Sunday, 21 Sept 2008

Today, Sunday 21 September 2008 started as such a normal end of summer day, with poor visibility, very few thermals and mediocre flying, etc.

However, as the day progressed it turned out as a quite an interesting day in many respects. Oh, not as any major recordable record or even cross country achievement, but in a number of small events which assisted in making this a memorable day.

Derek Piggott had been around for the previous 24 hours lending his vast experience in assisting Stu Hoy in preparing the famous experimental green Optimist glider (similar to a K18) to take to the air, both with additional electronic engines and without, as a normal glider. Derek first flew this glider several years ago and was now assisting its designers to push the boundaries a little more. Small electric engines had been fitted to make it self-sustaining. Today, Derek certainly tried hard in keeping it airborne close to the ground by using a combination of ground effect and the small but reasonably powerful electric engines just before touchdown, proving that those engines can be used to sustain flight … at the last minute!

Following Derek’s flight, he suggested that some other club members have a flight in the Optimist, so Will Day volunteered to be the first, followed by Mike Tate and our CFI, Mark Wright. Not to be left out, Steve Flowitt-Hill decided that he too wanted to try it out at the end of the day.

Amongst the many trial flights being flown by John Roche-Kelly and Steve Flowitt-Hill, a completion course was in progress run by Dave Munro for 3 assistant rated instructors, enabling them to legally put us all to the test in their new capacity …

Two of our pilots also decided to break the mould of submitting to such low inversion restrictions in the local area by flying further afield .. Dave Taylor flew the 100km President’s Triangle and Pete Ryland flew to Ridgewell and back.

The strange thing was that whilst we were all still coping with the restrictions and frustrations of the local conditions, two pilots from Wormingford managed to fly their first 50km Silver Distance, landing at Tibenham and putting most of us to shame!



Jenny Novak



We also welcome three new members from Shipdham, all who flew today. Jerry B flew his newly aquired open Cirrus and John and Andy H flew to get checked out, we have prospects of seeing some more gliders types flying here soon (including a Pheobus and an IS30).

Jan