Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 1 February 2023

Before I left home for the club I messaged my younger brother to wish him a Happy Birthday and cheekily welcome him to his seventh decade.  As our US cousins say he will be pissed when he receives the message in the French Alps where he is working (Ed:  Does teasing one's younger brother ever stop?).

An unusual view of the entrance to DGS this morning  (Ed: In that there is no water running down into the road, no snow or ice, and its daylight too.  Does that cover it?)

Today the forecast was for wind up to 14 knots down the strip from the west and perhaps the promise of some thermic activity.

John Allan's early morning view of the weather to the west before the wind filled in (Ed: Not that early as the winch has already been set up and the first set of cables run out)

And John's view to the east (Ed: Sadly those aren't wave bars)

Last Wednesday the Wednesday Workers held a sweepstake on the amount of ferrous scrap that we collected. The runner up was Hugh with an over estimate of 575 Kgs on the 1,800 Kgs total. The winner was Phil who underestimated by 500 Kgs.  So congratulations to Phil.  (Ed: I think that means to get to buy the doughnuts). More important than who won the sweepstake was that the tidying up earned the club over £250.

Today's steeds checked and ready to play.

We took a single K-13 and a single K-8 to the launch point at the East end.  Hugh, the Duty Introductory Flight Pilot, asked for some check flights before his visitor was due at 1100.

Hugh raring to go while instructor Mike Jardine contemplates the strange view from the front seat

Mike's panoramic view from the front seat after a 1,450 feet launch

There was some blue sky to be had and a glimpse of Roadford lake (Ed:  Mike, I trust that's your camera skills blurring the shot and not that the canopy needs a clean)

And sunshine too!

The wind on the ground was stronger than forecast and aloft it was much stronger still. As a result a simulated launch failure planned for Hugh was cancelled as was the visitor flight for today due to the testing conditions.

When I went to the clubhouse our visitor, Edward Checkley, had already arrived for his 1100 trial flight.  I apologised and let him down gently. I showed him around and took him to the launch point to witness some flying. We look forward to seeing Edward again when he has rebooked and the conditions are a tad benign.

Next up was Mike Jardine who flew with Peter Howarth, then with John Allan, followed by temporary member David Moorley (Ed: Welcome back David after your One Day Course) .  I then flew with Peter.  A 1,400 foot launch, some snippets of lift, but after a steep approach I brought us back on the ground after just six minutes.  Peter had suggested that I didn't go back beyond the boundary fence so I had a very safe and conservative landing well up the field (Ed: Enter the new conservative candidate for the parish of Brentor North!  Others were less complimentary of the ensuing long walk).

 

Hugh patiently waits for John to complete his checks before kneeling on his natty blue mat

Peter's view of the Hamoaze in the far distance as Gavin and he head back to the airfield

A care-free Peter snaps Gavin in the rear seat concentrating hard

The murky view to the north

Looking East to the distinctive Blackdown and the moors

A break for lunch at midday (Ed: How very civilised or was it just perishingly cold in the wind?) saw us in the launch bus for a convivial gathering while we waited to see if the wind would abate.  Then it was outside and eventually, after much cogitation, the Duty Instructor called the end of flying.

"Hands to packing up stations"

We towed the gliders back to the hangar with more people than normal in attendance, and the air brakes open, as a precaution in the strong wind. For the much lighter K-8 we strapped  Malcolm W-J into the seat so that he could relive those many ground slides that he experienced early in his gliding career.  Malcolm reported that the Air Speed Indicator read up to 23 knots as the quad bike towed him up the field, at walking pace (Ed: The qualification was added for the Safety Officer's benefit).

John Smith briefs Malcolm W-J before the start of his long ground slide back to the Hangar.  (Ed:  Would that be "Canopy closed and locked.  Air brakes held open"?)

In the hangar, David Bouchier and Colin were working on glider wheels and K-13, FSD, respectively (Ed: We are looking forward to seeing FSD back on line after its first annual inspection at DGS). After flying John Smith and I joined Colin on a number of jobs.

Six flights doesn't sound much for the Windy Wednesday flyers but considering the month we had of non-flying over the winter most pilots grabbed the opportunity to fly with both hands.

During the testing conditions a considerable number of the Wednesday Windy flyers sadly did not get to fly today but made valuable contributions by driving the winch, handling gliders, running the launch point, driving the Quads, repairing the retrieve trailer, or just posing with one's private glider trailer on the field and thinking of "daring do" flying that might have been.  Thank you all. You made our day.

Gavin Short