Dartmoor Gliding News - Navy expedition to the Black Mountains - Sunday 6 March to Friday 11 March 2025

I had the privilege to be invited to attend one of the Royal Navy Gliding And Soaring Association's (RNGSA) development weeks.  This one was run by Seahawk GC, whose members we have seen a lot of recently, in the form of an expedition to Talgarth, home of the Black Mountains Gliding club.

I would have to earn my keep both by instructing as a Basic Instructor one of the ab initios and also to deliver training lectures in support of my preparation for Assistant Category instructor.

Chris Bryning, the expedition CFI, suggested that I travel to Talgarth on the Sunday in time to have a check flight and a site orientation.

Sunday

So an early start to get to the airfield and hook up my trailer which had been removed from the glider rack and repositioned yesterday.  However, my journey out of my village was delayed a bit by four young deer that decided to trot slowly in front of my car in the morning light for about 200 metres before leaping off into a field.  A magical sight.

Progress along the Cornish lanes was slow due to local traffic conditions

The glider hook up was straightforward, as was the trailer lights test.  13-pin connectors are so much more reliable than the old 7-pin plugs.  With my car and trailer out on the road, I had just finished locking the gates when Viktor arrived at 0745.  As we know, the "early bird catches the worm"... a week later, Viktor caught that worm.  Congratulations on going solo, Viktor.

All hooked up and ready for an adventure

The journey to Talgarth was straightforward in the bright sunshine, except for the last bit.  My car's Satnav is rubbish, and it led me a merry dance before I finally found the glider trailer turning to BMGC, but from the opposite direction than I expected.  Getting lost with a gliding trailer on the back is always stressful, but I got there in the end.  In my defence, I had been to BMGC only once before, 21 years before.

I parked the trailer and wandered to the launch point.  They were launching from the east into some broken wave.  After speaking to the duty instructor I had a check flight, an aerotow flight, and a site acquaint in one of the BMGC's K-13s.  The broken wave was still there and gave me a handling work out whilst taking in the local topography, the runway take off and landing option,s and of course the land out options.  The advice was to make high key (today) at 1,000 feet AGL.  Something that I would remember later.  After I nice approach and round out I had my log book signed off.  Other Seahawk early arrivals were similarly checked out.

CNN in its trailer installed in a scenic spot

We rigged the DG300 owned by Barney, one of my fellow Basic Instructors

The approach over the east runway "piano keys" is not very wide, or long (350m). 
Accuracy is required.

One of BMGC's K-13s

And touch down

As the flying day drew to a close most of the expedition members had arrived.  There was a little hiccup.  The Brecon bunkhouse had managed to double book so they had arranged for us to have supper at the Dinas Castle Inn and use their bunkhouse for the night.  So with a pub meal and a pint on offer there were no complaints at the inconvenience.

The main ridge seen from the airfield

Dinas Castle Inn - the highest pub in the Brecon Beacons National Park

Monday

The first day of an expedition is inevitably spent rigging the gliders.  Rigging two-seaters being part of the experience for the ab initios.  Later we were faced with the challenge of rigging Andy Smith's (from the Army Gliding Centre at Upavon) Vega.  Fred Slingsby had some great ideas but low weight and ease of rigging were not some of his gliders' features.  Fortunately, I had been called to assist Elaine with rigging her LS4, a glider that I am much more comfortable with.   I left my Standard Cirrus in its box, as my focus at the start of the expedition was the trainees.

The morning brief in the BMGC clubhouse

It transpired that the Flarm in N53, the Seahawk GC Puchacz, was not working.  Hardly surprising as it had languished in the condemned hangar at RNAS Culdrose which had denied use or even access for months.  After identifying the Flarm type, there are many now, I downloaded the latest Firmware (7.40 non-expiring) along with a configuration file I customised and uploaded them through the USB port.  A LXNAV PowerMouse does away with fiddly micro SD or SD cards.  After waiting, the firmware took, and I could see it was working and it showed up on Glide and Seek as proof.

Today was a day of instructors checking out other instructors before the flying programme could begin.  We ere organised in three groups (syndicates); three students and three instructors for both the Puchacz and a K-21 (from Upavon).  The final syndicate had one student who had previously been a solo pilot, but his currency had lapsed over the last two years.  He flew in a BMGC K-13.

Seahawk GC Steve Moore (rear seat) about to be checked by the expedition CFI, Chris Bryning (front seat)

Unfortunately my student wasn't due to arrive until Tuesday so I helped out at the launch point and the retrieve to ensure all had their check flights and site acquaint flights.

 

Gliders "at the gate".  This is the launch point that we would use all week.  Elaine's LS4 with winglets is in the foreground and Seahawk's Puchacz in the front of the launch queue.

There were also some BMGC club members who rigged and took a local flight.

BMGC's Chris Thornhill in his Ventus 2cxa ES(electric sustainer). 
Where did I put my Euromillions ticket?

The ubiquitous Expedition photo

Sunset at Talgarth with a glory on the right of the photograph

Tuesday

It was Flarm time again as Andy Smith's Vega also needed a firmware update.  Andy had no excuse for a lack of access to the glider, just he hadn't done it.  Andy's Flarm was the original Swiss Flarm.  These are getting long in the tooth and the memory is just big enough to accept the firmware update.   Initially it wouldn't take it, but after some advice from the BMGC CFI and multiple attempts finally saw it working.  Hurrah.

Somebody has the caught the gliding bug in a serious way!

Gavin in Basic Instructor mode

I had three flights with trainee Christian who hadn't forgotten his training at Upavon back in last September.  Our first flight was in the K-21 rather that the Puchacz.  Yes, having made high key at 1,000 feet I was far too high on my approach and used full air brake and slideslipped down to the east runway.  A teaching point for self and for Christian.

Subsequent flights in Puchacz were fine and Christian made good progress to the extent that at the end of the day he was handed off to a Flight Instructor for the rest of the expedition.

Gavin and Christian wait for the Eurofox to tow them to some lift,
 any type would do in the light easterly airs.

Ready for another sortie

Getting ready to hook on to the tug

"Take up slack"

Putting on the pyjamas and getting the Puchacz ready for bed at the end of the day.

Gavin delivering an evening lecture on Aerotowing

Wednesday

Nic Berretta from Seahawk GC arrived with the Discus, K9.  Guess what?  It needed a Flarm firmware update.  This was quickly achieved.

The weather was a little different today.  Still light airs on the airfield but the wind speed at ridge level was forecast to be 20 knots from the North East.  The ridges at Hay Bluff should be working if one was brave enough to take an aerotow up there.  Getting back would be a challenge as the wind speed was marginal to achieve that.  There were no takers but later there was a report of wave over one of the ridges.  Cue a mass launch to exploit it.

I took an aerotow to nearly 2,900 ft and the tug pilot dropped me in wave. The band of lift was quite narrow perhaps 1km deep and 2 km long. At either end one entered sink. The lift could be as much as 3 knots average but mostly half of that.  After gaining plenty of height I decided to push forward and look at the catspaw ridge on the other side of the Black Mountains. Yes, there was sink but I also found lift. I returned to the main wave area and topped up on height.

I then headed to the Sugar Loaf mountain (near Pen-y-Fal) to have a look and then on to Abergavenny. I returned to the lift and then headed to Hay Bluff and simulated a return to Talgarth from the ridge, but at height. It was very turbulent in the valley. I headed to Mynydd Troed which is a distinctive ridge to the south of the airfield. I made a couple of beats on the ridge before finding a 2.5 knot average thermal that allowed to me to climb well clear of the ridge. I then inspected the out landing spot on the common.  The air was rough and it was a struggle to get down to high key; circling at 70 knots, wheel down and full airbrakes. Consequently I chose 60 knots as my approach speed for landing on the East runway.

So I had experienced wave, ridge and thermal lift in a single 2 hr 52 min flight. Maximum height 6,700 ft AGL.  There was another achievement today.  Elaine had persevered in the wave and achieved her five hour duration flight, a requirement for a Silver or Gold badge.  Congratulations Elaine.

 

My Wednesday jaunt in the Black Mountains (flight trace was taken from Flightbook)

An early wave climb at 2.5 knots average

The lift was still strong whilst approaching 6,000 feet

The views were fantastic, albeit hazy

Looking towards the northern ridges

If I pushed forward would I find another wave bar?

After exploring, finding the lift again

Nic Beretta's view from the Discus, K-9, of my Standard Cirrus at over 6,000 feet

Pushing South West to Abergavenny

Enjoying looking down on the scenery. It was remarkably warm in the sunshine at height.

The ridges of the Black Mountains

Back in the lift again and climbing strongly. What a great flight it was turning out to be.

Looking down on the Sugar Loaf Mountain on the way to Abergavenny

Back at the Brecon Bunkhouse, after dinner, Flight Instructor Coach Jamie Sage shows Gavin how the Circuit Planning lecture should be presented.

Thursday

CNN after its night's slumber covered in heavy dew.

The day dawned blue and with light airs at the airfield.  A morning of lectures and videos delivered by the newly appointed OIC Ground Training.  Oh, that would be me then.  Approach and approach control, followed by a movie; "Windborn: A Journey into Flight" which is a documentary that follows Lucy Wills as she learns to fly a glider, culminating in a historic flight with her father and uncle over New Zealand's South Island.  This movie was followed by my Flarm lecture.

Meanwhile some of the instructors had been undergoing stall and spin refresher training. 

The syndicate preparing lunch got creative

In the afternoon there were some tantalising low cumulus towards the ridge.  Andy Smith took a launch and fond that the Dragon's Back ridge was working.  Not with ridge lift but with thermals.  Launch the Fleet!".  I launched at 1545 and took an aerotow to 1,800 feet and was dropped on to the ridge.  The thermals were very strong, narrow, and at times violent.  The Standard Cirrus is normally a quiet glider but in the turbulent thermals it was creaking and groaning like a Pegase 101A.  Careful consideration of minimum speed in the thermals was required to avoid stalling, especially important as the ground was very close on occasions.  By working at it one could achieve 3,000 ft AGL and start to explore the area and find other spots of lift.  The Dragon's Back was a very busy place with at least six gliders trying to climb at anyone time which meant that one's head had to be on a swivel looking out for other gliders.

Andy Smith's view over the Dragon's Back, at height

Andy thermalling over the bowl

Saar takes a flight in the Eurofox

It was still hazy with the light easterly winds that hadn't cleared away the inversion

The Discus, K-9, looks for lift on the Dragon's Back

Keep the speed up!

I went south to Mynydd Troed to find that on the north side of the ridge there was some ridge lift and on the other side which was into the sun.  After trying some beats and climbing in thermals I headed south to Llangorse Lake before heading home after 1 hour and 45 minutes.  A great flight late in the the day.

Thursday night was steak night!

Friday

Friday dawned as forecast.  Blue again and light airs at the site.  After the morning brief we had a brief and decided to pack up and go home.  No one wanted further flights, which would have been sleigh rides after release from the aerotow.  The thermals wouldn't kick of until 1530; a downside of switching to British summer time!  We derigged the K-21 and Puchacz.  All fairly straightforward.  Not so the Vega.  It took ages to fit it in its not very well appointed trailer.  Top tip, don't buy a Vega.  The only thing going for it was Slingsby was ahead of his time with a retractable tail wheel as well as the main wheel.  A design feature all top end gliders in the 21st century have now adopted.

Afore you go!  CFI Chris signs Saar's training card.

I arrived back at DGS and parked my trailer alongside the fence ready to move it into its slot on Saturday morning.  It was still blue and sunny.  It had been a great week.  Thanks to Chris Bryning for leading the RNGSA expedition which gave me an opportunity to instruct, fly my Standard Cirrus in different conditions, and a chance to prepare and deliver my gliding lectures as part of my Assistant Category Instructor training.

Gavin Short

Dartmoor Gliding News - Wednesday 11 December 2024 - Getting my gold height

Further to Wednesday's blog John Allan passed me his account of the day.  So here it is with more wonderful cloudscapes for our readers.

But before we get to the gliding, for the English Literature fans amongst the blog readers, of which there are at least two, I need to put Mark Twain's quote "There's gold in them thar hills" into context.  It's a misquote.  He supposedly got it indirectly from a Georgia assayer, Dr. Matthew Fleming Stephenson, who said, “there’s millions in it,” to keep locals from heading to California for the Gold Rush in 1849.  The phrase later became corrupted to the well know phrase above.

There is gold to be found in many places and mines on Dartmoor but in very small amounts (which matches the number of gliding height claims made over Dartmoor).  The largest yields were from the quarries at Merrivale, Princetown Prison, and Vixen Tor which on a fine day would all have been visible to John in his Mini-Nimbus.

Where you can find gold on the ground on Dartmoor

Cornish miners, and also some from Devon, emigrated during the gold rush and more generally for a better life. The California Inn is 14th Century free house and restaurant at California Cross.  The pub and crossroads are reputed to have got their name from the throngs of people who would meet at the coach house to take the stage coach to Plymouth and catch a ship heading west to the New World.

Anyhow, now to the bit you've been waiting for.  In John's words:

After nearly three weeks of poor weather, and a week of WhatsApp chatter and anticipation, Skysight and RASP both aligned and were showing a promising Dartmoor Wave forecast over the airfield.  But, would the wave manage to open up slots to allow us to get high?  With a very early start, we set about getting all the equipment out in the dark, Andy and I rigged as it got light, Phil was flying the Twin Astir.  No gaps in the cloud initially, so we adjourned for a cuppa, to warm up and a briefing. 

I had so many clothes on as it was forecast to be very cold at height, that it took me a while to get comfortable in my glider.  I needed be able to reach everything I needed during the flight, which proved tricky so stuff was jammed in either side of me. Chart (QFE, QNH and SPS noted on it), water, phone and spare battery for it (backup navigation), thick gloves, sun hat, woolly hat, sunglasses.  USB Logger turned on.  Brentor set as GOTO in the main navigation computer.

I launched at 1008 hrs,  I had spotted signs of a gap with a sliver of blue sky showing through the clouds to the north.  I pulled off at 1,400 feet cloudbase and headed left and back over the church where it had looked like there would be lift from the ground.  Finding turbulent lift, I just kept feeling my way along the obvious dark line of wave to where sunshine past Blackdown showed on the ground, indicating a gap.  I couldn't climb much, until the blue sky appeared above me, then started climbing up with misty clouds either side, but in sight of the ground either side below.  As I climbed it revealed an amazing other world of sunshine and I found myself at the bottom a large "valley" of clouds left and right with clear sight of the ground on the valley floor, all the way to Lydford ahead of me.  With figure 8's on the west, rising air, side of the valley, I climbed in strong smooth wave airflow, between 4-8 knots up.

 

The "Valley". The wind is from the right.

At about 4,000 feet, I could see over the eastern ridge of cloud, upwind to another gap in the  cloud "valley" upwind.  This meant I could push forward to the primary wave bar to the north east. Time to put on my cannula for oxygen,  I checked that it was pulsing as it should when set to start at 5,000 feet.  

John keeps an eye on another gap in the clouds near Lydford to ensure it doesn't fill in and disappear

Initially I had 4 knots up, roughly overhead the A386, North of Lydford and just downwind of the highest part of Dartmoor.  The lift gradually decreasing as I climbed.  I had in mind a goal of Gold Height 11,500 feet (a "safe" figure that allows for a 1,600 feet launch).  When I reached this, I still had 2 knots up.  Both visible slots below me had remained stable in position and size.  If anything they had opened slightly.

John tops out at over 13,000 feet AGL while heading south east

It was warm enough for comfort, no sign of icing and my oxygen working nicely, so I decided to go a bit higher.  At 13,300 feet (14,000 feet above sea level) the lift was down to less than 1 knot.  I couldn't go searching for anything better as I had to stay close to the slots below.  A radio call said they thought the clouds had closed in a bit.  My slots seemed the same, but I descended back down anyway, I'd achieved my goal.  I was taking care to stop every few thousand feet, to let the airframe warm up.  I had some slight misting that froze in the first phase, easily wiped off with a cloth.  Opening the vents a bit and facing the sun quickly sorted that.    

As I approached the gap, at the bottom of the valley of clouds, I did a few figure 8's and held my height to give me time to think through a plan.   

I knew exactly where I was.  My navigation moving map was already set to GOTO Brentor, 8 km away, out of sight due to my height, but I was at the northern end of the slot, so maybe 6 km from the end of it.  I made a radio call to check cloudbase, 1,350ft, not much change.  I picked two reasonable looking fields I could see below just in case!!!  Landing checks, undercarriage down now, airbrakes checked that they were not frozen shut.

 

John at the northern end of the wave gap

I set off down the middle of the slot, and dived down until below the cloud as I reached the end of the slot.  Wow, back in the real world of green and relative darkness below the cloud and inversion.  I reached high key still at 1,100 feet.  A club K-13 and Andy in his Libelle were nearby and looked to be climbing.

 

John view's Andy in his Libelle "M"

Wave lift under the cloud base was still working and a slot was opening up near Peter Tavy.   Andy had radioed to say he'd got above the clouds, so I went back up that slot and met him above the clouds.  We flew up a valley of cloud taking some photos on the way, to my original slot and descended down through it.

 

Formation wave flying with "M"  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very happy John in his Mini-Nimbus.  Gold height in the bag!

What an adventure, and a satisfying flight.  Thank you to all the instructors and other pilots like Andy, Phil and a Richard who offer their excellent advice and helped me achieve a flight like this.

 

John Allan

John has also made a compilation video of his and Andy Davey's aerial photographs and videos. 

Dartmoor wave on Wednesday 11 December 2024

 

Here is John's flight on the BGA ladder with a barogram - the highest flight in the U.K. in December so far.

 

 John's flight on the BGA ladder  with more photos of his gold height flight.

Gavin Short