Wednesday 16th September 2026
Posted: 16/09/2026 20:36
Wednesday 16th. A light to moderate/moderate WNW'ly blew all day, as a sunny start gave way to Cumulus before cloud thickened and spread out later in the day. The launch total was 12 ATs off runway 24 with landings on 20 or 02, comprised 2 for private owners and 10 for club gliders of which 5 were for First Flight pupils. Lift was patchy, with only 4 flights exceeding 30 minutes, of which 2, both by private owners, exceeded an hour. Rob Bailey in his AS33Es had the longest flight in terms of both duration and distance, being aloft for 1:50 and covering 127 OLC km as he flew to within a few kms of both Market Weighton, recovering from a 1,300' asl low point there, and Pocklington before returning via York. Tony Drury was the other > an hour pilot with 1:20 in his DG303, an early phase of maintaining 2,000' asl just to the WSW of site being followed by a O/R to Thimbleby from a thermal climb to 4,300' asl, the best of the day. Returning to the local area, Tony had another spell of maintaining 2-2,500' close to site. The longest flights in club gliders were by Andreas Rieder in K21 JVZ, first with Adam Dransfield-Duckworth, 53 minutes, and then 51 minutes with Sam Stinson, both thermal based. Amelia Forrester was the only club single seater pilot, her flight in Astir DPO being a 21 minute straight descent from a 3,000' QFE tow.
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.