More Hot, More Blue...... even less members interested in flying, in what turned out to be difficult to get away from the winch at North Hill, and Dave Perriam practiced endurance in LRD with 3hrs 20 - but epic cross-country conditions......
Out and Return to Abingdon 306km
DD3 & SM
SM "Used a remote start to get us closer to the better weather, which just worked. Another great day out with DD3." Simon Minson
DD3 "OMG ! with due respect to farmers and garden lovers I love droughts! The lawn doesn't grow, you can't have a bath and the thermals are 7+ knots to 9,000ft! Another epic with Pete Startup for company, in case your looking for his flight on the ladder. Expecting trouble getting away we took a remote start at Culmhead, scene of last nights celebrations for Nick's 80th birthday, hence he was unavailable to P2. On the way out the aero tow became suspiciously smooth above about 2,500 ft. The subsequent first glide was completely smooth all the way down to 1500ft above Curry Rival where after much scrabbling about and being within a few seconds of starting the motor we managed a, faltering at first, climb back up to 3,800ft. We could see the developing clouds to the East getting closer and once we contacted them: Boom! Ridiculous conditions more akin to Spain or South Africa. Though I've never been to South Africa. A West Country pilot finds it very hard to run alongside an airway at 120 knots to get under FL65. The longest final glide 87km from Westbury to North Hill is also an novel experience. Incredible flight with Pete and accompanied by Simon Minson in his ASW20. Only "drats!" is that faltering start cost us the 100kph. Sometimes you can be too early :-)" Phil Morrison
