Dartmoor Gliding News-Saturday 11th April 2015

The weather looked promising. A cold front had swept through yesterday taking the high pressure with it. This left us with an unstable airmass. The only downside of this was the drop in temperature. Thursday was around 20 centigrade; today about 11 but feeling much colder in the brisk westerly airflow.

Due to the somewhat leisurely arrival of members and some urgent maintenance work, the first launch was not until midday when the 13 climbed away from the launch straight to cloudbase some 3800 feet above the runway. So a good day was in prospect.

Looking down at the airfield from 3800 feet

Tony Dean captured this view of Roadford Lake from the Zugvogel

There was a lot of soaring, the best of which was Chris Jones in the K8 who stayed aloft for 1hour 24 minutes missing out on his 2 hour soaring flight. Close on his heels was Adrian Irwin in the Zugvogel  who returned after 1 hour 10 minutes to bag his outstanding soaring flight for his Cross Country Endorsement. Well done Adrian. Tony Dean managed couple of 40+ minute flights in the Zugvogel while trying for his 2 hour flight and Colin Boyd managed a late afternoon 30+ minutes in the K8. Strangely there were no private gliders out today. Syndicate owners should be kicking themselves that they were not here.

The view to Plymouth and the Tamar Estuary

How steep do you turn in thermals?
Chris Jones shows us the way.
Notice the K13 soaring above

We had two Introductory Flight visitors, Myles Simpson and Phyllis Lancaster ( a sprightly 81 years young ) both of whom flew with Rick Wiles.  Also returning today was Air Training Corps Cadet and DGS temporary member Heather Lawrie. She had a couple of flights with me working on her aircraft handling skills and was busy around the launchpoint helping out. Great fun.

Visitor Myles Simpson

Visitor Phyllis looks happy to be flying

Heather returns the K13 to the launchpoint at the end of one of her flights

As the day progressed reports that the Gold Landrover had some mechanical problems began to filter through. The alternator drive belts had come off and couldn’t be refitted due to a wobbly pulley. Time for a new water pump then, although, reports that the power steering pump had also failed proved thankfully to be a red herring ( the power steering pump doesn't work with the drive belt removed!! ). More work to do.

A good day.

Steve