Wednesday 20th February 2013

The BBC weather girl had suggested a dry day with clear skies. I looked out the window at home, blue sky. This was a bit of a puzzle as my interpretation of the local atmospheric soundings had suggested large amounts of cloud cover with the potential for wave.  As I drove up onto Dartmoor on the way to the airfield I was confronted with a sky that was completely covered in low cloud. Engage “smug mode”.

At the airfield, the wave was evident but the cloud cover was so low as to make it unflyable. So nothing for it but to prepare the gliders and wait for the cloudbase to go up. 

Low cloudbase over the runway looking east

Eventually, the cloud had risen enough to allow some flying. The cloud showed lots of rotor activity in the strong easterly wind so it was decided that instructor Ged and myself would take a 2 seater up to check it all out. The assembled members seemed delighted to sacrifice the 2 most experienced pilots first. Thanks chaps.

Normally at Brentor when we have wave, the rotors and heavy sink are in relatively small areas. But not today. The rotor was evident from the minute we left the ground and continued all the way around the flight. We attempted to push out towards an edge in the cloud, where we expected the wave to be but it was too far away. After what can only be described as a character forming circuit, approach and landing it was obvious that it was too rough to permit any further flying. So we would wait until later to see if things improved.

Lunch time in the clubhouse

While waiting, apart from having lunch, the assembled club members managed to replace the Zugvogel main wheel and tyre, re-assemble the K8, and help with a rudder hinge inspection on the K13. So we now have two 2 seaters and two single seaters serviceable and ready to fly. All of this was completed with a background drone from the tractors as Phil and his helpers spent the whole day rolling the airfield to improve the surface and start the process of repairing some of the winter ravages.

Unfortunately, the weather conditions did not improve and by mid afternoon the idea of flying was finally abandoned as the cloudbase rapidly descended once again.

So off home having spent a day with friends, tested my aircraft handling skills to the max and with dreams of Gold and Diamond heights and soaring 3 miles high over Dartmoor on hold. A great adventure ( almost )

Steve