Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 28th August 2024

"Honey, Dartmoor Gliding broke the internet!", well all the the meteorological supercomputers at least, was one view.  It would not be an understatement to say that  the forecasts were "all over the place", was another view.  Whichever was right, it was still a mess. Last night RASP was "flat lining" with low cloud and rain, but this morning it forecast no rain, cloud base raising especially later afternoon.  Skysight predicted mediocre flying with regular rain showers.

Having checked yr.no the night before, and in the morning, for the local weather I expected to wake up to fog followed by heavy rain on the way to the airfield.  Not a bit of it it, and it was remarkably fine when I arrived.

The morning view at the club. What rain?

Preparations to fly were underway.  Club gliders were out.  Andy had fitted the repaired undercarriage door for the club Astir CS77 and had improved the fit of the other door.  Scratch had prepared two black strops ready for the expedition from Devon and Somerset Gliding club on Friday.  They are bringing a K-21 two-seater trainer with them which needs black links for the strops vice the brown links that we use for our K-13s.

Following an early brief, which promised no rain, the gliders were taken up to the east end.  The K-8 was again forlornly left on the apron.  More of that anon.

Today I had to sit the Bronze C exam again as preparation for my Assistant Category Instructor training.  This was to see how much I had forgotten since I took the exam back in 2003.  So I was left back in the club house with hopefully not too many interruptions to attempt the paper.

The start of the day

The first flights saw the approach of low cloud and rain. First in the air was Geoff who continued his training with a set of three flights.  Meanwhile Hugh, our duty Introductory Flight Pilot, took John Allan up in the Puchacz for a warm up before flying his visitors.

Geoff concentrates hard on his pre-flight checks

Of the five visitors on Hugh's dance card today, two were no-shows, probably on account of the weather which only got going at 3pm!  More of that later.  Hugh's first visitor was Gary Hughes, but his two flights were short and under leaden skies. Gary had a Royal Navy career spanning 37 years.  Previous aviation activities were with microlights at Solent Flying Club however, he wanted to tick the 'Gliding' box.  It was frustrating that conditions did not allow Hugh to give him a soaring flight.  His voucher was a birthday gift from wife Julia.  Now retired, he keeps himself busy working for the armed forces charity SSAFA.

Gary studies the instruments.  It's certainly different to a microlight!

Matthew, one of our juniors from last year, re-joined the club today.  Mike took Matthew for a set of three training flights and he was soon coordinating the controls.

Matthew checks the air brakes as part of his pre-flight checks

Mike and Matthew at 950 feet AGL after their launch which was clearly above cloud base

Low cloud soon covered the airfield

Colin's arrival at the club heralded a heavy downpour.  I was dragged away from my exam, the Bronze Confuser as it is known, to help him move the K-8 back into the hangar and the dry.

Colin arrived and the heavens opened

And with that low cloud soon covered the whole airfield.

How low is low (cloud base that is not Peter's jokes)

The horizon starts to disappear

The rain radar trace on Glide and Seek shows us "what we are about to receive".

Whilst waiting for the rain to hit Andy, after mending the Astir CS77 undercarriage doors earlier and winching all morning, had to return home for the mundane task of dog sitting.  But, as he found out it was glorious in Barnstaple and just had to tease us with this photo.

Andy's view of the riverfront at Barnstaple

Around 1215 we ceased flying as more rain and low cloud came. Members patiently waited for the skies to clear.  After a frustrating wait of two hours, whilst regularly consulting weather apps, flying finally recommenced.

 

Meanwhile I was dragged away from my paper by Colin to review some paint issues with the recovering of K-13, CCY.  After lengthy discussions I could get back to my exam.  Later Mike turned up and marked the paper.  83.3% (the pass mark is 70%) (Postscript; the pass mark for instructors is 80%!) with a couple of areas where I need to revise.  Earlier, trainees Neal and Geoff took an interest in what I was doing and what, in due course, they needed to know. So here is an example.

"There are three radio masts at Rugby. What is the height of the tallest mast above the ground?"

And yes, it has become a trick question because presumably there were radio masts on the 2013 chart when the paper was set but not in the 2024 chart which has wind turbines instead.  I told you it was confusing!

Later in the afternoon as the cloud started to clear. Neal took a launch to practice his circuit, three times. Then it was Loraine's turn for her set of three circuits.

Neal looks down on some clouds too

Loraine brings Mike back to the ground.

Dark clouds gradually moved away

John Smith tried his hand in the Astir CS77 for a couple of circuits. Then Peter showed him how it should be done and stayed up for 12 minutes, impressive considering the mediocre conditions.  Mike, having worked through the list of trainees, took Geoff up for a further flight.

Low cloud still hanging about

With a no show from the 1200 visitor, Luke Whattler was Hugh's second 2-flight visitor. Luke is a facilities engineer at Plessey in Roborough. His family saw the 'Learn to fly a Glider' sign on the Tavistock road and found us from there! Once again the conditions, although improving, still thwarted any soaring, but Luke enjoyed his flights with a little taste of soaring on his last flight. Being a local living in Gulworthy he may be back again.

The sun is out.  Hugh and Luke are ready to fly.

The sun is still out after their flights.  Conditions are slowly improving.

Although brightening up on the ground it was still gloomy in some directions as seen from the K-13 cranking out the circuits with Mike

By the time Hugh flew with James Paxman, the last visitor of the day for his single flight voucher, conditions were picking up with the transit of the cold front from the west.  Hugh managed an extended soaring flight (or should that be a scratching flight), with most of it at around 900 feet. James thoroughly enjoyed the thermal turns and is enthused to take up some training, so perhaps we'll see him again soon!

James Paxamn ready to aviate with Hugh

After his flight, a delighted Jame sreceives his certificate from Hugh

With the visitors' flights complete Scratch took the Puchacz.  He co-opted Matthew's Dad and took him aloft for two flights, including some soaring, to show him what all the fuss was about.  Mike took Matthew for another training flight in which they soared for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile John Allan took the club Astir CS77 for a second flight now that the cold front had passed, and he soared for 47 minutes. He took the "Man of the Match" albeit in vastly different conditions that were experienced by the rest of today's pilots.  I am not sure if that is the longest flight to date in the Astir CS77 but it's clear that its a very competent machine and it can soar; even better now that it's got both undercarriage doors fitted!

John Allan returns from the soaring flight of the day for a hangar landing

Late arrival David Archer took a couple of training flights with Mike at the end of the day and finished up with a hangar landing.

Considering the weather, rain and more rain, I think the Wednesday Wavers did very well cracking out 30 flights with a smidgen of soaring thrown in as well.

Roll on Friday which is the first day of the three-day expedition to Dartmoor by members of Devon and Somerset Gliding Club.

Gavin Short