The occurrences and happenings at Shalbourne Soaring Society. A gliding club near Andover, Newbury and Hungerford.

Saved by the Comps – a Rather Bendy 100K

As recounted in Chris's ribald tale, Saturday met promised much but delivered somewhat less. I launched just before Phil and Carol and climbed away, bemused by the 'ground fumbles' thwarting their attempts to get airborne. By the time they launched I was at 3500 QFE and heading west – so just for once didn't have the frustration of chasing a mystically buoyant Janus disappearing into the distance. The nominated task was round the Danger Area, but the sky didn't look like it would it would permit such an endeavour (at least not in an LS3 with me flying it at half past one in the afternoon). A top up at Burbage found me going like the clappers to keep out of a cloud street and shooting past Pewsey with little loss of height. The sky ahead said 'proceed at your peril', but a couple of 'kamikaze kids' from Lasham who I had been watching diving earthwards into the distance suddenly zoomed up over Devizes. So, the sky being less threatening behind than in front, the possibility of a stock 100k presented itself.

So in and out of Devizes and straight into a rain shower. To the north east, Marlborough was invisible under a deluge, so the only option was back the way I had come. Unfortunately the cloud street that had delivered me with such dispatch was now drifting over the Danger Area, so the return trip saw me scraping along the red line under the overcast in what little good air there was left behind. At Upavon just enough height for a straight glide back into Rivar. Then glory be! - a hang glider thermalling in a small pool of sunshine. Arriving just beneath him each climbing turn pushed me too close for comfort, so there followed an asymmetric gavotte requiring much effort but yielding little in return. Then right on cue another couple of kamikazes pulled up in a thermal close by; so join them and back up to the comfort zone. By now there were three deluges in sight, east, west and south and all the time a wall of of water creeping towards Wantage. But having chickened out once, I owed it to reliable old EEFy not to wimp back into Rivar without at least a bit of effort.

A line of cumulus had developed towards Newbury and a gaggle appeared over Vernham Dean. While there's life there's hope! So top up with the gaggle and head north ahead of the storm. The 'old reliable' thermal at Hungerford provided impetus to keep going and a solitary Cu under the overcast near Brightwalton delivered a welcome 4kt. Then a race against the rain to get to Wantage and stay dry, a final distant thermalling glider leading me home for tea.

I have to record my gratitude to the Lasham young bloods who marked most of the thermals on this most unusual flight and condolences to those who suffered the Icarian fate in the fields below. Their contribution to my enjoyment was immeasurable. (Even if they scared the bejazus out of me every time they set my Flarm flashing scarlet!)

Sutton Bank Slingsby week

from http://www.ygc.co.uk/wordpress/

Sunday 24th.  A light WNW’ly that slowly backed into the WSW as a ridge of high pressure moved in provided good soaring conditions that made for an excellent  start to  Slingsby and Vintage Rally week, the resultant demand at the launch point being satisfied by the operation of 3 tugs and yielding a 21st century record for ATs from Sutton Bank in a day, 70 being flown.  At least one  of the The Slingsby/Vintage week visitors had obviously come straight from  a tropical holiday as the following photo shows
slingsby-arrivals-2014
but, more appropriately dressed he and his compatriots were soon spending  their air time exploring the local area.  Some ventured overhead the former Slingsby works at Kirbymoorside, while some went further east to Pickering, north to the Tontine and/or west to Thirsk and Topcliffe, personally contributing to the 41 flights by private owners as well as the  40 flights that exceeded an hour and even the 16 that exceeded 3 hours... [snip]

I was tim who wasnt steve whilst nigel was peter (sunday 24th august)

I think everyone else who turned up was themselves and pretty much every flight stuck apart from the first 2 and Nigel in the K8, but no shame in that, he only flew it because he'd flown and soared the entire fleet upto that point and felt it would be rude not to aviate in dha.

Chris managed to defeat the karma of the previous post and didnt land out and Tony learnt why we lookout all the time and especially behind the upper wing before coming out of a turn, having shared a gaggle climb with a bunch of junior champs pilots.

Heading Westerly in a Westerly...Lambourn, Melksham and back.

Having watched Carol & Phil landing back, reciprocal, having found a world of sink on their short foray I wondered at Pete's decision to take a launch. He took off in 737; I followed a few minutes later on the second wire in B1 thinking it was a nice day for a circuit.
As it happened there was lift; he was thermalling in better air (as well as thermalling better) than me with a 3.5 knot average climb compared to my 2 knot. Fifteen minutes later and 4k higher Pete struck out on the task, first TP Lambourn, not too far but with challenging conditions it made the leg difficult.
I decided to  top up a little at Hungerford, Pete blasted on turning Lambourn, only stopping halfway between Lambourn and Marlborough after the TP. The wind was about 25 km/h and any progress toward Melksham was painfully slow.
Stopping was counter-productive as the gain in height was quickly outweighed by the distance pushed back in anything other than the strongest of thermals.
I climbed again near Ogbourne St George but was blown back 4km. By the time I got to the same point on task I had only gained a measly 400 feet and Pete was 12km ahead and only 400 feet lower.
Our track took us both independently through Marlborough and to the South of our line but the sky looked better as did the clouds.
As we headed West we both aimed at Devizes which always seems to offer and produce a free ‘get out of jail’ card. Pete took a few turns and headed for Melksham. I took a couple of weak climbs that I shouldn't have, but being down to 1900 QFE I was starting to worry about finding any lift. By this time the wind had increased to 35 km/h and Pete was nearly 10km ahead but in the weeds at 1200 QFE. Still, the saving grace for both was that Keevil were throwing gliders into the sky so a safe landing there was now an option.
Pete got a small climb over Melksham, turned the TP and headed downwind and back to Rivar. He pulled ahead and was 11km in front, I stopped for a top-up at Devizes where I got enough to think about a final glide with 30km to go. Pete topped up at Manningford, 17km out, 1600 feet QFE.
By East Grafton we were neck and neck, Pete running in at 160km/h while I was edging towards him at 180km/h, 800 feet and 5km to go.
I passed Pete just 3km out, he was higher (well 800 feet higher than me) to my right. I only just nipping past him, by the time I got to the airfield I was 400 above it. I turned in and landed.(final turn 10/10, >300 feet. Circuit 1/10.

I was lucky, Pete wasn't trying….

Chris.



Task week scores

I have finally managed to devise a scoring system:

24, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 to the top pilots on each day. days are sorted on XC ladder points and then soaring time >10mins. Soaring time only gets half points.

sat1 - 9Aug14
P1 P2 Glider Takeoff Flight Time Points
Phil Morgan Carol Pike EOW 13:03 03:43 24
Chris Bessent FYW 13:06 00:00 18
Pete Smith 737 12:31 04:06 16
Jim Clarke John Douglass JPC 14:55 01:22 7
Stephen Ottner EEF 15:27 01:11 6
Mark Patterson EGF 12:47 01:07 5
Jim Clarke Paul Bradley JPC 12:49 00:57 4
Richard Dann EEF 14:07 00:54 3
Stephen Ottner Mike Garner HCF 13:48 00:49 2
Stephen Ottner Jodie Bradley HCF 12:35 00:41 1
Claire Willson JNG 13:29 00:41 1
weds - 13Aug14
P1 P2 Glider Takeoff Flight Time Points
Pete Smith 737 15:54 00:45 12
Phil Morgan Carol Pike EOW 13:29 00:14 9
Alan Holden JDR 15:33 00:12 8
fri - 15Aug 14
P1 P2 Glider Takeoff Flight Time Points
Claire Willson JNG 14:46 00:18 12
sat2 - 16Aug14
P1 P2 Glider Takeoff Flight Time Points
Chris Bessent FYW 12:26 02:09 24
Pete Smith 737 12:31 02:31 18
Alan Holden JDB 12:40 02:00 8
Stephen Ottner EEF 16:08 01:45 7
Colin Baines EEF 12:52 01:35 6
Carol Pike Phil Morgan EOW 13:36 01:23 5
Nigel Burt Jeremy Knight HCF 12:44 01:16 4
Steve Barber HZD 13:25 01:12 3
Ken Reid EGF 15:15 01:10 2
Richard Dann Alex Rawlins JMX 15:53 00:48 1

so the total points is....

P1 TOTAL
Pete Smith 46
Chris Bessent 42
383 38
Alan Holden 16
Claire Willson 13
Stephen Ottner 13
Colin Baines 6
Mark Patterson 5
Jeremy Knight 4
Richard Dann 3
Steve Barber 3
Ken Reid 2
Mike Garner 2
Alex Rawlins 1
Jodie Bradley 1
isnt that a surprise ;-) (but as they say in the exam hall RTFQ)

by XC points

Pilot Glider Points
Chris Bessant B1 1185
Pete Smith 737 1070
Carol/Phil 383 650

STOP PRESS - Due to new European rules a winner cannot be declared as that is elitest and unharmonised and so the amended results are as follows
Pilot Position
Alan Holden =1 Certificate of attendance
Alex Rawlins =1 Certificate of attendance
Ben Purton =1 Certificate of attendance
Carol Pike =1 Certificate of attendance
Chris Bessent 2nd Must try harder
Claire Willson =1 Certificate of attendance
Colin Baines =1 Certificate of attendance
James Walters =1 Certificate of attendance
Jeremy Knight =1 Certificate of attendance
Jim Clarke =1 Certificate of attendance
Jodie Bradley =1 Certificate of attendance
Justin Butler =1 Certificate of attendance
Ken Reid =1 Certificate of attendance
Mark Patterson =1 Certificate of attendance
Mike Garner =1 Certificate of attendance
Nigel Burt =1 Certificate of attendance
Paul Bradley =1 Certificate of attendance
Paul Prentice =1 Certificate of attendance
Pete Smith =1 Certificate of attendance
Peter Ellison =1 Certificate of attendance
Phil Morgan =1 Certificate of attendance
Richard Dann =1 Certificate of attendance
Rob Jarvis =1 Certificate of attendance
Rowland Pantling =1 Certificate of attendance
Selvam Mudaliar =1 Certificate of attendance
Stephen Ottner =1 Certificate of attendance
Steve Barber =1 Certificate of attendance
Steve Gaze =1 Certificate of attendance
Stuart Thackray =1 Certificate of attendance
Trevor Greenwood =1 Certificate of attendance