Northwesterly 8 knots, max 18C, and partially cloudy. A pleasant summer's day. RASP forecast of 1 1/2 stars. Not brilliant, but flyable nonetheless. Ops normal for the Wednesday Wavers. Three club training gliders and two club single-seaters were available. No privateers rigged following Andy's forecast that showed no cross-country potential. We had three visitors booked: a one-day course and two single flights.
First order of business was to welcome Dave Osment with CCY in its trailer back from North Hill. While the normal flying preparations were underway Steve Lewis and Dave coordinated the transfer of CCY from its old trailer to the twin-axle AMF trailer. This will allow Scratch to re-rivet the aluminium roof panels on the old single-axle trailer. Interestingly all the roof panels were pockmarked with dents from a hailstorm in its past.
After a slightly earlier brief the Wavers set up at the east end. The first flight got away at 1105 with a check flight and practice launch failure for Dave.
Next up was chef Oliver Gill, from Kingsbridge, who was here for a One Day Course. He had never been in a light aircraft or a glider before so he was looking forward to the experience.
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| Chef Oliver ready for his first taste of real aviation. An entrée perhaps? |
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| Lance takes a pair of flights in the Twin Astir Trainer with Mike. Lance, with a shirt like that, has Scratch told you when he flew a glider in Hawaii? |
Oliver had a set of three flights with me. The conditions were a bit soggy and not conducive to soaring flight, as predicted. However, we held our own against "Hot shot" junior Zack in the single seat Astir whose flights were much shorter than ours, and that's not accounting for my demonstration, followed by attempts by Oliver, of the effects of the elevator and ailerons. We broke for lunch and a chance for Oliver to try the ground handling and launching of the gliders.
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| Dave Osment after a check flight and a simulated launch failure takes the K-13 solo again. |
Interspersed with the One Day Course flights I had a chance to deliver a trial flight each to Georgia Bennett and her father, Chris. Georgia is gardener in a community garden in Plymouth and Dad is almost retired as a plumber working on submarines in the dockyard. Modestly he gave me this self-depreciating description of his job. With insider knowledge I know that he is actually a skilled maritime pipe worker or pipe fitter.
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| Dave Archer injects some humour into the preparations for Georgia's flight. Out of picture was her mum looking on earnestly. |
So where are all Dave Osment's flights; a check flight, a launch failure, and a solo flight in the K-13 leading? Well, the Duty Instructor had a cunning plan: Type conversion to a single-seater, the K-8.
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| Dave ready for his type conversion to a single-seater, the K-8. The natural progression from the front seat of the K-13. |
So, it had been a long time coming, but Dave is now a solo pilot in a single-seater at 35 years of age.
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| Dave's first flight in a glider, a K-13, at Sandhill Farm (Vale of White Horse Gliding Club) in 1995, aged 5 years. Who is the youthful looking "Dude" in the front seat? |
Time for Chairman Steve to continue his type conversion to the Twin Astir Trainer. A 22 minute soaring flight in the back seat, with Peter, allowed him to get his "eye in", before the obligatory practice launch failures; a land ahead and a challenging "go around". Mindful of the extra performance and weight compared to a K-13 Steve acquitted himself well and was cleared to instruct in HBK and DSL. Hurrah, and well done Steve.
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| Georgia's Dad, Chris Bennett, prepares for his flight with Gavin |
The day turned thermic. This allowed former PPL pilot Phil Hayward to enjoy what must be his longest glider flight to date at 32 minutes. It's amazing how much training can be done in a long flight.
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| Phil Hayward on his soaring flight, climbing at 1,900 feet QFE |
Colin came up to the launch point and gave me an update on progress on the annual inspection of K-13, FSD. After some initial work on a wing he will turn his attention to the fuselage.
Oliver and I started the second half of his course. We made up for a poor launch (800ft) in the fourth flight with two long soaring flights to round off his course. By this time Dad was in attendance and we chatted. Meanwhile, Oliver went with the retrieve driver to witness launching from the winch driver's perspective, then we bade father and son farewell. Hopefully we see them again. If not then a chef at the Victoria Inn in Salcombe can rustle you up a nice steak, perhaps with a pint of Tribute or Proper Job, for you to enjoy while you visit the South Hams.
It was time for the rest of the Wavers to go soaring. Ed Nicholson with Mike in the K-13 for over thirty minutes. With Mike not in its cockpit, old hands Steve Fletcher and Phil Hayward couldn't resist the temptation of shiny HBK and took it aloft for 42 minutes of mutual flying.
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| The K-13 gives Phil and Mike a bird's eye view of Mary Tavy and John Smith in the Astir CS77 below. Can you see him? |
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| Ed Nicholson and Mike in the K-13 encounter Phil Hardwick and Steve Fletcher in the Twin Astir, HBK |
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| The K-13 obviously revels on looking down on "glass" gliders attempting to soar. This time its on Oliver and Gavin in the other Twin Astir, DSL. |
Not to be outshone by his son, John Osment soared in the K-8 for 38 minutes while Peter flew the Astir CS77 for 25 minutes. The flight hours were starting to stack up on this 1 1/2 star day.
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| Phil Hardwick and Steve Fletcher, climbing at two knots, enjoy some soaring together in the Twin Astir Trainer, HBK |
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| Once Zack in the K-8 is launched from the runway the whole fleet will be airborne. A great sign of a soarable day. If you look very carefully you will see the other Twin Astir and the Astir CS77! |
Zack was determined to make his mark on the day. He chose the K-8 and clocked up an hour and a minute aloft to his "rightful" claim, as he saw it, to the flight of the day. But he didn't count on canny Malcolm who soared the Astir CS77 for 67 minutes before hangar landing it thereby pipping Zack by six minutes. See what I mean about being canny and snatching the "flight of the day" away from Zack.
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| Robin and Phil ready themselves for a mutual flight. Not in their old syndicate's DSL but in HBK. Robin sampled how the other half live before returning later to DSL and soaring with Peter. |
Whilst the Twin Astirs were being Divas in the air and the field today, the real work was occurring elsewhere with long soaring flights for Raymond Staines and Ian King in the K-13 which added much to their training. Dave Archer after all the assistance he provided me with the visitors, thank you Dave, made a circuit and a hangar landing in the K-8.
Scratch and Michael M-S took the last aircraft at the launch point, HBK, for an enjoyable soaring flight and hangar landing at 1723.
A summer's day on Dartmoor. As forecast, it took a while for the thermic activity to get going but when it did, there was fun to be had. Most of the thermals were a bit "soggy" (as the air mass was still quite moist), but there were some good climbs to be had.
Almost all had had had their fill by 5pm, and we packed up at a reasonable hour. The Wavers are finding hangar packing easier with "Wood" at the back and "Glass" at the front.
Thirty-eight flights, three visitors, a type conversion, a first soaring flight for one member, the Twin Astir Trainer, HBK, is now in regular use, and training continued. Seventeen of those flights were soaring flights amassing a total of 9 hours 15 minutes with an average flight time of 32 minutes. Not bad for the day's one and a half star RASP rating.
Gavin Short
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