A misty start to the day, no training bookings and only one air ex flight booked in the diary – no indication of how busy a day it was going to be.
As the day warmed up to an unseasonal 17 Celsius, so did the
activity level. We started with just CCC
and the super-smart Sports England K8 out, but these were joined by the K21,
Beth and a couple of private gliders as the sun brought more visitors and
members.
We achieved 45 launches, including air experience flights
for 8 visitors and a couple of “friends and family” flights. Longest flight of
the day was by Tim Treadaway, with 41 minutes. Mark Hampson,
currently recovering from a hip replacement, came to visit. Mark is not allowed
to fly yet, but he succeeded in persuading his wife Judy to take a flight,
after 23 years as a “gliding widow”.
Judy enjoyed a 30 minute flight with Gail in CCC.
The highlight of my day was joining Russell as P2 in the T21
for an aero-tow launch. Tim in the tug did a great job at keeping the speed down,
but Russell said it was literally a white-knuckle ride as he fought to keep in
position. I had the easier job of admiring the view, the air being crystal
clear to the horizon by mid-afternoon.
A nice day by any standards, but a great day for October!
Dave Price