After a spell of hot sunny Bank Holiday weather the forecast was a bit different for today. Stronger winds from the East South East. Is the Skew T graph going to be set for wave? Will we get a hydraulic jump from the Mary Tavy Valley or would it just be gusty? Several of the weather models were forecasting a number of options some indicating that it would be too windy, too gusty, no wave, and any thermal activity severely suppressed. Not very promising. What wasn't in doubt was it was going to be hot in the sunshine but with a breeze for the first time. At the morning brief members noted that Andy wasn't at the airfield - that means NO wave!
Our visitors today were John Hodder for a One Day Course, Sarah Dawe with a two flight voucher, and Steve Fletcher for some Friends and Family flights with his sister, Julie, and his brother-in-law, Peter Jones.
While the launch point was set up John Osment started changing the TOST release hook in his Standard Cirrus, overseen by Colin. As is often the case it turned into an all day effort with a new release cable needed to be made up.
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| A tranquil glider rack remains after the club gliders were moved to the launch point |
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| Club gliders at the launch point ready for a day's flying |
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"The early bird catches the worm"
David Osment and Mike Jardine return from the first flight of the day.
"It's working" was the report. Game on! |
John Smith took that signal on board and soared for 32 minutes in the Astir CS77 before taking over driving the winch. Dave Osment launched again and enjoyed 32 minutes in the wave. Then Peter had 35 minutes and Rick 29 minutes. Despite expectations there was wave. The southeasterly breeze meant the glider could exploit the wave without having to go near the firing ranges that were active today.
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The morning saw a large, strange-looking lenticular cloud over the site
with some thermal activity further south of the airfield. |
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| Jamie's take on the unusual looking lenticular with perhaps thermal clouds, or rotor underneath. |
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| Is that rotor? Only one way to find out. |
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Zooming in at the bottom of the "lenticular" reveals Mammatus clouds.
These are normally associated with the base of Cumulo-Nimbus clouds. |
Several members had seen a Cu-Nim on the way to club towering over Plymouth. Late in the morning there were reports of lightning in Plymouth, but none was visible (or audible) from Brentor.
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| Lance's first flight didn't find much lift |
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| Rain to the south in the direction of Plymouth |
Lance's second launch was a soaring flight of 22 minutes.
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| Lance readies for a second flight of soaring in the wave. |
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Away from the big "Lenticular" more conventional clouds appeared
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Steve flew with Julie, his sister. He was amazed at achieving a launch height of 1,997 feet, his personal record in a K-13.
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| Brother and sister enjoying a shared experience |
Sean took a flight in the Astir CS77 and enjoyed 53 minutes in the wave before Rick took off in his Standard Cirrus for an hour and 15 mins. He then handed the glider to Mike who had 55 minutes aloft. Rick kindly picked up the instructor duties for the duration of Mile's flight. This system is working well in allowing the Flight Instructors to increase their solo hours. Rick claimed the second-longest solo flight and Mike the third longest. Answers on a postcard as to whom clocked up the longest solo flight in a club glider later in the day. We don't often get photos from the CFI so enjoy them.
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| The moors from the east of the runway. Can you spot "Bushman" Sean in the Astir CS77? |
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| Tavistock, the Hamoaze, and Rame Head. |
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| Rick at 2,750 feet climbing at 1.5 knots in the wave. Shame about the Flarm not working! |
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| Rick's suitably elevated view of Tavistock. All traces of Cu-Nims and rain over a Plymouth have gone. |
Fleet Manger duties, in particular getting the Twin Astir Trainer, HBK, ready for service had prevented me converting to the Twin Astir. There was no avoiding it now. First a flight from the front seat with Peter and then a flight from the rear seat. Flying from the rear seat, in its very recumbent position, wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be. With in excess of 1,500 ft launches in the wave it took a while to get back down as the launch and landing in a new glider type were the object of the training exercise. As it was reasonably busy, and members we keen to get into the wave, launch failures were left for another day
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Gavin flies DSL for the first time.
It was 15 years since he last flew a Twin Astir (II Acro) in Keiheuvel, Belgium. |
Phil Hayward had started a One Day Course on Wednesday 6 May. With his previous power experience and three flights with me, where the last one was an extended soaring flight, I had to hand him off to a Flight Instructor to finish his course. He did so with a wave flight with Mike and then another with Peter. So now he can make use of up to three months temporary membership of the club from today's date
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John Hutton and his daughter Zoe with the Twin Astir after John's flights in the wave
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| Group photo after receiving his certificate with his wife and instructor Phil |
Phil's trial flight visitor, Sarah, came to the club with her partner. Gliding had been one of the things on her list to experience. She had been inspired by her grandfather who had lived locally and flown a trial flight with DGS, albeit about 30 years ago.
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| A family record of Sarah's grandfather flying with DGS. Colin recognised the glider. It's a K-7, the predecessor to the K-13s; note the separate canopies. But who is the instructor and the launch marshal? |
Sarah had two flights with Phil. The wave was starting to be broken up by afternoon thermals which made understanding what the control movements were doing to the aircraft difficult. She certainly enjoyed the excitement of the launch and the landing.
On one of Sarah's flights Phil was able to follow the route of the old railway line and identify her grandparent's house on the edge of Blackdown, close to Brentor village.
Phil and Sarah finished in time to allow Sarah's partner to take her to work in Plymouth for 1800 where she works as a beautician. Sarah we hope you enjoyed your afternoon with us.
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| Sarah and partner after her flights |
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| A souvenir photo for Sean (a Wavers private joke) |
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| Neal receiving an extensive debrief from the CFI after their second training flight. |
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| Being half French it was inevitable that "Bushman" Sean would get the Churchillian salute wrong when flying with Peter for a bit of back seat training in a K-13. |
But what of our most recent member? Harley Brockhouse a former ATC instructor, now without home to fly from, had been introduced to the club by his friend Adam Hoskin. After being strong-armed by Adam and the Chairman Harley expected a day of orientation and getting know us. Not likely with the Wavers;. You are going flying; an extending circuit with Mike followed by a 25 minute soaring flight as the wave gave way to more classical thermals in the late afternoon.
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| CFI, Rick conducts a daily inspection of the K-8 so that I might fly solo. Thanks, Rick. |
So I launched and connected with mixture of wave and thermals landing after 37 minutes. The last landing of the day. Dave Archer made the last flight of the day, just seven minutes. Dave, you should have got your name earlier on the flying list!
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| Vital supplies were waiting for me at home. Two cans of colour-matched cellulose paint, to allow Colin to complete the work on CCY before it goes to North Hill. |
Peter summed up the day : "A day that promised so little, but delivered so much."
In figures the Wavers made a modest 30 flights today. The reason for the low launch total was evident in the average flight time of 31 minutes, even when including Dave Archer's flight! A total of 15 hours 31 minutes of flying today.
Faces that had caught the sun were very happy putting the gliders away. All in all, a great day's flying for the Wednesday Wavers, who could live up to their name, and our various visitors.
Gavin Short
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