Klippeneck 2019 - Day 6

Lot of top cover suggesting it wasn't going to be ideal for cross country but still soarable locally.

The trailer park looking suitably "Booker" filled

Vic launching John

The 2 seaters were kept busy all day and in spite of the apparent poor viz, the Alps were well defined to the south.

The Alps in view shortly after takeoff

The high temperatures were kicking off good thermals to over 6,000 feet but there was little sun on the ground or cumulous to indicate were the lift was.

Maddie climbing at 8 knots up to 6,000ft

Once everyone had had their fill and the kit was put away for the day there was an excursion to "IndyKart" in Rottweil for a petrol fuelled crashing and bashing time at the go kart track (its just as well we don't fly gliders like we drive the karts).  Two of the drivers who made it to the podium were Red flagged but it didnt stop the fun.

Honours went to Richard, Howard and Maddie - 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The winners

Klippeneck 2019 - Day 5

Woke up to a promising looking sky.

Action in the trailer park

and by the hangars

A good if tricky in places day. Cloud base remained fairly low to start but as the day went on the cloud base rose to around 6,500 feet and the day started to go blue with gaps between thermals getting longer.

Task area was set to the North East. In the morning the Duo Discus did a trip to Blumberg near the Swiss border with Maddie and Richard, in the afternoon it went to Ulm and back with Nick in the front. There were a few 'lowish' moments on the way back.

Good flights were achievied by 370 doing 300k, and 319 with Howard J doing 240k and JTY with Frank N doing 180k.

319 on task towards Ulm

Not all the flights got home, 35 landed out a short walk from the airfield and HA unfortunately managed to land out 110k from the airfield near Ulm.

Steve and his new found friends in Altheim

Those of us back at the airfield enjoyed a wonderful sunset and Thai Green Curry....

Sunset at Klippeneck

whilst those on the retrieve from Ulm had....

And it tasted mighty fine 

but the overall concensus was that it had been a fine day out.

Klippeneck 2019 - Day 4

What a wet start! Everyone woke up to the sound of heavy rain and the sight of really low cloud and no thoughts of flying but Richards view on conditions and met suggested it would all clear by midday and a good afternoon would follow.

So we all met at the hangar and sure enough the skies were clearing and the kit was brought out.

Towing out from the Hangar

Getting ready to launch

The cloud base took a while to get up and early flights were under a variable 1,000 to 1,500 feet but very soarable.

A new spin on "Bug Wipers"

The Duo in formation with itself

The morning view

Same view in the evening

Flying carried on until late in the day, it was still very soarable even at 19:00 when the cloudbase had risen quite significantly.

Chilli for dinner

Klippeneck 2019 - Day 3

The day started with a low cloudbase that continued to lower😞. The kit was prepared and taken to the launch point and split with KCZ ready to aerotow and 315 going across onto the winch. Only one launch took place with 315 being fired up into the lowering cloud requiring an early release to aviod IFR on the winch and then a decsion to stop for the day.

Lowering cloud

Nick vM and Richard A went up to Schemp's for some maintenance and a bit of window shopping.

Anyone for an Arcus?

Richard, Howard, Maddi and Doug were invited on a short walk of about 1.5km by one of the locals to see a nearby point of interest (an old disused railway and bridge built in the 1930's).

Disused railway running around the bottom of the escarpment at Klippeneck

Anyway 9 miles later and after some interesting hillside scrambling we finally got back.

The airfield is just over the top (honest?)

The evening was concluded with another of Fiona and Hakan's gastronimic delights - Pork fillet, pomme pure, apple sauce, carrots and beans and a Jus. We really are going to have to watch the "B" (or maybe max all up weight).

Dinner 

Klippeneck 2019 - Day 2

More local flying and site familiarisation, this time from the 23 launch point with landings on 22 where the locals expect you to stop before track that crosses between the two runways. Everyone behaved today and stopped as necessary.

The earlier launches had the pleasure of seeing the Alps to the south before the weather deteriorated and low cloud and rain moved in.

Climbing out with the Alps in view

315 an der Position zur Landung auf der 22

Cloud moving in

Last flight of the day

Another glorious meal care of Fiona and Hakan - stuffed peppers and Turkish beans with rice. We will have to start thinking about the B in CBSIFT........ if we keep getting fed like this.

Klippeneck 2019 - Day 1

The early part of the morning was spent with a reminder briefing on the site and operations before going out to rig the club 2 seaters and then site familiarisation flights for those who haven't been here before or wanted a refresh before flying their own gliders

Rigging after the sheep had been moved on

Getting the gliders to the launch point

First launch

The evening concluded with an excellent chicken curry courtesy of Fiona and Hakan.

InterClub League Round 1

Booker has returned to competing in the InterClub League after a few years off. This comp is an excellent opportunity for pilots with little or no experience of comp flying to learn a bit about how it works.

The comp consists of three classes and we sent a team of six:
Novice - Luke Bishop and Stuart Whitehouse
Intermediate - George Darby
Pundit - George Hunter, Nils Wedi and Tim Scott

Lasham took a slightly different approach, they didn't bother to pick a team, the whole grid flew the tasks - 113km for Novices, 214km for Intermediate and 312km for Pundits - so we were a bit outnumbered.

Our boys did very well. Luke in his newly acquired Nimbus 2 came 2nd in the Novice class, and Stuart, flying Pegasus 318, was 3rd - not bad for a first ever cross country flight. In the Intermediate clas, George very nearly got back, but he picked a very nice field near Thatcham (turned out it belonged to Lord Sainsbury so he maybe picked up a few Nectar points). This gave Luke and Stuart an opportunity to learn about retrieves. In the Pundit class, against stiff opposition, Tim Scott came 2nd.

The grid - mostly Lasham's team but with our six in there somewhere

Briefing

Luke's new Nimbus on the right and its previous owner on the left

George as a guest of Lord Sainsbury

Luke and Stuart with Team captains Bob and Bob putting 318 away before the rain came

 Well done to the team and to Bob Smith for organising it all.

Klppeneck 2019 - Arrival day

Time for Booker Gliding Club's summer expedition to Klppeneck. Everyone for week one has arrived and met up for dinner and a beer (or two) at the "half way house" and enjoyed a glorious sunset.

Jetsada Gets his Solo

Congratulations to Jetsada Machom on his first solo on Monday. Jetsada is on a Get Your solo course - we hope this is the first solo of many!

Denis went to the seaside too

Swanage

Studland

Corfe Castle towards Lulworth

Wareham

At one point on the flight the only lift was a sea air convergence along the Isle of Purbeck. The lift improved so I continued with the task. On the way back a cloud climb at Chilbolton promised a glide home. Unfortunately ice on the wings modified the glide angle somewhat and I didn't quite make it back.