Most naval aviators are rubbish at dealing with crosswinds – all they do is ask the ship to alter course and, as if by magic, the perfect ‘flying wind’ appears! In the control tower of the bus today, , with the wind remaining east of south (instead of west as forecast) and despite having a VHF microphone to hand, it was impossible to order the airfield to change course! And so it was down to us to gather up, lift, shift, and change ends. Which proved to be a bonus for our first set of visitors, who were able to wave goodbye to loved one Mark Nicholls at the east end, join the caravanserai of vehicles down the dusty centre track, and greet him on his return to earth at the west end (courtesy of a soaring flight with BI Rich Roberts)!
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| Visitor Mark Nicholls giving his family a wave on approach… |
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| …and here they are..! |
Mark the first of three visitors we hosted today. Second was Mike Barnes, who was ready and waiting at the west end when Mark landed, and third was local resident Sarah Dean, whose flight met her ambition of being able to “see my house from here..”!
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| Visitor Mike Barnes enjoying instructor Rich Roberts’s pre-flight briefing. |
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| Local visitor Sarah Dean with instructor Rich Roberts. |
The viz was fantastic, the humidity low, the wind light SE’ly, but the pressure high – suppressing thermals, their signifying cumulus and launch heights – all very frustrating. For our solo pilots it was like flying by braille: there was lift around but you had to feel your way; and then it seemed to top out at no more than 1,200-1,500ft! As Adam Hoskin, flying the club K-8, put it, “It was hard work: I picked up a little line of lift to the SE which I allowed to drift me back over the airfield but once I tried pushing forward it was difficult to stay in”. A couple of pilots, however, had greater success. Steve Fletcher, in his 18m Open Cirrus managed 13 minutes, but even better was Ed Borlase, fresh from passing his Bronze ‘C’ exam, who emphatically achieved Flight of the Day with 36 minutes, and two climbs to 2,200ft agl.
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| Ed Borlase about to launch in the club K-8 (photo: Natalie Soper). |
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| The club K-8 (left) and K-13 share a thermal (photo: Natalie Soper). |
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James Bond-like Steve Fletcher deploys the drag parachute
on approach to land in his Open Cirrus. |
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| Dave Westcott making his pre-flight checks in club K-8 FXB. |
In the two-seater trainees Mark Elliott, Ray Boundy (who achieved two creditable flights of 13 and 17 minutes) and John Smith (who should be returning to solo very soon) flew with Martin Cropper. Instructor Peter Howarth also flew with daughter Paula in K-13 CCY, as she stopped off at the airfield during one of her cycle rides – thus keeping her feet on some sort of pedals for most of the day..!
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It’s a family thing: (PH x 2)as Peter and Paula Howarth
prepare to launch in K-13 CCY. |
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Trainee Mark Elliott on approach in K-13 DMX
(before the change of ends). |
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| Mark being debriefed by instructor Martin Cropper. |
Thanks go in particular to those who arrived, helped out but didn’t fly – you know who you are.
Now, if I just shout loudly enough into this microphone, perhaps I can get the airfield on the perfect ‘flying course’ for tomorrow!
Martin Cropper
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