Monday 24th to Tuesday 25th June 2024
Posted: 27/06/2024 22:12
Monday 24th. A light and variable SSE/SSW wind blew all day, with sunny periods and sufficient thermal activity to entice 12 private owners to fly, with a number flying cross countries. The day's launch total off runway 20 was 30, resulting in 18 flights over 30 minutes and 15 over an hour, ranging from 1:03 to 5:10 with typical average peak thermal strengths around 2.5 to 3.5 kts and peak altitudes typically 4,5-5,000' asl. Cross country flights were mainly to the NE over the moors with Albert/Martin Newbery in their DG1000t visiting Danby, Churchhouses and Carlton Bank before going S to Rufforth, Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct getting close to Guisborough, Churchhouses and Tontine before similarly going S to near York, Bob climbing to 5,200' asl, the best of the day. Similarly, Dean Crosby in his LS10t, went to Carlton Bank and then York, while Dave Latimer in his Ventus 3M set off on a 303 km task to Louth via Guisborough, hoping to use a forecast sea breeze front, but abandoned the task near Langtoft due to poor conditions further south and returned to site after covering 149 km. Rob Bailey in his ASG29t was another pilot to visit Guisborough before returning to Sutton while Martyn Johnson in his DG600 left no trace of where he went on his 2:17 flight. Pilots bucking the N/NE trend included John Ellis in his DG800 who turned Wetherby and Ripon and after having to resort to his engine between Ripon and Boroughbridge continued E to Kirbymoorside before returning to Sutton, with Clive Swain in his Kestrel 19 also visited Ripon and spent some time between Sutton on Forest and Foston in his 5:10 flight including finding some weak wave SE of Thirsk that enabled him to maintain 4,000' asl as he soared more locally. Of those flying club gliders, Austin Hartland had 2 flights of over an hour, 1:15 in Astir DSU and later, 1:03 in Astir DPO while Dave McKinney/ Chris Danikewicz had 1:06 in K21 JVZ.
Tuesday 25th. Another light wind day, this time initially from the SE before later, around 1700 hrs becoming NW'ly, necessitating a runway change from 20 to 02 as the Tuesday evening group took over operations. Scattered Cumulus indicated reasonable soaring conditions but the sky looked better than it was with average peak thermal strengths only around 1-2 kts, although cloud base was around 4,000' asl. The day's 23 ATs. including 5 for First Flight pupils, only resulted in 3 flights of over 30 minutes with 2 of these over an hour, all these soaring flights being by the 3 private owners who flew. Geoff Palmer in his DG100 had 1:05 and Martin Newbery had 2:01 in his Ventus ct, both mainly soaring to the NW, Geoff between Gormire and Boltby and Martin between site and Northallerton, while visitor Graham Holloway had 51 minutes in his DG200, also local soaring. 24 minutes was the longest in a club glider, 3 of the day First Flight pupils having that duration, while the Tuesday evening group kept flying going until 2139 hrs.
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.