Saturday 30th June
A gusty SSW wind kept everyone on their toes, whilst the base wind wasn't too bad, there were strong gusts coming through, requiring high, close circuits and steep approaches with plenty of speed.
In the morning 30min flights were the norm as the strong thermals were just about useable, in the afternoon, as the wind and turbulence built, they became less useable and staying aloft became much harder.
Sunday 1st July
We all awoke to blue skies and what in terms of 2012 was a positive forecast (ie you might be able to go somewhere), however it wasn't to be and a line of Welsh showers* set up from Reading to Bristol. By the time they had cleared we had changed a winch cable but Richard's weather check flight resulted in reports of serious vertical shear and the toys going away.
*A "Welsh shower" is a period of continuous rain interspersed with torrential downpours. It is normally found on expeditions** to Talgarth, Denbeigh etc.
**For clarity, expeditions over the Severn Bridge are highly recommended.
I went to Nypsfield, flew the Nimbus with Trevor Stuart (about 160km), probably cried flying 300feet from the deck, but had a great time and learnt heaps.
ReplyDeleteChris