Sunday 17th to Tuesday 19th March 2024
Posted: 20/03/2024 16:22
Sunday 17th. An Atlantic front brought low cloud and rain, the clearance coming too late to allow any flying to take place.
Monday 18th. A light to moderate SSW'ly blew all day, giving rise to thermal and wave lift for most of the flying day until increasing high cloud signalled the approach of another front. 19 ATs were flown off runway 20, with 13 flights of over 30 minutes. Both club K21s were flown as well as two of the club Astirs, with 4 private owners launching, the latter pilots contributing 4 of the 6 fights of over an hour. The longest flight was the 5:10 flown by Dean Crosby in his LS10t, Dean flying a 159 km task around Northallerton, Aysgarth and Selset Reservoir and having a peak altitude of 9,600' asl. Dean was followed in time by Bob Calvert in his Discus 2t with 4:05, Bob visiting the areas around Ripon, Masham and Aysgarth before returning to site via Ripon, an estimated 115 km. Like Dean, Bob's best altitude was 9,600' asl, attained near Ripon. Chris Handzlik in his DG300 had 2:15, climbing in wave to 8,800' asl near Northallerton but then falling out of the wave and having to return to site using thermals. The other >an hour pilots were Konrad Kawalec in Astir DSU with1:35 who had a slow climb to 5,500' asl via a 9 km long NNW/SSE orientated beat generally close to site, visitor Steve Codd in his Nimbus 2 with 2:25 mainly via thermal soaring, although some wave lift downwind of site took him to 4,300' asl and Andy Tyas in DSU with 1:13, all via local thermal soaring. The best of the rest saw Ian McFarlane/Tony Kirby have 56 minutes in K21 KLW, maintaining 3,200-4,000' asl via a 7 km long NNW/SSE orientated beat located similarly to Konrad's.
Tuesday 19th. A moderate WSW'ly opened the day, gradually falling light to moderate by late afternoon, cloud amounts varying but generally occupying most of the sky. 14 winch and 3 ATs were flown off runway 24 with a few landings on 20 as the wind decreased in strength. The conditions provided lift in hill, thermal and wave forms with climbs just short of 10,000' asl and a number of cross countries flown, while 14 of the 17 flights of the day exceeded 30 minutes, with 9 over an hour. The 3 flights below 30 minutes were all for First Flight pupils, with George Rowden's 26 minutes with one of his pupils including a wave climb to 5,800' asl followed by a high speed, full brake descent to get back to site under the cloud extending westward from site to Thirsk. Bob Calvert in his Discus 2t, Dean Crosby in his LS10t and Fred Brown in his Ventus 2ct took the first 3 winch launches and all contacted the wave, with Bob flying an estimated 215 km around Masham, Grassington, Hawes, Selset Reservoir and Boroughbridge areas and climbing to 9,600' asl. Dean flew a 287 km task with TPs at Barnard Castle, Garforth and Staindrop while Fred flew an estimated 150 km visiting areas around Northallerton, Catterick, Ripon, Harrogate North, back to Ripon and then back to site via Pateley Bridge, with both pilots climbing to 9,800' asl. Bob supplied the following photo of RAF Leeming.
Jesper Mjels flying Astir DSU had 2:15 while not quite getting established in wave, his best altitude being 3,700' asl, while thermal and wave enhanced hill soaring was the basis for the > an hour flight by Bob Beck/Neil Amos in K21 KLW who had a slow climb to 2,800' asl as they flew the whole of the main W'ly ridge. Later > an hour soaring flights were essentially hill lift based, with operating heights declining from 1,000' to 1,200' QFE to 700-1100 QFE. Those in this bracket included Bob Beck/Mark James in K21 JVZ, Dave McKinney/Neil Amos in KLW, Paul Whitehead/Chris Thirkell in the DG500 and Bruce Grain/John Dore in the same glider.
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.