For the third day in a row blue skies with a favourable wind direction and strength meant there were many optimistic discussions taking place over breakfast as to what the day might hold.
With a Southerly wind the launch point was set up in the middle of the North end of the field to provide landing areas either side and flying was under way mid-morning with a steady stream of DSGC private gliders being towed across for launching - and most stayed where they had been towed as the sky provided little encouragement of lift of any sort and with insufficient Westerly wind component for the ridge to work.
During the morning various DSGC members completed check flights or simply flew their gliders to build experience of flying at The Mynd and then a stop for lunch was called.
Over lunch the sky began to encourage enthusiasm and as is often the case with a gliding site once a couple of members decided to launch into a sky suggesting some thermal activity but potentially wave even more so suddenly the launch point became rather busy.
With a Southerly wind the launch point was set up in the middle of the North end of the field to provide landing areas either side and flying was under way mid-morning with a steady stream of DSGC private gliders being towed across for launching - and most stayed where they had been towed as the sky provided little encouragement of lift of any sort and with insufficient Westerly wind component for the ridge to work.
During the morning various DSGC members completed check flights or simply flew their gliders to build experience of flying at The Mynd and then a stop for lunch was called.
Over lunch the sky began to encourage enthusiasm and as is often the case with a gliding site once a couple of members decided to launch into a sky suggesting some thermal activity but potentially wave even more so suddenly the launch point became rather busy.
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| Is that Mark in the 20? (Mike Sloggett) |
But with The Mynd retrieve winch in full flow, and with good team work from Midland GC members and DSGC members, soon the gliders were being rapidly launched into the air with wave being contacted initially and then with the wind going round to West as the wave diminished the ridge started to work.
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| Wave up to 5100ft (Mike Sloggett) |
And then the wind went back round to more of a Southerly direction which meant that the wave re-started, just when George V and Mike Sloggett launched in the DG505 - much to the delight (annoyance really) of the other DSGC members as slowly but surely the DG505 climbed in the wave to 5100', the highest George has been in a glider to date. Several hours later and George's smile can still be seen from some way away.... Mike Sloggett
