Saturday 8th June 2024
Posted: 09/06/2024 11:55
Saturday 8th. The light to moderate WNW flow continued, bringing another good thermal and for some wave day, albeit with a cloudy and damp start. Consequently, 19 of the day's 21 winch launches and 3 ATs resulted in flights of over 30 minutes, with 14 over an hour. Dean Crosby's 7:04 was the longest of the day, Dean taking his LS10t to Leyburn, east to Guisborough SW, back west to Harrogate N, then SE to Thorngumbald before returning to Sutton, a distance of 339 km and generally operating between 3,500' asl to 5.500' asl with a peak altitude of just under 6,000' asl. Other cross country pilots included Bob Calvert in his Discus 2t, who, using hill lift and thermal over the site, contacted wave and exploring the Ripon/Boroughbridge area climbed to 9,700' asl near Boroughbridge before visiting Tontine and Harrogate N/Knaresborough. Fred Brown in his Ventus 2ct also explored for wave and although scouring the area bounded by Richmond/Catterick and Northallerton/Tontine to the N/NW and Masham/Ripon to the west and operating for most of the time between 4,000' to 6.000' asl never became fully established in the wave with a peak altitude of 6,900' asl. Thermal lift was the main source of energy for a number of other pilots. Toby Wilson in his Standard Cirrus flew what he described as a windy/turbulent ridge/thermal task of 116 km with TPs at Tontine/Guisborough W/Thirsk/ and Carlton Bank. while Steve Thompson visited Pickering/ the Ripon area and Tontine to cover 150 km and Eileen Scothern in her Discus t flew an O/R to Rufforth S but had to deploy her engine on the return leg. Bill Payton, flying his DG1000t solo, initially visited the RAF stations at Leeming and Topcliffe before visiting Ripon, Masham and Carlton Bank where the lure of the sea saw him soar 6 km out to sea off Scarborough before returning to Sutton via visits to Pickering and Ripon, an overall estimated distance of 280 km. There was no flying in Club single seaters, but six 2 seater pilots enjoyed flights of an hour or so with Dave McKinney/James Horton having a trip to the environs of Northallerton with climbs to 5,000' asl or more being typical.
This blog describes a snippet of life at the Yorkshire Gliding Club. Why not take a flight and try it yourself, or we can teach you to fly as a full club member.