A pre-briefing walk up and down the airfield proved most beneficial in revealing that ‘a’ the easterly gusts, although variable, were not exceeding 15 knots, and that ‘b’ rotor cloud just to the SE of the site indicated the presence of wave. Now all we had to do was get into it.
With yesterday’s turbulent conditions in mind a cautious approach was adopted; hence we launched Rick Roberts with Martin Cropper for the first couple of flights. As predicted, they found some wave, in a narrow line NE-SW just south of the airfield, but lost more than they gained and inevitably returned to land. The approach, advantageously, was bracing but not turbulent.
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| The K-13’s paintwork matches the sky. |
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| K-13 CCY on approach. |
Andy Davey then flew with Peter Howarth and, following Rich and Martin’s cue, managed to find rising air that, by using a combination of circling and beats, gradually took them to 2,000ft (see photos). On landing Andy reported that it had been hard work with thermals giving assistance but no clouds to indicate the wave, with Peter adding that if you lost lift and returned to the spot where you had found it, it had gone!
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| Peter Howarth’s view to the west from 2,000ft with… |
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| …the instrument panel proving he’s not mistaken! |
That set the tone for the day, with Ed Borlase jousting for height in a fifteen-minute struggle over Blackdown, to be followed by Phil Hardwick (also 15 mins) and Ray Boundy who innovatively found a ribbon of lift in the valley to the west of Blackdown but, as soon as he turned, you’ve guessed it, discovered it to have vanished! Colin Boyd took the brake-van flight.
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| Phil Hardwick fully ‘booted and spurred’ ready for flight. |
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| “All Out!” Ray Boundy sets off and… |
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| : …a few seconds later… |
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| Ray returns the CCY safely to the ground. |
Fickle summed it up – the wave was like walking a tightrope which, if you fell off, was too narrow to get back on and hence flight times did not reflect the enormous amount of concentration and effort invested by pilots, relatively close to the ground, in obtaining their modest achievements – all of which were followed by safe circuits and landings. Well done, all.
As your reporter stepped into his car after several short but adrenaline filled flights he was surprised to notice that, actually, it was a very pleasant, warm, spring day!
Martin Cropper
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