Saturday 9th to Thursday 14th March 2019
Posted: 15/03/2019 13:02
Saturday 9th. Morning rain delayed the start of flying until midday, the initially light W'ly wind steadily increasing over the course of the rest of the day. Two early short flights with Scouts off runway 24 were then followed by some soaring flights, as first John Marsh and Tasha Dodds had 50 minutes in K21 JVZ and then Bill Payton and Conrad Thwaites had just over 2 hours in the DG1000. A mixture of hill lift and some thermal were used, with John and Tasha getting to 4,000' asl and Bill and Conrad to 4,600' asl, Bill and Conrad also exploring the main ridge as far north as Black Hambleton. With the wind becoming increasingly gusty the last of the day's 6 ATs, with Fred Brown and Bob Symons onboard the DG500, took off just after 1400 hrs.
Sunday 10th. A day of frequent sleet and snow showers in an increasingly strong WSW'ly wind that eventually provided 40 kt gusts, meant it was a non-flying day.
Monday 11th. A sunny morning with a light to moderate W'ly led to flying getting underway around 1015 hrs, John Carter and Chris Booker getting airborne for a 1000' AT in K21 JVZ. A wind change into the SW around midday, with an increase in strength to moderate, did not lead to a change in operational runway but did result in the winch being deployed, this method of launching adding 3 to the days of 4 ATs. Flights in the afternoon, which became progressively cloudier, took advantage of mainly hill lift and some thermal, with the AT launches providing one soaring flight of 47 minutes as Bruce Grain and Chris Thompson flew the DG1000. The winch launched flights, coinciding with the better soaring conditions after lunch, posted 2 flights over 30 minutes, Brian Wise and B Summone having 53 minutes in the DG500 and Albert Newbery and Andrew Bedford having 51 minutes in K21 JVZ.
Tuesday 12th. Overnight rain extended into the morning as the first of a series of Atlantic depressions, this one named Gareth, brought in some strong winds from the WSW. The combination of morning rain and fresh and gusty WSW'lies in the afternoon, meant it was a non-flying day.
Wednesday 13th. The aftermath of storm Gareth was a continuation of very strong and gusty WNW'ly winds, with peak gusts into the mid 40 kts, thus preventing any flying.
Thursday 14th. A strong trans-Atlantic jet stream continued to feed depressions towards the UK with the result that the strong winds of the previous 2 days, now from a WSW'ly direction, continued to blow, with gusts in excess of 40 kts, preventing any flying
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.