A busy day at the Club today from start to finish with Gordon Hutchinson as AM Duty Launch Marshal being very organised to the extent that the ground equipment was out and ready by just after 8am - as various Instructors and other members continued to arrive, gliders were soon being brought out of the hangar.
And then the discussion started about which way the wind was currently blowing and in which direction it might blow during the day.... And then with a very light wind “sort of coming from the West” the decision was made - to set up the Launch Point in the North East corner of the airfield with the winch in the South West corner.
All the Club two seater gliders and a Junior had their daily inspections completed and were towed across to the Launch Point - and soon the day was underway with Josh Funnell and Charlie Stuckey being successfully checked out for solo flying.
And then the discussion started about which way the wind was currently blowing and in which direction it might blow during the day.... And then with a very light wind “sort of coming from the West” the decision was made - to set up the Launch Point in the North East corner of the airfield with the winch in the South West corner.
All the Club two seater gliders and a Junior had their daily inspections completed and were towed across to the Launch Point - and soon the day was underway with Josh Funnell and Charlie Stuckey being successfully checked out for solo flying.
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| North Hill (Mike Sloggett) |
And then just after a few flights with the wind settling down to a South Easterly direction the decision was made to change ends and set the Launch Point up in the North West corner of the airfield - gliders were towed down or landed at the other end and after a suitable delay flying started again.
And for a couple of hours progress was made with the flying list with Mike Rigby, Harry Rigby and Ross Pratt being put through their paces whilst various “Friends and Family” and Trial Lesson flights were completed by Peter Smith, Paul Summers and Mike Sloggett.
JB and Nick towed the Duo Discus (DD3) down and JB took to the air on an aerotow with a plan of testing the engine of the Duo Discus. Mark Courtney checked out Ellie Carter in the Falke on field landings.
And then the weather gods decided that too much progress was being made with the flying list and provided an opportunity to improve our previous “change ends time” from earlier in the day - with an evident wind direction of ‘somewhere from the South West to South’ it was clear that a move to the other end of the airfield was needed.
And for a couple of hours progress was made with the flying list with Mike Rigby, Harry Rigby and Ross Pratt being put through their paces whilst various “Friends and Family” and Trial Lesson flights were completed by Peter Smith, Paul Summers and Mike Sloggett.
JB and Nick towed the Duo Discus (DD3) down and JB took to the air on an aerotow with a plan of testing the engine of the Duo Discus. Mark Courtney checked out Ellie Carter in the Falke on field landings.
And then the weather gods decided that too much progress was being made with the flying list and provided an opportunity to improve our previous “change ends time” from earlier in the day - with an evident wind direction of ‘somewhere from the South West to South’ it was clear that a move to the other end of the airfield was needed.
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| Sea Air (Mike Sloggett) |
And once everything had been repositioned back to where it had been earlier in the day it was on with the flying list with Mike Thom and Emma Kendall continuing their training. Meanwhile the K6CR (DRE) was brought into use with Josh, Charlie and Ellie Carter sharing a Junior and the K6 between them. Various members had their first flights in the Perkoz during the afternoon and Ruth Comer demonstrated her skills in flying the DG505.
And then with the list completed and energy levels drained from a day in pleasant but warm sunshine on the airfield the final decision was made - to end flying for the day and put the gliders and ground equipment away.
There was just time for John Sillett to refresh his aerobatic skills in a K21 with Emma Kendall - “shame to waste the last cable” were John’s words...
A big thank you to everyone who worked hard through great teamwork to help others to get into the air today - in summary ‘A good day, no lift of any note but progress made by various members, some happy visitors and most importantly fun had by all’. - Mike Sloggett
And then with the list completed and energy levels drained from a day in pleasant but warm sunshine on the airfield the final decision was made - to end flying for the day and put the gliders and ground equipment away.
There was just time for John Sillett to refresh his aerobatic skills in a K21 with Emma Kendall - “shame to waste the last cable” were John’s words...
A big thank you to everyone who worked hard through great teamwork to help others to get into the air today - in summary ‘A good day, no lift of any note but progress made by various members, some happy visitors and most importantly fun had by all’. - Mike Sloggett
