Sunday 24th February 2013

A good turnout.  Maybe it was the smell of 'Sunday Soarers' Roger Appleboom's Somerset pork sausages and tomatoes, or Dave Parker's Devonian free range eggs and mushrooms sizzling in the frying pan, or perhaps it was the north easterly forecast and the prospect of wave that attracted so many members today, either way both were very welcome.

However it was the culinary delights which proved the more reliable - and nourishing! 020 10 knots said the Met office, veering 030 increasing 15-20 knots with height - and another of Roger's pink pigs flew out of the pan - 000 the wind started and there it stayed resolutely stayed all day.  So no wave.  Again. 

Visitor Gary Stanbury ready for his flight with instructor Martin Cropper

With a full flying list there no time to let nuances like wind direction avert proceedings - and thanks to Nigel Williamson's double barrel load of Hobnobs down at the winch - we got off to a cracking start. With Sam Deeks and Dave Parker having booked one day courses with Don, it fell to Martin Cropper (who was delighted) to fly Trial Lessons for Gary Stanbury  and Lisa Brooks, both from Plymouth.
 
They were followed by youthful  'spring shoot' Trevor Taylor, requiring a check flight before flying the Jantar (was it the temptation of wave?), and Krzysztof Sekowski, who is hopefully going to convert his Polish solo status to UK solo as quickly as possible.

Sadly the weather was just too cold for Marta to fly - perhaps some 'positive (Polish) discrimination' will be in order on next week's flying list. Allan Holland appeared in the afternoon (was it wave?) and check flew the K-8, which is now fully serviceable again, thus allowing Nigel to get his solo reward for winching 7 parts of the day. 

Sandra Buttery sealed the day with a perfect touchdown in K-13 DMX, just as 'baker's boy' Al Carter proudly announced that he had relieved one of his SF-27 wings of 3 kg of paint (and other products)..!
So despite the wind being 30 degrees to the north of where it was predicted and should have been, a very useful 35 launches were made and (once they were thawed out) some smiling faces achieved.

Martin Cropper

Names have not been changed to protect the innocent / guilty