Where do I start...? Stood alone on an unfamiliar RAF UPAVON airfield with tarmac tracks and lush, green, level grass, all this felt alien to a DGS pilot like myself. Then, at 8:30am, as Roger Appleboom drove around the corner of the massive hangar, K-6 in tow, normality began to be restored. Then Barry and Roger Green arrived - this was getting more like it. We all rigged, then headed for the porta cabin clubhouse (briefing room, storage and bar all in one). Briefing was short and sweet. The ICL is well run and always full of willing helpersfor anyone who is unsure. The task was explained, with local weather forecast and all the usual info: when thermals start, and more importantly when they are expected to stop!!
We all marked our turn points on our trusty maps with chinagraph pens. The rest of the pilots started pressing buttons on the technical wizardry they had brought in, then walked out to the shiny plastic gliders that had appeared from nowhere.
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| Roger's K6 ready to go wiith Richards's K6 in the background |
First day tasks were-
Roger A - 125km triangle. (One leg was 54km so a big incentive to make turn point two as Roger was in need of Silver Distance)
Roger G - 198km with start/3TP/finish
Richard - 278km with start/4TP/finish
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| Day 1 Task list |
Much to our surprise, Roger G and I made it round (slowly, slowly catchy monkey as the saying goes)
Cut to the K-6 with Roger A and the story was a little different.
Learning to fly at Dartmoor has its advantages I feel. We are taught to thermal in small broken thermals and are accustomed to low cloud bases, so we often cover ground at less than 2000ft because we have to... Roger A took this to the extreme and left for task, crossing the start line at 1600-1800ft: "Making progress into wind was becoming hard work", he said. I wasn't surprised, when cloud base was 4000ft and rising. Even so, Roger made great progress after this by rounding the first TP and getting into the swing until his downfall just short of the 2nd TP. Roger’s first field landing was into wind, uphill on grass in a field you could fit 5 x Brentor airfieldsinto! Great choice, Roger.
He was kindly picked up by the ever ready Barry Green with no major problems to report on the seamless retrieve.
End of the day-
Nothing left to do but hand in the loggers so the Wizards could let us know how we did, and if we rounded all the turn points.
Roger and Barry headed off to the B&B 20 mins away.
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| Nice BBQ Roger! |
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| Nice tent Roger? |
After all the excitement and hard work yesterday we were feeling like it should be a slightly shorter task as the weather was due to cut off at 3:30pm - but the locals had other ideas.
Tasks were-
Roger A - 130km down to Frome before weather and sea air cut things off then another 2TPs.
Roger G - 165km Trowbridge (same reasons as above) then another 3TPs.
Richard - 290km Frome to Oxford and another 2TPs.
The task has so many turn points so as to keep us reasonably close to the airfield should we land out!
In the event we never spoke about it before we all took off but we all had similar ideas: give it a go, but if it wasn't great cut the task short and turn for home.
As I got near my second turn point the sea air was making things weaker, so short of TP I turned back for Upavon and, as is normal, during this glide hit an 8knot climb up to 4,800ft cloud base. You have got to love flying in the middle of the country for this very reason.
Roger A had a nice flight after abandoning the task and just enjoying the countryside, a fact we could see written large on his face when he landed. Roger G/Barry G and myself had de-rigged and paid our dues ,just as the K-6 landed by us with a very happy Roger A.
After a debrief from Roger G about the flight for him.
A shame as he only got off the ground for a nano second before a big bump prematurely put his undercarriage up while still on the ground run of the launch. Good news is no damage but the length of time taken to sort it and check it was safe put paid to the task of the day.
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| Power Stations always attract glider pilots looking for that elusive thermal |
Dartmoor ICL pilots managed a Total of...571 kms flown on tasks.....total 14 hours flying time. All in two days on a weekend. Only financial costs were launches, BBQ, camping (about £80 plus fuel - seems good value to me).
Many Thanks to all, good weekend, good company. Especially Barry for all your help pulling pushing , rigging and driving.
Next ICL: Two weeks time at Keevil (another massive, organised, lovely airfield) anyone who wants to come and help out and see what it's about they are welcome.
This is really for anyone with bronze and cross country diploma if you want to fly BUT....for anyone who likes the buzz of cross-country and a team of mixed abilities and characters, the ICL is a great experience.
If you think I'm biased (I am) just ask Roger A or Barry/Roger G. We all got a great deal from this weekend.
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| Swindon |
Richard Roberts
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