The prospects for the day were not promising. The weather forecast indicated heavy overnight rain falling into an already sodden airfield; the likelihood of fog; and a cross-wind that was strong enough to make things awkward, but not strong enough for soaring on the southerly ridge.
Happily, not only did the fog not materialise, but the ground was also firm, allowing launching by both winch and aerotow. Although the cloud base remained stubbornly low through the day, blue gaps permitted full height launches, spin practice in the Perkoz, and a visitor’s First Flight. The low numbers in attendance allowed student pilots to benefit from focused instruction with Mark Courtney and Simon Minson.
We retired to the clubhouse for lunch, basking in the warmth of the log burner and nourished by Vicky’s excellent cooking. After lunch, there was demand for launch failure practice. With adequate headroom for “awkward height” failures, Simon Minson’s perfect timing on the release bung provided both practice for students and entertainment at the launchpoint. This included a 180° turn with a downwind landing; and a rare 270° cross-field landing over the north-west boundary, which was interesting to observe.
Although there was no soaring to be had, we still managed to make the most of the conditions. Students benefited from instruction and experience in the unusual conditions, and solo pilots improved their recency and currency. An excellent day’s flying, given the forecast! – Josh Howlett
