Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 29 May 2024

Today proved to be a busy day for the Wednesday Wavers, not that you would have expected such from the forecast; overcast, low cloud base, showers, but wind right down the strip.

Phil was the Duty Basic Instructor and his dance card was full with three two-flight vouchers and a One Day Course to deliver.  The Duty Instructor, Mike Jardine, with few trainees today, expected a quieter time (Ed: But that was not to be).

Mike Jardine gave the morning brief followed by Phil who briefed junior Seth Barnes on his One Day Course.  We were joined by Lorraine Kindley, a walk-in who wanted to find out more about gliding having seem Val Kieley's piece on BBC Spotlight (Ed: Not forgetting BBC Breakfast, several radio interviews, and BBC and local press articles in support of our "Women Go Gliding weekend" on 8 and 9 June which is now fully booked and have a reserve list.  If you are interested please look at the options on our website Dartmoor Gliding or come and see us.  We would be delighted to explain what our club can offer).

Today was a day for new members. Junior Jamie Young turned up ready to fly again.  Freddie Purkiss, whose family hails from Okehampton, arrived with his dad, after his mum and dad had visited us previously to find out about Dartmoor Gliding. Freddie recently made two flights with the Air Cadets after being an Air Cadet a year.  He has caught the flying bug and he joined a a Junior member on the spot.

Mike's day started with a couple of flights with Elliot Vorster who is well supported by his Mum. She has become a social member so that she can help out at the launch point and handling the gliders (Ed: Welcome Elliot and Mum!).  Both attended the morning briefing too.

Elliot enjoyed his flights

Phil started his visitor flying with Seth Barnes on his One Day Course.  As you might expect, at his young age, Seth lapped up Phil's instruction.  Phil reports:

 

"Seth was very good.  Gentle on the controls".

 

I was asked to speak with his mum; Seth's dad is a Royal Marine and is interested in our Service Personnel flying scheme, which should appear on the website presently.  The quid quo pro for the long term loan of the Puchacz two-seat trainer from Heron Gliding Club, at RNAS Yeovilton, is that we offer an "introduction to gliding package" to Service Personnel working in the Devonport area and environs (Ed: Seth we hope to see you back soon and hopefully with your dad).

Junior Seth Barnes ready to venture into the unknown with Phil on Seth's One Day Course.

Seth and Phil about to launch

Up, Up, and away they go!

Elliot Vorster and the Duty Instructor make a spot (Ed: Precision) landing

After flying two flights with Elliot Vorster, Mike moved on and completed a set of three training flights with Jamie Young. The weather conspired to make these just circuits in the pre-midday drizzle (Ed: Thanks the heavens for the launch point bus to shelter in). Phil's first two-flight trial lesson was with Alison Worth who was accompanied by some of her friends and family.

Phil does a good job distracting visitor Alison Worth before she takes to the skies for the first of her two trial flights

The initial low cloud base and drizzle might have slowed proceeding on the airfield but not the work going on in the hangar.  Colin and Gavin inspected the bearing mechanism in the all-flying tail plane of Gavin's Standard Cirrus, following a British Gliding Association advisory notice.  All was well and so I am cleared to fly CNN again on Saturday.  The big event was the final checks on the Puchacz following an investigation on its air brake circuit. Everything was prepared to rig the glider after the flying had finished (Ed: The Puchacz has big and heavy wings and we have only rigged it once before).  Also Scratch had effected a GRP repair to the Astir CS77 undercarriage door that got knocked off by a tow rope recently.  It was refitted by Scratch, inspected by Colin and I, and I then taped it. So the Astir CS 77 is back in service.

Hangar activity: Standard Cirrus tail plane and Puchacz fuselage

Colin fits a replacement trim tab operating wire to one of the tail planes of the Puchacz

Scratch's handiwork - Bursting into song "I've got two doors on my wagon" (Ed: Don't give up your day job just yet!)

Back at the launch point, after the drizzle, Mike Bennett and then Peter Howarth were tempted into making launches in K-8, GDK.  Mike then took Neal Oxley for his long overdue two-flight voucher.  Although not booked in today Neal has been attending the club on several Wednesdays, and helping out, while waiting for his weather break.  Mike rewarded Neal's patience (Ed: I told you that the Duty Instructor would be busy!) with some soaring flights totaling 23 minutes.

After several weeks of attending on non-flyable Wednesdays Neal Oxley finals gets aloft with two soaring flights with Mike Jardine

I am sure that Neal thought that the views were worth the wait

Neal certainly didn't get to see this perspective of the airfield when he achieved his "A" and "B" badges with the Air Cadets over three decades ago

Earlier you heard visitor Lorraine Kindley mentioned.  Well, after my introduction on the hangar apron, attendance at the morning brief, and a chat with our members at the launch point, it was obvious that we had made the right noises and she joined as a full member, and started her flying training with Instructor Mike (Ed: A warm welcome to gliding, Lorraine, from DGS).

Curious walk-in Lorraine Kindley is shown the controls before flying with Mike

Back at the MT (Motor Transport) hangar Scratch was also busy with jobs: The manual winch launch indicator pulley cable was replaced and the winch engine's fuel system cleaned and purged (it now requires a test), the Astir CS77's undercarriage door refitted, the leak in the ladies toilet fixed, the green tractor fuel issue looked at (but not sorted),  and Peter Howarth's annual winch driver re-validation conducted (Ed: What a busy bee Scratch has been! Bravo Zulu!)

Cousins Oliver Roper and Will Boalch had been waiting a year, since receiving their vouchers as a gift, to being able to use them.  Ably supported by an extended family they enjoyed their pair of flights apiece.

Oliver Roper ready to fly with Phil

Excuse me?  Could we have some space to take off please?

Phil ready to take Will Boalch, Oliver's cousin, aloft

Gavin captures' Mike and junior Jamie Young's launch from the winch's perspective

The winch working hard to get the K-13 aloft

And the man that did it (Ed: Is Peter happy that Scratch signed him off for his annual winch check? Is there such a thing?  If so I suppose I might have to show Scratch my Deutscher Aero Club e.V. Ausweis für Start - Windenfahrer (German winch driver's licence) before my check).

The two cousins happy with their flights with their instructor, Phil

When Mike had worked through the flying list of trainees he flew a set of three training flights with today's new junior member Freddie Purkiss. At the end of the day Steve Fletcher capped Freddie's initial day of gliding with DGS with a complimentary hangar landing flight (Ed: So double the number of flights with the air cadets in one day! Sorry no photo, but welcome to the club, Freddie).

 

After four flights with Phil, Seth had a chance to experience the other activities that make a gliding club work.  Scratch, having finished his work at the other end of the field, kindly flew Seth's last couple of flights to ease the pressure on BI Phil and give him a break.

Seth delighted to have completed his one Day Course

What of the K-8?  Later flights after Mike Bennett and Peter Howarth were made by Steve Fletcher, Malcolm Wilton-Jones, David Archer, Steve F again for an aborted take off, and just to show that we give everyone an equal chance Duty Instructor Mike experienced a launch failure and hangar landed the K-8 (Ed: Instructors too have to keep their log books up to date with eventualities, even if self-induced).

 

What of the other K-13, FSD?  Scratch offered Lorraine a complimentary hangar flight and so she experienced landing at the other end of the airfield (Ed: Quite a start to one's gliding career - join as a full member, two training flights with the Duty Instructor, and a hangar flight with another instructor in a different glider).

A brace of K-13s having been flown on hangar landing flights wait patiently to enter the hangar once the Puchacz is rigged

So with the aircraft at the hangar end the call went out for able-bodied pilots to rig the Puchacz (Ed: Quite a lot of lifting, wiggling, instructions, and counter instructions were required to put it together).

We've read the manual, now to put it together again (Ed: This is the second time we've tried this and we are starting to understand the Polish logic of the self connecting controls.  Milosz where are you when we need your Polish language skills?)

Club Secretary Steve Fletcher guides Lorraine Kindley thorough the membership process and, as a full member, paying for her flights at club rates.

Neal Oxley helps the team pack the hangar

The Puchacz with it wings on ready to be packed in the hangar (Ed: The maintenance team plan to fit the tail planes, canopy, and tape the wings on Friday)

A quiet day for the Wednesday Wavers turned into 35 flights, which included three two-trial flights, a One Day Course, two new members (and Adult and a Junior) who both started their training, A recent junior member continued his training, and flights in the K-8 by some of our solo pilots (Ed: Not forgetting work on the vehicles, club infrastructure, and GRP gliders to return them to service).

The "Man of the Match" on this rather uninspiring, grey, overcast day was, of course, Malcolm who achieved 20 minutes aloft in GDK (Ed: Showing us again what us mere mortals should aspire to!).

 

At the end of the day we had a another walk-in, Nick Dryer, who whilst serving in the Royal Navy managed to clock up 32 hours in a Chipmunk but his sea time prevented him achieving a Private Pilots Licence.  Curiosity got the better of him, having driven past our sign on the Tavistock to Okehampton road many times, and he came to find out how you can fly without an engine (Ed:  Hopefully, you find your home in Bridestowe convenient for flying at Brentor).

Gavin Short