With the sun beaming out of a cloudless sky, an easterly wind aligned up and
down the runway, and a very enthusiastic team on the ground there was everything
to lay for today. Plus the possibility, in this wind direction, of wave...
So we raced up to the launchpoint with the expectation of a full day’s flying
and, with the first launch, leapt to just short of 1,700ft QFE, where the air
was smooth as silk. All too soon, however, (as the wing tips flexed on the
ground and wing tip holders struggled to keep wings steady) it became clear both
the wind speed and gusts were increasing and, with our weather station on the
launchpoint recording 34.4kts, we had to put safety first and return the gliders
to the lee and relative calm of the hardstanding.
 |
The K-6 on its way to 1,600ft on the launch.
Spot the airbrakes... |
Once dust devils started whipping down the track and we had to put tyres on
the tailplanes where the gliders were parked out of the wind, it was not
difficult to decide that we would have to call it a day, put them away and
retire to the relative safety of the simulator, or get on with other admin
tasks. It feels very odd returning gliders to the hangar with the sun belting
out heat but one thing was certain: there was no wave within reach – our four
launches, each of around 10 mins duration and all to 1,600ft plus, had proved
that.
 |
Roger Appleboom looks happy after
a ‘sanding session’ on his glider. |
Thanks go to everyone who turned up today, and especially to Roger Appleboom
who, in addition to regaling us with tales of going to school with Ian Botham,
has devised some rope loops with karabiners that will enable us to tie the cable
to a tyre at the end of the day without having to abuse (and risk kinking) the
cable itself. The loops are hanging on the coathooks in the launchpoint.
Martin Cropper
No comments:
Post a Comment