Dartmoor Gliding News - Saturday 7th November 2024

 Storm Darragh is with us today this is giving very strong winds but thankfully no rain. Cloud bases are low, So another non flying day.

How windy was it?
Using Zack as an inclinometer

It was decided that there would be a break in the lectures this week and the simulator was set up for am bit of competitive fun; a timed race Brentor - Roadford - Lydford - Brentor start height 2000ft. Although Junior trainee Zack was offered a handicap  3000ft start he shunned this and started at 2000ft and managed to win the day with a race time around 21 minutes. I will save the blushes of the other competitors by leaving them unnamed. - but you know who you are.

Plenty of work going on around the site, Rick was repairing the MT hangar door catches, Scratch was removing all the brushes from the generator ready for replacement ( if we can track down some spare parts). In the car park there was a small but beautifully formed team replacing the fences. 

Fencing in the car park

Our lean, mean staple hammering machine

Steve

Dartmoor Gliding News - Sunday 8 December 2024

The day dawned to the aftermath of Storm Darragh; 300 trees had blown down on Devon's highways alone.  That didn't stop the two duty beauties (Peter and I) from making it to our posts.  While Peter got the teas and coffees in I tried to complete a few minor tasks without much sucess.  We had no visitors booked today and the strong northwesterly crosswind would make for some very lively flying even though the wind speeds had abated from Storm Darragh.  This was obviously the thoughts of the trainees as they were no shows too.   Obviously, I am going to have to up the stakes as there were no answers to the T-21 instrumentation question I posed our juniors in Wednesday's blog, or maybe they don't like the selection of chocolate that Rick stocks in the tea swindle.

Drinks drunk, we decided to check the launch points and the east end trailer storage for storm damage.  I took the opportunity to photograph some of the recent changes in the glider rack.  As if on cue John and David Osmet arrived with John's new Standard Cirrus that he and I viewed at Lasham recently.

Where to put John's latest acquisition?  Ideally it needed to be near the clubhouse and hangar as, inevitably, the trailer needs some repairs.  I knew that there was no space in the glider rack as a voice ran through my head "Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full".  However Peter had the idea of moving one of the club trailers, on the clubhouse hard standing, to the other end to free up space.

The clubhouse hard standing; K-13/K-8 trailer, T-21 trailer, and the future Puchacz trailer

The only one that was suitable to move was CCY's trailer which is part way through a conversion to take either a K-13 or a K-8.  Unfortunately K-8, FXB's wings were inside and the port wing mounting was not secure enough to allow us to move the trailer to the east end.

Oh. There are some wings in this empty trailer!

So plan B was to park the Standard Cirrus trailer alongside the right hand fence.  It was duly secured in place and with a little bit of a push from John, Peter, and I, David managed to get his car off the wet grass.  Newly arrived Steve Fletcher observed our antics.

Another new arrival at Dartmoor International

The evolution was profitable as I found a nice looking, but very wet, pair of gloves in the grass.  We think these might be the "Liftmeister's" (Malcom Wilton-Jones).

The hands that fill these gloves can find lift when all the rest of us are on the ground. We are not worthy.

That done, there weren't any suitable glider maintenance jobs for the now assembled Sunday Soarers so a quick call to the Site Manager, Mike Bennett, saw the team in the car park ready to go fencing.  Fence repairs that is.  Meanwhile Peter and I checked both launch points for storm damage.  At the east end trailer park, where the wind was truly howling, one trailer had swung 30 degrees in the wind and the rear door had opened.  Both were secured and we joined the work party in the car park.

The east end trailer park needed a bit of straightening

They say a picture never lies but this enticing sky doesn't show the howling, and bitingly cold, northwesterly

We soon got to grips with the technique and installed four new fence posts after clearing brambles and bracken to allow access.  We were pretty pleased with our efforts although whether they will stand up to the critical gaze of Mike, and Farmer Phil, is another matter.

The DGS fencing team minus the photographer

Tidying up after the job

Look at that very smart car park fence

Tools put away the Sunday Soarers started to depart.  I stayed for another cup of tea and a bite to eat with the Osmets before they too departed for home, back to Cullumpton.

We might not have flown but we made some progress and acquired new skills.

Gavin Short

Dartmoor Gilding News - Wednesday 4 December 2024

This morning dawned clear and dry.  The roads were dry too with no streams of running water throwing up spray which has been a continuous feature of late.  It was colder which  inevitably triggered snowflakes, on the dashboard, as the temperature dropped to 4C in the valleys.  There was a touch of radiation fog present but it was a very pleasant morning to drive to the club.

I arrived to see two souls returning from a pitch inspection, then testing the light airs for direction with a handkerchief, before taking a decision, getting the winch out, and setting it up at the west end.

 

Two souls returning from a pitch inspection

The forecast was for the wind to fill in from the south and veer as it freshened before the expected rain mid afternoon.  The Wednesday Wavers had the site to themselves with the three Navy Fliers from HMS Audacious having to cancel at short notice as they were required onboard their submarine.  Such are the exigencies of the service.  So Phil's services as a Basic Instructor would not be required today.

 

So the early birds got the rest of kit out, but not the gliders, whilst waiting for the Duty Instructor, Mike Jardine, to arrive who too would also be under utilised today with no trainees present.

Mike's arrival allows the two instructors to discuss what to do today

Once we got the kit out inevitably the cloud filled in, as forecast.  The cloud base was definitely too low for flight operations.  Would we fly today?  Time for tea and a think.

Time for Operation T-21.  Move the T-21 to the east end to free up much needed space in the glider rack.  To be able to move the T-21 in its trailer the glider had to be first removed from the trailer.  This would allow access to bolt the replacement second axle to the trailer to make it fully mobile.

 

Door open.  The instructors lead from the front.

Once the trestles, tail plane, and ailerons (already detached) were removed the fuselage could see daylight

Peter checks the Daily Inspection book.  It was last prepared for flight on 22 May 2004 by erstwhile glider pilot Trevor Taylor.

The front view of the T-21

Following my instrumentation lecture; a question for our juniors.  Which is the Pitot probe and which is the Total Energy probe, and how can you tell?  The first to answer correctly can pick the chocolate bar of their choice from the tea swindle!

Part one of the operation was successful.  However when the trailer was out of the rack it was obvious that there was a problem.  One side of the A-frame was no longer connected to the trailer.  Plan B was enacted.  The glider was returned to its trailer and the trailer was parked by the clubhouse to allow it to be worked on.

The trailer is backed out of the glider rack

The pundits admire the simplicity of the instrument panel.  From right to left; altimeter, ASI, COSIM variometer and mechanical variometer, the latter is equipped with a MacCready ring (to indicate the speed to fly when in the cruise!)

The mighty COSIM Variometer.  Glider instrumentation at the pinnacle of excellence.

How the COSIM works.  Green ball up - Good.  Red Ball up - Bad!

Meanwhile, Mike admires
the delicate lattice work of the restored rudder.

Trailer assessment complete.  It's time for the fuselage to go back in its box.

When safely parked Colin then left the site to talk to his welder friend and procure some suitable steel to effect a repair.

Operation T-21 (partially) complete.  Thanks to the vintage glider crew (take that epithet as you see fit).

I had hoped that by shuffling some trailers there would be two empty slots freed up for members who need to park their glider trailers in the rack.  Unfortunately, despite much measuring by John, Dave, and I we couldn't make it work.  There is a longer-term possibility of clearing some gorse and flattening the bank to allow more space.

So Sean, after a long and patient wait, can move his Libelle into the slot that was occupied by the T-21. 

John Osmet with his new Standard Cirrus (congratulations!) will bring his trailer on site soon, so a further slot needs to be found.

Around the T-21 activity other work was progressing in the hangar and clubhouse.  But after the main event was complete the Wavers started to disappear.  When I left at 1430 the forecast rain was just starting So I left John and Dave to their in depth conversation.

In the clubhouse Gavin discovers the rattle in his aircrew instrument (which provides a display of Flarm and ASD-B tracks, a fluxgate compass, and a solid state artificial horizon); a loose heat sink.  It's now secured back in place (see top left).

An update: The Met Office named Storm Darragh on Thursday 5 December and its due to roll in at the weekend bringing much rain and strong winds.  So we can look forward to plenty of ground work and maintenance on Saturday and Sunday, with a very blowy committee meeting on Saturday afternoon.

Gavin Short

Dartmoor Gliding News - Saturday 30th November 2024

The problem today was the weather once again. Cloudbase was 420ft above sea level. As the airfield is 820 ft above sea level we were in cloud ( fog ) all day. This only lifted occasionally to allow it to rain properly.

The clubhouse was busy once again. Today's work programme saw the Puchacz project continuing, The tractors washed and the Main Generator serviced. The backup generator started well and provided an slightly restricted electrical supply all day: we could only boil one kettle at a time; definitely a first world problem. I am sure that I missed lots of other work going on. Everyone seemed busy.

Colin and Viktor working on the Puchacz

Our newest solo pilot, Junior Jamie, soloing on tractor cleaning 

Junior, Elliot, assisting Scratch in the generator hut

A usual, there were a couple of lectures today. Winch launching with Rick Wiles and the Instrumentation with Gavin Short. If you add to this some simulator flying, tea and lunch breaks it was a busy, busy day.

Gavin in full flow

Rick delivering his winch launch lecture

Thank you everyone for your efforts and good humour.

Steve