Sunday 29th 1-1 Liz vs Met Office

So the forecast mutated overnight from plausible if cold flying into a rather nasty creature. Driving up from home and closely following on the heels of the CFI, it was turn-and-slip on somewhere north of Andover as we went into fog. This made it difficult to see when we actually went into cloud, but the airfield was most certainly well above cloudbase. One of those days when you point the car uphill and hope to stop before you hit the clubhouse wall...

Many hardy types arrived with hopes of flying; much tea was imbibed.

At midday you could still barely make out the eastern hedge from the clubhouse, and we scrubbed - although by then cloudbase had in fact risen to around 5 fathoms and so it was rather easier than expected to find your way off the airfield.

Oh, and it was colder than it was yesterday. Still, that's January mostly done with - it's getting better all the way from here...

Saturday 28th - Liz forecast vindicated - cold but soarable

It started with a kiss...
...of the cloud on the top of the hill, unfortunately! But it gradually lifted little by little so that by the time we were ready to launch it was ok to do cable breaks, and even to do abbreviated circuits. So lots of useful annual checkery was done, but I don't think my 'we're going spinning' briefings fooled anyone...

Eventually the orographic gloop (technical term!) cleared through and it became possible to ride the launch all the way to the top - which was the best part of 2000' for the K8 I'm told. And it was soarable on the ridge if you were careful/skilful/lucky, in a mixture of thermally ridgy stuff.

But it cannot be denied that it was a little chilly. If you're coming tomorrow (forecast= more of the same) then DO wrap up warm and bring flasks of soup.

Liz

Sunday flying at Nympsfield.

Well I went down to Nympsfield and flew with Trevor Stuart in his Nimbus 3 and he coached me on how to run the north end of the ridge.

It was apparently an ‘easy day’ but I really can’t see how any of what we flew was at all easy, the bits I flew left me with a concentration headache which lasted hours after. I always know when I am learning something as it’s really quite painful.

I heard calls of other local gliders climbing to fl150 but we stayed down and dirty on the ridge, either with it close to our sides or just above us!

3 hours 40 minutes and now I have to try it on my own. Anyone want to collect me out of the field I WILL be landing in??

Weekend flights.

For those of your lucky enough to fly tomorrow it might be worth seeing if there's a little wave about. This was this afternoons Sat image clearly showing wave right down to us.
Probably more to follow over the weekend.

Sunday 15th

After such a strong turnout yesterday (16 people flying on one day is a good turnout for this time of year) today we were left with the duty team plus a couple of others.  We still managed 14 launches and the same number of double digit flights as yesterday - in fact, the average flight time (allowing for cable break practice) was a minute longer.  Not quite on a par with Chris B's 5+ hours at Nymsfield.

Saturday 14th

With Shalbourne and most of the valley covered in mist the airfield was bathed in sunshine so I decided to try out my new camera mount on the Puchacz and do a few loops. With the mist in the valley it looked like the tide had come in, you should have all been here!

Turnout was quite good and despite having to go down to single cable ops when a fault in the skybrid dog clutch developed we still managed around 35 launches with 4 of these being aerobatting flights with the puch. JMX has been derigged and placed on the trailer ready for towing off to Keevil for weighing, hopefully this will be done next weekend. It is possible (weather permitting) that we will aerotow it back afterwards.

The camera I used for the video is only an old Olympus 4mp compact camera operating in low res movie mode so looks a bit cr*p on full screen but the results are not too bad if you make the window smaller. Encouraged by the results I will have to get hold of an HD camera to improve the quality.

A longer version is being edited and will hopefully be on YouTube in the near future

Phil

Nymsfield Ridge and beyond.

I had the chance to explore the Cotswold edge with Trevor Stuart in his Nimbus 4 on Thursday so got a lift with a friend from Lasham, trailed down his LS8 and were at Nymsfield just gone 9am. A quick introduction and wipe down of wings and we were ready to launch by 10am (ish). Trevor gave me the briefing on how the Ninbus worked and what I should and shouldn’t do but this was short, to the point, and allowed me to remember what I’d been told by him.

Off we went on a 1400 winch launch and headed for the ridge. It’s perhaps fair at this point to say it isn’t much of a ridge, patchy at best but taking Trevor’s advice you aim here, aim there, avoid this and that part and move forward towards the M4 and Bath.

He took time to explain why we took the path we did and his words seemed sensible and I could understand why we took the course he chose.

Cloud base was against us with drizzly rain and hill fog covering parts of our route. By the time we got to the M4 Trevor decided it would be prudent to turn back and revisit the ridge a little later in the day.

We headed back to NYM and found an easy transition into wave above the site so with enough height we decided to head across the Severn Estuary to Wales. I’m afraid I goaded Trevor a little and after a small amount of persuasion we were headed to Usk.

We jumped wave bar after wave bar climbing and stopping at each one arriving at Usk after perhaps 4 or 5 wave bars. Trevor then got the bit between his teeth and suggested that because we couldn’t ridge soar at Nymsfield we should head to Talgarth and use the ridges there. How could I refuse?? Again we jumped a sucsession of wave bars and headed deeper into Wales where we let down onto the ridges. A couple of surprises where sink grabbed hold of the glider took us a little lower and I did some practice hill soaring with great tuition from Trevor.

We had a play, explored around the area and Trevor did a sterling job of getting us off the deck at Hay Bluff. I wouldn’t say it was low but it’s a good job the wheel retracts…

We got a little higher but by this time the wave had collapsed and we were left with just the hill lift. Getting as high as we could we headed back towards Abergavenny really too low for a final glide. Trevor suggested a hillock he knew and we stopped for a top up. I worked in parts but we were still far to low to get back and it was suggested the turbo needed an airing. At that moment Trevor latched into something and with a few beats and patience we got high enough for the glide computer to give us a plus reading on the PDA. Trevor let me handle almost all of the final glide but to get every ounce from the glider you have to concentrate.

I’m told it has a glide angle of 1:57, I’d like to think that I got somewhere near that on the glide back.

We crossed the Severn Estuary VERY low and got back to NYM with about 150 feet to spare.

5 hours 32 minutes. £12 reciprocal membership £10 launch fee. Learnt a loads and big cheesy grins until I fell asleep that night!

Oh and I had to retrieve Nigel in his LS8 from Wales without the aid of my phone as its knackered.

What a day!

Rodney and the Swales

I saw this online, the similarities to Rods Swales are remarkable. No need for a DNA profile....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PLtS_RDpus&feature=player_detailpage#t=30s

Safe to say Rods glider has had a child.


Happy New Year Rod-a-knee