“10 up, all round!” No, not an order in a pre-lockdown pub for drinks all round, but Steve Fletcher’s exclamation as he approached cloudbase today – and his was one of many memorable experiences today. Maintaining our cautious approach post full re-opening, Roger Green flew 128 kms from Liskeard to Eaglescott and return, Steve Fletcher went to Okehampton, then Plymouth and return, Gavin Short a cat’s cradle around Kit Hill and back via Grenofen, Andy Davey, Phil Hardwick and Peter Howarth soared locally whilst Ed Borlase (among others) reached and claimed his Silver Height!
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10up all round!
Steve Fletcher’s vario squeals with delight as he climbs towards Okehampton. |
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If you landed here you’d score an ‘own gaol’!
Steve Fletcher’s view of HM Prison Dartmoor in Princetown. |
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| In the overhead: an unusual view of the airfield taken by Ed Borlase. |
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Today’s grid under a promising sky,
with Roger Green’s ASW-20 in the foreground. |
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| Roger Green’s vario shows a mere 9kts up, whilst en-route to Eaglescott. |
But what of our trainees? We welcomed new member Mark Elliott for his second (consecutive) day on our Fixed Price to Solo scheme, we gave visitor Glynn Howell two trial flights (one to 1,500ft+) and Dave Westcott returned to solo after a couple of simulated launch failures. But paramount among the trainees must be Ray Boundy who, after a couple of launch failure practices, launched for a hangar flight whereupon the variometers, far from settling, remained insistently above the horizontal, to which of course Ray’s response was to circle, as twos became fours, and fours sixes until – in clear air - the lift eventually gave out at about 3,300ft agl. Twenty-two minutes later he arrived perfectly in line with the cross track at the conclusion of a hangar flight to remember..!
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| Fixed Price to Solo student Mark Elliott on his second day of tuition. |
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| Visitor Glynn Howell preparing for the first of his two trial flights. |
So, what of the weather? Well, a dry, gentle, and sunny north-westerly, basically. But the clue was in the sounding, where the dry adiabat showed a distinct ‘backward’ lean, indicating very buoyant air which promised plentiful cumulus and a cloudbase of about 4,000ft amsl by lunchtime. Visibility was also forecast to be very good (unlike yesterday), but with a slight possibility of over development (as it did over the moor). At times the wind even backed westerly - ie. along the runway but, as Phil Hardwick pointed out, that was usually just another thermal passing through!
Indeed, the experience of the soloists was just that: wherever you went you just bumped into lift which, albeit bitty and difficult low down, gradually transformed into a smooth, strong ascent that gave confidence in the task ahead.
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| Having re-soloed, Dave Westcott approaches in K-6 G-CEWO |
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| New member Adam Hoskin gets underway in the club K-8. |
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Our playground: Ed Borlase’s view of Blackdown and beyond
as he descends from his Silver Height flight. |
But the 10up of ten for tenacity award, must go to Gavin Short who, returning after a disappointingly short flight early on, spent some time as log-keeper and also on the winch before deciding to ‘relight’ at 1625. At which point he was met by the aforesaid lift which, at a best average of 6.2 kts (!) took him to 5,600ft+ amsl for 1hr 14 mins. As he said on returning, “Never write off the day – if you get disappointment early on don’t let it get you down – find something else to do and you never know – it may still be there, as it was for me!”
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| Gavin Short’s photo illustrates the River Tamar gorge as it fights its way to the sea. |
A great day – one of those to look back on and savour in the future.
Martin Cropper
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