Dartmoor Gliding News – Long Mynd Expedition 18 – 21 April 2022 – Another view

 This was my first trip away on several counts - first trip away with the club, but also the first trip away towing our syndicate owned K6 (FUB), and first time at the Long Mynd.  After a delay of an hour or so whilst Mike Bennett and I fixed a brake cable issue that developed as we hitched it up, we got under way.  Our route was over the Severn Bridge, and up the A49 after discovering that the toll charges were dropped in 2018 which proved to be a very nice easy drive.  My VW Passat achieved 46 mpg, which is a better MPG than when carrying two bikes!!

I had carried out a Google street view simulator run of the approach up the Burway onto Long Mynd.

  (Ed: The Burway has its own web page on an interestingly named Dangerous Roads Website )

It all looked fairly exciting but fine unless we met someone - steep single track road with a massive drop, and small passing places - we met two cars at the steepest point.  Both dived into the passing places on the wrong side of the road to avoid being on the outside - Wimps!!  The view to our right was very much like that on a winch launch!!!

The Burway which leads to the Midland Gliding Club

Mike Bennett and I arrived in beautiful sunshine, and found our way around the site.

Flying was pretty frustrating during the first two days - we needed to get nine people checked off to fly, or cleared to fly trainees.  It made sense to have those that would pass the checks easily, and then could then start flying trainees, done first.  That meant a first flight at after 1700 hrs, on a day with booming thermals.  My first check flight was described as an arrival, rather than a landing, the second flight was a little better but I still required a cable break the next day, to be cleared.

The next day we had to start again as everyone needed to be checked with a new wind direction.  I sneaked in a quick pre-check-flight in our K-13 with Gavin Short, which provided a timely reminder that there were patches of huge sink at high key, making us close to the 500 ft floor that his IFP approval gave him - mental note don't ever turn there again!!! - Gavin took control and demonstrated a perfect landing regardless.  Ed Borlase kindly provided me a video of his landing with Gavin as well, so when I finally had a check flight and I thought I'd nailed the landing the Long Mynd’s Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) said just turn right and clear the runway!!  So being careful to keep the wings level I duly applied right rudder and swung us into the wind – “You are cleared to fly”  Hoorah!! - Those words made my day and my frustrations vanished.

Wednesday dawned with more easterly conditions, but was considered OK so we could all fly under our existing check flights.  The field felt windy, and with some apprehension - I sensed this in others in our group too - I carefully watched our senior pilots land their first few flights with about 2,000 hrs hours experience between them, and wondering if my 45 hrs would be enough.  

But yes, some turbulence on the way down due to curl over from the nearby trees, but landing on the 36 Left landing strip would increase the distance from the trees and be marginally better.  After careful observation it didn't look so much different from a typical winter crosswind day at Brentor.  The gradient of the airfield didn't worry me, as I'd visited Bowland Forest the previous week, where they approach in similar style.  I asked for help to move the K6 on line, and I got into the launch queue.  Rose the CFI, helpfully reminded me to keep wings level on the ground - which lasted about one glider length and then I was airborne.  A quick circuit and landing and I was back on the ground. 

During the rest of the day I had a few circuits but also two amazing flights over the easterly bowl, which kicked off some nice little thermals to carry me up 2,000 ft, being helped by three kites (the feathered kind!).  I was able to circle around one as it stayed on constant heading in the middle of the rising air.  It's these amazing flights where it all comes together that addicts us to the sport.  I still can't believe I can fly a plane on my own!!!  

Best of all, our training at Dartmoor works and it allows us to travel to other gliding sites, where they consider our training has been good enough to fly other clubs’ gliders.  What a fantastic privilege it is to be part of this gliding community.

You also have to avoid Sheep on landing!!

(Ed: View from the rigging apron in front of the hangar.  The electric fence is to deter the sheep from investigating gliders that are left rigged on the apron overnight.)

View of the sunset from the Midland Gliding Clubhouse

Sadly the next day the wind was due to be windier, so we packed up and came home, hoping for some wave conditions at the weekend.....

John Allan