Sun 28th January

 A murky start and it didn't really improve, but a number of members were present dealing with various tasks or there just because they could be.

Steve Westlake flew with Jonathan Erskine and new member Josh Newland in the simulator and Simon Jordy also tried it out.
Tom Sides and I constructed an emergency exit ramp from the newly clad tug hangar using timber surplus from the trailer shelter. -Tom was particularly engaged with it as it was achieved at nil cost to the Club.

New emergency exit door and ramp on the Tug Hangar (Peter Smith)

 Meanwhile Chairman Nick spent more time with the tractor and roller getting the field in order after the long wet winter, a task needing much perseverance and patience. Many thanks Nick. - Peter Smith

Sat 27th January

 Initially only a handful of members showed up this morning, but as ever enthusiasm beats numbers everytime and by the time I arrived the ground kit was out and DI'd.  By 9am several  more people had arrived.

After a morning briefing it was decided we had enough people to winch but with some interest in aerotowing  Stu Procter also got the Fox ready for its first outing in a while. The weather did pretty much as forecast with one welcome exception, the southerly wind wasn’t quite as strong as predicted.

South ridge is working (James Flory)

 
With everything ready, Robert was the first to go taking  a tow with grandson George. I was quickly behind with the first winch launch with Connor at the controls. The cloudbase was reasonable and the southerly breeze meant the south ridge was working quite nicely in places, giving good extended flights. With no more aerotows Stu helped work through the list with me and also gave previous member James Sydney a friends and family flight, nice to see James back. 

Cloudbase was reasonable (James Flory)

As the day progressed the southerly wind strengthened leading to blue card conditions on approach, so having flown everyone on the list the decision was made to call it a day by 2:30.

Overall a nice day with some good testing conditions with the reward of nice extended flights along the south ridge.  - James Flory

Fri 26th January - Ad-Hoc Day

 With a poor forecast for Thursday, the Chairman called an Ad-Hoc Day for Friday with blue skies and light winds and the ridge should be working again. The forecast turned out spot on and a reasonable number of members and instructors were able to change plans to get some flying in the pleasant conditions, thanks to Guy Adams for picking up the duty.

The two K21s and a Junior were flying all day, including well done to Kevin Fairburn for getting solo again, and Shaun Dayman enjoyed some Instructor training with Chris Wool. 

JB & Pete Harmer in Perkoz (George Sanderson)

The Perkoz was got out of the hangar with JB and Pete Harmer enjoying an extended soaring flight with an aerotow from Ian Mitchell in Bumblebee G-FLBX.

Phil Morrison enjoyed a nice flight with Ian Mitchell (John Allan)

  Private gliders of Pete Startup 230, Wyn Davies W7 and Eric Alston G29 all had long ridge flights and at times there were even a few thermals kicking off.

End of a great day (Paul Summers)

"Good days are precious - we can't afford to waste them" - Nick Jones

Another good call with 24 winch launches and 1 aerotow, - sorry to the weekday workers who missed out. -  J&P

Wed 24th January

A fair crowd turned up to be greeted by a brisk westerly wind and lurking low cloud, expecting to aerotow but inspection of the field bought the good news that winching was possible and the field set up accordingly. 

Launch Control (Library pic Mike Sloggett)

The duty instructors carried out a check flight, tasted the ridge and concluded that flying was possible and worthwhile. - And so it was. 

Initially the cloud base was limiting launches to about a thousand feet but that improved to as much as 1700 feet, the ridge worked according to ones skill level and the club aircraft averaged 18 minutes a flight. Two privateers  Pete Startup 230 and Eric Alston G29 had long flights - two to three hours - setting the target for the rest of us, Everybody managed two launches and some managed lunch as well.

A quite satisfactory day - 24 winch launches in all. - Glenn Turpin

Thurs 18th January

Thursday started as forecast with a bitterly cold northerly coming right across the airfield.  The usual early team of Dave Perriam and myself had a quick coffee break and then set to work getting the ground equipment DI'd and out of the hangar.  Other than a couple of starting issues all was ready by the time Mike Sloggett and Mark Courtney arrived.  With the earlier arrival of a few other hardy members Mark quickly set us to work in anticipation of a busy day.

Thankfully the launchpoint was set up at the east end avoiding a cold walk to the far end of the airfield.  With a few more members arriving gliders were taken out of the hangar, DI'd and moved to the launchpoint opposite the glider hangar.  Flying  commenced with a mixture of training and check flights.  As the day progressed the anticipated high turnout failed to materialise.  This enabled a number of instructors to fly for their own benefit, most notably Ron John's and Chris Wool taking a aerotow in the DG505 to the Wellington monument.  Later in the day the Junior was free and Mark Courtney appeared at the launchpoint. They were quickly put together and Mark was able to take a solo flight on the west ridge. 

That's Mark Courtney in a Junior! (Ashley Thomas)

As part of their progress to their BI rating Dave Perriam took a number of back seat flights in the Perkoz with willing volunteers in the front seat and Shaun Dayman likewise had a number of flights with Chris Wool. The Eurofox was taken out of the hangar and a small group was seen grouped around the engine cowling. Later in the day it was decided to take a test flight and this was followed later by a aerotow with a K21 crewed by Mike Sloggett and Geoff Lawrence. 

Pawnee was available (Mark Courtney)

A welcome lunchbreak was called when everyone took advantage of a warm clubhouse and the opportunity of having some hot food.  Motor Falke VG also had two flights.   

By the end of the day most members had had multiple flights.  With the temperature dropping quickly it was decided to take the gliders to the hangar as they landed.

A good day was had by those that braved the cold weather.  Total of 23 winch and 6 aerotow flights. - Ashley Thomas 

Sun 14th January

 In gliding there are a number of variable ingredients necessary to achieve a good day’s flying including serviceable gliders, good weather and enough instructors and members with sufficient enthusiasm to fly. Today we had them all but just not quite as needed to make for a perfect day of gliding - however enough ingredients to get some flights in to maintain/regain currency. (Thanks to Ian for the speedy turnround of HCX Annual and for the team who rigged it yesterday).

That we got any gliding in at all was down to the perseverance of those present with a great deal of patience as ever needed, and plenty of warm clothing in the chilly conditions. The forecast suggested flying might be possible as the day unfolded but with the dew point and forecast humidity levels indicating that low cloudbase might be one of the key factors to get in the way of our optimistic plans for the day. 

Orographic cloud appearing (Mike Sloggett)

And just as we were thinking about getting the gliders out low cloud, specifically orographic, appeared eerily from the South, as someone commented ‘a bit like The Fog film’ - fortunately nothing scary appeared out of the gloom but the cloud did delay the start of flying. And then almost as soon as it had arrived the orographic cloud disappeared allowing the first flights of the day to get into the air. 

Wispy orographic (Mike Sloggett)

  

The day then saw us slowly get through the flying list in and amongst further bands of orographic cloud resulting in further delay in the winch launches - not that anyone minded the opportunity to return to the Clubhouse for warm food and drinks.

The last flight of the day saw Mark Courtney encourage Ashley Thomas to fly from the back seat of a K21.

Mark Courtney with Ashley in the back seat (Mike Sloggett)

 A good day of teamwork to get everyone into the air at least once, with currency maintained or regained suitably.  And in the DSGC Simulator, we now have more realistic spinning and other traffic to watch out for (ghosts) - thanks to the team of Stewart, Connor and Kevin. - Mike Sloggett

Thur 11th January

The forecast was for a flyable day, but very cold and windy. But not as windy as yesterday (Wednesday) and that’s what we got. A small group of hardy Thursday regulars turned up. Air temperature 0degC but -7degC with wind chill. The good news was the field, previously too soft, was now rock hard (Frozen). 

Second Briefing (Mark Courtney)

  The wind was ENE 15kts and not too gusty (although unfortunately too much for the Trial flight visitors). The only issue was some annoying patchy low cloud being blown along on the wind. The launch point was set up at the west end and one K21, DG505, and  a Junior were DI’d and walked to the west end. The patchy low cloud caused some problems on the first two launches so a halt was called as the cloud thickened and all retired to the Clubhouse for an early lunch (thanks Julie).

The Brentor wave bar (Glenn Turpin)

The sky started to clear at midday and flying resumed just before 13:00. Five / six minute circuits were the order of the day until Aston in the Junior discovered a weak wave  just NE of the field (43 minutes) followed by Ron Johns and Glyn Bellerby in a K21 (31minutes). 

Weak wave (Mark Courtney)

 Both returned as the lift disappeared - never to be seen again - as we reverted mainly to sink and short circuits. Three hangar landings completed the day and all flew who wanted to and hadn’t frozen. 12 flights in all and all the kit safely put to bed. - John Borland

Wed 10th January

 The forecast was for it to be DRY but cold in a NEly brisk airflow and so it was. The cold start was being felt by the equipment (battery boost needed) as well as the early squad who were as usual, well organized and active before some even got to the airfield! The three gliders (K21, DG505, Junior) and Pawnee were moved out west to where the launch point had been set up, well into the field to reduce exposure to the expected curl over due to wind strength.

Huddling behind Launch Control (Mark Layton)

  

The fashion parade of the day was for the variety of padded romper suits on display, from posh to farmers and all types in between, the one common factor was they were needed and kept us all warmish in the strong easterly.

Keeping the canopy from misting up (Mark Layton)

  

The initial met flight did confirm blue card conditions as expected. We all managed to get a flight either side of a 12:30 lunch break (needed to defrost). Conditions were challenging and character building?  varying from smooth to fractured wave and ROTOR. But with the wind down the field at least predictable for what felt like vertical landings.

Long shadows (Mark Layton)

 We managed to get 17 winch launches (some to over 2000ft) and one aerotow in, getting everyone at least one flight, before the decision was made to do hangar flights and put the toys away. A good day’s flying making the most of the day and keeping both the CFI and Treasurer happy while maintaining our currency. - Gordon Hutchinson

News from Dartmoor GS Blog

 I had always thought it should be possible to get to the top of the wave box at Brentor and today was the proof. I had a good winch launch to 1700 feet (thanks Gavin for winch driving) and was straight into reduced sink. I pushed forward and contacted weak wave. Initially the climb was quite slow but the higher I got the better it become.

I nearly abandoned the flight at about 14000ft as the inside of the canopy started to freeze up but some vigorous rubbing left me with a view out the front so carried on. Could have gone higher but with the top of the wave box approaching and the outside air temperature at -26C started my decent back into Brentor. Epic! - Andy Davey

Sun 7th January

Despite the cold weather, the forecast for clear(ish) skies and no rain were enough to draw out a sizable number of members today. On the basis that there was a bit of spritz in the air, the group seemed to prefer staying inside, so I caged Dave Perriam and Ashley to drive in some copper earthing rods at each of the west glider trailer power points in anticipation of further electrical certification work later this month.

But the instructors started herding the flock to the hangar and started the daily inspection of three two- seaters and one of the Juniors. They were walked down to the West end of the field.and after seeing tyre tracks from Saturday's attempt to winch launch, the decision was made to have reduced price aerotows. The Eurofox was deemed u/s due to some technical glitches, so the trusty Pawnee was pulled out and roared into life. 

Soarable day (Daniel Johns)

 Flights began around 11:30, with both members and instructors remarking that they wanted some mutual check flights since they hadn't flown since early December. Short flights began to last longer and by the time I flew our enthusiastic Trial lesson visitor at 12:30, there was evidence of light wave and also thermals. Dave easily won the "most fun" award of the day in FZF by climbing up to 2500ft QFE and staying up 53 minutes. Overall, 15 flights through the day kept the various tug pilots busy until the decision was made to pack the kit away before dark set in.

The cafe was also back in operation as Julie and her new partner, Dan, dished out breakfasts, hearty soup, sandwiches, chips and deserts. It was great having the club operating again, just as it should be. Rain, rain stay away - Tom Sides

Sat 6th January

 It was a bustling start today, with the gliding club buzzing as eager members, nearing the end of their currency, gathered early with the rare good weather. Simon Leeson, our dedicated duty instructor, inspected the pitch and initially announced a winch launch. However, after the first launch, a decision was made to switch to aerotow only.

Good turnround with 2 tugs (Andy Batchelor)

 

Undeterred, both K21s, a Junior, and a Perkoz were brought out, setting the stage for an exhilarating day of soaring adventures. Simon Leeson's enthusiasm prevailed, and with the Pawnee also in action, we operated with two tugs, much to the delight of the many onsite tug pilots. 

Stu looking relaxed after a little  tugging and soaring (Mark Courtney)

Around lunchtime, Pete Startup seized the opportunity in the DG505, soaring into the first thermal of 2024, signaling a promising start for the year ahead. 

Lenticulars over the Blackdowns (Connor Williams)

 

As the day unfolded, the skies treated us to a spectacle of lenticular clouds. Andy Davey reported wave activity at 4000ft, adding an unexpected dimension to our soaring experiences. 

 

Sun going down (Mark Courtney)

With the sun gracefully setting, the airfield was efficiently packed up by 16:30, concluding a day filled with camaraderie, exciting flights, and the promise of more adventures in the soaring skies. - Connor Williams

Mon 1st January - New Years Day

Well after the constant month of rain there was some hope of flying on New Years Day, but as normal the forecast (and worry about the pitch) had different ideas and a call was put out to cancel any hope of flying going by the latest.

There was however a call for some help to move the tugs into the ground hangar so work could start on the Tug hangar insulation, this was answered by a few including myself.

When James Flory and I arrived at the club at 9am, we were greeted by light winds and sunshine - we looked at each other and James suggested a walk across the field and if possible a shared flight in the EuroFox as we were getting it out anyway, there was a nice dry spot along the spine so the Fox was checked over. 

 Then Robert arrived and James said what about getting a glider out and having a tow as well, then it slowly escalated from there with around 6 others turning up so 8 flights in total. Robert, James and I sharing the towing with Ian also getting Bumble Bee out and giving Stirling a flight. 

RE Simon Minson having his EuroFox aerotow checkflight (Stu Procter)

Regional Examiner Simon told me as instructed by the CFI he needed a flight behind the Fox as he had not had one yet so I was happy to oblige. Then as forecast at 12 the rain arrived and everything was very quickly put away, still its a great feeling to start the New Year with some sun and yes we actually flew. 

Lunch from the Chairman (Stirling Melhuish)

Many thanks to the Chairman who treated all the volunteers for moving aircraft to a lunch of cottage pie. - Stu Procter