John Hull wanted a tow behind the new Eurofox to see what it was like following, so I hopped into the back of a Puchacz and had my first experience of aerobatics – it was also the first time since my trial flight 2.5 years ago that I could just go along for the ride. Great fun, and the sick bag remained in its holder! Alastair and John Garland doing a very nice job in the Eurofox. Video evidence attached and a beautiful day on top. Thanks John!
Author: Mark Smallwood
Glorious Weather for the Mid-Week Flyers
The Mid-Week flyers had a glorious day of winter flying on Wednesday 7th December. Clear skies, low wind chill and a few layers meant temperatures were fine and even the odd layer was discarded. Mike was busy with instructor training which saw Tim signed off for flying passengers (IFP) and John passing his 5 yearly (and last) instructor checks, whilst John, Nick and Steve were kept busy on the Pawnee as it approaches its finale. A good day for all.
Mid-Week Flyers on Form
Wednesday 20th April saw a chilly start to the morning, but the cloud started to separate, the ground warmed up and the private gliders came out en-masse for some good soaring conditions (atleast until I went up a bit too late in the day..). LPM is still on its back, but JKW was in active use and some flew FUY solo. Chris demonstrated the art of delegation in running the LPC (from the seated position), although she was caught temporarily off guard hooking on JKW (evidence attached). The great news of the day was Mike sending Roland solo – apparently his 13th solo having flown multiple fixed wing and helicopters in his career in the AAC – the last time however was in the early 1990’s, so a big congrats to Roland, and no doubt he will be onto LPM before too long to make it 14! Now for Rowan to catch up with his Dad!
Looking forward to the Flying Week next week!
The Early bird gets the worm….
The more experienced pilots are telling me that these are great conditions for March, so hopefully this heralds a good season ahead. “Blue Bird” was rigged by John and Gavin and they both had good soaring as well as instructing. Sadly it did not lead to John dropping his guard on my Bronze practical test, but having endured an air tow with the tug doing thermals, followed by “boxing”, various spins and stalls, heavy “sink” which appeared to disappear…and then came back with a vengeance…winch launches and circuits with no altimeter and a (very) awkward height cable break, I managed to persuade John that I was not too much of a hindrance to myself or others. Cross Country endorsement now awaits, so looking forward to trip or two in the motor glider. Mike turned up to do some solo flying, but naturally ended up giving up his time for some instruction/checks. Congrats are also due to Din who transitioned to soloing on LPM with an immediate 41 minute flight, so hopefully JKW will be back in action shortly. Another great day out.
Arising from their winter slumber….
Stunning spring day at The Park on Friday, and as per Alastair’s comment, thanks to Chris for getting the mid-week flyers out on Friday after the rain on Wednesday. Great to see the private aircraft arising from their winter slumber and joining the action on the grid, whilst the trailer park is looking much tidier, albeit some rolling and compacting of the gravel as per Martin’s comments. Meanwhile Andy had rolled the airfield which despite recent rain has held up well and will firm up with the warm weather. Some photos from the ground….
Another Soaring Wednesday….
The fortunes of the mid-week flyers continues with another soaring Wednesday, making it every Wednesday so far this year that soaring flights have been achieved. Overcast conditions in the morning cleared to a large gap in the clouds early afternoon and Mike Jenks casually showed us how it can be done with a 19 minute flight in JKW. VN and the two Astirs were active, and Gordon took a tow up to 3,000 ft, using a scenic route nudging through and above the clouds, exploiting the gap over the airfield. It was nice post flying to congregate at the bar for a quick beer before heading home – hopefully that will become a more common feature as we emerge from Covid and spring and summer beckons.
“Honey…somebody shrunk the caravan….”
After 2 successive weeks of sunshine, the mid-week flyers had a more challenging day. Low cloud base led to a late start, but concurrent activity saw a number of members assisting Nick in putting the wings back on FUY which completed its annual, and KAN was de-winged for its annual. Soft ground led to a decision not to use the caravan and the Land Rover took over as the launch point station. Whilst some thought the cloud base would never lift, Mike stood firm and as usual he was correct as gaps appeared and both winch and tug launches took place. To prove the point Mike, accompanied by our new member Ronan, son of our recently new member Roland, managed a 23 minute flight into some wave – Ronan is clearly hooked – welcome Ronan! A good day out with us departing as the sun, which had finally appeared through the gaps, disappeared.
Mid-week flyers revel in the sunshine…again..
For the second week in a row, the mid-week flyers experienced a glorious day, with little noticeable wind at the launch point (slight tail/no chill) seeing outer layers removed and silky smooth landings on a field which just stood up to the recent wet weather. All the club gliders as well as the tug and the motor glider were in action, and concurrent activities saw Greg commence his winch driver training (with some others in the wings to join him) and John introducing 3 new syndicate members to the delights of the Venture motor-glider (Andy, Roger and Trevor). Another great day!
Mr. Blue Sky was shining on 5th January 2022
After what seems like weeks of blustery overcast and damp conditions, Mr. Blue Sky shined brightly on us on this mid-week flying day. An excellent turn-out saw 2 x Puch’s, 2 x Astirs and 2 x K6’s (unpacked from their winter slumber) take to the crisp blue skies. The tug was in operation, and pilots were seen searching for some wave which evaded their short desperate struggle. Meanwhile thermals were spotted at 150ft,but sadly Keith is in Andorra, so unable to take advantage. Temperatures around 1%, but quite comfortable with most pilots doing good impressions of Russian border guards or in the case of Graham, Ernest Shackelton. A thoroughly good day out.