Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 18 March 2026

The sun rose into a clear blue sky.  The wind was from the southeast and the Wavers were ready for it.  Certainly the Mary Tavy "hydraulic jump", caused by air flowing down off the moors, should be working.  However, the forecast was for the wave to set up in the north, perhaps around Lifton.  Could the Wavers connect with it?

Skysight's forecast of wave to the north of the site in the southeasterly breeze, but there was just a smidgen of all important lift over the runway.

Thursday, with the wind backing slightly to the east, looked much more promising and a poll was running to see who wanted to open the airfield and make use of the Dartmoor Wave on Thursday.

There were a few non-flying jobs scheduled for today.  Fit the new flue to our wood burner and inspect the internal baffles and see what else needs replacing.

Steve Fletcher had been busy yesterday collecting Heron Gliding Club's Puchacz trailer ready to return "our" long term loan Puchacz, HCC, to the Park.  With the Puchacz derigged it would allow us to experiment with the Twin Astir 1, DSL, with its bigger wingspan, to see how we can pack a Twin Astir 1 into the hangar.

Andy launched first in his Libelle followed by Mike Jardine and David Bourchier in The K-13.  The wave exceeded expectations.  In the morning it was working to the north at Lifton and Okehampton as forecast.

Another wave day at Brentor as seen from Andy's "office".

Andy heads north, climbing at 2.5 knots at over 5,000 feet QNH.  He eventually topped out at 8,000 feet.

Dave Bourchier on his way up to 3,700 feet AGL

Apart from a training flight with Chris Morris a steady stream of privateers launched: John Allan (Mini-Nimbus), Peter (Kestrel 19), Steve Fletcher (Open Cirrus), Phil (DG300), and John Osment (Standard Cirrus, JFA).

Apart from the two gliders to the north, the airspace above the airfield  was busy.  I picked out Peter in his Kestrel 19 sat at over 3,400 ft QNH steadily climbing.

Steve bravely puts his camera phone out of the DV panel.

With an amazing clear blue sky soaring hats and sunglasses were the order of the day.  A sight not seen so far this year.  From the ground the sky was awash with gliders heading into the southeasterly wind and then occasionally repositioning.

Steve looks up and admires "Phil's dirty bottom"!

We had some visitors; Chris Morris (Seahawk GC) who is becoming a regular, Steve Lesson after an enforced layoff, and Tim Bralesford (DCFI of Buckminster GC, Saltby).  Tim was down on business in the South Hams but couldn't resist joining the Wednesday Wavers.  He enjoyed a 24-minute wave flight with the Duty Instructor, Mike Jardine.  Robin then enjoyed two soaring flights with Mike.

Mike and Saltby visitor Tim enjoy the sparkling view towards Plymouth Sound and a closer view of Phil in his DG300. 

The Puchacz was rigged and carefully stowed in its trailer ready for it return journey to the park.  Colin checked K-8, GDK's wings and found a few minor defects.  So he switched targets and investigated FXB's wings.  It was decided that this would be the next K-8 to come online.  After much shuffling of wings a crack team returned the clubhouse (Mike Bennet, Sean and Gavin) to have a close look at the wood burner.  A new baffle and fire bricks were ordered.  It turns out that the Franco-Belge wood burner is very well-supported in UK.

Derigging the Puchacz.  K-8, GDK wings under inspection in the hangar.

The Puchacz fuselage and tailplanes about to be pushed into the trailer.

With so many long soaring flights, as the wave was proving better than forecast, it would be invidious to name a "Man of the Match".  There were four flights well over four hours, one flight well over three hours, and another flight well over two hours.  If in doubt about a forecast "Never say never to wave" at Dartmoor.

Later the wind backed a little which changed the characteristic of the wave.  It was no longer strong wave, but you could still contact it off the wire.  However, it needed much patience seeking out fractions of a knot of lift.  It focused the minds of John Smith and Gavin achieving 46 and 59 minutes respectively.  Just trim the Astir CS77 and let it do it's stuff.

Gavin with the Astir CS77 trimmed, hands off, admired the view to the east over the moors.

Tavistock and the sea glinting to the south.  Climbing from launch height of just under 1,500 feet AGL to over 1,800 ft AGL took a lot of patience and careful repositioning in the lift to climb in the, by now, weak wave.  Running through one's Flight Instructor's patter helps pass the time.

Mike looks north past Mary Tavy as Robin climbs in wave on the final flight of the day

Robin and Mike climbing in the company of Gavin (out of shot) in the Astir CS77

But boy was there some strong rotor on the approach to the airfield!  It was typically from 500ft down to the ground.

The end of the day. The club gliders in the hangar it's time for the privateers to pack their toys away.

Today's flights totalled 28 Hours 52 mins.  The Wavers had made 16 flights with an average flight time of 1 hr 48 mins.

That average could have been higher but Dave Archer's seven-minute circuit in the K-13 dragged it down.  How does he do it?

For those who decided not to come to the club today because the forecast wasn't that promising:

"And gentlemen in England now-a-bed / Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here."

Spoken by King Henry V in Shakespeare’s Henry V (Act IV, Scene III).  This line is part of the "St. Crispin's Day" speech, encouraging his outnumbered soldiers that those absent will regret missing the battle.  How apt!

Gavin Short