Another Booker success

Ruth Jackson was over the moon with her first solo flight today, which included some soaring and, according to her instructor 'a very nice circuit and landing'.

The grin says it all!

Action at the launch point

Plenty of flying over the last few days which started with the need for sunscreen and then keeping an eye on the showers coming through - all of which gave many of you a chance for some good soaring.

Back at grass roots, training is continuing and it was a very happy Boris who went solo today in a K13 for the first time. Not content with one solo flight, he went on to fly a further 3 solos and is already considering his next steps. It is refreshing to see such enthusiasm and we are sure to see him at the launch point a great deal over the coming weeks.

Boris looking suitably pleased  after his solo

As always, congratulations on his solo achievement - who will be next?

Easter Egg Cup results

Following in the tradition of holding the Easter Egg Cup some time after Easter, the report of the results is also late, having detoured through an internet black hole.

The weather on Saturday morning was not ideal, which may have discouraged some entrants, but it calmed down nicely after lunch and in the event there were seven competitors who all produced very creditable performances, all with scores over 70%. The winner with an impressive 85% was cadet Ben Followell, followed by Robert Turner with 82.77% and Chris Collett with 80%.



Ben with his well deserved trophy



Sunday Achievements

Hakan Gokal was delighted today when he took the next step up the club fleet taking his first flight in the Junior. 



 

 

Guy Trees demonstrated his party trick of getting a Super Cub to disappear inside his head.

 

 

Guy then demonstrated a superb aerobatic sequence. Here is a taster, about half of the sequence starting with a "perfect 10" stall turn, and that is not in slow motion. Time permitting the Hi Def version, taken from three camera angles, will be on YouTube soon.

 

 

 

Snowdon Revisited

 this time without the engine!

I did a Snowdon out and return about ten years ago, but had to use the engine on the way back. I was determined to do it without the engine. I launched at 11.15 but when I got to the Cotswolds it was 8/8s and I nearly turned around and came home. For some reason I hung around between Moreton in Marsh and Edgehill for an hour and a half. Gradually the gloom began to break up and I pushed on, crossing the Severn at 13.30. Conditions improved all the way with 5 or 6 knot climbs for a while. I turned Snowdon at 15.40 and had a steady run back, slowing down as conditions weakened. The last climb was at Kiddlington and that put me on a squeeky final glide, landing at 19.30. A very pleasant day out.

Try anything once......

The weekend was less exciting than forecast from a cross country point of view, though the weather on Saturday was quite exciting with big showers and hail. On Sunday it was all a bit calmer, so Graham decided to try out his new 'instrument flying' hood. For this he needed some brave - or foolish - person to sit in the front and tell him where he was. Unfortunately the battery he chose didn't have much life in it so the turn and slip was a bit uninformative, and it turned out that the compass was low on fluid and wasn't much help either.

Instrument flying without instruments is really better as a spectator sport.


Are we sure about this?



All out.....



The good run of weather continues

After Saturdays excellent day of flying activities, the run of good weather has continued with Sunday being very busy as well Monday and Tuesday. Several private owners rigged with plans for Lyneham O/R but unfortunately the weather didn't enable the task to be flown today. The blue skies and sunshine has probably resulted in a few folks getting a little sunburnt (a first for 2013!).

We had another first solo with James Blanch taking to the skies in KLA. James flies commercially for a living but he made an interesting comment after landing that "this is the first time I've been in an aircraft on my own for over 10 years!". In spite of the several thousand hours flying he has, his grin on landing was no different to any other pilot when they first solo. Congratulations James.

James after his first solo

You may also have noticed two other new faces around the launch point recently - more specifically in the tugs. They are Callum and Gus the 2013 seasonal tuggies - say hello to them and remember to buy them the odd lunch or drink in the evening for all the good tows you are going to get from them.



The 2013 tuggies - Callum on the left, Gus on the right



Saturday racing

The club was out in force today to make the most of what was forecast to be a very good day. Richard set a task using Tim's racing formula and the grid waited for the kites to demonstrate that the thermals were working. Eventually Wayne and William launched, with the original 250k task programmed in. Meanwhile, back on the ground there was a bit of a re-brief and the rest of us set off on something around 160k, the distance depending on the handicap of the glider (no allowance for competence of pilot). Everyone got back apart from Jim, who carried out his first field inspection of the season.


Part of the grid

On the other side of the new bus was a colourful selection of wood, pride of place given to Graham's Lunak, now gracing the skies again after a 3 year battle with EASA. The excitement must have got to him, he was spotted doing axis rolls on downwind.


They don't build them like that any more!

Lots of flying, lots of grins, that's more like gliding!

Last summer...

With a bit of judicious juggling, I got out of the office last summer mid-week. In fact it was so hot, people were hiding under glider wings.. can you remember those days?

The conditions looked very good and I was thoroughly enjoying flying from Haddenham.  I also had a cunning plan: I would convince an instructor to accompany me to Bicester for a supported XC.

It's a run I've done a lot on Condor (Gliding simulator)… sorry, wrong emphasis. I've done it so often that even my wife recognises the scenery over my shoulder, "For crying out loud - are you flying to Bicester again! You can fly anywhere you want on the computer - Norway, Canada, the Alps - and yet you fly Bicester! "

Navigation couldn't be simpler - if you are at a decent height, you can see Bicester. And if you are lower, you just follow the railway line NW. And roughly half-way the railway splits in two. Easy peasy.

My telepathy must have been strong because Richard said, "Let's take the duo for a ride".

Now I am a bit of a Vintage fan, and I love Will's epic flights in his K6 and yearn to emulate them. So I can't lie when I thought, "The duo is ...erm… not a very colourful glider? Where is the challenge in flying this?"

Yes I know - I was a heathen.

What a delightful glider to fly. Considering its such a heavy lump on the ground, it is a delight in the air. And the performance both in climb and especially on cruise is astonishing to somebody with most of his hours in a K13!

And so we flew - but Bicester was not enough; with a cloud base of nearly 6000ft we ran North of oxford, back across to Bicester and then home at 100kts+ to make "best use" of our energy.

And as I got out of the cockpit, I had to shatter my preconceptions.

Yes - Vintage gliders are achingly beautiful - especially the Sperber Junior. And if you are as skilled, ambitious, and determined as Will then a K6E is capable of epic adventures AND get home.

But the beauty of  a club class glider (ASW19, Pegasus, Libelle)  is the possibilities it presents me as a pilot of humble skill, and very little experience.

On a good day, I could get good enough to fly the Pegasus amongst the hills of Wales and back within the next 2 years - and that is something that greatly excites me as a goal.

The duo needs a health warning, "This may result in turning a glider pilot into a hopeless soaring addict".

Vintage visitors

On Saturday a Slingsby Capstan dropped in at Booker for a bit of comfort. Pilots Merv and Chris were on their way to Dunstable to collect a trophy but the cold got the better of them as they passed by. They were greeted by several Booker acquaintances and were soon enjoying a hot drink from Nick's Tea Bar.


A warming cuppa

Vintage comfort