Wednesday 3rd April 2013

Today turned out to be a brilliant day. We were lucky that the wind did not reach the high speeds that were forecast by some of the media. However it did increase somewhat from 1pm until we finished flying at 16-30.

We had really good strong but broken thermals to a height of around 4000′. Most people managed to get away and have good flights. As we only had 2 instructors on for the morning and we were only flying 2 up we only took 2 x K13’s to the far end and because of that we set a flight time of 30mins so that everybody had a chance of a good flight. Everyone managed to stick to that except for one pair who stayed up for nearly an hour. Afraid no mention for them in the roll of honour.

We had a brilliant day and the field was in really good condition, we left no ruts, did no damage and did a 2 cable tow out all day. There are still a few puddles and soft spots but they were easy to see and avoid.

Doughnuts and Hot Cross Buns all went early on so everyone was prepared for the day ahead. Many thanks to Allan for letting us fly in interesting conditions, I have no doubt we all learned something as well as having a great day.

Thanks also to Geoff G. who spent all morning on the winch and gave us some excellent launches to 2000′ and then to John H. who did the same all afternoon.

Details are below,

Total Launches……………..14

Average Flight time…………19min.

Total Time Flown……………4hr.- 34min.

Longest Flight……..No need to put this because everyone could have stayed up longer but those who stuck to the 30min. time were Geoff C. John H. Nick J. Martin C. John Ha.

We were missing a few regulars which was a shame, mainly the K6 syndicate who were having their baby weighed at H.B. and a few others who may have been put off by the forecast.

All in all well worth the effort, we all had a good day. Even those who launched at just the wrong time enjoyed it.

See you soon, Steve P.

Tuesday 12th March 2013

We finally got exactly what it said on the tin today. It was a slow start as a couple of members phoned in to ask if it was worth coming over and as we were at the far end it was probably near to 11am for the first flight. The wind was blowing a steady 18 – 20 kts with higher gusts so we only flew 2 up in two K13’s.

Eleven members were on the flying list and everyone flew at least once. It was thermic and for the lucky (skillful) ones 2 to 4kt climbs were to be had. The strong N.E. wind stopped the climbs as we were careful not to get too far downwind. We stopped for lunch and soon after we restarted we had the only snow shower of the day. It only lasted for 10mins or so, it was not a problem.

As predicted the wind started to die away during the afternoon and what wind there was backed to the North which reduced our launch height by around 300′. It was cold in the morning but was quite pleasant as the wind decreased. The flying was much better in the stronger wind of the morning. We finally put the toys away at 4pm.

Total Launches…………….14.

Longest Flight………………20mins, Very well done to Tony M. it could easily have been much longer but he elected to put the airbrakes out at 2000′ and come down to give the others a go.

Second Longest…………..12mins, A really good effort by John H. Second flight of the day, very turbulent but he managed to get away and climb 500′ to 1800′. The climb was cut short because of drifting off downwind

Total flying Time…………….1hr. 40min.

Average Flight Time………..7min.

A really good day and well worth the effort. We took a bit of a chance with the weather but our luck was in. Lets hope Thursday is as good. It is looking good at the moment with some good thermals until the afternoon when the warm front will start to make it’s presence felt. It should stay dry all day and the wind should be back in the West. Lets make the best of Thursday because Saturday is looking very iffy.

See you soon, Steve P.

Monday 4th February 2013

It was very short notice for today so it was not surprising that we only had 10 members on the flying list. We nearly cancelled it at 6-45am this morning when it was blowing 34kts at Wellesbourne but it seemed to settle down soon after that to a more manageable 22 – 25kts.

We all flew and had a really good morning with plenty of sunshine and a stiff 25kt westerly. No problems and everyone managed really well. We all had excellent launches as expected to 1950 – 2000′. Many thanks to Humph and Geoff, they did a brilliant job in difficult conditions.

Allan worked hard as always and we kept him well fed with Doughnuts (I x Jam 1 x Custard 1 x Chocolate) purely to keep his energy levels up.

We even managed to coax Phil out of the workshop for a flight. He may not have been current but he has not lost the touch. (he is current now !)

The wind seemed to increase a little at 1pm so we stopped for lunch when it was gusting to 35kts. so a mutual decision was made to put the toys away. Of course as soon as we had finished that the wind dropped back to 20 – 25kts. But we had all flown and had a very interesting morning. Really good fun and I think we all learned something.

Details are………………

Total launches………………9

Longest Flights…………….20min. well done to John H. and Allan…… not so closely followed by Phil Pa. and me and Humph and Pete.

Average flight time………..9min.

Total Flight Time……………1hr. – 33min.

Average approach speed…..68kts.

Fingers crossed for Thursday, looking good but maybe a bit colder.

See you soon, Steve.

Saturday 27th October 2012

It felt like brass monkeys today!

We had a stiff Northerly wind today which made the field setup a little awkward, flying from the SE stub runway, we had the winch in the NW corner and landed 34.The wind also provided significant chill against already low temperatures so most members have sworn to break out the thermals (underwear).

We had a good turnout of club members and a contingent of 4 from Warwick University Gliding Club. Launches were reasonable given the wind direction. Flights were a mixed bag; some pilots encountering only sink, some others getting short climbs under weak streets of cloud.

Winch driver training was given to PhilS and he gave some great launches. By the end of the day, everyone had got in the flying they wanted to do but the Snitterfield Arms and it’s open fire provided a more than welcome retreat.