MIDLAND GLIDING CLUB

The weather looks OK for flying tomorrow. If you would like to fly, either solo, P2 or private owner, it would be advantageous for you to book please – via the usual method, an email to   mgcbooking@gmail.com. This will enable us to gauge demand, and we will know whether we need to add a second instructor (or alternatively if there is no demand, possibly cancel the day)

This will be the last flying day before Christmas (no midweek flying next week), so please do avail yourself of the opportunity if you can.

Start time will be posted on the bookings page shortly after 8pm tonight (when the Strictly Final ends!)

Mark

We have identified Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as possible days next week. If you are interested in flying (whether solo, P2 or private) next week, please email which day(s) you could make to the usual booking address… mgcbooking@gmail.com

The day(s) will only take place if we have viability, in terms of weather and sufficient attendees, so we will use your responses to help inform our judgement when determining which day(s), if any, to open this week. Final weather/start time call will be made at 8pm the night before. On marginal days we will consult all booked attendees via email for a go/no-go decision. We hope that knowing we are doing our very best to keep you updated, ensuring you get a decent day’s flying with the minimum chance of wasted trips, will enable you to book with confidence.

Mark, Rob & Andy

Let’s do it “old school” from the synoptic chart …

Between occluded fronts at the moment, the second of which clears through overnight, leaving us with different air-mass and a ridge of high pressure for Saturday (=Good, and with a westerly forecast = V. Good), before the next front arrives on Sunday (=Rain=Bad)

The conclusion being, Saturday is the only show in town. Cloud base may be an issue … perhaps. If you are a RASP watcher, don’t be overly influenced by the grey cloudbase line on the Blipspot. That is the height at which cumulus would form, but there is unlikely to be much/any convection tomorrow. Of more value in the winter, is to have a look at the forecast sounding to see at what level(s) the air is fully saturated (Red and blue lines coincident)

Anyway, if you are up for it, booking (mgcbooking@gmail.com) would be in your interest to ensure we have enough instructors to meet the indicated demand. There will be a final weather call and a confirmation of start time at about 8pm tonight, via a note on the Bookings page… https://www.midlandgliding.club/rota/MGCBookings.htm

See you tomorrow, hopefully.

Mark

Well, the forecasts point to a bit of a ridge of high pressure, dry air aloft, possibly some ridge action early on, going 10SW, backing S later. Should be enough head room to operate from the start. We are promised a second two-seater back on line, so we will have two instructors on duty (Dave and … Me – always a comfort when the weather forecaster decides to turn up!)

Book for dual or solo flying via mgcbooking@gmail.com and take a look at the bookings page… https://www.midlandgliding.club/rota/MGCBookings.htm … after 8pm tonight to find out the exact start time.

Hope to see you there!

Mark

Another warm, clear and bright autumn day with hardly a breath of wind. 1300ft off a long south launch, with some thermal activity thrown in – enough for Dominic in Z19 to turn Shelton Water Tower. Eddie (FWY) was the other private owner who rigged and flew. Andy and Rhys continued their training; Martin S got some stage 3 exercises signed off; plenty of customers (Martin, Steve, Peter, Chris, Charles) for the K23 and Junior. Chris also flew the Falke over lunch to keep his currency – but mainly to enjoy himself.

Four main cable breaks unfortunately, but we still clocked up 37 flights over the day. Thanks to Pete S for the launches.

Looks like another decent day on Thursday – got to be well worth a punt. Book your two-seater place in the usual way via mgcbooking@gmail.com

Mark S

A beautiful clear day with about 10NNW all day. A very keen group of members, and so by the end of the day we had logged 57 launches. We had private owners staying current; Tim in FVP; Steve and Mark W in FWM; Mike Stringfellow in HOY (A very tidy Mini-Nimbus). Congratulations to Simon Towers, who re-soloed after a lay-off for a couple of years; Hefin who converted to the Junior; Suzie flew really well and Deon continued his training. Matt Cook was running the Intro course for aspiring new members Ed and Jane Eastham and they had a great day. And then there were, of course, all the usual suspects in the K23 and Junior.

Thanks to David Brown for launching us, Mark W as LD, and everybody involved for their enthusiastic team-work on the field, which made the day so productive and enjoyable.

Mark S

Some great news. We’ve done this in the past and we’re starting them again. Every Friday in August we will be offering evening flying for club members, run by volunteer winch drivers and instructors. Come up early to stay the weekend or come straight from work on a Friday to get your flying fix!

We will arrive as soon as possible mid afternoon, but the official start will be 5pm or as soon as we can grab a glider as the course finishes their week. Just turn up when you can. Last launch around 8pm subject to exact sunset time etc.

Evening flying often produces benign conditions ideal for training or early solo consolidation. This is a great opportunity. Have a few circuits before soaring at the weekend or get a check before the rush on Saturday. There can often be smooth wavy evenings, ridge flying or late in the day thermals too. Always helps enjoy your Friday at work more if you know you’re sneaking out early to fly!

We have a team ready for every Friday in August starting this Friday 14th but we need to assess demand before we set it up. Please email mgcbooking@gmail.com to book a Friday evening slot in the usual way. Unusually, please also email if you’d like to fly single seaters or your own glider. This isn’t a booking. It just helps us gauge demand. All welcome whatever you’d like to do. A lot of people used to get exercises for Mynd stages or bronze complete during these evenings.

To save wasted journeys there will be a weather decision go/no go each Friday lunchtime.

Please email us and support this new initiative

Set up the field for long south, while the wind was still blowing 20E, on the grounds that the forecast reckoned it was due to veer south. Sure enough, just after noon, it did swing fairly abruptly south. Hefin had a couple of sessions, culminating in a re-solo; Mike Stringfellow of Church Stretton and Arizona(!!) had a check ride and even managed to find us some lift; Mike, Martin Howitt and Peter Clare all shared the K23; Holly had her first trip this year in BOL; Ian Orpe was a Shobdon visitor who came to learn a bit of winching.
By the time we finished the wind had gone round further to 10WSW and there was weak wave in the valley to sustain us.

Thanks to Dave Brown who launched us and Coley who ran the retrieve winch for most of the day.

Top Fun had by all!

Mark

Yeee ha – good weather, 56 launches, plenty of enthusiastic members and a real buzz about the place. Thanks to Guy for winching and everyone who helped on the field to make it such an enjoyable day.

Rob, Darce, Julian and James all clocked up some XC kms (I’m sure they are on the ladder, even as I type – hint!); Jack and Jon continued pre-solo training; Alasdair sorted his annual; Coley and Mark W were out in FWM; Liz in HYD; Clive and Simon flew 18; Morgan converted to the K23 and Steve Whalley bagged his first (and second) solo.

Congratulations Steve!

Super day – we’ll have a few more like that!

Mark

Postscript … For the “Covid Police” out there … As you can see Steve wore gloves; I used hand sanitiser both before and after the handshake. Some traditions, I’m afraid, must endure. Mark

Tomorrow… by no means perfect, but everyone involved is up for it and we really do need to break our duck!

Rota and Bookings Page… We are experimenting in using the Notices box to give you bare-bones updates on the viability of the coming day. Take a look here:
https://www.midlandgliding.club/rota/MGCBookings.htm
So if the torrent of information on WhatsApp is a bit too much of a good thing as far as you’re concerned, this may be the place for you.
The Notice text is automatically emailed to the duty team and any Booked pilots

Talking of Booking ... maybe some further explanation of booking for dual training is in order, because it may be a bit of a culture shock compared to what you are familiar with. So the idea is, rather than book a particular day to fly on, we are asking you to give us all the days that you are available to fly over the coming week, be it just one, all seven or anything in-between.
This means we have a much fuller picture of demand. As we see a day with decent weather prospects, we also know how many pilots are wanting to fly on that day, which in turns means we can ensure we have the right number of instructors to give everyone concerned a decent day’s flying.
Once you have flown, if you need further dual, you’ll need to re-book. If you don’t fly, perhaps the day is scrubbed, we will keep on trying using the remaining days you are available.
Please bear with us, it’s all a bit experimental, and the weather is really doing it’s best to put a spanner in the works, but it does have that feel of being the right thing to do.

Temporary Flying Rules … have been updated to include the re-introduction of the short west launch, which will increase the number of days we can fly on, or make the wind stop blowing, either of which is good! Also a number of changes related to dual flying so please take a look – dead easy to spot because the CFI has highlighted all of them conveniently for you in red.
A link to the rules is in the bottom left corner of the Rota and Bookings page

The COVID stuff hasn’t gone away. So have fun, but please do it in line within the guidelines. When flying dual, the responsibility for operating within the Covid guidelines is that of the pilots flying together.  You should be happy at all times that you are presenting the least risk to each other and that whatever mitigations you may choose to put in place do not affect the safe flying of the aircraft

And finally, the Weather Outlook…  There is hope that from Friday things will take a turn for the better. Yes I know we said that last week, but one week we’re going to be right, and there’s every chance it could be this one!!

Stay safe, have fun

Mark