Club flyers shared the day with those on the course, hence a busy start to the day at North Hill. Winds were very light & the sun was shining. The winch was setup at the West end of the airfield, with the launch point conveniently close to the cafe.
Roger Davis from Rattlesden GC ready to enjoy Devon thermals (Julian West)
Once launches got underway it was apparent the conditions were not conducive to long flights & this kept the ground crew busy. Roger Davis bucked the trend by staying up for over an hour in the Junior. It was decided he ‘used up all the lift’ & there was none left for anyone else, hence the many short flights following.
Barbie and Mike Fairclough both enjoyed flights in the Pik20 (Julian West)
The launch point got even busier mid-morning when a number of private gliders arrived. It was great to see a beautiful array of gliders queuing for launches, including a PIK 20b, Pegasus, DG 202, Discus, K6, Mosquito, Duo Discus, LS7 & more. There was plenty of fascinating chat abut the design intricacies of the differing gliders. 230, W7 and DD3 set the 200kms task of Iwerne Minster - Mudford Gate with Pete and Wyn completing, and Phil missing out on MUD.
Chris Warnes preparing to fly DG505 (Julian West)
After a staggered lunch, the afternoon weather looked a little more promising. A few pilots had longer flights but they had to work hard as the lift was tricky. Whilst spectating, one of the instructors kindly educated me on the difference between a glider ’thermalling’ and a glider ‘going round in circles’. Chris Woodward got back in the Junior today, and Matt Howard had more than his fair share of low launch failures.
Nick Harrison in DG202/17 (Julian West)
An early cable break whilst launching the Perkoz was swiftly dealt with & everyone worked hard to ensure flying continued. As always, the instructors worked hard to give everyone on the flying list some time in the air. Everyone helped out with winch launches, aerotow’s and ground crew duties, there was even a short period when all the gliders were in the air giving the ground crew some respite! Overall, another great day at North Hill - 52 launches with great teamwork, great banter & fantastic flying! - Julian West
