Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 11th August 2019

Much like having to admit that Pete Howarth can thermal better than me, my fingers are being forced to type that the weather was “BETTER”, yes “BETTER” than forecast. With some sources predicting thunder-showers, lightning, and SW’ly winds gusting 20kts+, what we experienced was fantastic visibility and strong, smooth (6-8kt) lift under streeting cu to 2,200ft (although cloudbase was variable, which just added to the fun).

Although today’s One Day Course cancelled, we had a trial lesson booked for 1pm, and Duty Instructor Pete Howarth naturally planned to get some training launches in with Rave Downton prior to that.


And naturally all proceed in accordance with that plan until - the start of launch No 2. At which juncture a well-known gliding club character, ‘gremlin’, put in a terminating appearance, just as our visitors were arriving (of course). These arrivals provoked Rich Roberts to metamorphose into ‘elastic man’, simultaneously populating both ends of the airfield as he cleared ‘work-in-way’ from one end of the airfield whilst putting a solution in place at the other (well he did have a little help from others, and the tractor) such that we lost only 90 minutes before being able to resume operations. Which was all to the good since in that time a few light showers crossed the airfield that would have precented launching anyway, following which some very promising cu began to appear.

K-13 HXP launching to the west.
Martin Cropper managed 38 mins with our visitor, Cressida Sparrow – a clinical psychiatrist from Plymouth – before returning the K-13 for others to use.

Cressida Sparrow being awarded her certificate by Martin Cropper.
This prompted Martin Broadway to follow in the K-8, reporting 6-8kt climbs to 2,000ft on handing over to Roger Appleboom. He was followed by Rich Roberts (Discus not rigged..!) and Allan Holland who, on landing, actually smiled, declaring “Well that was very entertaining..!”

K-8 FXB at rest under a promising sky.
Variety was thrown into the mix by Ed Borlase who, after a confidence boosting check flight with Pete Howarth, requested a photo-recce opportunity for his new camera, cheekily asking P1 to pay..! The results of that sortie can be seen in the accompanying photos.

Instructor Peter Howarth clearly enjoying today’s conditions.
A sunlit and shadow dappled landscape looking SW, with a distant rain shower.
Variations in cloudbase provided a challenge for us today.
 Virga in evidence in this view by Ed Borlase towards Tavistock.
With everyone flown who wanted to, and some ‘work-in-wake’ remaining to put gremlin properly back in his box, we finished relatively early, still slightly bemused as to how conditions had over trumped the forecast, but thankful for that all the same… Superhuman effort of the day award goes to Rich Roberts, with everyone who helped deserving extra shares in gratitude for - notwithstanding the weather - today was a day when problem solving and teamwork overcame calamity.

Martin Cropper

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