Task week - day "8"?

Jim's initial prognosis for the day was spelt out in his morning alert email:

"Today blue / small cu to 5000ft in parts with 8-12Kt E'ly. Strongest thermals in east Anglia, most cloud in W. Don't think BLD is on. For a task I would suggest either:

BOB-LA6-DEV-BOO for 200 or
BOB-EDG-DID-BOO for 150 if you prefer to go N, or
BOB-BAS-WLY-BOO for 120

or maybe this is the day to set an AAT?

BOB-BRC 25K-YTT 20K-BOO 2Hrs"

As it turned out, we eventually elected for a single task -

Booker Bridge (BOB) - Edgehill (EDG) - Oxford East (OXF) - Membury (MEM) - Booker Airfield (BOO) - 199km.

There was some limited high level Cu around interspersed with quite a few blue gaps which made the task 'interesting' when combined with the 12kt crosswind. However everyone who started easliy rose to the challenge and successfully completed the task. I think at least one pundit extended beyond Membury and continued down to Marlborough and back (ah, the delights of bigger wings).

A Grand Day Out!

Thursday, 28 May 2009 Curry Night

Our local Lane End Tandoori just gets better and better, I just don’t know how they do it! After a little drink at the bar we settled down to an absolutely splendid meal…must do this more often.

Curry Night on Thursday 28th. Please contact the office to let them know you are coming. Everyone welcome. Cost about £15 per head for food. Starts around 7.00pm

Task Week Tuesday. The wind made for exciting launching; then an interesting day: 300km
BOB-LCL-SOS-SHP-BOO
Struggled to get past Oxford whilst everyone else seemed to be racing past Enstone. Then they all seemed to dissapear. Eventually got to Lower Clopton having achieved 33kph. Then I got the hang of it and managed 100kph round the last 3 legs.

Task Week Day 2

Day 1's tasks were:

BOB-WEC-WNW-BOO 118K
BOB-WEC-DEV-BOO 202K
BOB-WEC-DEV-LAS-MAR-BOO 307K for those who wanted to go further

Eventually conditions didn't improve and everybody stayed local.

Day 2's tasks are expected to be:

BOB-KGS-MEM-BOO (Kingsclere - Membury) 123k, and
BOB-CBN-MAR-BOO (Chilbolton - Marlborough) 170k

Briefing at 11:00.

Task Week Day 1

With briefing over the grid is ready.

Soaring Sunday

What a great day! Maybe the Met Office is right about it being a good summer this year. Lots of flying today, and a handful of achievements to report: John Portwin and Simon Phelps made it to Enstone for their Silver Distance, Alex Chalmers and Yan Clave completed their cross-country endorsement, and Ben Crook did his first 300k. He'll have to do it again though, since apparently his logger didn't work, but well done anyway.

A pic for those that missed it

Looking North 130k to go to Skeffington. Didcot then Oxford can be seen. Couldn't resist the pic.

THE day of the Year?

Jim and Dave-C's early morning email comment about today having great potential certainly turned out to be correct. Several declared and completed 500k's plus lots of other bimbling around to be had. Visibility was excellent and cloudbase went up to around 6000' in parts. Pity the ladder is out of action for a few days because it'll be really interesting to see what flights were achieved in such fantastic conditions. I did a 'local soaring' flight in K-21 KCZ of BOB-DID-BIC-BOO in a leisurely 1 1/2 hours, accompanied by G-DDXX/580 flown by Ben who'd originally planned a 300k task but had electrical problems. Even Gerry went cross-country in one of the Juniors, achieving BOO-DID-BOO and then did it again I think.

Everybody completed their tasks today so we finished off with a quiet drink at The Pad watching the balloons making the most of the now calmer conditions. Then suddenly an interloper arrived in the form of Lasham-based DG100T G-RYPE/E6. Apparently the 'T' part of a DG1000 only works when the batteries are charged! Anyway, they joined us in the bar (drinking orange juices!) until their rescuer, in the form of Bob Bickers flying Rallye tug G-BSFF arrived.

Windy but so what

Couldn't resist posting pics:-


First shows an horrendous looking fire between M4 and Welford. Good wind sock though.




















Second taken a few moments later, looking along the street. M4 on right and A34 on left.

Wednesday XC

Well today was definately better than Monday. Got to the airfield around Midday as Z3 launched (no idea where Tim went) but needed to sort my ballast out before flying. This gave Mike and the bronzers time to change ends to put the launch point conveniently close to my trailer.

Finally got the water in by 2pm and launched on a 250 BOB-RIV-NOS-DID-BOO. The sky had developed nicely to the West and was streeting a bit but looked very blue in the North. I set off on the task never-the-less. Good run down to the M4 at Welford into a light SW breeze with cloudbase about 4000ft.

The sky then went a bit woolly. Couldn't tell if it was the approaching cirrus or just over development but I rounded RIV low and got lower. Desperation took me into the sun and I got a weak climb over a farmstead near Hungerford and got away. Another climb at Wantage and another at Abingdon got me back to cloudbase.

From there to NOS and back to OXF was quite straightforward as Cu had now developed and was reliable but as it was now 5pm the climbs got weaker and the clouds wider. I took a few poor climbs south of Oxford in an attempt to get on climb and as my speed was already slow I decided to play safe and drifted round DID and then home for an easy finish at 5:30

250k declared task achieved at 85KPH late in the day so I was pleased. The bronzers were still playing. Yan had landed out safely at Stokenchurch without doing his field landing checks first! He is now current on field landings! Several of the chaps had gone to get the glider. I guess that will be an expensive round, Yan?

Evening flying was underway as I left for home. See you at the weekend.

Jim Z12