Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 17th July 2016

When I get so rich and famous that I receive an invitation to share my seven favourite records with the Great British Public on Desert Island Discs, I won’t have anything so common as the ‘Shipping Forecast’ with all that North Utsire/South Utsire malarkey, no just a plain “the area lies under a ridge of high pressure” will do for me (for its rarity value). Today, however, we had that privilege. So with the sun beaming down from a cloudless sky, and humidity levels much lower than yesterday, a north-westerly zephyr and two K13s on hand, we set out to achieve as much as practicable for as many as possible.

Our One Day Course student Kevin Wilkins, who is a printer from Plympton.

Forty nine launches later the sun continued to beam down from a cloudless sky, but in between we had experienced some classic soaring conditions, decaying gradually as a sea breeze crept in from the north (or possibly west) coast. Roger Appleboom was kept busy all day, being first to launch with One Day Course Student Kevin Wilkins (see photo) followed by a string of other visitors (as illustrated) adding 10 launches to his log book.

Visitor Ann Barriball is ready to launch with Roger Appleboom.

Anna Henderson-Smith flew with IFP Roger Appleboom

Visitor Mark Quelch.

Trainees Dave Downton and Ed Borlase benefited from some much needed launch failure practice, whilst new member Phillip Sellwood was at last able to get a decent set of flights after his One Day Course a couple of weeks ago. Peter Howarth led the march to the K-8 (to be followed by Allan Holland (53 mins) and Joe Nobbs), whilst Tony Dean was struggling to get the Twin Astir out of its T hangar (and eventually managing 43 minutes in the air – result!), Standard Cirrus syndicate members Pete Harvey and Chris Owen enjoyed showing off their steed whilst Leith Whittington failed to line the Treasurer’s pockets with a modest 3 launches this week.

Leith Whittington counting his soaring minutes whilst awaiting a cable..!

Pete Harvey and Chris Owen’s shapely Standard Cirrus is framed by Brentor Church

Flight of the Day award was emphatically taken by Rich Roberts in his K-6CR who, constrained by having to attend Afternoon Tea with his family at 4pm, managed to fly north of Roadford reservoir (see photo of the N coast), Lifton and back whilst eventually achieving a height of 3,500ft by climbing up the edge of a cloud – “but low down - between 700-1,300ft - it was hang on in there and wait”, he reported afterwards.

Richard Roberts’s view of cloud on the North Devon coast,
taken from Roadford Reservoir.

Thanks go to the enablers – Roger Green and Heather Horswill on winch and retrieve (as relieved by Allan Holland and Jeff Cragg) and the launchpoint crew, including Eliot Acton and Ed Borlase.

Martin Cropper