The weather does it’s thing in its own sweet time, and low grey cloud coverage greeted both the course participants and the large band of club members this morning. The slow moving weather was expected to clear up sufficiently by early afternoon and that gave the confidence to empty out the hangar and thoroughly check and prep the club gliders. The course students also took the time for more ground school, and importantly, included recaps on the curriculum covered so far.
After an early lunch and uptake of ballast, the winch and Launch Control were set in position for launches to the west. Just after 14:00, Mike Sloggett ventured up in a K21 for a met check with Barbara Cook along for the ride. It was sadly not too encouraging, and so the waiting began with continuous hopeful glances at the sky...which is clearly one of the core attributes of glider folk!
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| Launching in earnest (Mark Layton) |
The clouds finally began to part at about 15:30, and winch launches began in earnest, complemented later by aero-tows.
Skies clearing (Mark Layton)
There were light thermals reported, albeit more towards height maintenance rather than any major gains. All more than welcome though. The launches continued into what became a fine evening with clear blue skies, wrapping up just before 20:00.
Hearty thanks to the winch team, launch controllers and the ground operations and instructor teams. - Martin Cook (new member and first-time blogger)
