Saturday 24th August

The wind was howling from the north-north west giving a very gusty crosswind to handle, no trial lessons could be flown due to the conditions. However once away from the ground , trees and turbulence it was quite soarable. Thanks to Roy for bringing KEK back from High Wycombe, it was rigged and test flown complete with new total energy probe.

The Eagle had several flights, and 230 did find some wave " distinctly low moment when I actually had a field picked followed by a very slow climb into the wave. 2 areas of very short beats, difficult to work a consistent line but steady if not spectacular wave – weaker than a weedy bloke on a Weetabix free diet! Better than those bumpy roundy, roundy things for a change though and as always really nice when I reached the tops of the clouds – just." - Pete St

We welcome our increasing number of new members (5 today) and it was just as well as there were very few experienced members present. 

Thanks to James H and Ian M for completing 50 hour check and some remedial work on the Pawnee. Thanks to Adrian who again was up to his elbows in Disco engines. And a very big thank you to Cheryl for filling the breach and supplying a wonderful selection of cakes.

Thursday 22nd August

A crisp dewy morning, followed by wall to wall sunshine and a light south easterly wind. There was the hope of some wave with this wind, and a couple of private owners found it, but it wasn't strong enough even to keep the K6 up. Just the rotor and sink provided confusion for the trainee's circuits.  

Ray B got the prize for the first soaring flight in the Junior at 18 minutes and later for the shortest circuit of 3 mins ( although there were plenty of 4 mins too)

In the morning Ruth navigated her way to Compton Abbas with Mark in the Rotax Falke ......

 

Ruth at Compton Abbas

and after a crew change Dave C and Pete flew round The Park. Congratulations to both for passing their Navex part of cross-country endorsement..

Wednesday 21st August

All the kit was out early, there was a long list plus four Trial lessons booked, the weather was pleasantly warm with a light westerly wind with some high cirrus cloud.

 

All four two-seaters were in use all day plus the Junior and the K6 HEB. there were a few weak thermals about and the lucky few had extended flights. All in all, a pleasant busy day with some useful instructional flights flown, we managed to get through the list we finished flying just after 6.00pm.

 

We had a visitor from the Park  in their Motor Falke. - JSt

Tuesday 20th August - One day course

We welcomed a group from Exeter Air Scouts for a one day course, with the weather looking perfect for their trial lessons. They all flew twice and some wanted a third go, with extended circuits and some local soaring. After lunch, Thomas was invested as a Scout.

Thomas' investiture

Of the private owners that had hoped to soar, only Matt succeeded with an out and return to Okehampton. Chris C navigated to Compton Abbas in the Rotax falke with Ian, for another part of his cross-country endorsement. Thanks to all the Instructors and Helpers for a very smooth running day.

Final Glide into the gloom over North Hill

Some of the helpers relaxing after a successful day

Monday 19th August - adhoc flying day

Doom and Gloom first thing

A call to action for a cross-country day (and for those of you who missed out - get on to DSGC google groups). The morning didn't look too promising with spreadout and Pete's planned task looked a bit flaky. Jill was convinced it would be Ok by lunchtime so we sacrificed Rowan Libelle CLM to the thermal gods and he stayed airborne. Launching quickly followed with Matt  ASW24 M5, Jonathan ASW19 877, Eric ASG29 G29, Adrian Jantar FDX, Pete St Discus 230, Pete and Jill Duo Discus OL, and finally Wyn LS7 W7. Thanks to Stu for tugging.

G29, 230 and CLM completed the Club 100 TIE - YEO, 877 did an O/R to Chard, FDX and W7 stayed local.

M5 turned  Salisbury and Witheridge for 285kms, whilst OL also went to Salisbury and Tiverton. for 240kms.

A nice cross-country day with cloudbase varying between 3500 and 5000ft QNH, with strong thermals and some mixed spreadout.

Turned SAL looking south to the Isle of Wight

Sunday 18th August

Showers delayed the start a little, but soarable conditions developed, with a fairly long two-seater list including trial lessons and friends and family flights. But what a difference the fourth two-seater makes, it was just as well that there were 4 instructors on the field. 

Congratulations to James and Mike who eventually pinned the CFI down to complete their acceptance checks for Asst cat instructors - they will shortly be joining the roster. Welcome back to Martin and Peter from their course at Bicester last week where they both resolo'd and converted to the K8. 
There was a short period in the middle of the afternoon when landings were suspended due to a Catalina display at Dunkeswell.

Catalina close to base leg

Friday 16th August - Cross-country week

Well the last cross-country week day this season didn't quite live up to expectation.The drizzly rain of this morning gave way to a glorious warm sunny afternoon, but it was too stable for soaring. 

Chris C had arranged some family and friend aerotow flights and and a voucher flight turned up as did Peter G with a family and friends ( he thought it was Thursday). So thanks to Mark for tugging and Pete H and Roly for back seating. And we rigged R7 as Pete St and Roly had collected the wing in the rain on Wednesday.

Thursday 15th August

There was a little pessimism with the forecast but all the Thursday regulars turned up and were soon watching a video on thermal soaring techniques (thanks to Black Mountains GC). This proved to be really worthwhile as several pilots had their first and / or best soaring flights in the afternoon.

There was a pleasant south westerly breeze and initially a 1500 ft cloud-base rising later to over 2000 ft. There were a couple of visitors from Yeovilton who had field landing checks in the Rotax Falke.

Well done to Ruth for completing her Bronze.

Congratulations to Geoff L for his first solo soaring flight in the Junior and also to George who resoloed the K21 after several months, and then converted to the Junior and soared that as well.

Cheesy grin - George enjoyed that!

Tuesday 13th August - Cross-country week

This had been forecast as the best day of the week but... with a north-westerly wind the ridge was not working so wave interference was suspected early on. Pete St, Discus 230, launched first and the sky looked quite good with reasonable sun on the ground. He tried yesterday's task and got to MUD to check on the CFI's runner beans, but then the sky cycled again and he beat a retreat back to the ridge which wasn't working. Adrian Jantar FDX  and Jeff Mosquito 380 local soared in the difficult conditions. Pete and Jill in Duo Discus OL were launched in the cycling sky and were soon running on the engine, motored to 3000 ft to look at the wave slots but found they kept closing up and the wave wasn't working anyway. Thanks to Robert for tugging again.

Monday 12th August - Cross-country week

Not very promising morning, but by lunchtime the overcast clouds cleared and cumulus developed. Pete St set the task Mudford Gate - Dulverton but then had second thoughts on undersetting. First to launch was Tom in DG1 followed by Adrian in FDX, Roly and Heather in JZK and Pete and Jill in OL and Jeff in 380. (Pete decided to have a chill out day and provide the crew.)

Conditions proved quite tricky beyond Tiverton, with rapid cycling of big holes and overcast and lowering cloud-bases. FDX, JZK and 380 headed back, and DG1 ended up in a 'gallops' between Bampton and Dulverton.

Nice long field

Early on in the task, OL redeclared a modified Club 100 and romped round at 86.1 km/h with very little turning, arriving back, added another 50 km along a local street between Tiverton and Hembury.

Thanks to Robert for tugging and Pete for groundcrew.