DGS News Sunday 12th May 2013

From Country File last Sunday all the way through the week the weather forecast was clear, bright with occasional showers, until today dawned and all known forecasters were predicting 'If you're not wet yet, you soon will be.'  So without warning someone had thrust the Jetstream say down south and allowed a warm front to come down over Wales and West Country which arrived - just in time for us to have the K-13 out on the hangar apron ready for DI!

Warm front anyone?

If anyone you are not sure of what warm sector conditions look like, the photo of the windsock should give you a clue - the moor was visible, as was the church - but only just.  Which was a pity for One Day Course student 15-year old Harry Fowler who, having travelled with his family from Tintagel, ended up giving us a one day course on how to fly the simulator!

Young Harry showing how a simulator should be flown 

Don engaged Sunday Soarers Dave Parker and Jerry Wellington with some useful post event analysis of how not to land your glider using a low, slow downwind final turn (with the assistance of You Tube), which became 'how to navigate your way from Brentor to Roadford Reservoir, (via Shenington and Bidford)', and then morphed into 'the Dartmoor Ridge milk run: Cox Tor to Standon Hill to Whiteways Cross and back via the front of Blackdown' a white knuckle ride coming to a cockpit near you (if you're lucky enough to be at the club in a 20kt westerly).

Jerry and David must be suffering brain fade - they attended the Saturday evening event as well 

But then, just as Don was beginning to get into his stride he was rudely interrupted - by a visitor - from North Hill!  Thankfully the visitor and his partner had arrived by car, not by air, and seemed keen to encourage us to visit the North Hillites more frequently, alluding to the existence of a Brentor and Back cup at North Hill.  When I pointed out that we - in the shape of Phil Hardwick - had already visited NH recently (thus winning the North Hill and Back Cup) and Don was able to show that we had won the Aero Club's Albatross Award at the BGA Conference he quietened down a little, and showed a keen interest in our simulator, which is another asset they don't have at NH.  

So, with warm sector conditions continuing to prevail, we said good bye to Harry and family (hopefully he'll be back in a couple of weeks) and returned home for another week of looking forward to a good forecast for Sunday, which might, for once, be manifest by good weather on the day itself.

Martin Cropper