Dartmoor Gliding News - Bank Holiday Monday - Monday 1 May 2023

Ohhh! A Bank Holiday Monday dawns bright and calm. The streets are dry. The forecast is for (Ed: This part is redacted. You know the rules!).  Am I allowed to say that there was a flurry of communication on the DGS WhatsApp group and people were planning to get to the club early and rig their gliders? (Ed:You just did).

My morning preparations could continue as normal as I was the Duty Basic Instructor today, with the CFI, Rick, being the Duty Instructor.  I was looking forward to flying our visitors at 1100 and 1400 respectively (Ed: So you won't be rigging your Standard Cirrus today then?).

When we can get Duty Instructor cover to run the field (Ed: Thank you to our Assistant Category and Full Category Instructors) DGS flies on Bank Holidays.  As was the case today.  Its always interesting to see who gets a "pink chit" to come and play on their non-standard day. That applies to new members and trainees as well as the "old hands' (Ed: I know that we are planning to fly a group of naval personnel later in the week but you can cut out the naval parlance. After all you did leave "the Andrew" almost ten years ago.  Dammit, you have got me going now too!).

With one trainee today we initially got one K-13 and the K-8 out.  But persistent drizzle stopped all movement for awhile.  Eventually we got going with two K-13s, a K-8, and a bevy of private gliders.  This included a hat trick of K-6s in yellow, white, and blue (Ed: Adam, could you repaint "Snoopy" in blue do that we have the right colours for the coronation?).

 

As we empty the hangar we took a moment to admire Adam's handiwork (Ed: Picasso he ain't. I await the application of the white top coat)

Privateers rigging  (Ed: Someone was in a hurry to get their glider rigged!)

The old and the new.  A K-6 and a Standard Cirrus

There was a delay in preparing FGR.  Steve Fletcher and others admired Adam's handiwork on FGR.  Adam had previously replaced the wheel bearings in the main wheel.  Its operation is now smooth and silent.  Impressive.  However, when Steve finished his Daily Inspection he had a final look at the main wheel. He was flabbergasted to see that the tyre was totally flat whereas it had been fully inflated at the start of the DI (Ed: I have previously told you about spooky happenings on Dartmoor).

 

Cue the DGS Formula 1 pit stop crew who had a replacement main wheel fitted in no time (ED: Two spare main wheels of each type, for two-seaters and single-seaters, are held in the glider tyre cabinet).  Post pit stop investigation showed that from coming off the belly dolly on the apron and moving to the grass verge the tyre had picked up what appeared to be a piece of a broken sewing needle.  This had caused the puncture and rapid deflation.  The offending item was removed from the tyre and the wheel was built up again as the next spare (Ed:  DGS members, please do not litter in the hangar or apron when you are working there.  Avoid FOD - Foreign Object Damage.  Use the bins).

The club gliders come out to play

As FGR was lowered to the ground onto its freshly changed main wheel our first visitor of the day, Erika Kurig, arrived with her husband and family. In fact three generations of the family.  As the rest of us started moving gliders and kit to the launch point Mike Bennett steppd in smartly and showed them around FGR and how the controls worked.  Afterwards, I introduced myself and transported the tribe, including the baby buggy, to the launch point at the east end.

The extended Kurig family marvel at a winch launch

Erika and her husband hail from Kent and were visiting their daughter and children in Mary Tavy (Ed:  Obviously the trial flight had been carefully planned).  Following the paperwork and the parachute brief Erika and Gavin took the second cable and showed, with their ten minute flight, that the day was already soarable.  Erika enjoyed the flight very much.  She and her husband are planning to return to Devon at the end of the month and so we hope to see them again.

Erika and Gavin ready to go soaring

Back on the ground the debrief on what just happened looks to be going well!

Erika promises to pin her certificate up in a prominent place when she returns home to Kent

 

Daughter and grandson share grandmother Erika's joy at her flight experience (Ed: Why is Gavin wearing a pink glider drying cloth on his head?)

 

 

Three generations of happy Kurigs!

Mike takes an early launch in FUB

Matt and Rick look pleased at the progress of the day's training

Matt launches CCY in to a cloudy sky (Ed: I hope Rick is still in the back somewhere)

Rick made a set of three training flights with Matthew Stone whilst Mike and Peter took a flight in their own gliders.  Then it was the turn of Mark Elliott to fly FUB as the newest member of the syndicate.  Mark made three flights during the day to get used to the sweet handling of a K6.

Mark, triumphant after his type conversion to a K-6

Phil launches his DG 300

A worm's eye view of the action

A gaggle of birds soaring at the bottom of the picture and Phil not soaring at the top of the picture!

 

 Six single-seaters waiting for the weather to do something

Our second visitor for a trial flight today, was Johanna Pettett who was accompanied by her husband.  They had travelled from their home in Ivybridge.  This was his present to her for a significant birthday (Ed: No. Stop it. A gentleman never reveals a lady's age).  The reminder of the family remained in the car park dog minding!  Johanna enjoyed a 15 minute soaring flight with Gavin taking in the verdant green vista of the Devon landscape and the dramatic views of Dartmoor (Ed: Johanna, we hope to see you again to make use of your three months membership of the club).

Mark has another go seeking to perfect his launches in the K-6

Scratch flew his Standard Cirrus for the first time this season and soared for over half an hour.  Rick turned his attentions to Steve Fleteher, who is training to become an Introductory Flight Pilot, and they made five flights, one of which was a soaring one of 15 minutes.

Johanna Pettett and Gavin ready to fly

Late in the day our noctunal treasurer arrived and I persuaded him to add his name to the flying list.  And Hey Presto, Rick flew three circuits with him all of which add to Andrew's total flight time.   Malcolm got the Twin Astir out from its T-hangar at the east end.  Unusually, the day got the better of DGS's very own "lift meister" with Malcolm ony managing a 11 minute flight as his longest of the day.

Heather, who was valiantly driving he retrieve today suffered a mechanical calamity mid afternoon.  The DGS crack emergency maintence squad (Steve and I ) swug into action and got Heather back on the road (Ed: Don't you mean track?) in time for the next set of cables to be taken to the lanch point.

In between providing photographic support throughout the day Ed Borlase managed to make three flights in his K-6, EWO.  He matched Malcolm's 11 minute soaring flight (Ed: Well done Ed!).

 

Johanna and Gavin pose by Ed's K-6 for the handover of Johanna's certificate (Ed: Hello sailor boy with your hat at a jaunty angle!)

The day looked better and better as it went on.  However, the general cool wet weather this spring stopped the welcome glimpses of sunshine working their normal May Day magic to create nice thermals.  Then our thoughts turned to who wanted to fly again.  FGR and the two remaining K-6s were flown to make a hangar landing (Ed: That means landing at the west end crosstrack ready to be moved down the track to go back in the hangar or their trailers as required).

Question: What's the easiest way to get the gliders back to the hangar? Answer: Fly them!

And the training continues for Matt (Ed:  Note the camera on a suction mount. Go Pro footage can be a two-edged sword - all your gaffs together with all your glories available for all to see!)

Thirty-six flights today following a damp and cool start.  Not your typical May Day Bank holiday perhaps. The unusually cool spring weather has put paid to that (Ed: Global warming anyone?).  But if you looked hard enough there was soaring to be had with Peter achieving 49 minutes aloft to claim "Man of the Match", followed by Scratch (33 Minutes), and Phil (24 minutes).  Well done to all.

Gavin Short