Gliding Club News - Aston Down Expedition Day 4. 18th May 2023

Conditions were light wind and sunny but there was a risk of overdevelopment. As well as the privateer Dartmoor gliders we used Cotswold's DG500 and the K-23. Mark consolidated his type conversion with more flights in the K-23.

With very little wind it was hot.  DGS members were flying in T-shirts; when did that last happen (Ed: For decorum's sake I hope that they were sporting a few more items of apparel than  a T-shirt!).

Andy and Phil set off before midday on a task: Aston, Edgehill, Bichester, Aston Down, 165km. Sadly conditions; overdevelopment and possibly sea air from south of Bicester prevented them completing the task.  They both got back even though Andy got low at one stage.

Mike clocked up three flights in FUB.  Adam took off early, for him, and took "Man of the match" with 3 hours 58 minutes. Before he took an almost three hour flight John magnanimously invited Rick, our Chief Flying Instructor, to fly his Mini-Nimbus.  After 14 minutes aloft Rick can now add "trailing edge airbrakes" to his log book. Rick then took two flights in his Standard Cirrus.

 John took this photo while thermalling in his Mini Nimbus 
with Ben in the UWE Students' Union K8 and Aston Down airfield in the background

As to me.  Well I struggled after my first launch (Ed: There was nothing wrong with the smooth launch to 1,600 feet) and was back on the ground after 13 minutes. I took off again after 1400 and climbed.  The cloud base wasn't brilliant and I sent off at 3,400 feet.  My task was Aston Down, Edgehill, Enstone, Aston Down. 137km.  After 30 km down track the sky was overdeveloping.  Where there were still gaps in the cloud there was high cover and no sunlight on the ground.  So I abandoned the task and headed west to Cheltenham.  On the way there I got low (800 feet) and was picking fields to land in.  Then glorious sunlight and rising air and a thermal took me up to safe operating height at over five knots.  I was rewarded by a fantastic view of the "torus" that is GCHQ, a first for me.

I set off on a final glide back to Aston Down into the murk as the sea air, and hints of rain, was bowling in from the Severn Estuary.  The disposition of rapeseed fields was confusing, with Kemble airfield was easier to spot than Aston Down (Ed: You should learn to to trust your GPS).  A great circuit and landing by the trailers.  The other DGS privateers followed and we derigged and packed the gliders away in their trailers as it started to spit with rain.  The forecast for Friday is not very inspiring so the majority decided to go home tomorrow.

A few hardy souls: Andy, Phil, and John are holding out for Saturday.

So a simple supper of of various flavour pizzas, with a green salad and a vinaigrette (Ed: That is posh for Dartmoor Gliding!) and with that consumed Mark disappeared! Hugh had left after lunch; the all-weather biker headed off home in brilliant sunshine. So now there were ten.

Log sheets were photographed with an aim to add up individual and the whole Expedition totals.  To give you a flavour in four days I flew 8 hours 31 minutes in 6 flights (Ed: You can bask in glory now but you know that your total will be beaten).

Gavin Short