Following the gales on Saturday, the RASP forecast for Sunday prompted an early turnout and a long flying list. Fortunately, we had three instructors on site to get started while I flew the trial lessons. Well done to all for getting the first two flights off before 10:00 am.
Thermals started forming early, but launches were “interesting” due to a brisk northerly crosswind. The thermal streets gave us one of the better days we’ve recently seen, so everyone generally enjoyed extended flight times and 8+ thermals (accompanied by equivalent sink). Four private gliders came out to play. Dave Perriam was all smiles after flying DG1 with its new Tost hook, Jeff Taberham and Andrew Logan made the most of their time aloft and Pete Startup completed a “short” 100+K flight to Dulverton and Crewkerne. I was able to give a couple of Family Friends flights along with two trial lessons.
We called down (what we thought were the last two gliders to fly on Sunday because our Dunkeswell team had arranged for a low-level flyby of one of the Spitfires which had been performing for Dunkeswell’s 80th anniversary day. VERY impressive! A great way to end a very enjoyable day. - Tom Sides
Dunkeswell 80th Anniversary
An early start for a small group of willing volunteers. James Flory, Mike Sloggett, Connor Williams, Kevin Fairburn and the older two thirds of Team Hender all met at the club at 07:00 to unpack the hanger enough to get the DG505 out, whilst Stuart Procter was sorting the Pawnee out.
Once DI'd the 505 with Mike and James onboard was taken on a monumental aerotow...... to get on circuit for Dunkeswell!
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| Getting ready for the visitors (Mike Sloggett) |
In the meantime, the rest of us in cars loaded with promotional gear, tables, and chairs etc (and one of Sally's games, to extract donations for the Charitable Trust from passersby) headed off to Dunks ready to receive the 505 and pilots after their epic flight!
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| DG505 and Spitfire (Sally Hender) |
After their successful landing on a tarmac runway (quite a novelty), we went and retrieved them and towed them back to the pitch that was ours for the day.
The gates opened at 10:30 and people started flowing in. Throughout the day, great interest was shown in the DG505 by many people, young and old alike and we were all kept busy talking about the glider, gliding in general and Devon & Somerset Gliding Club.
Sally's Lucky Dip style game proved to be like a huge magnet, pulling the youngsters in for a chance to win a donated winch launch flight. This got a lot of people talking with us (and raised an incredible £364 for the Charitable Trust).
After lunch Kevin had to whizz off and was replaced by Emma Flory, who finished off the day with the rest of us.
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| Pawnee arrived to tow DG505 back (Rob Hender) |
Around about 15:00 after the club had finished aerotowing, Stuart bought the Pawnee back to Dunkeswell and parked it on our pitch, just behind the 505 and to its credit it created quite a lot of interest. This worked well as we now had the Pawnee ready to aerotow the 505 back to North Hill at the end of the Day.
We packed up just before 17:00 and towed the 505 to the runway ready to depart on its epic journey back to North Hill. This time the flight crew had changed slightly with the lucky trio being James in the tug, Mike, and Connor in the 505 (I got the pleasure of running the wing!).
All in all, a pleasurable and successful day.
Many thanks to all who gave up their time (and a pretty good gliding day) to help. - Rob Hender.
