Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 25 June 2025

"So So".  That was the forecast.  Well, it wasn't.  It was more promising than that, but the naysayers were out in force, and in the end it was not as good as predicted.  In fact, it was "So So".   That didn't seem to bother the Army and the Royal Marines as all three firing ranges were active, not, as it turns out, was there much likelihood of venturing east of the A386.

Nevertheless, the Wednesday Wavers went ahead with the two double trial flights and two sets of friends and family flights.

It was verging on moist all day, and the resultant total development and high cloud clamped down almost all thermal activity.  Faced with a total southerly crosswind, two K-13s and the K-8 were deployed to the east end.  So, no christening if Zack's Shack, the new launch point at the west end, today.

The start was slow, and there were a few tasks to be done before the Daily Inspections; the hook covers had to be removed from the K-13s, ready for an aerotow day on Monday.  On CCY, the fresh, new blue fabric needed to be cut away to expose the aerotow hook for the first time.  Tyre scuff marks on the Puchacz wings needed clearing off, and the newly installed first aid kit under the fuselage compartment received its ISO-compliant first aid sticker (white cross on a green background) on the top of the hatch.  The question of the day was when would one use such a first aid kit.  Answers on a postcard please.

Initially, we were short-handed but the normal latecomers rolled in and we could then run the airfield.

First up was Steve Moore, visiting instructor from RNAS Culdrose.  He wishes to instruct at Brentor and so inevitably needs to be checked out by the Duty Instructor and maybe the Chief Flying Instructor too.

Steve ready for his check flights with Mike Jardine

In addition to being checked out, Steve wants to familiarise himself with the local area, especially to recognise the airfield from a distance, which he feels may prove to be a challenge to what he is used to in the west of Cornwall.

RNAS Culdrose in plan view.  Easily recognisable at a great distance and there a lot of options available on which runway or which piece of grass to land on.

Dartmoor International, at Brentor, is a single-strip runway on a hilltop site with only the stub runway as an option in certain wind directions.  However, there are plenty of nearby fields, so I have been told.  One can understand Steve's caution.

Steve's view: "This is nothing like Culdrose!"

After two launch failures (one land ahead and one go around) and then an early release, to avoid entering the cloud, Steve is back on the ground after a grand total of five minutes in the air. 

Steve Moore looks a little worse for wear after his brief but intense training session

First up of our visitors was Jonathan Nash.  Jonathan lives in Lewdown and as he is rapidly approaching 30, it was time to try something different.  Steve Fletcher, our Introductory Flight Pilot, took him aloft for his first flight, and then he enjoyed the first, and the only, soaring flight of the day by a visitor on his second flight.  A perfect delivery by Steve.  Yes, the weather was "So, So".

Jonathan might have been forgiven for thinking he had entered a Dartmoor version of an Australian gliding club.  His pilot was Steve, then Steve, Steve's friend, attached the cable to the glider, and another Steve went to raise and run the wing.

The three Dartmoor "Bruces" get ready to launch Jonathan into a crystal clear Australian sky.

Recently soloed Freddie was up for the next set of training flights with Mike.  An extended circuit and a practice break.  Mike cleared Freddie solo again in the K-13 and Freddie enjoyed 14 minutes of soaring and another circuit.  Freddie spent most of the remainder of the day running the tower.  Having finished his exams at fifteen he is looking forward to the next part of his life when he joins the Army Foundation College at Harrogate in the autumn.  Good Luck Freddie.  We will miss you but please continue to glide whether at a civilian gliding club or a services gliding club.

Freddie on his check flights

Freddie searching for any signs of lift

Freddie ready to fly solo again.  The cloudbase was rising enticingly.

Then it was time for the pundit(s) Malcolm and Robin to take the Twin Astir on what Robin described as "43 minutes of Malcolm scratching in the limited lift available".  But there was some lift to be had, and Bruce, sorry, Steve (Moore), soared for 11 minutes in the K-8.  It was Friends and Family time, and Steve Fetcher took his friend Bruce, Steve (Sherborne), for a 15-minute soaring flight.

The Duty Instructor’s training schedule complete, Mike took a K-13 up on his own for an extended circuit to keep his stick time up.  He didn't enjoy the view to the south as the cloud base was starting to lower and rain was visible in the distance.

And the verdict from the Duty Instructor was "So, So".

Now it was time for my Friends and Family, Sonia Aldworth, to celebrate her birthday by flying with me.  No, I most certainly aren't going to reveal which one!  She was accompanied by a merry band of supporters from the local Tamar Valley MG Owners' Club.  You know that it's just going to be circuits when there are drops of rain on the canopy when you are waiting for a launch.  Yet more "So, So".  But that didn't stop us enjoying ourselves and me demonstrating turning the glider in response to the little pockets of lift that we encountered.  We stuck at two flights as it was clear we weren't going to get anything out of another flight with today's conditions.

Sonia and Gavin share a joke before getting airborne

Even though the "So, So" was not improving, our recent solo pilots gave it a go in the K-8.  Alasdair for a circuit, and then Dave Archer for two very short flights.  In between Dave's attempts to get airborne, Steve's second visitor, Robert Stone-Ward, accompanied by his wife and young baby, was ready for the challenge and took a flight.

Former mine clearance diver Robert was ready for his flight with Steve

Alas, after an extended circuit, the weather was getting more moist and even more "So, So".  So the Wednesday Wavers knocked it on the head and packed the toys away.  Robert would have to come back another day, hopefully with better weather.  The afternoon rain meant that all the gliders received a comprehensive wash, wipe down, and dry while the Wavers packed the hangar.

So that was the flying, but at the other end of the airfield, there was a cornucopia of jobs undertaken throughout the day.  Tasks that were suitable when the weather was "So, So".

Alasdair was loading a manual update to the ATOM base station as the designers had informed us that a remote update across the UK the previous evening had not worked.  After Alasdair had completed the 43 steps required, I checked my Glide and Seek App and showed him that G-DHEB was doing its normal ground dance as Dave Archer had his K-6 out of its trailer for some more fettling.

Sean Westrope was also fettling his glider and downloading BGA waypoints in the clubhouse.  Congratulations were in order as his Silver/Gold duration flight and Silver distance flight (50 km) had been confirmed by the BGA badge assessor.  However, due to an incorrect electronic declaration his 100 km diploma Part 1 was not approved.  Something to aim for next time Sean.

After the ATOM base station work Alasdair helped Dave Archer get his PDA configured as a moving map for his glider.

Today, it wasn't a pilot who was declared the "Man of the Match" but it was awarded to three special workers on the ground.

Firstly, to Scratch for mowing much of the runway before taking the Volvo into the empty hangar and stripping down the rear wheels to reveal the need to replace the parking brake pads, which should cure the annoying squealing.

Secondly, jointly, to Mike Bennett and David Bourchier, who made a tremendous start on disassembling the old launch hut on its trailer.  They removed most of the interior.  The next stage is taking apart the launch tower roof and windows, taking the roof off the main shell, and cutting up the exterior metal cladding.

After that, the redundant tyres (100) were collected by South West Tyre Reclamation.  This cost the club around £315 plus VAT, which is all the more reason not to bring tyres on site and to remove any waste members may have rather than stockpiling it at DGS!  The clear up continues, and as an exception, there is a request for any bulk bags, the 1,000 kg type, that members have which would be useful.

It doesn't look like it, but the inside of the newly retired launch trailer has been completely gutted of anything that can be disposed of.

Since the weather today was "So So" and the Duty Instructor had only two "trainees" to fly today we didn't enjoy his usual selection of airborne photography and hence the local sights.  We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world, the Tamar Valley, so we should celebrate that.  Indeed, there are four ecological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Tamar Valley.  The one where we fly is the Tamar-Tavy Estuaries SSSI, which stretches from the Plymouth-Saltash road bridge upstream to the limits of tidal influence in both the River Tamar (Gunnislake Weir) and the River Tavy (Lopwell Dam).

Where we fly.  The River Tamar just above the Hamoze estuary, seen from Cargeen looking towards the yacht moorings at Weir Quay.  On the horizon, Kit Hill (middle left) and Brentor Church (right) are visible. 

On the River Tamar, the historic National Trust site of Cotehele, with its Tudor mansion, lies on the Cornish side of the Tamar,  a little down river from Calstock.  On a thermic day, you can launch from Brentor and fly over it.

High tide at Cotehele Quay on Monday.  Spring tides on Friday are predicted to break the banks.

The Shamrock, the last surviving Tamar barge under its covers and the Shipwright's yacht, at Cotehele Quay 

In summary, the Wednesday Wavers made the best of the "So, So" day both in the air and on the ground. 

Gavin Short