Thursday offered plenty of promise for those able to make it to the airfield. A chilly north-westerly airflow and relatively dry air suggested good convection and the prospect of a decent cloudbase!
By 08:30, most of the club gliders were already out of the hangar, and Shaun Dayman gave an efficient morning briefing on behalf of duty instructor Mike Sloggett.
Early on, it was obvious that the wind direction was going to make life difficult. Blowing straight across the strip, it brought the inevitable tailwind moments. With that in mind, Robert Lee, as duty tuggie, sensibly held off on aerotows to begin with. The lack of headwind, combined with a relatively short winch run, also meant that early launches struggled to get much above 1,000 ft. Still, glider pilots are nothing if not optimistic, and several owners pressed on and rigged their single-seaters.
The cloud cover over the airfield let through very little sunshine, so the first flights of the day were mostly short-lived, despite some determined attempts to make them last. That did at least provide useful opportunities for launch and landing practice, as well as currency and card checks. The northerly wind felt decidedly cold, especially in the shade, although the view to the east suggested rather friendlier skies.
Just after midday, things finally started to improve. Longer flights from the Perkoz and the DG-505 marked the turning point, and by 12:30 most of the private gliders were queueing on the launch point, ready for what looked like the best part of the day.
There is always a certain satisfaction for the rest of us in seeing that even the experts do not have it all their own way. On this day, even the ASG-29E had to use its motor for a time before getting properly established, then went on to range west to Tiverton and east to Crewkerne, claiming the longest flight of the day at 3:29.
As the afternoon developed, the sky became more active and several club gliders managed longer flights. Pete Startup 230 recorded 2:14, while Wyn W7 achieved 2:21.
Later, as the wind backed, aerotows became an option and several were launched, including two First Flights by Paul Summers.
My own highlight was reaching the 3,600 ft cloudbase in the Perkoz as P2 to Shaun Dayman before being called down.
By 5 pm the gliders were packed away, bringing to a close a thoroughly enjoyable day of flying in conditions that were often challenging, but ultimately rewarding. – Richard Lean
