Friday 13th to Sunday 15th July 2018

Posted: 16/07/2018 17:00

Friday 13th.  Another low base overcast delayed the start of flying until 1100 hrs, the wind being a light SSE'ly, with the first launches being limited to around 1,000' QFE  by the cloud, but perfectly acceptable for circuit training.  The cloud base slowly rose allowing the first of the day's 7 First Flight pupils to be launched around 1300 hrs, the continued rise in cloud base and the break up of the overcast resulting in a steady rise in launch heights and flight times, the 2 longest flights of 30 and 36 minutes coming off 3,000' tows for First Flight pupils with Stan being P1, K21 JVZ and the DG500 sharing the work load.  Flying came to an end around 1800 hrs with 14 flights having been launched.

Saturday 14th.  Saturday dawned sunny with blue skies and a light to moderate W'ly, this backing into the SW over the middle of the day before returning to a W'ly direction.  The trailer park soon became a hub of activity as Cumulus blossomed overhead and by the end of  the day there had been 20 private owner launches out of the day's total of 38, flying  coming to an end around 1800 hrs, 2 flights by the Falke adding to  the day's activity.  Soaring conditions included a high cloud base, in excess of 6,000' asl for some,with some strong climbs interspersed with some weaker periods leading to 6 flights in excess of 300 km.  The longest of  these was by Rob Rose in his Nimbus, who flew 453 km after abandoning his declared 500 km task some 30 km short of Alfreton South and subsequently wishing he hadn't. Darren Lodge flying his LS8-18 was another pilot to abandon his declared task and regret it, while subsequently completing a 304 km task,  a similar distance being flown by Phil Lazenby in the Discus, 302 km, and Rob Bailey in his ASG29t with 289 km, one of  his TP's being the aforementioned Alfreton South.  Dave Latimer flew 358 km in his Ventus while Paul Whitehead flew 355 km in his ASW24.  Others to post cross country flights on the BGA ladder or OLC included Andy Hatfield who abandoned his declared task due to an uncomfortable seating position in  his Pik 20 but still flew 146 km, Chris Teagle who flew 140 km in his Kestrel and Chris Booker who flew the 100 km local triangle with TPs at Rufforth and Pocklington in the Ka8.  Congratulations are particularly due to Gerry Murphy who flew an 104 km O/R to Market Weighton in the  DG303 to claim his Silver Distance and 100 km Diploma.  The day saw 23 flights of over an hour and a further 8 of over 30 minutes, with the 9 First Flight pupils of the day including a Mile High flight and one of the First Flighters having an open air experience as he was taken up for 53 minutes by Les Rayment in the T21. The longest 2 seater flight saw Bill Payton and Dave McKinney have just over 4 hours in Bill's DG1000t, while Les Rayment and Marian Stanley had 1:19 in the T21 and Derek Smith and Les Grindrod  1:16 in K21 JVZ.

Sunday 15th.  Another sunny start with a light to moderate S'ly blowing  soon had the trailer park busy as Cumulus again blossomed, the long hours of sunshine making it a very warm day on site, the temperature reaching 24.6C.  The 24 private owner launches of the day included 4 in the T21, with Nick Gaunt, Tor Taverner, Les Rayment and A Pattinson enjoying the open air experience.  A 303 km task involving starting from Su3 and doing a double O/R to Doncaster NW with a finish at Sutton, was flown by Rob Rose in his Nimbus, Rob Bailey in his ASG29 and Paul Whitehead in his Ventus, while John Ellis in his DG800 flew a similar but slightly shorter task, 290 km, with a start point at Sutton.  Speeds varied between 68.5 to 89.8 kph handicapped.  The only other pilot to post his flight on the BGA ladder or OLC was Chris Booker who flew 62.5 km in the DG303, his flight of 1:26 being one of the 24 to exceed an hour, with another 19 exceeding 30 minutes.  Those pilots flying the double O/R to Doncaster NW had flight times of between 3-4 hours, similar flight times being acheived by Bill Payton and Nora v G with 4:42 in Bill's DG1000t, Tim Stanley with 3:04 in his ASW20 and Gerry Murphy with exactly 3 hours in the Discus.  The day's 8 First Flight pupils, including a Mile High flight, enjoyed good soaring conditions, the cloud base being close to 6,000' for the second day running, the attractiveness of the conditions leading to a launch total of 48, not including the 2 contributed by the Falke.  The ability to stay up continued into the early evening, with Jon Hart having 2:48 in his Vega before landing at 18:58 hrs, while the last 5 flights of the day, the last taking off at 1805 hrs, all had flight times of over 30 minutes, with 4 over 50 minutes.

This blog describes a snippet of life at the Yorkshire Gliding Club. Why not take a flight and try it yourself, or we can teach you to fly as a full club member.

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