Tag Archives: flying report

Flying Report 10/11/17

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Yesterday was just as predicted with wall to wall sunshine, it was a little cold first thing but soon warmed up to a reasonable temperature. The cloud did increase around lunch time but quickly dispersed to give us a clear afternoon. We had a busy day with all 3 two seaters working for most of the time. A special thanks to Allan W. who stepped in at short notice to help out with instructing as we were down to one instructor before Allan agreed to help out. We certainly made good use of him!

Well done to Derek H. who was cleared to fly the K21 solo and then proceeded to have the longest flight of the day in it. No mean feat in very light conditions. It stayed dry all day but we finally had to stop flying when the canopies started to mist up.

A really good turnout meant all the Mince Pies (sorry but Tesco and Sainsbury’s had sold out of Doughnuts) went early on and every one who wanted too flew. And finally many thanks to Charlie who brought down one of his excellent curries. He has promised to bring down a vegetable one next time, this will be great as some of our members are vegetarian so cannot enjoy the usual ones.

Statistics are……….

Total Launches……………………….32
Total Flight Time………………………4 hrs. 02mins.
Longest Flight…………………………17mins. Well done to Derek in the K21, he was closely followed by David S in the Junior and Nigel M. in C.B.W. well done to them all.
Average Flight Time………………….7 mins. This included several S.C.B.s.

Steve P.

Flying Report 31/10/17

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We had a great day Tuesday with an excellent turnout. The weather was kind to us with a good south westerly breeze which gave us some good launches to 1600ft. The sun shone for most of the day but we did have quite a lot of cloud from time to time but it did not stop us flying. It also stayed dry all day but by the middle of the afternoon it did get a bit misty which meant an early end to a successful day. There were 19 on the flying list by time we had the briefing and several more came after that so all the Doughnuts went very quickly,

Many thanks to both Jeff G. and Geof G. who both arrived early to mend the puncture on CBW.. This meant we had all 3 x 2 seaters for most of the day and we made very good use of them.

Statistics below,

Total Launches……………….35.

Longest Flight…………………11 mins, Excluding the Falke times.

Total Flight Time……………….4hrs. 22mins. Excluding the Falke times. The Falke flew twice.

Average Flight Time…………..7mins.

Steve P.

Flying Report Sunday 15/10/17

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Sunday started out with a great forecast and nine-oktas of reality at the airfield.

There was a pretty huge turnout; one and a half pages of flying list with plenty of ab-initios. With the field set-up for flying by 0945, there was no hope of sending any body up the wire due to the lingering mist.

To pass the time, a willing group set about rigging the club’s SZD Junior single-seater which had just come back from it’s ARC. As we were rigging the Junior, a few glimmers of sunlight appeared although the local cloudbase seemed unwilling to go up.

Briefing an hour after the field was set up, still with unflyable cloudbase, we had a packed briefing room. We only just managed to find somewhere for our CFI to sit.

Packed Briefing Room

Packed Briefing Room

CFI gets pride of place

Post-briefing, we still had to wait for the cloudbase to lift, starting flying nearly 2 hours late. One of the first up the wire was Geoff test-flying the Junior followed by numerous training flights. Some of our solo pilots managed some local soaring in the single-seaters while both ab-initio and trial-lesson flying was carried out in the two seaters.

Busy Launchpoint

We noticed Ed getting some special attention from Barry K with simulated launch failures and sure enough, Ed was cleared for his first solo saiplane flight in K21 G-CGAG. Ed’s glider solo come one month after his daughter Emily flew her first solo at Stratford on Avon.

Into the evening, some of the solo pilots who had made way for ab-initios to fly earlier in the day doubled up in the two seaters to get their flying in under a reddening sunset caused by dust particles carried in the upper air-mass by a significant low/storm approaching Ireland.

Worn out instructor

Worn out instructor

K21 at sunset

K21 at sunset

Amazingly, despite the two-hour late start, we managed to get through 54 winch launches and there was still plenty of members and enthusiasm left at the end of the day to help with the hangar packing.

Well done everyone!

Flying Report 18th April 2017 – Another 300 First.

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The briefing room was unusually full for a Tuesday morning but with the RASP forecast showing 5* red over most of England you could see why. I wasn’t the only one to ‘skive’ work that day and the numbers were further bolstered by a few Juniors on their school holiday who all wanted to make the most out of great predicted soaring conditions.

Dan and I declared a 308km task of Snitterfield SW – Aylesbury – Alcester – Thame Airfield – Snitterfield and Dave M declared a 147km task of Snitterfield SW – Thame Airfield – Snitterfield SW.

The mini-grid of single seaters before launch

The mini-grid of single seaters before launch

Dan in his Lak and myself in the club’s LS4 got ourselves airborne around midday and after checking the conditions over Stratford we returned through the start gate and tentatively made our way to Aylesbury. Things started improving and the second leg back to Alcester was quite good helped with some very strong climbs. The third leg had a bit of dead patch in the middle around Bicester but here we bumped into Dave in the Astir who kindly marked us a thermal. The 3 Amigos? circled over Bicester Airfield with the local boys joining us below. Once at cloud base we parted company, Dave back towards Stratford and two of us towards Thame. Just before the turnpoint we hit a stonking thermal – a much needed boost. The final leg was slow after Bicester as the sky was beginning to die and I had to scrape a final glide to get home where at times I thought I’d be paying Wellesbourne an unscheduled visit.

The task was meant to be a pairs training flight for the forthcoming Bidford Regionals competition however this was made quite difficult with failed batteries for 2/3’s of the flight. I’m still new to this X/C malarkey, so loads of areas to improve on before the comp.

It was great day out of the office and my first 300km.

[Editors note: Peter’s flight in the club LS4 is the first recorded 300km+ flight from Snitterfield in a club aircraft]

Peter Looking Tired and Emotional

Peter looking a little tired after his first 300km flight.

 

Dan & Peter’s Flights

Other notable achievements:

Well done to our 14 year Junior Ben for completing his 2 hours in the Junior. He wasn’t that short from his Silver Height too, next time?

Dave M completing his longest X/C flight to date.

[Editors note: Also his longest final glide at 31km 😉 )

David's Astir Flight

David’s Astir Flight

Mike C completing the longest flight of the year – 350km (‘underset’ in his words for the conditions)

Mike's 350km Task

Mike’s 350km Task

It was great day at the club and everyone had a good flight or two. It is just a shame we didn’t have more single and two seaters for people to enjoy longer flights.

Thank you to Alan W and Nick J who instructed all day and for making sure everyone had a good flight. With only 2 two seaters available (one is in maintenance) they were kept very busy all day. A final thanks for Dave M who graciously gave up the LS4 after having first call on it to allow me to attempt the 300km.

On a side note I have recently registered our club’s LS4’s FLARM ID with http://wiki.glidernet.org/ , this now means we can track it on Spot the glider when it is flying. If you’re interested follow this link https://tinyurl.com/SOAGC-LS4 and look for EMG to see how they’re getting on, or how they’re not getting on! (Most of our X/C privateers have registered their aircraft too so also look out for their competition ID’s such as FA, TT, UG etc.)

Peter C.

Flying Report 21/3/17

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We had a really good day yesterday and the weather was even better than expected, sunshine all morning and most of the afternoon, great thermals from early on that lasted well into the afternoon, high cloudbase and excellent visibility. It was a bit cold in the breeze but it was a small price to pay for such a great days flying. The wind although fresh did not get too strong and we were able to fly both of the two seaters and 2 of the single seaters all day.

There were lots of long flights and it was nice to see the K6e out for it’s first flight of the year. Steve F. also managed to have the longest flight of the day in it.
We had put a 30 min. max. flight time on the club gliders as it was such a good day and there were a lot of members on site who all wanted to fly. Most members respected this and landed close to the 30min. limit.

Many thanks to Tony for running the day, it was probably the best flying day of the year so far. The thermals were so strong that at times we needed the airbrakes out to get back on the ground. Long cloud streets all the way to Alcester. It took a long time to get there but getting back was much quicker !!!

It was a Great Day, and thanks to everyone who helped to make it one, a lot of members turned up early and so we were able to make an early start to make best use of the conditions. The Falke flew for nearly 2 hours as well but I have removed those flights and times from the statistics.

Statistics are………………

Total Glider Launches……..24.

Longest Flight…………………1hr. 8min. Well done to Steve F. and the K6e.

Total Flight Time……………..7hrs. 13min. This includes several S.C.B.’s.

Average Flight Time……….18mins.

Steve P.

Flying Report 15/3/17

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We had a great day today with an excellent turnout and excellent weather. The field was in dense fog at 8-30am but by 9-30 it had mostly burned off leaving a blue sky with the promise of good things to come.

The wind was even better than expected being almost due west, only around 10kts but still good enough to give us some good launches. It was warm on the field all day and there was no sign of rain. By 12noon it had started to get thermic with a couple of flights of 15mins or so. Just after 1pm Dave C. launched in the Junior as we went in for a Charlie Curry, we did not see him again until after we had finished when he landed (he claimed he only came back to make sure he got some curry) after a very good 31mins.

Flying Report 15/3/17

John H. not to be outdone jumped straight into the hot seat and tried his best to outdo Dave, he nearly succeeded but had to admit defeat after 30mins.

Dave J. managed to finish work early and as he was not far away came down and managed 18mins (also in the Junior) much later in the afternoon.

The field was very good and we had no problems but it was a shame we only had 2 x 2 seaters as the K21 was in the workshop for an upgrade, so there was a lot of pressure on the 2 x K13’s. We had a great day, everyone flew eventually, but apologies to those who had to wait a long time for a flight.

Statistics are…………

Total Launches…………….33.

Longest Flight……………..31mins, Well done to Dave C. and to John H. and to the Junior !!!

Average Flight Time…..10mins.
.
Total Flight Time………….5 hrs. 20min. This is just for the Gliders, I have extracted the Falke time.

And finally just to remind everyone we start two day a week flying (Tuesday and Thursday) from week beginning 3/4/17. So only 2 more weeks of one day a week.

Steve P.

Flying Report 24/2/17 – Doughnuts and Curry

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We had a great day yesterday that turned out much better than expected. We broke the record for the longest flight of the year twice and there were lots of long flights as well.

The day started well with plenty of sun and a brisk breeze from almost due west, the field was in good condition after the strong wind from the previous two days with only a couple of wet patches which were easy to miss. We started flying at 10-44am and at 10-55 Allan W. launched in the Junior and it soon became obvious it was thermic as we watched him climb away. Despite Allan’s best efforts he has still not learned to fly straight and level as he spent most of his time upside down.! Ben was keen to get away as we watched Allan climb and after a short delay we followed him and flew straight into a 4 kt. thermal which took us to 2800′ (thanks Allan). From then on it just got better and it was thermic until 15-30pm. and at least one flight got to 3900′

We stopped flying at 16-44.

No rain and plenty of sun helped to make it a great day and when it did cloud over for half an hour at around 1pm Charlie’s Curry was ready and we all enjoyed that and then the sun came out again, perfect timing. Many thanks to Charlie for probably his best Curry yet.

Statistics below…………………

Total Launches…………………….32……..(We still have some way to go to beat the 64 launches last Sunday but the conditions were better.)

Longest Flight……………………..43mins in the K21, very well done to Jeff G. and Geoff G. and a new record to beat.

Second longest…………………..35mins…..also well done to Dave Y. in the Junior. There was another flight of 31min and several in the 20’s. V.G. Effort.

Total Glider Flight Time………..7hrs.

Glider Average Time………….13mins.

Another great day.

Steve P.

Sunday 19th February 2017 – 64 Launches!

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Cold, overcast and an awkward wind direction.

It didn’t stop loads of Stratford members turning out along with members of University of Warwick Gliding Club for a day’s training and local flying at Snitterfield.

An area of the airfield was coned off at the start of flying due to water-logging and that area became larger as other poor areas were identified. The telemetry signalling was back in operation and working well, assisting with a high launch rate.

The members from UWGC are a mixture of ab-initios and pilots with experience so we have both initial training as well as solo flying and a conversion to Stratford’s Standard Astir G-FECO. They also bring with them a Skylaunch winch driver.

Stratford member Kit was introduced to basic aerobatics for the first time while Jesal also practiced his basic figures.

There was no soaring to speak of under a steady overcast but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for taking launches.

K21 LS4 Snitterfield
The club’s LS4 G-DEMG rejoined the active fleet after coming back from ARC and is now back in the hangar waiting for a dryer field and some thermals.

We normally only see the whole glider fleet at the launchpoint during the summer months.

By the end of the day, we’d completed 64 winch launches, not bad for this time of year!

The last glider to land was the Junior flown by our CFI at SS+10. Obviously the key to doing so many launches is finding the right balance of efficiency at the launch point and not losing momentum.

With a steady queue of gliders at the standpipe for a wash, it was pretty dark by the time the hangar doors were closed.

Packing away

Packing away after sunset

Flying report 7/2/17

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Although it was a slow start today because of some early fog it turned out to be a brilliant day with several thermic flights. Early on it looked very promising when the light mist cleared at around 9am but 20 mins later very thick fog rolled in and stayed until around 10-30am. It then cleared very quickly and we started flying at 11am.

From then on it just got better and better with 18mins in the T21 and a couple of flights of 20 mins and then 23 min and finally an epic 34 mins which I think is the best flight of the year so far. It was warm in the sun and stayed dry all day until we finished flying at around 4pm when the canopies started misting.

A great day and well worth the wait for the fog to clear.

launchpoint 7/2/17

Statistics are…………..

Total Launches………24.

Longest flight…………34 min, very well done to Ken M., a really good effort in light conditions.

Second Longest……23 mins by David C. in the Junior, ……..as above.

Followed by………….20 mins from David R. and Steve F. in HSM and Paul R. also in the Junior.

And Finally……………18 mins by Phil P. in the T21, well worth a mention as he got to 2200′. I think it was the cold that brought him down !!!

Total Flight Time…….3 hr. 55 min

Average Flight Time……9 min. This included several S.C.B.’s

Roll on Summer,

Steve P.

Flying report 10/1/17

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We had a great day today with the weather getting better and better as the day went on.  We tried to make an early start as we thought it may be a short day, however the rain we expected at 2pm did not arrive until 3-30pm and even then it was very light.
The day started well with a good high cloudbase and launches to 1800′ – 1900′. a little bit of sun and bits of blue sky. It did however look misty a long way out to the West and we thought this may be a sign of rain later.
By 12 noon it was full sun and plenty of blue sky and even the temperature which was cold first thing had gone up to 9 or 10*c and felt quite pleasant, as long as you were well wrapped up.
We did the first two launches with the Skylaunch and then moved over to Doris, she gave us very good launches all day to around 1700′ – 1800′. As the wind had dropped slightly during the morning this was very acceptable. We had a few small delays while the winch team sorted out a few problems but given that Doris had not been used for many months it was only to be expected. We now have several members who are current on her again!! Thanks to David S.
A little rain at 15-30 finally stopped play but everyone who wanted to fly had, with several members having a couple of flights each. Overall a great day, many thanks to all those who arrived really early to get all the kit out so we could make an early start. It really was well worth the effort.
Total Launches………………….21.
Total Flight Time……………….2hrs  32min.
Average Flight Time…………7mins.  This included a few aerobatic flights which were of course short.
Longest Flight…………………10mins. Very well done to….David C,  Lance P.( with Adrian F),  Roger H., and last but not least Dave G.
And finally apologies to all who came today cos I forgot the Doughnuts, at least I have a good excuse, must try harder next week !!!
Steve P.