"So how many flights do you do a day?" asked One Day Course Student Carter Davies as I struggled to keep us within a half-knotter that might just turn into something interesting. "Oh, anywhere between 30 and 40 launches" I breezily replied as, recognising we were losing more than we gained, I converted the turn into a downwind leg for home.
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| One Day Course student Carter Davies, from Lydford. |
Back on the ground, however, all eyes were pointed skyward for there, plastered to a steel grey sky as if by anti-gravity paint, were the K-8 (Chris Owen), the Zugvogel (Adrian Irwin) and one of the K-6s (Richard Roberts), all somewhere between 2,000-3,500ft agl. "Well, that's done for the launch rate", thought I, "If that lot keep soaring we'll be lucky to make 20 launches, let alone 30..."
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| Chris Owen ready for his first flight in the Zugvogel |
Now you could be forgiven for thinking that the event described above took place around mid-afternoon, because in Britain in summer the best time to fly is definitely 3pm: "any fule kno that" (Adrian Molesworth, "Wizz for Atoms" c.1957) however the event described above did in fact take place at 1pm, otherwise known as lunchtime (for some) for by 2:30pm it had all gone as flat as a fluke - just as RASP predicted. That's not to say that we didn't gain any benefit from the afternoon. For instance, Chris Owen took advantage of the benign conditions to convert onto the Zugvogel (well done, Chris), cramming in as many landings as he possibly could from 2 launches; 'early shift' winchman Barry Green managed 24 mins in the K-8, and new member Ed Borlase, who is part of the management team at the Theatre Royal (cue joke) made rapid progress 'in the wings' (ho, ho).
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| One Day Course student Mark Tothill, from Cockwood, on the Exe estuary. |
Our One Day Course Students were the aforementioned Carter Davies, from Lifton, and Mark Tothill, from Cockwood, near Starcross, who was joined by his parents (who had bought him a voucher for his 50th birthday) and children to witness his 6th (all three controls together) flight. We also gave an Introductory Flight to Jason Baxter, who had driven up from Newquay with his family, and Dave Downton completed the club trainee list.Regrettably it was not possible to fit in one of our younger trainees today, but he still has to be congratulated for mastering the gear change from 1st to 2nd gear on the quad bike - well done, Elliot!
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| Today’s Introductory Flight Visitor was Jason Baxter, who had travelled from Newquay with his family. |
So, with high pressure centred just over the coast, and the wind veering slightly from its southerly aspect, a strange thing happened... No, we didn't pack up! Returning from his hip operation and, having asked for a check flight, Allan Holland noticed a slightly darker cloud in the sky. Swinging south from our launch he announced: "It's most probably wave - set off by Kit Hill..." And as we climbed in a pool of half-up to 1,500ft it was clearly evident that the cloud was directly downwind of and parallel in direction to Kit Hill - well, you never stop learning: thanks, Allan. And if you don't believe me ask Barry Green, who also spent an effortless 26 mins aloft between 6:30-7pm.
So as we slid the gliders back into the safekeeping of the hangar what was the final count? Well, only 32 launches, regrettably (longest flight of the day 1hr 21mins by Adrian 'I only landed to relieve Barry on the winch' Irwin); it would have been more, were it not for those selfish solo pilots who chose to go soaring between 11:30am and 2pm!
Thanks go, in particular, to Heather Horsewill for driving the retrieve almost all day, and to others who made our visitors welcome and yet didn't fly (you know who you are...)
Martin Cropper
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