Sunday 20th November 2011

It’s strange isn’t it? You arrive at the club on a day when the sky is booming, the wind up and down the runway, the grid full and yet the talk is all of delays, the winch underperforming, cables parting, gliders being taken off line under decrees absolute and the quad bike not working after the ‘Run/Stop’ switch has been set to (you’ve guessed it) ‘Stop’.

And yet when the day is flat, as it was today, with little or no prospect of soaring, all runs smoothly, cables don’t break, the winch (mysteriously) works as advertised and trainee members can be heard departing saying ‘Well I had six launches today, which I wasn’t expecting’ and ‘I really managed to consolidate the re-start I made 2 weeks ago’.

Wave teasing the pilots - out of reach to the north. 

Our first photo shows the reason that some glider pilots might – on occasion - prefer to have an engine to hand: with the wind just east of south the wave established itself well to the north of the site and there remained all day, far beyond the reach of any winch launch, which left us in the silky smooth air on the fringe of the wave flow.

Two instructors (Don and David Jesty) and two 2 seat gliders made quite a long flying list much more manageable (enjoyable? rewarding?) than when the entire list has to be flown by only one instructor.

Among the trainees mention should be made of Joe Morel, from Kelly college, who flew six flights with both instructors whilst Luke Botham, new member aged 11, flew twice with David Jesty, proudly watched (and filmed) by Mum. We look forward to seeing more of them – all three.

But that is not to overlook the contribution made by our solo brethren: 8 of the day’s total of 34 launches were down to Mike Gadd and Allan Holland in the K-8, with Allan managing the flight of the day at 11 minutes.

Mike Gadd enjoys the K8 in the late afternoon conditions

And finally, Father and son Martin and Ross Collinge enjoyed putting their Christmas present vouchers to good use in trial lessons which gave them, albeit brief, views of Dartmoor their well experienced legs have not been able to provide. They both (Ross is an ex-ATC cadet) vowed to return…

K7m G-DBVB ready for another launch

Martin Cropper