Dartmoor Gliding News - Sunday 16th July 2023

As our normal Sunday Duty Instructor, Peter, was away at the Fairford Air Tattoo we welcomed Mike Sloggett, from Devon and Somerset Gliding Club, today.  But would we fly? As ever for UK "forecasts may vary".

When I arrived Phil and Steve Fletcher were already getting the kit out.  The temperature was just 13C.  No "Europe's on fire!" at Brentor today.

When Mike Sloggett turned up there was a pause before Adam, Ed, Valerie, and Matt arrived.  After a pitch inspection and a discussion of the latest predictions of when the trough, and the expected rain, would come through (1300) it was agreed that the anticipated low cloud base and gusty conditions would not be suitable for trial flights.

“The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is.” - Yoda

Reluctantly we cancelled our three visitors and invited them to rebook. We look forward to seeing them soon.

The cloud base promised a weather window to go flying (Ed: So why are Ed and Matt just nattering rather than getting the gliders to the launch point?)

Sheer luxury at DGS.  I had my own driver to take me to the launch point (Ed: Or rather Gavin and Steve take the flying gear to the launch point)

After a weather check flight by Mike and Valerie showed that the cloud base was high enough for us to fly Steve went soaring in the K-8 for a "Man of the Match" busting 22 minutes. 

Ye olde K-13 weather check flight!

A high final turn

For a short period in the sky looked promising and Steve grabbed his chance

Steve returns to earth in FXB

Following a phone call from home Steve had to head back to Grenofen to free a squirrel that had got itself caught in a rat trap (Ed: Such are the tribulations of life in the country). Steve rejoined us later after the drama had played out.

Just two gliders were needed at the launch point today

Despite the rain to the south east Mike and Matt took two training flights.  After Matt's first flight out came Mike's "nifty black suckers",  a cunning designed piece of rubber to cover an altimeter or Air Speed Indicator. In this instance Matt would be denied the use of his altimeter.

I took a flight in the K-8 before there was a pause for another band of rain coming through.  We took the opportunity to show a walk-in family who were thinking of purchasing a trial flight for their mother/grandmother.  Adam demonstrated a winch launch to our visitors. After a show around we managed to get the prospective trial flight candidate in and out of FSD's cockpit to enable a test "fitting".

Valerie launches Gavin in FXB whilst Matt prepares for his second training flight with Mike

"All out! All out!"

Gavin climbs to 1,350 feet in FXB

The lone pilot and the lone tree.

Following Adam's flight Ed noticed that K-8 had a problem with its ASI which was stuck above zero when stationary.  A gentle blow into the pitot tube raised the speed indication to 30 knots and stayed there.  As our Bronze C candidates all know an ASI, as well as the input from the pitot relies on input from the two statics (vents).  Once the drops of water that had accumulated by surface tension on the static metal "plates" were wiped away correct operation was restored.  He then took a flight.  The ASI worked correctly and he didn't have to employ any techniques counter an incorrectly operating ASI.

I took over the K-8 from Ed Borlase and conducted my ABCD checks.  I suppose I should have anticipated that our young hipster photographer would want to add another letter or two to the ABCD mnemonic for me. In this case "Y" for yaw string. Ed had evidently been littering in the circuit.  So with the next band of rain coming in I launched without it.  Despite that important instrument I still managed to soar for nine minutes.  After my hangar landing we packed the hangar.

Back in the club house Valerie redeemed herself by making a decent cup of tea.  It hadn't gone so well in the launch point earlier in the day with out-of-date powdered milk (Ed: But you were all terribly polite about it).

Earlier, whilst we were flying Richard drove up the airfield and took his trailer back to the west end and the hangar. It transpires that after his competition at Bidford more welding is required to make it roadworthy. (Ed: So if the trailer is empty and the floorboards are up where is the Discus glider?)

The "Monolith" returns to the club house car park

After "we stacked" and the gliders were put away a few tasks could happen inside the club house.

 

The out-of-date air chart on the clubhouse wall was replaced with my air chart from last year.  There is another recent chart in the club house to replace the one in the launch trailer at the west end (Ed: Do we want an air chart at the east end launch point? If so where?)

Matt asked Mike about aero towing and received a tailored one-on-one lecture. Meanwhile, I loaded up my recently delivered Bronze C lectures on "Instrumentation" and "Key operating procedures" to the club laptop.

So in amongst the low cloud base and showers today we managed ten flights.  All who wished to fly did so (Ed: Thanks to Phil and Adam for winching).

Mike provided training flights for Valerie and Matt. Also he provided Steve with more back seat flying experience in anticipation of his IFP assessment next week, and ground school training for Matt. Thank you.

We must have done well as the transmission of the day's flight log was seen by Treasurer Andrew "Night Owl" Downing who was roused from his slumber to see "what's occurring" (Ed: Said in the vernacular of Barry Island) at the club.

Shortly afterwards we departed, leaving Adam to continue to work on the rudder of the SF-27A before it returns to service.

The air temperature had risen to a sweltering 15C (Ed: So there was no sign of Cerberus here then and even less at Lamerton stores where the temperature dropped to 14C) as I got in my car after shedding my winter waterproof.

What will Wednesday bring the Wednesday Wavers?

Gavin Short