Sunday 26th May was my Duty Day - taking Anne and her sister to the Hay-on-Wye Literature festival. Books are close to my heart but, today, Talgarth was closer. I arrived unannounced at the club as the kit was being taken out. After introductions, I ingratiated myself by helping tow out the gliders and generally making myself useful or interfering depending on your point of view. The BMGC members could not have been more accommodating, insisting it would be no trouble to get me in the air.
The tuggie returned from the first tow with the news that it was already popping - "four up to four thousand above site". After a familiarisation walk around the airfield, Don Gosden and I took a launch in a K13. Don called it a site check, so I flew the launch and all but a few minutes of the flght.
The flight itself was one of the most enjoyable I have had in a long while. The tuggie took us to two thousand and dropped us in 2 - 3 up so neatly all I had to do was turn the right way and not cock it up. On the way up to four thousand, Don pointed out the various peaks, villages, lakes and valleys. Most of these had Welsh names which, with my tin ear, bypassed my memory bank. My Babel Fish was back at home. At the top of the climb, we flew north along the valley to Hay-on-Wye. There was enough occasional lift to let me ignore that tiresome turning business. We arrived near Hay for the loss of a couple of hundred feet and then turned east towards the mountains. I have done very little ridge flying so this was a new experience for me.
The main ridge was not working too well but there was sufficient lift to allow me to take us down a valley and back again. As we approached the mouth of the valley on the homeward leg, Don took over and showed me how it was really done, taking us into a few cwms, hugging the contours, below the crest, below the hikers and close enough to worry the lambs. I could smell the mint sauce. At times, it seemed as if we were only six feet from the hillside but in reality we were probably no closer than seven or eight feet. Control was handed back to me for the landing which, as I'm here to write this, was probably successful.
I rarely fly anywhere but Shenington. I'm a 'local soarer' (Tysoe, out and return, is my contribution to the BGA ladder). However, this flight was unlike anything I'd experienced in the UK. Several Shenington members already do fly at Talgarth but, if you haven't and you fancy something different, get yourself there. I was lucky to be there on a warm, sunny and thermic day but ridge lift is their thing. Search the internet for Talgarth gliding videos and you may get an idea of what I'm banging on about.
As Al Cook mentioned in his blog for the 25th May, "Tomorrow looks good - in Wales!". It was.
Regards,
Paul (Duffy)