Sat 28th September

The last Saturday in September didn’t disappoint, it felt like summer had finally arrived! A good team of instructors were present today led by Stuart Procter all morning and Mark Courtney taking care of the afternoon list, which wasn’t too long but manageable. 

Congratulations to Tom, converting to Junior with Simon Minson (Paul Gunner)

 

We had good progress from some members, Shaun Dayman now fully cleared back seat in the DG505,  Mike Rigby converted to the Junior, along with Tom Gunner who also had his first Junior flight following some words of wisdom and cable breaks with Simon Minson. 

Congratulations to Mike Rigby also converted to Junior (Mark Courtney)

Private owners Pete Startup, Robert Lee, Jeff Taberham, Chris Woodward and Hans Jenssen all took advantage of the nice day and aired their flying machines. Tuggies James Flory and Simon Leeson leapt into action as well keeping the Eurofox relatively busy whilst the prices are still low (Glider pilots hate spending money!)  We had a couple of Trial lesson visitors including 2 walkins flown by Shaun Dayman, Tom Sides and Dave Perriam, all with cheesy grins following their lovely experience. 

Soaring flight and North Hill in the sunshine (Lisa Humphries)

I had a lovely aerotow and soaring flight in the Junior with a couple of Buzzards on the wingtip, absolutely stunning birds! Many thanks to Phil Rowlands for manning the winch this afternoon. The visibility was wonderful, the Café was excellent as always thanks to Vicky and the general atmosphere was most enjoyable – no better place to be on a lovely autumn Saturday afternoon! -  Lisa Humphries

13 - 20 September - Portmoak expedition

Good trip to Portmoak for a few days with the most stunning weather, although with Portmoak being in the centre of a huge high pressure system there was never going to be much wind - definitely not enough for wave.  

Familiar picture of Loch Leven (Mark Wallis)

However the first few days provided plenty of ridge and thermal soaring for the 6 gliders and 9 pilots who made the trip, especially Mark Wallis who on his first trip got cleared to fly from Portmoak, winch and aerotow in his Cirrus and had a fine old time.  

Portmoak (Simon Minson)

When the weather became totally windless but hot and blue a few did the tourist thing and visited the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies (look it up) while others slowly drifted home. 

On the Bishop (Simon Minson)

And then of course, there were the pubs........................Pete Startup

Thurs 19th September

 After no flying yesterday due to the wind strength and direction a reasonably optimistic forecast was given for the possibility of flying today. On arriving at the airfield it was certainly windy, but with the wind going straight down the field which provided further optimism about some flying taking place .

The North Hill Cafe was soon busy with hearty breakfasts being eaten, no doubt ahead of members experiencing the likely chillier conditions at the far end of the airfield . With a lowish cloudbase thwarting any immediate plans to fly the Clubhouse gradually filled with members and after a delayed briefing the decision was made to get both K21s out of the hangar and also to re-rig the DG505 after it’s latest expedition ‘up North’. 

DG505 has returned form expedition to Portmoak (Mark Courtney)

With Launch Control and the winch already set up, the three gliders were walked down to the other end of the airfield where a blue flag was already showing how brisk the wind was - the good news was that the wind strength was steady and not gusting. All that was needed now was to find out what the actual flying conditions were like - so after no other volunteers stepped forward a met flight was flown by
Mike Sloggett and James Flory who returned reporting a straightforward launch and no immediate dragons in the circuit or on the approach and landing.

Mike and James worked their way through the flying list providing members with the opportunity to experience ‘interesting’ flying conditions whilst Mark Courtney and Simon Leeson took the DG505 on ‘wave hunting flights’, flying straight back from the top of the winch launch to the West of the airfield - unfortunately despite their best endeavours no wave was to be found on this occasion.

After a short lunch break the flying continued in the afternoon in similar conditions with Mark and Simon helping out in the back seat to ensure that everyone had at least one flight. By late afternoon the three gliders had been flown to the East end of the airfield, with gliders and ground equipment put away.

The latest flying day when balancing risk vs reward paid off with a number of people having great experience flying in ‘interesting’ conditions - thank you to all who helped others to get into the air today. - Mike Sloggett

Wed 18th September

 A disappointing day. The forecast predicted modest ENE wind with gusts over 20 knots.  A goodly crew assembled but it was clear that the wind strength was already exceeding our expectations, so Messrs Perriam and Smith departed on a recce  to the west end. 

 

The first clue was the firing range red flag was horizontal and trying to tear itself off the pole. What quickly became apparent was that the wind was consistently at or above the forecast gust strength with short periods when it fell below. So  I called an adjournment to see if it moderated during the latter part of the morning. Midday came and went and the only change was more north in the wind which wasn’t expected or helpful.  So the ground toys were put away, and the gliders stayed put in their hangar. Chris Warnes looked after potential new member Ainsley, and next best thing to real flying was some time in the DSGC simulator.

Various bits of house/field work were tackled. Stuart Procter and Martin Woolner came to rig the DG505 having returned from Portmoak, but thought better of it until calmer conditions prevail.

One pleasant and welcome surprise was a visit from John Street who was on good form with the usual banter. We wish him well and hope to see him again soon. - Peter Smith

Sun 15th September

Mike Sloggett, Duty Instructor, put out another optimistic email Saturday evening, so the clubhouse was pretty full again for the briefing at 9:30am. There was also a long two-seater flying list, with eight junior pilots all keen to fly. 

Flying began at 10:00am, with Dave Perriam helping to fly some of the new Trial Lesson returners, fortunately we had some good experienced members on the airfield to show the new members the daily activities, and keep things flowing. Trevor Russell (877) and Richard Roberts (V5) took their own gliders for an airing! Then Ashley Thomas took his first flight in 877, as a new syndicate member.

Ashley Thomas with his new syndicate glider (Sally Hender)

Things seemed to vary considerably in the air, with flights ranging from 5 mins to 30 mins! At 2:45pm the winch was declared U/S with a split hose so we resorted to aerotow launches, and then there was a dash to obtain spare parts, thank you to those involved who were still working on the winch as we left the airfield at 6pm. 

Mike Sloggett valiantly continued with the seemingly ever growing two-seater list, resorting to single flights to get through the numbers. Ian Mitchell arrived late afternoon and helped fly the last couple of remaining pilots. A challenging day, with a massive thanks to Mike Sloggett, who stepped in to an empty morning Instructor slot, and ended up training all day. A total of 47 movements! Sally Hender

Sat 14th September

There was a very optimistic email sent out yesterday by the duty instructor James Flory, so needless to say the clubhouse was pretty full for the 9:00am briefing, however as he was the only instructor on site, that made the day ahead a challenge. All the gliders were then pulled across to the north side at the east end, first launch taking place at 10:01am just missing the cheap rate!
There were three Trial lessons booked and three friends and family flights, so the duty First Flights pilot Chris Warnes, was kept very busy. 

A large family group arrived to watch their booked Trial lessons (Rob Hender)

The private owners were out in force, Dave Perriam (DG1), Gordon Hutchinson (JDP) with the longest flight of the day with 89 mins, Hans Jenssen (HMS), Chris Mew (DG1), Chris Woodward (HKB), Shaun Dayman (JDD), Alan Turner (CYA), Jeff Taberham (380).

Congratulations to Joel Roulson converting to K6DRE (Ivan Roulson)

Joel Roulson spent time with Pete Harmer rigging and briefing on the K6 (DRE), then took his first flights in it. 

Numerous Aerotows (Stewart Henshall)

 

 Lily Sanders-Page got a flight in the Eurofox care of the tug pilot Robert Lee (in between his numerous aerotows). Stewart Henshall passed his blue card checks with James. 

Congratulations to Harry Rigby  first solo, with Instructor John Pursey (Mike Rigby)

John Pursey took a flight in the Junior, then kindly stepped in to help with the two-seater list, thank you for your assistance. His final task of the day was to send Harry Rigby solo, as the last flight of the day, well done Harry. 

A very successful day overall, with a great deal achieved. Thanks to everyone involved. - Sally Hender

Thurs 12th September

 With the usual early crew being their enthusiastic selves followed by only a surprisingly few additional members, considering how many days have been missed or cut short! The decision was then taken that we would try to make the most of an unpromising forecast. Two K21s and the Junior were DI'd and the field set up for the expected NNW sporting day. The briefing was held outside ( it was quite warm in the sun) and flying commenced. 

Showers around (Mike Sloggett)

 

Mike Sloggett took Glyn Bellerby up for two training flights followed by two flights with Geoff Lawrence.   The remainder, all being solo pilots made use of the 2nd K21 and the Junior.  

We worked through the list giving all present at least one currency flight with the average flight being an extended circuit (about 10 minutes). Lunchtime was called and Vicky was at her efficient best to feed us all without much warning (thanks Vicky). 

Rainbow over North Hill (Mike Sloggett)

 

The day progressed well other than a couple of enforced breaks due to the predicted rain showers, luckily for once the worst of it passed to the south west of North Hill.  Flying continued with members alternating between flying,  operating the launch area and manning the winch and cable retrieve.

Devon countryside under blue sky and fluffy cloud ( Mike Sloggett)

 

During the afternoon there was a flurry of activity around the airfield as other members de-rigged gliders and packed them in trailers prior to a long drive to Portmoak.

Thank you to Ian Mitchell for completing the first Annual on the Eurofox, and following the test flight,  Dave Perriam looked after the Trial lesson visitors with a few sporting thermals.

 A successful use of a unpromising day, when optimism was rewarded - thank you to all involved today, great teamwork from start to finish! - Gordon Hutchinson, Ashley Thomas, Mike Sloggett (ed mashup)

Sat 7th September

Admittedly the forecast wasn’t great and schools restarting always takes off the edge but this Saturday was decidedly quiet. At the briefing we really only had just enough to contemplate operating the airfield and with low cloud brushing through the trees one had to wonder if the majority weren’t right! 

My confidence that the morning at least would be become flyable paid off as with the field set up the super low cloud edged back towards Dunkeswell and with launches from the west there was good margin to safely start. 

Congratulations Alan Rappaport  resolo after 30 year break (John Pursey)

 With the support of the ubiquitous James Flory wearing two hats as both tug pilot and instructor No2, I effectively only had young Arthur Lean and not so young Alan Rappaport to deal with and we had the luxury of multiple launches and trading exercises. For Alan this was cable breaks and a re-solo in a glider after a break of 30 years. Welcome back Alan!

On cue, the rain arrived mid-afternoon but only once pretty much all the planned flying had been done and the hanger was being packed. Tom Sides managed to fly 3 visitors and the curious weather allowed at least one aerotow. 

 "North Hill Tower" Sally in her element (John Pursey)

 The biggest stars of the day were the usual suspects that despite the frankly zero-soaring opportunities drove the winch, manned the control, ran the wing and generally made things happen.  Dave, Ashley, Paul, Rob, Sally, Alan T and others I thank you! - John Pursey

Wed 4th September - Course Week

The last course week of the season with Peter Field and Steve Westlake, school term under way, and an indifferent forecast reduced the club flying list to achievable proportions. Mike Sloggett joined us for the day after looking at Thursday’s forecast and was kept busy all day. 

North Hill from the north (Peter Smith)

 

The crosswind was boisterous at times and launch heights weren’t impressive, I only once saw over 1,000 ft at release in the Perkoz. The opportunity to get away was short-lived but several managed to do so.  James Rowe, a potential new  member, joined us for the morning and was impressed by his first winch launch. After a quick up, round and down he had an extended flight to begin the basic handling exercises and have an insight into soaring.  

 

Congratulations to Sandy Harrup for passing her BGA Crosscountry endorsement navigation(Ian Mitchell)

 

Pete Startup 230 went flyabout to the west and reported difficult conditions around South Molton. Nick Harrison had the second longest flight in JDD. 50 glider flights in total made it a worthwhile day, thanks to all who contributed, and particularly  Mike for making the guest appearance.  - Peter Smith

Sun 1st September - Dartmoor GS expedition

 The day started with a thorough and welcoming briefing in the DGS clubhouse by Gavin Short. There was a decent rain shower early on and low clouds but these conditions quickly lifted into a fair weather day. 

Lily Sanders-Page in DGS K13 (Mike Sloggett)

The launching occurred from the west with a light wind down the field. There wasn't much lift to be found however it was still a productive day. The DSGC instructors were Mike Sloggett and Peter Smith who flew the K21 first together to test flight conditions. Andrew Broderick, Chris Woodward and Lily Sanders-Page all enjoyed flights over Brentor in DSGCs K21 or in the K13 that DGS kindly allowed us to use. 

Thanks DGS with Lily and Mike..... (Hayley Sanders-Page)

The longest flight being 23 minutes by Lily Sanders-Page and Peter Smith. Paul Medlock took advantage of the chance to fly in an Astir, his first time in that glider type (we believe). He had three flights. 

....and Chris and Mike (Hayley Sanders-Page)

 

Everyone from DSGC was able to experience circuits and landings from a new airfield, their confidence growing as the day progressed. KEK was derigged about 3pm and was quickly back on the road with Peter Smith on its way home. 

Peter and Lily in KEK before being taken home (Hayley Sanders-Page)

Big thanks to both the DSGC instructors and everyone from DGS who hosted the visit over the weekend. -  Hayley Sanders-Page (first-time blogger and feet firmly on the ground still!)

Sat 31st August - Dartmoor GS expedition

Wave! The wonderful lift* version, rather than the flailing of arms type, summed up the amazing start to Day Two of the DSGC 2024 expedition to the Dartmoor Gliding Society. Rick Wiles (DGS Duty Instructor) had given a very thorough briefing that indicated that ‘wave’ might be a possibility but not a certainty.  Gavin followed up with a ‘Visiting Pilots Briefing’ and for the DSGC members present: Kevin Fairburn, Hans Jenssen, Karen King, Dave Perriam, Paul Medlock and instructors James Flory and Mike Sloggett hope was in the air. 

KEK ready (Dave Perriam)

 First to fly was Kevin Fairburn and Mike Sloggett borrowing a DGS K13 with Karen King and James Flory next in the DSGC K21.    Initial flights for both were short and described well by James as being in ‘a washing machine’ as close to the airfield there was a large amount of ‘rotor’. 

In wave over Dartmoor National Park (Mike Sloggett)

However, on the following K13 and K21 flights by flying straight ahead both gliders flew into wave and whilst at times the lift was broken seeing the vario hit 10 and easily maintaining a height of 2500-3000 feet was a breathtaking experience.  Added to which to be over the stunning sunlit landscape of the Dartmoor National Park was an absolute privilege. 

Dave Perriam flying the DGS Astir (Karen King)

To give other DSGC members a similar opportunity, both gliders after about 30 mins headed back to the airfield with Hans Jenssen/Mike Sloggett and Dave Perriam/James Flory next to fly and whilst all had reasonable length flights the wave had dissipated. 

Giving others the chance to fly (Dave Perriam)

Much later in the day Paul Medlock flew with James, but conditions didn’t improve. However, it did lead to Paul being signed off to fly the DGS Astir.  Dave Perriam having had a couple of launches in their Astir mid-afternoon. In closing, an excellent day made even better by the great welcome that all DSGC pilots received from the Dartmoor Gliding Society members.  Additional appreciation goes to DGS for the invitation to join their summer barbecue that night with a good time had by all attendees (thank you to DGS Mike Bennett for the hard work putting it together).  - Karen King
*for any non-gliding readers for more details please see: https://www.dsgc.co.uk/about-gliding/how-gliders-fly