Thursday 3rd July 2025
Posted: 04/07/2025 17:43
Thursday 3rd. A moderate W/WSW'ly blew all day, the air mass providing lift from early to late, average peak thermals of up to 7 kts and a cloud base that rose to over 7,000' asl. Consequently there were a plethora of XC flights, 22 from the day's total of 40 launches off runway 24, including 6 over 500 km and 16 over 300km. In all some 6,500 km were flown, on what was one of the best XC day's from Sutton for a while. Flying commenced at 09:03 when Dean Crosby took off in his LS10t, landing back 10 hrs later having flown 753 km around Glasbury Bridge in SW Wales and Cambridge S. He was followed by Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct who flew 636 km with TPs at Belvoir Castle, Thirsk and Belvoir Castle and Fred Brown in his Ventus 2ct with 501 km around Belvoir, Helmsley and Gainsborough Power Station. Steve Thompson in his Ventus 2bt, Chris Teagle in his LS8t-18 and Les Rayment in his DG606 joined the > 500 km brigade, Steve flying 602 km with TPs at Royston, Burn and Gainsborough Power Station, Chris 520 km visiting Northampton South and Grandsden NW and Les a 509 O/R to Royston. Toby Wilson in his Std Cirrus landed out some 9 km SSE of site while on the last leg of his Belvoir Castle, Sutton Start S and North Duffield task but still flew a 400 km XC. The crop of > 300 km pilots was topped by Rob Bailey and Chris Booker who both flew 357 km, Rob in his ASG29t with TPs at Tontine, Horncastle and Tontine and Chris in his LS1 with TPs at Wragby and Clay Cross Reservoir. The rest of this group included Sarah Stubbs in the Discus, an 304 km O/R to Belvoir Castle, her Gold distance, so well done Sarah, a task also completed by Eileen Scothern in her Discus t and Adam Sayer in his ASW 19. Derek Taylor, taking off at 1300 hrs in his ASW22, his first flight in the glider in almost 2 years, completed a 321 km O/R to Salby while Steve Whalley in his ASW 19 flew 202 km around Beverley, Garforth and Northallerton. The XC list was completed by Ian Bullous in his DG808, 181 km with TPs at Goole N, Northallerton, Steve Ogden in his Discus with 147 km around Pocklington and Harrogate N, Tim Stanley in his ASW 20 who flew the local 100 km triangle and James Shaw/Neil Armstrong in the DG1000 who flew around 116 km visiting Rufforth and Masham. Late in the afternoon a visitor landed in his Discus landed after a 300+ flight that started from Camphill followed by a TP at Tenbury Wells in Wales. All the above may indicate that staying aloft was easy, but it was certainly not so for Paul Whitehead in his Ventus 2cxt who abandoned his task near Burn having had to resort to his engine, or Sam Dawson in Astir DSU who landed out 15 km SSE of site.
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.