Sun 11th April

With RASP forecasting good things and Ron calling for a tug pilot to be available, a skeleton motley band of optimistic die hards met at the frigid club. They were presented with huge over-development to the west and low scud crossing the field. So maybe the forecast was wrong, this time. Maybe it was a day for home DIY? Still we had some moaning to do and that would occupy us to see how the day would unfold.

RASP - Star Rating @1pm 

With James F and Peter W wanting to fill their boots with tugging there was a call at 11am to send up a sacrificial lamb. Rowan S obliged and took the first tow into a sky that still hadn't made up its mind what it wanted to be.

Ron explaining that 1976 was the last best summer

Rowan S (Libelle) went west - at first happy just to be in the air and hadn't planned on a task found the conditions to be sublime. Each cloud told the truth and gave consistent lift each time. The sky slowly decided that it was going to yield a very promising day so he turned a bumble into an out and return to Eaglescott (NHL - EAG - NHL). Along the way was greeted with sub zero degree conditions and some 8 knot average climbs.

Rowan S - Out and Return to Eaglescott Trace

Ron and Dan (ASH 25), Pete S (Discus), Eric (ASG 29), Phil M (Duo Discus) and Simon M (ASW 20) all headed east to complete the club 100 (NH2 - TIV - CRK - NH2) - They were met with stonking lift, showers and snow. They all made the grade. Pete S arrived back not satiated and attempted a second run but was met with enough showers that would have turned the club one hundred into 300 km triangle.

Pete S - Club 100 Trace

Robert L (Astir) took advantage of the extraordinary powerful lift for a 2 hour local romp before a short layoff due to a forthcoming eye surgery.

Thanks to James F and Peter W for getting us aloft. Glen, Ruth and the Hender's for running the field. - Rowan

Condor Racing

For those who are still having to enjoy the virtual world of flying, Stewart had set an interesting task taking off at Usk and flying through inactive Cardiff airspace to cross the Bristol Channel and then via Wimbleball to North Hill. 112 Kms but with a light north westerly wind and a generous cloudbase and strong thermals, and there were no snow showers in the virtual world!

 With 8 starters, Dan, Chris, Simon and Pete were the early leaders, and providing a climb to cloudbase was made before crossing the water, it proved a good run for all, with Dan fastest at 149.3kph. - J&P