A busy day at the Club today, with a good weather forecast encouraging a number of pre- and post- solo members to fill up the flying list(s) well before 9am.
With Simon Leeson, as Duty Instructor, leading members well, all Club gliders and the winch were ready for launching to start before 10am, with a light North/North West wind seeing the launch point set up in the South East corner of the airfield.
With various other Instructors helping out with two-seater flights and with everyone present working well together to launch and retrieve gliders, the flying list made steady progress during the morning.
With Simon Leeson, as Duty Instructor, leading members well, all Club gliders and the winch were ready for launching to start before 10am, with a light North/North West wind seeing the launch point set up in the South East corner of the airfield.
With various other Instructors helping out with two-seater flights and with everyone present working well together to launch and retrieve gliders, the flying list made steady progress during the morning.
 |
| K21 on tow over dusty brown Devon fields (Peter Smith) |
There were various Trial Lesson visitors and Friends & Family flights completed as the day unfolded and with sufficient members keen to help others to get into the air, flying continued through lunch, which meant that by the end of the day the flying list had been all but completed.
Geoff Lawrence (Pegase HES), John Pursey (Lak HOG), Andrew Logan (ASW15 FMS). Simon Minson (ASW20 SM), Phil Morrison/Stirling Melhuish (Duo Discus DD3) all rigged and flew.
Geoff Lawrence (Pegase HES), John Pursey (Lak HOG), Andrew Logan (ASW15 FMS). Simon Minson (ASW20 SM), Phil Morrison/Stirling Melhuish (Duo Discus DD3) all rigged and flew.
With Simon Minson on the Club 100 and John Pursey completing 177kms Tiverton, Yeovil, Crediton.
After a morning of high top cover cloud late morning the day started to look more interesting with odd blue thermals and distant cumulus clouds suggesting an afternoon of good soaring.
However as is often the case, whether it was a Club or private glider being flown pilots were either fortunate to find a thermal off the winch launch or unfortunate to find the heavy sink instead - when the Duo Discus (DD3) was heard to start it’s “iron thermal” not long after a winch launch one member was heard to comment ‘well, if they have had to start their engine what hope have I got?’
No surprise that gliders launched behind the Pawnee had much better likelihood of finding the elusive thermals and by late afternoon the sky had returned to that seen during the morning with little help, lift wise, being provided to gliders winch launching.
After a morning of high top cover cloud late morning the day started to look more interesting with odd blue thermals and distant cumulus clouds suggesting an afternoon of good soaring.
However as is often the case, whether it was a Club or private glider being flown pilots were either fortunate to find a thermal off the winch launch or unfortunate to find the heavy sink instead - when the Duo Discus (DD3) was heard to start it’s “iron thermal” not long after a winch launch one member was heard to comment ‘well, if they have had to start their engine what hope have I got?’
No surprise that gliders launched behind the Pawnee had much better likelihood of finding the elusive thermals and by late afternoon the sky had returned to that seen during the morning with little help, lift wise, being provided to gliders winch launching.
 |
| Packing up after a long hot day (Mike Sloggett) |
But overall whilst a long hot day today there were plenty of (tired) smiles and happy faces, thank you to all those who worked away all day in the hot and humid conditions to get others into the air...-Mike Sloggett
