Dartmoor Gliding Society - Wednesday 8th July 2026

Another blue day with some heat, up to 25C, with light southwesterly veering westerly winds.  Skysight had the maximum soarable height as 2,100 ft AGL whereas RASP had four stars.  So what would the Wednesday Wavers find?

Firstly, a busy day with visitors: five two-flight vouchers (three adults and two juniors) and a single flight voucher, so the duty Basic Instructor (me) would need the Wavers' help to lighten the load.  Speaking of load, the Duty Instructor had four trainees to fly and Morien Steinhardt, a trainee from Seahawk GC, who joined as a junior full member after a gap year in the far east.  Welcome Morien.  So a full dance card for the Duty Instructor as well.

It dawned warm but moist which was reflected in the views of low cloud encountered while driving to the club.

The view east on the A390 at St Anns Chapel.  Where did the moors go? 
 Yes, I was parked when I took this photo.

Peter's view from Southway.  Where is Brentor church?

There it is (on the left).  The Chief Flying Instructor managed to find it.

With light variable winds forecast the obvious choice was to set up at the wider east end with initially five club gliders. Training commenced at 1030.

Ian King and the Duty Instructor prepare for the first sortie of the day

And away they go into the clear blue sky. 
The view of the launches would be the same throughout the day.  Blue!

The next trainee was Michael M-S with a set of three, including a simulated launch failure and some soaring.

Michael M-S demonstrates the hand signals he used in his driving test in 1973

Our first visitor was Paul Bridgman from Totnes.  As he towered over me, it occurred to me to ask him his height!  6 foot 5 inches (or 1.96m as we say in the 21st century).  That height would be a no, no in a K-13 but after a trial fit in the Twin Astir, DSL, all was well, and Paul could fly with us.  An extended circuit was the result as the day was not yet thermic.

Paul Bridgman gets settled in.

It was good to see Robin again and the CFI took him up for a set of three in HBK.  I think there is a trend here with Rick being very magnanimous and volunteering to fly people from the back seat when he isn't the duty instructor.  It appears that the CFI likes our new acquisition to the fleet very much.  In amongst those flights Dave Osment took a pair of launches in K-8, FXB.

Robin tries out the Twin Astir Trainer, HBK, with CFI Rick

The next visitors were the 18yro twins Sperry brothers; Sam and Finn, visiting relatives in Ivybridge for the week whilst on a family holiday from Massachusetts.  In amongst their school studies they are keen yachtsmen and dingy sailors.  Dad and elder sister were keen to try their hand but sadly our dance card was full today.  Maybe the next time you are in the UK?

Twin Sam Sperry gets ready for his first flight in a glider in a "Twin"
whilst the old man of the sky looks on.

Sam enjoyed two flights the second of which was an extended soaring flight while "scratching" over Blackdown.

Michael M-S takes the first thermal of the day to 1,500 feet QFE.

While Michael M-S was busy soaring over Blackdown, Instructor Mike looks back at the airfield

The Duty Instructor then moved on to Ed for a set of three training flights.  Although there was some soaring to be had most pilots were back on the ground after a short circuit which led to long launch queues and our busy visitor schedule was starting to slide right.

Peter, in the K-8, looks down on Sam Sperry and Gavin
scratching over Blackdown in their soaring flight

Jamie sought to emulate Peter's K-8 soaring flight, but in the Astir CS77 but sadly only managed a circuit.  Suddenly there was a new glider on the launch point - Ka-6 CR, FUB.  Suitably briefed by the Duty instructor and supported by Dad, John, it was time for another type conversion for Dave Osment and a chance, finally, to fly his own glider.

Dave Osment gets ready to fly his K-6, FUB for the first time, and he soared it too!

Later his Dad took FUB, and soared for 27 minutes to show Dave how it's done.  Familial rivalry at Brentor?  Surely not.

Rick then flew with Morien in HBK.  All new experiences for Morien.  After a year off he was naturally rusty and slightly intimidated by the "tiny" airfield and lack of options compared to RNAS Culdrose's capaciousness and military length tarmac runways.  Welcome to real gliding from a winch rather than autotow (Note: Following the closure of Seahawk GC there is no site in the UK that offers autotow, which is launching on a wire using a big US diesel RAM 350 pickup truck, or V12 Jaguar, roaring down a military runway to get one airborne).  A nice entry to have in your log book.  Meanwhile, the old man of the sky, John Smith, soared for 21 minutes in the blue.

Now Finn Sperry had a chance to fly with me.  As well as sailing Finn is interested in aviation.  Sadly, mother nature provided us just a pair of circuits whereas his brother had managed to soar.  Would there be any familial rivalry later?  Who knows?  More importantly, would either of them have a chance to try gliding elsewhere in the world during their forthcoming gap year?  We hope so.

The second "twin in the Twin".  Finn Perry preparing to fly in a glider for the first time. 
Yes, it was a bit different from his grandfather's float plane.

With the visitor schedule sliding right Peter kindly stepped in and flew Alan Berry in our flagship, HBK.  Alan had come the shortest distance to the club today; Tavistock.  After an introductory flight Alan enjoyed some local soaring on his second flight.

Alan Berry ready to fly with the BGA's 2024 Instructor of the Year

Our next visitor was Robert Didymus from Saltash whose opening line was that he had flown gliders from this airfield 55 years ago.  I'll let that sink in.  55 years ago.  Bob as a 15yro would retrieve gliders when they landed and tow them back to the launch point using a tractor.

He was a member of the Albatross Gliding Club that predates Dartmoor Gliding Society.  The club had three winches and flew a T-21 (side by side open cockpit glider).  A long circuit was a launch followed by a 360-degree turn and then landing, typically three minutes.

Bob Didymus about to be amazed at the performance of the Twin Astir
 following his previous experience of an open cockpit, side-by-side, Slingsby T-21

Bob was full of stories.  It would have been great to hear the full history of the Albatross GC, but time was pressing, and we needed to get flying.  A couple of circuits but the performance, the glide angle, of the Twin Astir was mind-blowing for him.  Bob had never been that far out over Blackdown and still be within easy gliding range of the airfield.  He was also amazed that 16yro Zack was soaring high above us for 53 minutes whilst we made short two flights.  Bob, please make use of your temporary membership, and come back on a better soaring day and have some real fun.

There were training flights for Seahawk GC member Chris Morris and our membership secretary Neal.  While Malcolm had a turn in the K8.  Sadly the "liftmeister" didn't find any today as the sun got progressively lower.

Former Seahawk GC member Morien Steinhardt about to take
his third flight with Rick and make his first hangar landing

The last visitor was Stephen Butler.  Apologies for no photo but it was getting late, and hangar landings had begun.  Stephen's wife bought him the voucher (psst: for the big 40!) but sadly she couldn't be with him to see the flights.  Stephen hails from Lydford.  In fact, he can see Blackdown from his house so it was novel to see it from the air.  He leant about the grisly history of Gibbets Hill atop Blackdown, and how highwaymen on what is now the A386 from Tailstock to Okehampton, were dissuaded from plying their trade.  We finished the day's flying with a hangar landing, coming to a stop right on the cross track.  The airfield seems much bumpier in a Twin Astir than a K-13!  Stephen helped with returning the gliders to the hangar.

With all the gear packed away it was time for the Wednesday Wavers to disperse.  But there was a bit of humour to be had at the Deputy CFI's expense.

Back at the clubhouse Peter proudly models his £3.70 bucket hat from Trago Mills. 
Could this be a new line of merchandise for the club?

And with the hat removed he demonstrates that he ready to join the blue rinse ladies in Southway.  So maybe we need to purchase some pre-laundered denim hats instead.

A blue and hot day which I think the forecasters underestimated the temperature.  I am sure the real temperature reading started with a 3!  Low launch heights in the calm conditions and little thermal activity to be had, made us run late.  We thank our visitors for their patience. 

Forty-two flights, but only seven soaring flights, six visitors, another type conversion, and the two Twin Astirs in regular use.  Oh, and the airfield had a haircut.  Thanks Scratch.

Postscript: While the Wavers were busy today DHL made a large delivery at my house.
  All will be revealed on Saturday.

Gavin Short