Happy New Year to the readers of our blog. May it, the New Year that is, bring you good health and good fortune. As the saying goes, “Fortune favours the brave” from the Latin proverb audentes ortuna iuvat. Indeed, those brave pilots who ventured on to the field today didn't experience temperatures higher than 1C. With the high humidity it was a bone-chilling experience with Malcolm waving his arms around and stomping his feet to keep warm.
There was a slow start to the day. Probably as there were no forecasts of wave despite the south-easterly wind, which was initially thought to be too light to generate that most tantalising type of lift. Although the day was NRI (No Rated Instructor), as the CFI was unavoidably detained in Oxford awaiting the birth of his second grandchild, there were several pilots who weren't self authorising ready to help run the field and support ground operation. Thank you, especially junior Zack and mum Nicky buoyed up by their recent success. What that success means to the club will be revealed in a blog later this month.
Little jobs were conducted such as Scratch changing the fuel filter on the main generator as the last part of its annual service, tea was drunk, until Malcolm arrived and shamed us into going flying. So the kit was brought out and the club K-8, FXB, was readied and checked prior to a test flight following a protracted period of maintenance.
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Daily Inspection complete, Positive Checks complete, canopy cleaned inside and out, and the aircraft released to service, Malcolm and Adam stand ready to take FXB to the launch point.
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I mentioned that the pilots were brave today. A number of us have
fitted hygrometers in our trailers and the cockpits to measure humidity
and the efficacy of large bags of reusable silica gel to reduce the humidity and protect the instruments and electronics. These amazing bits of kit record the data and uploaded the
readings to one's phone when in Bluetooth range. Humidity during periods of dunkelflaute is unsurprisingly 99% in the trailer but 90% in the cockpit. The
two recent sunny days reduced the humidity significantly but the overnight
temperature on Dartmoor on the very clear Friday night dropped to
-5.7C. So all the kit and plant were very cold this morning.
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Clever bits of kit to tether to one's phone. The temperature on the field was certainly not that warm!
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The hangar remains unusually packed with just ta K-8 missing
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Adam was first up to conduct a test flight of FXB. All OK except a
minor leak on the Pitot circuit which would be investigated at the end
of the day.
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Wings level, Adam is ready for a test flight of FXB
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After long pause last year, FXB is airborne again
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and into the climb
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You thought the field was NRI today but our Treasurer Mike Jardine was at the club for a short while to discuss the end of year accounts and audits with Andrew Downing. Mike came up to the launch point to take a break from numbers and granted permission for Alasdair Barclay to fly and he made two unexpected flights in the K-8. With that we started working down the flying list; first Scratch then me.
I had a great launch to just under 1,700 feet and turned right without finding any lift. I should have pushed forward because at just under 1,000 feet I encountered lift just short of the Tavistock to Sourton road. I worked it as it built to 2 knots, then 4 knots. I tried a few turns as the band of lift was broad but traditional ferry gliding worked best on my original track. The lift increased to 6 knots at 2,000 feet. I then headed north over Blackdown where I quickly got to 3,000 feet after a beat or so with the vario indicating a constant 8 knots (800 ft/minute). However, It was time for others to have ago so I broke the climb and opened the airbrakes and descended. I had to move down wind into the down wave as the normal -10 knots with the airbrakes fully open in the K-8 was reduced to just -4 knots in the strong lift. Also the southwesterly wind had increased. So it was time to head back to the airfield and make a conservative circuit.
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My unexpected wave flight (trace courtesy of FlightBook)
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Andy had been driving the winch, watching and tracking my progress on Glide and Seek. He got quickly relieved by Alasdair so that he could rig his Libelle. Next up was Malcolm who found some wave but didn't manage to climb as high but enjoying a 30 minute flight.
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Malcolm climbing at 2 knots. Andy had just passed him and was racing North to get to the better lift as shown by the Flarm display.
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Back at the clubhouse our Chairman was involved in some strategic planning discussions over lunch and enjoying being warmed by the wood burner. This was being used by Colin to heat up the alloy wheel of the Puchacz ready to insert the new tapered bearings in place. Colin delivered some excellent STEM and practical training to Zack, on metallurgy, having finished the installation of the repaired mudguard in the Puchacz. Nicky and Val also seemed to be planning something as they were in deep discussions.
Malcolm handed over the K-8 to John Allan who managed 15 minutes aloft. Andy launched and made the decision to head north and found some good lift which took him to 4,200 feet above the A30 west of Okehampton. Apparently the sink was interesting on his return! He was the "man of the match" with a flight of 57 minutes.
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Andy climbs in wave in his Libelle at a steady 2 knots up as he heads north.
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Andy heads north to the A30 to find stronger lift (trace courtesy of Glide and Seek)
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There was a lower cloud base at around 2,400 feet above airfield height which was observed by Andy (and I). The darker road running left to right is the A30.
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With wave in the offing Adam followed Andy's lead and rigged his glider. Recently arrived Dave Archer and I co-opted Zack and introduced him to the procedure to rig a K-6. Unfortunately Mike Jardine had already departed the airfield so Dave could not fly.
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Adam, inspired by my wave flight rigs his K-6CR, BVR
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Adam managed to find some of the wave that seemed to be dying ahead of the front's approach but managed 15 minutes, and 11 minutes on his second flight, in Woody. Note: There are no flight traces for Adam...as he hasn't fitted Flarm yet. Fortunately his bright yellow-painted glider is good for situational awareness for the rest of us. Scratch also took another flight and managed 16 minutes.
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Having enjoyed his first flight of 15 minutes, Adam checks his steed before having another go.
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After Adam's second launch, John had a second go in the K-8 and was ready to bring the glider back to the launch point for Malcolm and I to have a second go. We waved them off as the approaching front had brought snow with it which they couldn't see as it was "behind them" (cue topical panto call!). The moors were starting to be obscured and the horizon was disappearing so it was time to call an end of flying operations. Nobody was sad to be packing up a bit early because we had had a fantastic start to the year.
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The moors started to disappear behind the incoming snow as the front arrived
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Back at the hangar Adam and I found the fault on FXB's Pitot circuit; a split o-ring but we didn't have any suitable available so we fitted a new Winter five-way pneumatic connector instead. Normal service was restored for the Sunday Soarers, although from the weather forecast it was unlikely that they would be using FXB soon.
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Scratch helps John Allan move the K-8 off the field before the snow hits
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An unexpected bonus for our first flying day of 2025 (sensibly, the club did not fly on New Year's Day. It was wet anyhow!). 12 flights, by seven pilots, for an average flight time of 17 minutes. Impressive for January. Thanks to the helpers who did not fly, and also those who progressed maintenance tasks on our aircraft and worked on the end-of-year accounts.
Gavin Short
