Saturday 22nd September 2012 – “Soaring the Wave”

The Jantar looked wonderful sat at the launch point with the sun glinting off new canopy. There had been several short soaring flights but nobody had really connected. I was eager to try for myself.

The Jantar 1 waiting at the launchpoint 

So flaps set to negative 1, cable on, take up slack, all out, keep hand on release, got good control of the ailerons, flaps to 0, this beautiful glider wafts up into the air on it’s 19 meter wings, more height and power, let the glider rotate into the full climb, look along the wing to check climb angle, the graceful upward curve of the wing with it’s fin like winglet brings another smile, flaps to full positive, good climb rate , the nose gently pulls down near the top of the launch, the cable back releases at 1150 feet. Good launch.

There are signs of wave lift right off the launch. Flaps to +1. Flying left handed, turn right to track away to the south, the lift continues, reset the flight computer which had shut down during the launch ( wiring fault? ), raise the undercarriage, fly right handed and relax. There is gentle wave lift averaging less than 1 knot. I fly back and forth along the wave bar between the airfield and the eastern outskirts Tavistock which eventually lifts me to 1700 feet at which point the lift seemed to peter out.

Searching around I find a little bubble of lift as I run into a thermal. Steeply banking in the thermal reminds of just how beautifully the Jantar handles. Flaps +1, 45 degrees of bank at 45 knots and the glider flies like it’s on rails. This thermal raises me about 200 feet, until the lift feels different, so I level the wings with the glider tracking south. Another wave bar, stronger this time, the averager is showing 1.8 knots.

While all this has been going on, the club fleet has been launching. There are gliders all over the place. There is a group underneath me trying to use the wave. To the north east of the airfield there is a group of 4 gliders turning steeply in what must be thermals. That looks like hard work.

Eventually this wave bar carries me up to 2700 feet and while exploring the local area looking for more lift I am joined by the club Zugvogel ( must be Alan Holland ) and the ASW20 flown by Martin Broadway. My previous experience of the area leads leads me to suspect that we have been flying in the secondary wave bar. Difficult to be certain as the wave has been moving around all over the place.

So I turn towards the east, flaps to negative 1, 75 knots and a short run into wind brings me into another wave bar ( the primary?) overhead Cox Tor. Slow down. turn right, flaps to positive 2, 40 knots and the Jantar once again climbs at 1.5 knots eventually topping out at 3080 feet on a short beat running from Cox Tor to the Willsworthy ranges.

I spend the next half an hour or so, in the company of the ASW20 flying over and around the increasing amounts of cloud which seemed unrelated to the wave system. They did not give any appreciable lift.

As the flight had progressed, the blue sky had given away to an increasing grey top cover. This must be the start of the change of weather that is forecast for this evening. Visibility is becoming more of an issue, the top cover had cut off the sunshine and I am beginning to feel really cold. Time to go.

Careful hassll checks, flaps to 0, 65 knots, full airbrake, and head towards Mary Tavy to perform a left hand circuit to the north of the airfield. High key is reached at 1700 feet, keeping a very good look out and staying wide to the north to avoid any circuit traffic as the full airbrake let down continues, undercarriage down. low key reached at 650 feet, brakes away, nice position, final turn over the top paddock ( will there be rotor on the approach? ). 60 knots, 3/4 airbrakes, approach looks good, round out to the north side of the launchpoint and wait ( and wait some more ) as the speed decays and I touchdown gently and stop a couple of hundred meters up the runway ( I had forgotten just how far the Jantar goes in the ground effect). Time in the air 2 hours 5 minutes.

The Jantar on final approach.

This flight put a big smile on my face.

Steve