Final Score

Final scores are now in...
https://sites.google.com/site/sheningtonglidingclub/cross-country/scores.xls?attredirects=0&d=1
See also www.bgaladder.co.uk for some of the scoring XC flights & Rowan's height gain! Scores also went to Bronze and Silver Legs (Well done Tom Kootchit, Sven Goffart, Clive Smith and Nigel Clarke). Some flights were done without putting them on the ladder and if I found out who you were I have put in an estimated score.
Well done to Graham Paul who acummulated the most points over the week and also leader board runners up; Bruno who did an amazing job showing various club members how to fly the K13 cross country (and land in fields), and visitor Pete Ryland from Tibenham who also helped give Graham some competition.
Congratulations to Clive Smith who wins the week with the highest scoring flight - Sackville Farm out and return to complete his Silver distance and the final part of his Silver Badge, and successfully completing his first field landing (near the water tower at Edghill), and scoring a total of 1820 points.
Well done to all who took part, I think we've all found the bits for rigging our gliders and got the trailers in some sort of order for the summer - which I am reliably informed starts next weekend!! Fly lots and enjoy the sunshine...

The season has just begun...

Final day of the Spring Soaring Week gave us a "character building" mainly blue day with some small Cu later on. The usual suspects boldly ventured XC with landouts almost guarenteed! See the BGA Ladder for details. The rest of us "bottled-it" and stayed local but enjoyed the challenge.

We now have well over 30 flights and more than 4500km on our club ladder (already the best ever for Shenington) putting us well into the top ten clubs on most of the BGA Ladder stats - and it's still only April!

Jan & would like to thank all those who participated and we will enjoy the gifts of wine presented to us as at briefing this morning. We have had a fantastic time.

The Spring Soaring Week may now over...but the season has only just begun!

Happy Easter

At briefing it was revealed that the Easter Bunny had left some (chocolate) prizes for the Spring Soaring Week participants for a variety of achievements including the Buzz Lightyear Egg for the pilot with the most points on the week went to Graham Paul - "To infinity and beyond!"

Graham P was Duty Instructor assisted by Derrick Sandford and Paul Duffy as BI, with Rowan in the tug. The weather made a slow start and although it was locally soarable for a while in the afternoon to around 2000ft, with Gary B scratching out 40 minutes in his DG500, it never got anywhere near good enough to fly XC. Even so a productive day was achieved and we made the most of what was on offer.

Very Happy Easter Bunnies!

Lots of happy Easter Bunnies today as the weather gave us an unexpected super soarable day. Tasking to the East I set a 300km for the pundits! To many good flights to mention them all here but suffice to say everyone had a good time with lots of soaring, including Bob W who went XC P.2 with me in the K21 - the smile says it all. Thanks to Paul N for holding the fort whilst I whizzed off XC!

Well done to Bruno and Gail who clocked up 200km O/R for the best scoring XC flight on the club ladder beating both the turbo boys who raced round the 300km pundit task! Our German guest Sven gets the sticky-bum award for gaining both Silver Height and Silver Duration in the club K8, but happiest bunny of all was Clive Smith who finally completed his Silver Badge with an O/R to Sackville Farm (well nearly...he didn't quite get back to Shenington but did pull off an excellent first field landing a few KMs short of the M40) and popped the Champers at the club BBQ tonight. Thanks to LPCs Tez and Dave S who stayed on the ground keeping the launch-point running smoothly and also to Sue W & Team for organising tonights party whilst we were all out having fun.

Clive pops the Champers!

Staying open to the possibilities...

After a generally disapointing day yesterday, and a smog warning issued by the Met Office last night there was an air of dispondancy when I arrived first thing. At briefing I suggested that we should keep an open mind and that I thought it would be late to trigger (1300L) but there would be arround 3 hours of usable XC soaring. We waited...it triggered...we went! It was tricky low down, but really good once you got high with good climbs to 6000ft. Amongst those who flew XC were: Alan L, Al C, Bruno, Graham P, Rowan and myself - but flight of the day was easily Pete Ryland with his 190km O/R to CAX. See www.bgaladder.co.uk for details.

Rowan gets preped!

Silverstone

Weired skies to the South

Bicester

Bruno the Brave!

A good training day and just marginally soarable for an hour or so in the middle of the day under the high pressure gloom. Bruno and Jane picked up the best of the weak thermals to get away from site in a forlorn bid for Bidford but the weak thermals disintegrated not far from home and they landed near Oxhill for a short retrieve. Their bravery was rewarded, however, by winning the day! Tonight we descended on mass (a table for 21 please!!!) to "The Purple Mango" for an excellent Indian meal to cheer ourselves up!

Bronze Legs & BBQs...

Hot, blue and late to trigger. It was a day to be in wood with Tom K showing the way and eeking out his first Bronze Leg in the Ka8. Bruno launched with Cassie in his K13 and was the only one to go XC, eventually landing out at Long Marsden - bit no de-rigg today, calling for an A/T retrieve instead. Sven got the bit between his teeth and also scratched out a Bronze Leg. Jan & I did a Navex in the Falke around "The President's Triangle". Sue Rogers kindly went into town to get the makings for the first club BBQ of the year and Rowan volunteered to be chef...Scrummy - well done guys!

High Hopes & Landouts

Lots of flying...some soaring...several landouts...all back safe...beer in the bar!

3 out of 3

Dick's first day back running the midweek flying, with course student Danny W, plus new member Chas C. As always Kath was doing a sterling job on the winch. The soaring tasks were duly set, but the weather didn't really play ball. A murky high pressure appears to have sat over us, with hazy outlines of cumulus tempting some to take hopeful launches. Bruno and Gail launched in HVQ but despite a valiant 30mins airborne failed to find taskable weather. This was followed by a succession of launches by club members into quite soarable local weather.

Rowen had the longest flight of the day in his Cirrus (2hr 16min) climbing to over 6000ft, but could not make progress in the poor visibility. Sven took a winch launch in the K8 and managed to stay out for 1hr and 26mins, achieving a leg for Bronze and XC Endorsement - not bad for a pilot who went solo last Tuesday!! Ian flew the ASW20 for 1hr 46, and John Rogers also managed 47mins local soaring. Visitor Pete R from Tibenham took his DG self-launcher around a short task (to a new turnpoint nominated by his other half - Bicester Outlet Village!). Martin L had a quick flight in the K8, Tony T took GCY for a couple of flights, and Jane flew Q5. A good time had by all, hoping for improved forecast in the morning.

Only the brave...and turbos!

Derrik S was Duty Instructor, with Tony T BI-ing and Christine and Roddy in the tug.

A relatively solw start due to waiting for the visability to improve. Quite a lot of folks out with high hopes but in the end only a select few managed decent soaring flights as the Cu built rapidly and cut-off the convection locally.

A much tougher soaring day for XC with the relatively poor visibility and weaker climbs. Graham P took Sven with him in the Duo and did Basingstoke O/R clocking up 192km. Our visitor from Tibenham, Pete Ryland, took off late but completed a credible 123km, with Alan L doing the best task without the comfort of a motor in the back with 103km. Bruno and Paul M bravely pushed on in the K.13 but landed out near Newport Pagnell, whilst Dave Heath did Oxford and back in Q5. All in all pretty good considering the conditions. See http://www.bga.ladder.co.uk/ for details.