Tuesday 31 May 2011

Snetterton's New Layout





With many thanks to Phil - we had a very enjoyable flight in the G-DKDP, Grob 109, to have a look at the new Circuit at the end of March - also I was also able to get a view of our neighbours at Priory Farm and a view of the airfield looking west - soon to change with all the new buildings














Monday 30 May 2011

Eastern Regionals 30/5

Here are a few images taken today 30/5/2011



G-AODT off for a local flight before the Gliding got started


G-BSOM DG-400


Rotax Falke from Marham helping with the tugging

Finally - winner of the task "HNC"


Many more images, as usual, can be found on the Tibenham Flikr Photo Album now nearly 1500 images all taken at Tibenham

All out

Keith

Friday 27 May 2011

Thursday 26 May 2011

What is it about Tuesdays? Tues 24 May.TIB BUN BIC TIB




Two brilliant Tuesdays when I had to be at work, followed by a third, when I could skive off! What a run of exceptional weather unless you are a gardener or farmer!
Saturday 21st May began with spectacular thermals when I was tugging. I reported on the radio at least 7 knots in the Gissing area, as I regularly saw the VSI showing 1000 t0 1300 ft/min. A few listened and had a launch. I was itching to get gliding myself, so thanks Steve for doing the afternoon stint. By the time I launched it was surprisingly difficult to make progress. I take off my hat to Paul Gould for hanging on in those conditions for a Silver 5 hours!!

Rasp was already showing Tuesday 24th to be the best day for a week, and the predictions of a post cold front classic day kept on coming right up to Monday night. The wind strength was the only dampener on the optimism of a superb 500k day. So arriving at about 10 am I was unsure of the excellence of the day, but already quite late for a 500. I was really surprised to find no other glider pilots there champing at the bit for a launch. I had already resolved to offer to tug only 1 or 2 if there was no other tuggie on site. No need to worry! I was on my own.
I spent a while talking to Phil and Mick and reduced my original plan of Hereford and back to Bicester, with a downwind start to Bungay to assess the streeting strong wind.
Easy climb off launch to 3500 feet, so I set off downwind and arrived at Bungay at 3700 QNH then into wind, failing completely to find the lines of lift, so another start, this time more cautiously, arriving at Bungay at 4700 with a 20 kt wind behind me.

Then into wind. What a slow slog it was! after an hour and only at Knettishall made me decide that the task was not achievable. However, the lift slowly became more reliable and I just kept on going, joining a good street and getting to the now 5500 cloudbase west of Honington. Much better, but realised that Bicester could not be achieved by anything like the 4pm turn back time I had planned. Gransden passed at 4pm and then great progress as the wind eased to be past Milton keynes at 5 pm, having difficulty keeping below the 5500 airway, and so arriving at Bicester at 5.17.
Lovely view East, but no photo of Bicester as it was in evening shadow!
I was thinking that a technical or real landout was inevitable, but on the downwind home journey, the thermals just got bigger and smoother, with regular 4 or 5kts. No need to get to cloudbase, but I indulged myself at St Neots at 6pm with a climb to just over 6000.
What a brilliantly clear afternoon! From just after Bicester the Lion at Dunstable, MK of course, and other towns like Northampton were clear. I reckon at least 60 NM visibility. What a blast! I only saw one other glider nearby between Bicester and Gransden, and then none at all. Yet the thermals kept on going, now with an Australian or South African look to them, a long way apart, no streets, and over 6200 feet bases. Last one was at 6.30 3 to 6 knots at Newmarket and home to upset the wind buggies using our runways.
Turned out to be half a day of superlatives, though the Dunstable and Hus Bos boys had a whole classic day with a 750 by Robin May in his EB28 starship and seven 500s, notably 2 in ASW20s in 15 m mode.
Where were the rest of you?? Not everyone had to work!

Sorry, I could not get the blogger to put the photos in the right place.
Anyway the top one is looking at the Dunstable lion from about Buckingham. Next Arrival back at ten to 7.
The third is Bungay and the coast.
Ladder entry is here:
Peter

Monday 16 May 2011

Soaring PNA - cheap price alert

I walked into PC world last week, and picked up a Navman Mio M400 for around £57. I just mention it here, as I think that they are probably selling them out, as they are no longer on the web site. It is cheaper than I have seen it anywhere online (typically over £70). The other ones they do sell are the Navman Mio M475 for £80. I am not sure if it is effectively the same model with TMC traffic device actually included.

It's a 4.3" PNA which can be cracked to use LK800, XCSoar or Seeyou Mobile on it's built in GPS.

Both XCSoar and LK8000 specifically target the device.

There is a review of it compared to various devices on the postfrontal (LK8000 support) forum here:
MIO M400 PNA, pictures compared with other units, which should give you a clue of other devices to consider.

It has serial port capability (in common with many other PNAs), so you can hook it up to your FLARM (to see where everyone else is & how well they are climbing, unless in stealth mode) or otherwise hook it up to a glide computer vario, e.g. LX 16xx, CAI 302) for real-time wind calculation, even in cruise.

I have not fiddled with my M400 yet, as I spent the weekend getting FLARM talking to my HP 314. It works a treat. I used a line level converter from glidertools.com, here. Note that their picture shows a Mio M400. A converter is required to get USB working at normal RS232 voltages. I will in due course get my M400 working too.

The converter is compatible with Oudie and Wayteq too.

IMI also make a converter, here. I have not tried it, but I found them very good to deal with when I got the new glider tow-bar.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Ruby Tuesday

As in one comes along every x years.

Soarable from 9.50 till 17.30.

For once, the best cloudbase was East Anglia, up to around 6K' as far NE as Fakenham, less than 4K' SW of Stony Stratford.

Up to 6K' over Tibenham.

Phil Morgan was soaring his G109 up to 5K'. 4 engine units for around 2 and a half hours soaring.

DT, JRK, PW, DM all went XC.

Berkeley got his 5 hrs. Well done Berkeley!

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Pictures for "What a Day"



What a day!

A poor turnout yesterday, even for a bank holiday, but what a day! The forecast blue certainly was not going to happen but the 25kt wind did. A number of us rigged or prepared to fly. Tim and Chris in the Janus, Paul G. in the Cirrus, Steve B in 20, David in Y11, Pete in BSOM and this writer in FGP. One club two-seater was kept busy all day, landing well after everyone else had finished.

All of us had more than two hours of fun and frolics with some of us completing our declared tasks. The sky was boiling in parts, but that wind, wow! Thanks to Andy for running the day and to the busy tug pilots (Steve and Steve).

Great fun. More please.