, we might be off to a well earned rest in Edinburgh. It's a hard life. More to follow...
Bishop
Sun setting over Lock Leven
