Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 14th December 2014

It's great when you round the corner to the club (before 9am) to see the windsock on its pole, a phalanx of Land Rovers parked up, K-8 already out and a couple of bods busily putting parachutes and radios in the retrieve. It makes you think: today is going to be a GOOD day. 

The two bods were Leith Whittington and Jerry Wellington and with my arrival we almost had enough to fly. Sadly, that's how it stayed.  Which was a shame since the weather was flyable, and there have been very few Sundays on which we haven't flown over the last few months, however being the third Sunday in Advent perhaps the big event around the corner prevented more members from attending. 

Start of the day? Put that glider away!  Jerry helps owner Leith Whittington put his Dart 17R back in its box having decided that today was to be a no-fly day.

But were the Sunday Soarers downhearted? Not a bit of it! We decided to START the day by putting Leith's Dart back INTO its box and progress from there.  First there was an annoying defect on the winch radio to be dealt with - a defect which, when subjected to multiple PTT switches in the 'on' position, mysteriously disappeared! Next we decided to hang the cable drogues and windsocks neatly, causing a catastrophic failure of the blue rope reeved through the pulley block (it broke..!).  Luckily, by that time Dave Bourchier was on hand to assist with a repair, but it did allow Jerry to display his gazelle like skills in leaping up a ladder before anyone had a chance to offer him a hard hat! 

Jerry working aloft in the hangar, re threading a rope through the block to hang windsocks.

"You've missed a bit, Mister!" Photographic evidence of monthly maintenance having been carried out on the K-13, as can clearly be seen by the reflection of the K-8 in the canopy.

 Then Leith recalled that the launch point tyres were looking a little 'soft' the last time we changed ends, and proceeded to empty two reservoirs full of compressed air into them whilst Jerry, constantly keeping safety to the fore, jet washed all 3 Land Rovers, thus enabling us to see through the windscreens!  Other tasks included monthly maintenance on the K-13 (vacuuming and canopy cleaning) and RECORDING IT on the board, and sweeping the leaves from the hangar floor.

Jerry Jetwash on Land Rover No.3

Regrettably, Dave Bourchier decided to test out our growing collection of vacuum cleaners by hoovering the clubhouse floor, thus preventing Jerry from donning moustache, skirt and apron to make the 'I Want to Break Free!' video that could have been a Christmas chart topper for the club.

And all this on only one jam doughnut per person..!  As we departed leaving Allan Holland hard at it on new acquisition HXP, I think the Sunday Soarers had good reason to feel, if not self-satisfied, that they had at least made a small contribution to safety and ease of operation for the next flying day. 

So yes, that made it a GOOD Day.

Martin Cropper