The extraordinary summer continued today, with the morning’s early autumnal mist and dew soon dissipating under the warm sun and a gentle south westerly breeze. The fine forecast – and perhaps also the prospect of much worse on Sunday – resulted in a strong turnout at the morning briefing.
Steve Westlake was Duty Instructor, assisted by club CFI Mark Courtney and Deputy CFI James Flory. James also shared the aerotows in the club’s Eurofox with Andy Williams. The morning’s flying was primarily card checks and ab initio training flights.
We welcomed two First Flights to North Hill today. The first, John, had previously been a member of the club in the 1960s when it was then located at Dunkeswell Aerodrome, before the move to North Hill. John enjoyed the opportunity to fly a modern glider, climbing to over 4,000 feet above his hometown of Sidmouth.
The second, Tony, also from Sidmouth, had the special experience of sharing a thermal with several buzzards circling only feet from the cockpit. Tony was keen to have a go at flying the glider and did a very creditable job climbing a few hundred feet in the weak thermal. Both flights had awe-inspiring views of both Devon’s coasts, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and an uncongested M5.
The pleasant conditions encouraged several club members to soar locally. Juniors Arthur Lean, Adam Smyth, and Benjie Pitts made the best of the afternoon in the club’s single seater fleet, while several private owners took launches in their own gliders, including Callum Ellis, Kevin Fairburn, Mark Wallis, and Simon Minson. – Josh Howlett
