A howling northerly wind greeted the Wednesday Crew first thing, causing a delay to the start of flying. The Crew put that time to good use by rigging the club's DG505 following its annual inspection.
The wind started to ease mid-morning, but was still sufficiently fierce that Duty Instructor Peter Smith elected to set up the launch point in its traditional south west location, with gliders pointing more or less straight into wind. Despite this shorter run than current usual practice, we still achieved launches of around 1600 feet. Around lunchtime some weak thermals started to pop, but there was plenty of heavy sink to keep everyone on their toes. Through the afternoon the thermals got stronger and the wind got lighter, allowing the yellow flag to be swapped for red and more eager solo pilots to take to the skies.
Gordon Hutchinson and Chris Warnes test-flew the DG505 by aerotow and winch respectively. Rowan Smith and Eric Alston rigged their gliders and, after initial suspicion that that was a mistake, were rewarded with a couple of hours of soaring each.
Great to see John Street back in the air (Peter Smith)
It was great to see John Street, who kept us all in line with his mischevious banter and enjoyed a soaring flight with the Duty Instructor. - Ruth Comer
