Sunday 18th November 2012

Good, dirty fun today!

The airfield was still rather wet today but we managed to fly around the worst bits. Unfortunately the launch-point got a bit muddy as did the yellow retrieve Landrover which soon looked brown as it is now sporting the wide wheels again.

Plenty of flying done with yet more pilots taking to our new Ka6. The trick for smaller pilots, apparently, is to put all the cushions in and take out only the ones you don’t need.

We trained Joe on the backup winch and Adrian F began training towards a Basic Instructor rating.

Special congratulations to Phil who re-soloed with us today!

Adrian F, strangely pleased with how mucky he’s made the Land Rover.
(Yes, we know, the tow-out flag is in the back)

Sunday 11th November 2012

Our Chief Flying Instructor, Steve B was standing in for Mike C today and what a busy day it was!

We started a little earlier than usual due to the shortening days. The field was fairly wet in places so we set up as to avoid the worst of it. There were some valiant attempts at scratching for some slightly extended flights at the top of the day but the blue skies and moderate soaring conditions were probably best described as ‘good for training’.

The Junior was rigged and flown and the clubs’s new Ka6 G-DBWC was prepared and flown by club members for the first time as a club aircraft. Much praise was given to it’s handling and scratching qualities and general performance. Some pilots hope to use ‘BWC’ for cross-country tasks next season.

New and returning members of the University of Warwick Gliding Club kept the instructors busy with their insatiable appetite for gliding. They flew again and again; it’s great to have students with such enthusiasm.

In total despite the tricky field conditions, we launched 41 times with only failing light putting an end to play. The launch rate was assisted well in part by the UWGC people’s efficiency on the buggies.

Adam about to take his first flight in Stratford on Avon Gliding Club’s new Ka6-CR G-DBWC

Saturday 10th November 2012

Today started with a rather wet field and a very low cloud base. The wind which was predicted to be a strong South-Westerly, gave us an easier time than expected and we were able to operate on the less damp areas of the field. The cloud base lifted slowly but broke up to enable launching before midday.

Thermal soaring proved not to be possible in general despite significant vertical cloud formations. Some pilots enjoyed themselves flying around the lower clouds; it gives a real sense of speed!

Warwick University Gliding Club sent a contingent of students along and they all enjoyed their flights. 32 launches took place in all; flying was finally stopped when canopies began misting due to the atmospheric conditions.

The club K8 was derigged and stored in the hangar. It will not be flown again as a club aircraft and is now looking for a new home. The new Ka6 was rigged and test positioned in the hangar. It fits nicely!

In this video, Andy shows Mark from UWGC a couple of aerobatic figures in our K21.