Wednesday 19th – Spectacular skies

 

Cumulo Nimbus Incus

Considering that Thor was working overtime it was a rewarding day’s flying.

Thanks to Martin S and the other winch drivers who coped well with a difficult wind shear the westerly crosswind did not prevent some surprisingly decent launches into weak thermals that, with patience, turned into strong thermals to 3 000 ft. By late morning it was clear that it was going to be a day of at least two halves and as it emerged it became a day of three quarters. Those who rigged were rewarded with some extended flights between the squalls, including Ken R who managed a tour of three counties in the Duo Discus while I faffed around locally in the Vega.

Flight arrivals provided routine reports of the size, direction and ETA of slow moving heavy showers, thus providing time to park gliders safely and retire intermittently for refreshments. We were uncannily fortunate inasmuch that the worst squalls passed either to the north or the south, thus rendering us little inconvenience and permitting the use of a second log sheet. It was satisfying to get so much out of what could have been a washout.

Stephen O had a leisurely day for a change with Bob B taking the load in the back seat and as I left the field a solitary Puchacz had been parked for what hopefully became a productive evening session.

Next week looks promising:-)

Still Around

NB Phil: Wheel down

It is rumoured following my protracted absence that I have been granted life membership, for which if it is so, many thanks. With the change in the weather I had hoped to take advantage of the privilege, but hey-ho s**t happens. However, I’m somewhat cheered by being granted ‘front of the queue’ status at Sainsbury’s, so if the club is short of bog rolls, just let me know. As some will know I’ve been virtually housebound for the last six months, so I’m somewhat inured to the present situation. Anyway, to keep myself sane during the wet season I spent some time remembering, among other things, why I didn’t quite become a millionaire. If anyone’s interested you can find my excuses at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14cqvcT6GV1KP0p64eorlR8cz9ezZHRRy

Something to read on a wet Sunday.

Anyway, the garden beckons, so it’s not all bad news.

If you missed BBC2’s ‘Super Powered Eagles’ last night, do watch it on iPlayer, it reminded me why we fly gliders.

And here’s a question that has been taxing me. The brief period of mass groundings following 9/11 resulted in a worldwide increase in solar warming due to loss of water vapour in the stratosphere. Will less accompanying CO2 result in less global warming? If so I’ll be installing an air conditioner to maintain the status quo.

Keep in touch and stay well.

:C

 

More champers!

A day that started with a 05:30 run to Heathrow didn’t bode well for a good day’s gliding. But with ‘Brownie points’ securely in the bank I finally managed to scramble to Shalbourne by midday. Martin S had previously declared his intention to attempt five hours, so I was dismayed to find him still on the ground by the time I had rigged the LS3. There being a dearth of landable fields it seemed advisable to stay high and head for hot concrete, which Swindon offered in spades.

The Pettitt Home for Orphaned Gliders was well represented by the ASW15 and the Swallow, the latter flown to great heights by Paul P, while the Duo, as usual, quietly disappeared to goodness knows where. Meanwhile James W flew every point of the compass until he finally relocated the airfield.
And all the while Stephen worked his way with characteristic patience through a seemingly endless flying list and then on well into the evening. What would we do without him?
Martin finally reappeared five hours and ten minutes later declaring that he would never do it again – we know how you feel.

Well done Martin!

A different kind of Easter

A bum deal all round

If you’ve been wondering what’s been going on, here’s a digest of events.

Round 1

The winch engine, which had been struggling to start for a while, finally croaked. A large hole was discovered in the inlet manifold, which even the least mechanically adept might appreciate is a major problem. The engine, already past its sell by date, was beyond economic repair. Our spare engine needed chassis modifications, etc. to make it fit, so there could have been a protracted period of down time. However, by fortunate coincidence we had just purchased a ‘slot straight in’ reconditioned engine. So engine out – engine in – ‘simples’, or so we thought.

Round 2

It had earlier been noted that on odd occasions the winch was failing to change gear, dragging gliders halfway down the field in the process. The new more powerful engine exacerbated the problem. Theories abounded, but on removing the oil pan, shards of metal were discovered in the oil. So now gearbox U/S! Manic ‘phone calls located a recon’ box at the Skylaunch factory. This was secured by an early morning dash up to Shropshire. Unfortunately it didn’t quite fit – so more work required.

Round 3

A lot was learned in the process of a major rebuild. Among other things this resulted in the addition of a cab mounted transmission oil pressure gauge. This might sound a bit geeky, but it should massively improve the quality of our launches and longevity of our launch equipment. More about that later.

We hope for the winch to be operational in the next few days, but it will still require some tweaking. So if all goes well it’ll be ready by Wednesday when launches will initially be sporadic, while adjustments are made.

To spare James H’s blushes I have not attributed names to every action, as all of them would include his. But our thanks should also go to the handful of people who shared in his blood, sweat and tears.