After a wash out Monday, Tuesday forecast was one we were holding on to as positive. Chris Gill was definitively positive in the briefing but then he always is!
With two sorties to fly, the DSGC team had the DG505 on the grid ahead of the pack. With Alan Rappaport as P2 , sortie 1 tested the ridge with no records broken visiting the far south TP and Prestatyn TP with a bit of wave dabble in the middle to 6000ft. The expedition from Essex had people in the right place at the right time and were pushing 10000ft. After 3 hours and with Mark to fly, the circuit was joined and Denbigh rotor really did its thing! Very boisterous, 80kts approach until within 50ft and then the whole long float thing to make a rolling finish at the far end. High concentration, water was needed before speaking! Above the clouds (John Pursey)
Pete Startup, JB and DD3 Phil Morrison and Nick Jones were meanwhile clocking up ridge TPs, some with more vigour than others…
Challenging classic Denbigh Day (John Pursey)
Sortie 2 for the DG505 with Mark Wallis had a bit of everything from sitting confident in smooth wave assisted ridge, high cruising to perilous ridge scramble on the lower slopes followed by wave. The wave was very challenging as the starting wave entry slipped into the airway and the cloud hole sphincter had a tightening spasm and squeezed out all those too low. Mark had the joy of multiple showers to navigate before the day finally became more benign and the last roll trip out to an obvious wave cloud gave a climb to observe the setting sun. A dash to 8000ft and then a spiral down to beat the sun.
Race to beat the sun down (John Pursey)
Another classic Denbigh day, 19000ft for some but smiles for all. - John Pursey