Having been eagerly watching the forecast all week I was disappointed this morning to see RASP predicting relatively poor soaring for Norfolk and that the great weather would now be confined to a narrow north-south band running though the Midlands. Undeterred I decided to launch early in the hope I could claw my way west and pick up the good weather for a big task with a remote finish at Gransden.
I launched at 11:20 with a cloudbase at only 2400ft QNH (2200ft QFE) and ended up flying locally in the hope the cloudbase would go up. 45 minutes later it was still only 2500ft - so I set off anyway. With a NW wind I found myself having to jump the weak streets and drifting south of track with each climb, which slowed my progress west. Pushing on the climbs got a bit better and approaching Newmarket I'd managed to get to 3000ft, then just west of Cambridge there was a good climb to 4000ft. However the weather ahead looked increasingly grey as the cloud spread out and the day cycled. As I got to St Neots I found myself low and picking fields. I put 130.1 on the radio hoping for some encouragement but all the chat indicated others struggling further west - so I turned it off again!
Luckily I noticed a bonfire had been lit half a mile to the south and this allowed me to scratch up to 1500ft in a meager half a knot - but at least I was still airborne! As I slowly started to climb I checked the time and I realised that the bigger task now looked unlikely. I was about 100k from base, so I made the decision to try to make Gransden on a final glide for an easy retrieve if the weather didn't improve.
Reaching Gransden at only 1100ft QNH (850ft AGL) I joined the gliders scratching locally. Eventually a buzzard appear like a guardian angel to show me the way and I worked back up to 2800ft. There were still a few bits of Cu to the east so I decided to use the slight tailwind component to help push nearer to home and shorten the retrieve. However, the day was recylcing and provided another decent climb just west of Cambridge. Watching a De Havilland Rapide bi-plane flying sightseeing trips round the city and in R/T contact with Cambridge Airport I climbed slowly to 3700ft. My patience was paying off and my hopes were further raised . I started to think that if my luck held I might even get home. I continued eastwards, my hard won altitude ebbing away slowly as the KMs ticked by. Eventually I picked up a weak street at Soham and wandered further east. Then, at 40km from TIB, I got the best climb I'd seen all day. With the lift working up the southern side of the cloud to 4500ft I milked it for all I could get! A quick mental calculation said I was above glide, and the LNAV agreed! From there it was an easy ride home through dead air and I was happy to have made it back with 200k flown and ready for a well deserved cup of tea.
Ian Atherton.
Posts
