Dartmoor Gliding News-Saturday 7th January 2017

What colour represents gliding today. Is it the white of the latest "hotship" flying cross country at warp speed? Or the bright colours of gaily painted vintage gliders frolicking in the sky against a background of white cumulus clouds put there by the thermals they seek? Or, maybe, the seemingly endless shades of green when looking down at the patchwork of fields which make up most of the countryside we fly over regularly? Well, unfortunately, today the colour of gliding was definitely grey. No, not the grey of the older pilots hair, but the grey of fog and low cloud. Cloudbase today was about 600 feet above sea level which is a problem when the runway is 820 feet above sea level.

So, right from the start, today was a non flying day. Was the day wasted though? Not a bit. 

The repaired cable tow out trailer

In the hangar, Rick and Scratch repaired the cable tow out trailer by welding back on the broken wheel and stub axle assembly after which they spent their day working on the 2nd Quad bike which has had a complete rear end rebuild. By the end of the day this machine is once again ready for action.

Rick working on the Quad bike.
Look carefully and the top of Scratch's head is just visible 

 In the workshop, Colin and Dave advanced the work on the BVB wing which is now ready for approval by a Senior Inspector before work starts on the second wing.

In the clubhouse, it was very pleasing to see that Ged has made a return to the airfield after his operation. While not yet ready to fly, Ged's visit marks a big step forward for him and he is looking forward to flying in the spring.

Ged returns.

Also in the clubhouse, Mike Jardine spent a large part of the day with Richard Jones, today's One Day Course, who will be returning next week if the weather permits. They spent a lot of time in the simulator exploring the differences between gliders and the powered aircraft Richard has previously flown.

Mike with Roger

The afternoon was rounded off by the regular monthly Committee Meeting which stretched well into the evening.

The committee at work.

Steve