Friday Evening Group

Words and picture - Symeon

Roy in the Pawnee at dusk on the penultimate Friday Evening Group gathering - so next week is our last one. So, to all our friends -in fact anyone - turn up, get your "night" rating and join us for a curry afterwards.

Symeon

Vintage day and 1st solo

Sunday saw the Vintage Group get their toys out to play with. The skies were then graced with the delightful sights (and sounds!) of beautifully crafted and maintained wood and fabric gliders through the day. If anyone has any photos of the event can they please share them.

Later in the day we also had a first solo by Andrew Whitten in the K21 - his height prevents him from fitting any other glider. Andrew started on a course about a year ago and was so taken by the whole experience that he continued with top ups and then joined the club earlier this year. Congratulations on his achievement.

How to get the bugs off a Junior

You may have noticed that it was rather wet on Friday evening, which was a bit of a nuisance because the Sales and Marketing Team were on a mission to go over to the Henley Showground and set up our stand for the Henley Show on Saturday. It was spitting when we left Booker, later on the rain got a bit heavier, but we maintained our sense of humour to the last.



It's being so cheerful wot keeps me going...



In the morning we gave the Junior the first of several cleans, and the day - and the display - steadily dried out. We were in an excellent position and entertained many visitors, including the inevitable queue of small children wanting to sit in the glider. We made some sales and talked to lots of people, and we are confident that we will see some of them at the launchpoint.

All in all a very successful outing. And the Junior is now cleaner than it's been for months.

Many thanks to David Humphreys, Chris Collett and Symeon Economou for getting very wet in the service of the club, and to them, Bob Smith, Hedda Coture and Ruth Jackson for working hard on Saturday. Ruth is new to the team and she commented on how much fun it was talking to so many people and how she was pleased to be able to contribute her efforts to building the club.

Handicapped Grand Prix - final results

Today was scrubbed, so the final result of Booker's pioneering Grand Prix was:

1st: Jim White (flying 315 with others or his own ASW27) - 54 points
2nd: Bob Smith (LS4) - 38 points
3rd: Wayne Aspland (LS8) - 22 points

The comp format proved very popular with club members, there was a good sized grid every flyable day, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

On to the next event: the Bronze course running 16-20 Sept offers members discounted launches and motor glider time, plus a dedicated instructor for the week, to help towards achieving Bronze. Excellent value at £399, ask the office for more details of the offer.

HCGP Day 5

After a scrub day and a cold front, today conditions were excellent once it got going. The task was Banbury North - Newport Pagnell - Chipping Norton, and with climbs averaging 6kts or more it was a good fast race, and most people had an excellent day out.



Steve Williams took 3rd place, Jim White and his co-pilot Jeremy Gilbey came second.

Jeremy selecting his prize

 Wayne Aspland won the day, giving Jim a bit of a rest from the fizzy stuff. Jim's still leading overall though, and it will take something dramatic to knock him off the podium.

Wayne inspecting the bubbly

 The day ended with a stupendous barbeque cooked up by Marnie and her assistants, attended by a large number of members, family and friends.

HCGP Day 4

Day 4 of the Booker Handicap Grand Prix, and the sun shone for us again. The scheme of paying by the day seems to be working well with members dipping in and out if they can't manage the whole week. Today's task was Buckingham-Goring-Oxford East, making the best of the weather ahead of the approaching front. Jim and his co-pilot Robert won the day with a time of 1h 50m 35s. Jim's now leading the field with 44 points, but there's still time................

Jim and Robert with the bubbly

Wayne was slightly slower in his LS8 with a time of 1h 52m 01s.

Wayne prefers red

Bob took a little longer, but he looks quite happy with his time of 2h 14m 33s - or maybe the grin's because it's his second bottle of Rioja this week.

Bob and Chairman Geoff

Rob got a special mention for his epic flight in his beautiful Super Javelot, he didn't get round but he made it up to Buckingham and back to Goring, not bad considering the strength of the wind.



Rob making off with the beer


Geoff made it back in time to take all the photos after a speedy retrieve from Chalgrove.

Tomorrow might be a rest day but who believes a forecast?

HCGP day 3

Another full day at the launch point and a field of eager competitors.
The met suggested the best task area was a line roughly north south with blue conditions up to 4000/5000 feet and the possibility of a small amount of cu (with Jim forecasting a convergence line similar to that experienced by Tuesdays competitors).

With that in mind the task was set as Stokenchurch South-Whitchurch-Calvert Junction-Goring-Hambleden Church- Booker 206.2km.

Launching commenced and the start line opened at 14:10 - there were no landouts and the conditions broadly followed the forecast. In the event, there was more cloud than forecast but the cloud that formed seemed to follow Jim's "convergence line forecast" - uncanny how he does it?

Honours for the day went to Mike Gatfield (beating his Dad who flew the Duo Discus with Craig Cairns), 2nd place went to Bob Smith and 3rd place to Jim White.

Mention should also be made of Rob Kehrr's flight in his recently restored vintage Wassamer Javelot. He may well have won the day but for missing the last control point (BO1) by a few metres.

The day concluded with prize giving and some well deserved drinks and the forecast of more good flying again tomorrow.

HCGP Competition Day 2

After a bit of head scratching about the best direction to send the fleet, we launched on a 160k round Towcester, Bozeat, and Watlington. Very tricky getting started with little cu to go on. The day improved on track but many found it difficult to start.

Prizes went to Mini Gat for grinding round in his 20 shown pictured with proud father.

 

 

Geoff Lyons in second for persistence:

 

and Jim for being a cocky sod....albeit posing shyly against the setting sun!

 

 

 

Booker HCGP - Day One

The first day of the 2013 Booker HCGP utilising the task planning tool that Tim Scott has been working on tirelessly this season (and which is gathering a lot of momentum throughout the gliding movement as a whole!) was a resounding success today.

Under a less than promising sky in the early part of the day, the task of SOS-TOW-BED-OXF-BO1-BOO (191.5km) was set. Launching of the 15 competitors started into a slack and uninviting sky which had most competitors grateful to be able to maintain their height after releasing from tow.

The start line was opened at 14:10 with most competitors setting off pretty much straight away but as they set off down the first leg, conditions rapidly improved and regular thermals of 5kt were to be found which was reflected in the speeds around the task with the top 5 pilots exceeding 100kmh and the rest not much behind.

Spectators at the launch point were also able to witness a constant and steady stream of finishers.



Competitors eagerly awaiting the results

There was a real 'buzz' around the trailer park and club house afterwards from pilots, spectators, tuggies, crews etc. (even the comp director (Richard) was seen to be smiling) and all with a forecast of more good soaring weather for the rest of the week.

So no excuses, get yourselves up to the launch point and have a go yourself - we may even get the scorer to smile as long as we get our traces to him as soon after we land as possible (it really isn't fair to have him wait after we have had all the fun flying).

Day one results

1st Jim White/Nick Newton (Duo Discus) - 12 points
2nd Bob Smith (LS4) - 10 points
3rd Simon McCracken (Discus) - 8 points
4th Doug Hilton (LS7WL) - 6 points
5th William Parker (Discus) - 4 points
6th Jon Sugden (ASW20) - 2 points

Day 1 winners Jim White and Nick Newton

2nd Place Bob Smith

3rd Place Simon McCracken

Jane Moore - prize for the furthest distance flown

MiniGat showing the way at the Juniors

Well done Mike. Prelim results show that Mike won the day yesterday.

Excellent stuff. Now lying 8th overall c. 600 points behind the leader with three days to go