Thursday 25th to Monday 29th August 2022
Posted: 30/08/2022 21:41
Thursday 25th. A light to moderate NW'ly blew all day as a medium level as low cloud delayed the start of flying until late morning and then restricted any soaring opportunities until late afternoon when the cloud broke up and some good soaring conditions developed. ATs off runway 24 numbered 24, with most landings on 20, although 02 was occasionally used. All three club K21s were used, with 5 First Flight pupils and 2 Day Course pupils being flown and the last 3 flights under soaring conditions being all solo, one by Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct and the others in two of the K21s. Bob's 2:36 didn't start too well as he had to use his engine twice to remain airborne at the start of his flight but he eventually climbed to around 4,000' asl in relatively weak thermic conditions, his best average climb rate being 1,6kts. Rod Brister and Dave Cockburn were the other solo pilots, having 1:10 each, with only Laurie Clarke with Day Course pupil Kevin Bryan able to have a 30 minute flight in K21 KLW prior to the improvement in soaring conditions.
Friday 26th. A light N'ly soon became a light S'ly, so the day's 39 launches were off runway 20 with the Cumulus filled skies by late morning leading to a number of cross countries although later overconvestion led to some late abandonments of declared tasks. Principle among these was the 308 km task declared by Rob Bailey in his ASG29t and Derek Taylor in his ASW22, with TPs at Horncastle and the Tontine. Both pilots found good conditions on the outward leg but over-convected skies north of the Humber on the return leg to the Tontine, with both pilots abandoning the task after passing Sutton but turning back without reaching the Tontine. Derek reporting that getting back to Sutton under the overcast was somewhat surprising. Rob posted a 276 km flight on the BGA Ladder with Derek a 309 km flight on OLC. Those pilots completing flights included Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct, who flew the 100 km local triangle with TPs at Rufforth and Pocklington and then added on O/R to Burn to boost his distance to 234 km. Toby Wilson in his Standard Cirrus also flew the same local 100 km triangle at a handicapped speed of 91.8 kph before adding on 20 kms with an O/R to Helmsley. Fred Brown in his Ventus 2t flew 195 kms around Humber Bridge and the Tontine, getting to the latter before a complete overcast developed, while Ron Beezer and Diane Thomas flew 72 kms in the DG1000 via Rufforth and Boroughbridge and Dave Thompson in Astir FSH visited the Tontine and Thirsk. Congratulations are due to Paul Bulmer who completed his Silver Distance with an O/R to Burn in his Libelle. Cloud base eventually reached around 5,000' asl with peak average climb rates around 4-5 kts although Toby Wilson had a peak average climb rate of 5.9 kts during his flight. 27 of the day's launches led to flights of >30 minutes with 12 > an hour, with the longest flights in club gliders being the aforementioned Ron/Diane with 1:15 and Dave Thompson with 2:01 who was closely followed by the 1:54 of John Forrester in Astir DSU.
Saturday 27th. The wind had become a light SSE'ly, with the day providing better soaring conditions than on Friday, the result being 34 ATs off runway 20, with every launch from the 6th to the 24th resulting in a flight time of over an hour. The day's total of 24 flights of over 30 minutes included 22 of over an hour with 14 notable cross countries flown, many at good speeds all helped by the cloud base reaching around 6,000' asl and peak average climb rates of 5-6 kts within good reliable lift. Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct flew to the Pennines via Ripon, almost reaching Gargrave before returning to Sutton and then flying the local 100 km triangle at around 101 kph handicapped, the same task being flown by Bruce Grain and Junior Tomer Altman in the DG1000 at a handicapped speed of 88.5 kph. The 200 km club triangle with TPs at Northallerton, Garforth and Beverley was flown by 3 pilots, Chris Booker in his LS1, Fred Brown in his Ventus 2t and Les Rayment in his DG800. Chris's speed of 87.8 kph handicapped was the fastest, while Dave Latimer in his Ventus 3M flew a 319 km O/R to Boston at a handicapped 89.1 kph, surviving a low point in sea air after turning the TP. Simone Latimer flew her Discus on a 109 km O/R to Burn more cautiously than husband Dave. but still had as much fun, while Albert Newbery/Stuart Heaton flew 190km around Northallerton, Market Weighton, Wetherby South and Harrogate North in their DG1000t. Chris Handzlik flew 161 km at 87.3 kph in his DG300, with TPs at Northallerton, Pocklington and Burn, with Bob Beck in his Ventus 2cxt flying the reverse task in a more wandering style and Jim McLean covering 144 km in his ASW24 with TPs at Rufforth, Pocklington, Sutton Bank control point south and Sutton. As well as Bruce and Tomer's cross country in the DG1000, Conrad Thwaites in Astir DPO and Sarah Stubbs in Astir DSU also flew cross country, Conrad visiting Thirsk before flying the local 100 km triangle, while Sarah visited Helmsley, Thirsk and Masham. In among all this activity, 7 First Flight pupils kept the 2 seaters and the local area busy.
Sunday 28th. A light N'ly slowly backed into the south and became light to moderate as the morning's sunny skies tended towards more cloudy skies in the afternoon. Flying commenced around 1030 hrs off runway 20, with Simon Altman taking the first of the day's 9 First Flight pupils for a 19 minute trip in K21 JVZ, but it wasn't until around 1300 hrs with the 11th launch of the day that there were any soaring flights. Dave McKinney and Dave Murgatroyd in K21 FYF were the pilots to set the ball rolling with just over an hour as they visited Cowesby and Coxwold, being the first of 9 flights to have over an hour, a further 7 flights having between 30 and 60 minutes. Cloud base eventually rose to just over 5,000' asl, but Bob Calvert in his Discus 2ct climbed to 6,600' asl near Snainton as he journeyed to 6.5 km SW of Scarborough, 3 km NE of Pocklington and 2 km NE of Rufforth before returning to Sutton, a distance of around 145 km. Bob found some strong climbs, including one averaging 5,1 kts, but more typically, average climb rates were 2-3 kts. The majority of those enjoying soaring flights stayed local, but Les Rayment, self launching in his DG800, flew 100 km around the local triangle with TPs at Pocklington and Rufforth, while James Prosser in his Ventus 2t flew out to 6 km SE of Boroughbridge. The skies over Sutton were also graced by pilots flying vintage gliders at the end of Slingsby week. Tomer Altman and Toby Wilson had just under an hour in K21 FYF doing aerobatics, while Tim Stanley landed out in his ASW20 south of Kilburn, making a play for the Aux Vauches trophy awarded for the closest field landing to Sutton Bank while congratulations are due to Dan McLean who successfully converted to the Astir.
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.