Dartmoor Gliding News–Sunday 3rd August 2014

Most glider pilots take an interest in the weather. Some, like myself, out of a sense of duty, as would be expected from the Rostered Instructor, and others to help them in their decision about whether the club/flying wins over the barbecue/beach/seasonal sporting event.  Well today was a day when, had you studied the blues on the chart, the low vertical fpm and almost 100% cloud cover predicted by RASP, you might well not have bothered.

Fortunately, the Sunday Soarers are built of more dedicated - if not perhaps more ignorant - stuff, and hence provided a flight line of three privately owned K-6s, plus the club K-8 and two seater K-13, but not before a welcome return of the Soarers' Sunday Sizzler, and more...

Chris Owen at 2,800ft, just below cloudbase, looking towards the Tamar and Cornish Coast.

Getting the airfield set up in time for One Day Course student Brian Rickard proved no problem with the number of members on hand, however with only one instructor on site it was not possible to accommodate some speculative 'walk in' potential Trial Lessons who appeared during the day.  Nonetheless, by 1030 Brian was in the air and instantly it was apparent that the pessimistic forecast given by RASP was wrong, as by his third flight at midday it was possible to catch a ride to 3,000ft and give him an insight into flying the glider using all three controls together.

Roadford Resevoir from the South West from 3800 feet

The afternoon enable the K-6 pundits to plaster themselves all over the sky, and also the winch (for which many thanks: no known launch less than 1100ft) and those without the privilege of owning a K-6 to use the club's K-8: Tony 'Dixie' Dean managing almost 90 mins in our example, before ending just a little short of the launch-point in 'Dick Toop's' field.

Looking south from 3200 feet. The Tamar estuary at Plymouth top left

Returning solo pilot Karl Andrews gratefully took a flicker on  the vario that delivered him to cloudbase at around 2,800ft 10 minutes later, and 12 year old Eliot Acton was able to experiment with his new K-13 'booster' seat - no, not one of Martin-Baker's - they're ejection seats - it was time to return the K-13 to the hangar.

Karl Andrew, having scratched away from 800ft above Mike Stacey's farm, at 2,800ft ten minutes later.

Later, the  retrieve of the K-8 proving tiring, but uneventful', although it did highlight some deficiencies in the rig/derigging kit, which landing out pilot Dixie Dean has promised to rectify.

The K8 resting peacefully in "Dick Toop's" field

Ready to return to the club

Altogether a day exceeded all expectations, could easily have led to some interesting cross countries, both west and easy bound, and was the first time that I have ridge soared Brent Tor itself (the perceived wisdom being that the wind goes round, rather than over it - no, it can be used, today producing 4 up between 800-1000ft).

As for those who studied the weather forecast and decided to let it stop them going to the club, the photos here tell their own story. 

We are all grateful to Dave Parker, Scratch, Robin Wilson and Roger Applebeezer for their tenacious handling of the Guslaunch through the 'flat spot', thus delivering some very useful launches, never less than 1100ft

Martin Cropper