Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 8th August 2021

The weather gods were benevolent to us today – for whilst they kept their intentions hidden from the Met Office weather forecasters – at least they let us fly.  Later.  Not until after we had gathered, observed sombrely the low vapour laden sky, become irritated by the rain beating on the veranda roof interrupting our conversation, and finally succumbed to the inevitable ground school presentations whilst tweaking the net curtains for signs of an (unexpected) improvement.  

A couple of hours later, walking the wing of K-13 HXP down to the east end of the airfield, it could quite clearly be seen that banks of grey cloud were being herded away up and over the moor swept by a blue, fresh sky intermingled with white cumulus: a cold front, surely?  Of which there was no mention in the forecast?  Ah well, “attack the target you can see…” (as they say).  

Geoff Cole was the first of our trainee cadre to launch – straight into rising air taking him to over 1,600ft agl, thus providing valuable time for him to consolidate his aileron plus elevator work and move on to inclusion of the rudder.  In a gradually freshening breeze, Simon Vallance then took to the air where, on his second launch, he too found rising air directly over the winch and with which he tenaciously maintained contact until, being drifted east across the airfield boundary, he pushed back into wind to find another surge in energy.  By repeating this process three or four times, he achieved a very well-earned Flight of the Day at 18 mins.  

Target for tonight: Brentor church, where Richard’s son was married.

As the wind continued to freshen (there was less dangle in the windsock) it was Ray Boundy’s turn in the front seat.  A multi-talented chap, he decided to detach from the first launch as it appeared to enter De Lorean velocity, thus doing the instructor’s job for him!  Following an up-field landing he was rapidly re-flung into air, albeit a little more sedately, but nonetheless to 1,200ft in the almost perfectly runway orientated wind.  

Visiting pilot Richard Lovell-Butt, with Martin Cropper.

It was then time to welcome Richard Lovell-Butt, visiting from Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre, into the front seat of the K-13.  Declaring that his son’s wedding had taken place at Brentor Church some 15 years ago, there was nothing else for it but to conduct a beat-up photo-recce of the church and its surroundings (see photo).  Richard (a BI and one-time Asst Act) was then given the opportunity for a second flight, this time with conduct of the K-13.  Ending the day with a follow-up launch failure to consolidate Ray Boundy’s skills, we concluded that, on a day when no flying had been widely assumed, we hadn’t done badly, at all.

Richard’s view of the church, and adjacent Iron Age settlement.

Martin Cropper