Once again the weather has surprised us. The morning looked bleak with the airfield blanketed in fog. However after lunch the ‘Sky Gods’ played ball and the kit was taken out. Unfortunately the strong winds were going to be too much for the K6, so only the two K21s were taken out. The full run of the airfield was used for launching giving the gliders a decent chance of a high launch.
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| Pot of gold (Mark Courtney) |
A weather flight delighted us with news the ridge was working in some quite challenging conditions. Most people were achieving launches of over 1500ft, and a mix of thermic and ridge activity gave some lovely extended flights. Jack Raybould and Stuart Procter encountered a genuine cable break on the south cable which unfortunately was put out of action. Mid-afternoon saw a shower heading for the North Hill which Mark and Simon managed to avoid. Before long a landing competition had developed and the Juniors competed for the smoothest and most precise approach and landing. To Charlie Stuckey’s misfortune, Josh Funnell buttered his landing and Dan Hender squeezed into second place for his approach.
Josh's approach (Sally Hender)
With the sun setting rapidly it became to bit too low and dazzling so the gliders were put away. This did unfortunately mean not everyone got to fly. Even though it wasn’t the longest day flying the challenging conditions taught everyone a lot. Lets hope for more great days on the ridge this autumn! - Jack Raybould
