DGS News - How I didn't do a 300km Fight

About 4 weeks ago while we were reporting on the DGS pilots visit to the Nympsfield Task Week, I mentioned that I would get some pictures and a report on Ged's attempted 300km flight which ended with him in a field in Wales. Well here is how he saw the flight

Steve

How I didn't do a 300km Fight - Ged Nevisky

Into the briefing at 10.00am. 2 tasks set a 200km and a 300km both into wales.

All or nothing says I lets go for the 300km Nympsfield-Craven Arms-Carreg Cennen Castle-Nympsfield. The gliders all ready to go so into the launch queue, there are a few delays so don’t get airborne till around 1215.

This photo of Ged in the Open Cirrus was taken on a previous occation at DGS

Top of the launch about 1000ft there’s a K21 thermalling about 1/4 mile away so lets join him, its a good thermal both going up nicely. I leave the thermal about 3000ft and set off on task, GPS dings as I cross the start line and tells me the heading to first turn point 97km away it also says I am 6800ft below the glideslope (a bit to do then).

Sky is looking good and I take some early climbs to top up height and see what the thermals are like, then after about 45 minutes things seem to stop working and I glide for about 15-20 minutes with no lift at all and I am down from 3500ft to less than 1000ft above ground, I have a field all picked out and think that’s it. (I later learn this is the area where Phil Hardwick lands out.) I then I get a sniff of lift and start to climb again although very slowly and decide to move to a better looking cloud close by, that one is much better and I climb quickly to about 2500ft and set off again, things are going much better and I am just short of the turn point at over 4000ft as I round the turn point I see a hang glider about 1000ft above me obviously from The Long Mynd which is about 10k away. I am hopeful at this point as that leg was directly into wind and things should get easier.

GPS switches to next turn point Carreg Cennen Castle north of Swansea over 90km away and over 6000ft below the glide slope. The sky is starting to overdevelop and the climbs are weakening as I work along the track, I can’t see any good clouds ahead and decide to turn left to the only decent looking cloud nearby it seems to be coming off a small ridge right next to Shobden airfield and I am able to slowly climb away but I have to be careful I don’t go into Shobden airspace. I set off again and manage another couple of climbs before everything dies and the sky is completely overcast. I can see the ridges next to Talgarth in the distance which are probably working in the westerly wind but I am too low to reach them. I am now flying down a valley and try to get some lift off some small ridges on the left but nothing seems to be working, oh well have to go and land out, there are some decent fields to my right up sloping and into wind, I didn’t realise how steep the slope was till I was on the final approach, probably about 30deg. good job the glider had a wheel brake as I started to roll backwards after landing.

Open Cirrus in Welsh field - what no sheep? 

Spend the next 4hrs having tea and biscuits with the farmer and his wife as I wait for the retrieve. (It really was in the middle of nowhere thanks Andrew) We just managed to load the glider before it went dark. Got back to Nympsfield 1230.

This picture gives some idea of how steep his field really was.

Ged