Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 15th January 2017

The forecast was for widespread cloud, from 800ft amsl, rising gradually. So on arrival at the club it was just a case of waiting for the aberrant wet stuff to stop and all would be well. Except the aberrant, unforecast and unwelcome wet stuff didn’t stop; it persisted - all day!

Can you solve the ‘mis-tery’of the church?
IF you CAN spot it, you don’t need to go to Specsavers..!

A review of the ‘To Do’ list revealed a number of tasks that we were unable ‘to do’, and so, having conducted a very useful teach-in on the ‘Launch Failures’ presentation, it was back to tales of derring-do (principally at the ‘Brentor Brexit breakfast’) and trying to get the woodburner up to a temperature where it would actually share some of its heat with us…

Entertainment (if that’s the right word) was provided by Ed Borlase’s friend Rory Springer, a naval Lieutenant who pilots Merlin Mk2 helicopters with 814 Naval Air Squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. He was very impressed, if not by the weather by the warmth of our welcome, and by the range of equipment he was shown. Rory and Ed (who incidentally has been promoted to Deputy Head of Marketing at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth) have known each other since schooldays and departed to take the opportunity to catch-up at a local hostelry, but not before Rory pledged to return for some ‘real’ flying when the weather improves…

Also bidding us ‘adieu’ was Adrian Irwin who, having flown yesterday, was hoping to get a couple of launches in prior to departing to South Africa for the month of February. Sadly the weather put paid to that but we wish him all the best for a safe and great adventure: haste ye back, Adrian!

Martin Cropper