DGS News Sunday 31st March 2013

After yesterday’s fantastic day, today it was, unusually, the turn of the Sunday Soarers to suffer.  Although the easterly wind continued, which spurred their optimism, there was little sign of any wave, as splodges of grey cloud rolled in not much higher than the tops of the moors and spread from horizon to horizon, with just the occasional glimpse of blue revealing a downward part of the cascade, or flat lenticular in the distance.

Indeed, the only solace to the faithful band was that the wind was, for once, straight down the runway giving smooth and uncomplicated launches to 1300ft plus with no need for the winch man to worry about retrieving the cable and parachute.  This allowed trainees Dave Parker and Sam Deeks to get in some valuable approaches to land, unfettered by the burden of having to lay off for a crosswind. 

Also, beneath the overcast, there was some evidence of wave, both to north and south of the site, in narrow, knife edge lines, enough to enable solo pilots Roger Applebloom, Barry Green and Nigel Williamson to just about scrape double figures. 

Bob Sansom in his immaculately presented K8

Highlight of the day was the return of Bob Sansom who, having recently re-soloed, was keen to get his immaculate K-8 back into the air, which he duly did, to the tune of a 1,500ft launch courtesy of Barry Green.  After 3 of those, however, even Bob’s enthusiasm for being catapulted into the grey began to flag, and as sleet began to fall we decided that conditions were not going to improve.

Bob's K8 ready to launch into a very grey sky

 Then just as we were putting the gliders away Roger Green arrived to announce that conditions at Tiverton were ‘booming’, so let’s hope that gliding folk in the Mendips and further up country had a better day of it.  Thanks go to Nigel and Barry for their launching, to Heather for driving retrieve, and to Colin Boyd, whose previously reported wiring up of the Launch Assistant into K-13 DMX proved to be successful … yes, it WORKS!

Martin Cropper