Saturday 4 May 2013

Gavin's Report for the Week


Long soaring flights, personal accomplishments and considerable distances every day of the week, including people who are doing their first solo long soaring flights.  Where were you?

Monday 29 April

This morning we arrived at the 8 Acre to a finely manicured lawn. I had to do a double take because for a moment I thought I had arrived at  a golf course.  Apparently Clive and Carol Smith had taken the mower for a whirl over the weekend (you old romantics you!). Now while I know that strictly speaking this is not a flying activity (and yes, I know that this is a flying report) it was indicative of the start of what would turn out to be a brilliant flying week.  The smoothest of landings assured, we got under way with Kevin Mayor taking his first few launches in a glider.  Al Cook and Graham Paul disappeared into the distance, and Alan Langlands wandered off to go fly the Cotswold Edge.  Ian Atherton Rigged and flew his ASW 20 and and Clive and Robin Jackson did time before Robin and I bimbled about on a late afternoon sight seeing excursion along a ridge that wasn't quite working but triggered enough thermals for longer flights.

Tuesday 30 April

Would we see out April with only two non-flying days? YES!  Would we see a 750km flight from Shenington?  Very very nearly (See Al Cooks excellent report and photographs below). Only a matter of time now.  Phil Atkinson and Dave Smith go far too, and Alan Langlands disappears for hours for a "relatively" local flight on the day ("going on holiday tomorrow").  Eric Lown takes Cosy Pyjamas (No, not pipe and slippers) away for a cloud dance.  Suzi Sykes-Waller's skills improve in leaps and bounds.  Mary goes for a fabulous 45 minute flight and I take my sandwiches along for the ride.  Sadly it's still thermic and I have to wait until we land to have a cuppa.  Andrew Waller arrives later in the day and after an aerotow and three winch launches is flying the whole flight without me on the controls at all.  (If everybody continues to make this kind of progress I may have to consider early retirement.)  Lucy ends the day with aplomb aboard her Darn Nifty Wings.

Wednesday 1 May

Will May start where April ended?  YES!  Boy are we on a roll.  A blue day on which Al and Graham do more of the same and Phil Atkinson and Russell Dyer do even more than that.  Gail and Robin Jackson master the blue proving definitively that you don't need scattered cumulus to get out of bed and Eric does the President's Triangle with his logger turned off (see blow by blow account below).  The President's Triangle is an annual task set by our Club President Phil Brennan.  This year it is a 100km triangle that sees us visiting Northampton and Bicester.  As far as I know Eric's is the first successful attempt of the year but I would encourage early Cross-Country pilots to try it on good soaring days.  It's not called a Cross-Country Endorsement for nothing guys.  There will always be someone to advise before you set off, and also to retrieve if you experience the thrill of a landout.
Unusual birds continue to visit. This time a De Havilland DH87 Hornet Moth

Thursday 2 May

Russell Dyer and Maureen Tuffin get the day underway with a 40 minute flight in glorious sunshine while Paul and Al head off to Pocklington.  I think that Graham Paul has flown more miles this year so far than any other glider pilot in the country, proving that Shenington is the real UK soaring centre.  Bob King and I practice thermal centring for an hour or so and then Bob adds well over two hours to his personal best soaring time with a flight of nearly three hours, thereby completing a significant milestone towards his Cross-Country Endorsement.  Dave Smith flies for a few hours and then takes a couple of friends up at the end of the day (one at a time of course).  Harry Abraham and I go soaring in the K21 and have to resort to aerobatics to come back down (smiley face wink - or whatever it is that kids nowadays use to show delight).  Harry then grabs a logger and goes very high on his own.  When he lands his enormous smile tells me that he has his Silver Height Gain in the bag.

Bob climbing.  Is that a smile I see?

Friday 3 May

Lech Zakrzewski explores the early sky in a K13 and then we fly the K21 in preparation for a conversion to the Astir.  Robin Jackson and Jon Carleton take turns in G2 with both recording commendable soaring flights, John Le Coyte is away for hours and Gail Jackson and Paul Barnes politely return the K13 after an hour on high.  Tracey Turril has her first flight in a glider and we go inspect the Edge Hill Battle Fields (in which Tracy has an interest as a member of a historical reenactment society) from above.  Mike Miles and I explore lines of lift in the K21 flying from Shenington to Shipston without turning and gaining a thousand feet in height along the way.  Colin Hales (another significant contributor to the Shenington Success Story) puts in overtime to ensure that Lech has the Astir at the end of the day and he finally finally converts to glass.  Dave Gould agrees to "hanger land" DVX and lands an hour and a half later just as I was about to go check on his night rating.  Just reward for flawless tugging duties throughout recent weeks.

Mike rejoins the Miles High Club

Lech finally gets the better of the Astir


A week of stellar achievements, near stratospheric winch launches and spectacular skies. Remind me why you said you couldn't make it?

NB. This report is written by a HUMAN.  Mistakes are inevitable.  Let me know if I've made any and we can laugh about it together.