Issoudun Saturday 7 July 2012

Today is the first official day of the Issoudun ‘Feminine Nationals’ and it opened with an early briefing at 10:00 after we had placed the glider on the grid.

It’s a strange business because today Issoudun have a couple of competitions finishing and a couple more starting, so it’s all rather complicated.  We had a better introduction to the airfield and the procedures today, but it was still very much ‘Frenglish’.

The weather certainly appeared to be better than yesterday however with a predicted cloudbase of 1500m and tops at 3000m (I have to mentally recalculate these figures into feet as this is how the cockpit is instrumented).

A triangular task of 178km was set which I marked onto the maps and programmed into the LX7007F in the cockpit and also in the IPAQ. 

This is a picture of the Cirrus on the front of the grid – you can see the grid stretching out way to the far end of the runway.  You can also see the blue tow rope that we had to make up and bring with us because at these International competitions apparently, you have to use your own tow rope and the tow pilot drops it on approach (I’ve never had to do it before).  It’s supposed to make for a quicker turnaround, but I’m not convinced and Steve was not impressed at having to retrieve it from thistles today!

We were launched at 12:45 after a delay of 20 minutes whilst they decided to compress the grid because the organisers were not sure that there was sufficient runway ahead, especially with a tailwind…  This I think was to be a factor because we lost 20 minutes of what was a good early start to the day.  As I started the task, I was only able to find useful clouds for about 20 kilometres, because the sky became over cast and then eventually turned blue.  The conditions became extremely difficult, but I did manage to turn the first turning point, but it was a case of grovelling along at 1500ft from landable field to hopefully landable field.  I turned the turning point on my own and went back down track to some gliders in the hope of staying airborne and I continued this way for some time.  Eventually I realised that with the increasing wind, I was almost back to the gliding club at Issoudun; I couldn’t believe it!  I knew I was off track and all I’d tried to do was stay with other gliders in an attempt to find my way to the second turning point.  I was very hot and absolutely shattered; I’d been airborne several hours and I did something I’ve never done before, I made the decision to land back at Issoudun airfield because I was so far off track.  Needless to say, Steve was not impressed, and I felt awful about it.  However, it turned out that I was not alone; several pilots had done the same thing.

However, unfortunately for me, two of the other UK pilots managed to fly around the whole task and another came close to doing so; this will give them a good score to start with.  A further check on the score appears to place me in around 14 position/or 6^th position, depending on how you interpret it due to the fact that non-French fly as ‘Hors Concors’.

They have forecast a huge storm overnight, so it’s back to making sure everything is secure on the campsite; we had already de-rigged the glider in anticipation. 

Issoudun Friday 6 July 2012

We went to bed early last night because we were all so tired.  However it was with a sickening heart as the airbed gradually deflated.  We were so exhausted however, that we just slept though it and cursed the airbed in the morning.

Today was classed as a ‘Training Day’, so with glider rigged and everything ready to go, we went to the briefing at 10:30 with all the other competitors.  The briefing is a strange affair, because although English is the world-wide language for flying purposes, of course the French have to do it in French, they then had someone translate the sections they thought important into ‘Frenglish’.  So in the end, I came away from the briefing without actually knowing what height we’d be towed to on launch, or whether they operate a maximum start height, and I certainly didn’t understand fully, exactly which bits of the airspace were prohibited for this particular day.

We received a briefing sheet with a 107km racing triangle, but Dave, Kay’s husband thought that it would be far better to have a go at an Assigned Area Task that one of the other competition classes had been set, that we switched over to that instead (Issoudun – Aignant – Orcay – Issoudun, with 30km sectors at the two points, and a set maximum time of 1:30). 

The weather forecast was for a suitable slot of weather between 12:00 and 17:00, but that there would be some showers and it would all stop by 16:30 due to heavier showers.

So with Steve fussing that we needed a new airbed urgently, we pulled onto the gird and grid squat for a while whilst several showers went through and the organisers launched the Libelle class and the Open class gliders.  As showers were going through, we dashed to the village of Issoudun to purchase a new airbed, and whilst there Steve realised that he’d mislaid his debit card.  So at least we now had the makings for a comfortable layer between us and terra firma, the worry was now the possibility of fraud….  What else was going to happen?

We eventually launched after the Open class between heavy showers.  This was the view to the East of Issoudun Airfield:-

However, this was the view to the North West, which was the direction of the task:-



All we could do was stay airborne – the lift was surprisingly good – I’m climbed to over 4000ft and had to open the airbrakes to descend beneath the cloud and to land.



Issoudun is a very large airfield and reminds me a lot of Gransden Lodge, both the airfield shape as well as the surrounding farmland.  The fields are huge; they appear to be much bigger than those in the UK.  The bonus is that there are very few hedges and many more fields have already been harvested, therefore providing suitable landing out options along the way.  The locals have stated though, that the weather has also been very poor in France this year and that normally by now, all the fields would usually have been fully harvested.

I floated around the local area taking in the airfield and surrounding area, before being forced to land in the pouring rain.  When I say ‘forced’ this was nothing in comparison to the Mosquito which I flew in last year that would literally fall out of the sky in rain; this Cirrus appears to be much better.  I did however over cook it, in that I decided to go out to 3km which is the boundary of the finish ring to check out what it looked like, only to suddenly find that I wasn’t going to make it back to the airfield!.. Luck was on my side however and I managed to scrape onto runway 18.

As we towed back to the parking area, there was a judder and the tail wheel collapsed because the piano hinge had snapped.  Great. 

First things first.  Steve still hadn’t found his debit card, so we cancelled that with the Bank.  We then rushed back to the ‘BricoMarket’ (a type of B&Q) where we purchased a piano hinge, hacksaw, screws and nuts and glue.  Or we would have with Steve’s other bank card, only to find that the transaction was refused – had the bank stopped the wrong card?  Back at site, Steve found a vice in the workshop and very successfully managed to repair the tailwheel – without this, we would have had great difficulty in towing the glider to the required places.   

I wiped the rain off the glider (third time) put on the covers and packed everything up for the day.

I think that both Michael and I are missing Django tremendously, so we found a surrogate dog (Maisie 6 months old) and took her for a walk around the airfield.

Tomorrow is the first day of the competition; let’s see what the weather brings this time….

Issoudun, Thursday 5 July 2012

It’s been in the planning since Q3 2011, and here we finally are on our way to Issoudun, France for the Pre-Worlds feminine competition in order to practice at the site at which the World Championships will be held next year.

We (Steve, Michael and myself) are starting out with a 00:30 ferry journey from Dover to Calais, and this for me is after a full day at work…

I try and dose in the car as Steve drives the first 2:30 hours to Dover so that I can drive on the other side of the channel.  In the end, I only do a small proportion of the driving as I’m so exhausted.

Worryingly, as dawn breaks and as we approach Issoudun, the weather is complete cloud cover, just like the UK…. The journey is pretty straight forward, although the SatNav took us way too close to Paris and the traffic was dreadful even at 06:00 in the morning and the going was very slow indeed.  It would have to be me driving at the point!  I wouldn’t recommend driving through Paris to anyone, but towing a 20m trailer, no way!

We arrived at Issoudun at 11:30 local time, so the journey had taken us about 8:30 hours which included a few stops along the way for stretch breaks as well as time out to phone our Bank as we had a problem with Steve’s debit card at a fuel station…what a pain.

We met up with our gliding friends and then pitched our large tent and a small one for Michael, as it happens, just in time, because we were just loading the final few items from the car when the heavens opened and it rained and rained.

When the rain finally stopped, we rigged the Cirrus in preparation for ‘Scrutineering’ which is where the glider is examined for the disablement of the blind flying instruments and weighed to check that it is within limits when everything is onboard (so I was weighed too).

All the checks went well, so we towed it out to park it up.  When we arrived at the parking area, I was so disappointed to find that the wing dolly had worn too rather deep holes in the top surface of the Starboard wing.  We’ve had and used the same wing dolly for many years and have never had a problem before…why now?  It’s even more frustrating when you consider that we paid to have the top surface of the wings refinished only a couple of months ago…  We rubbed down the holes as best we could, attached a large lump of protective foam to the wing dolly and then put on the wing covers to protect the glider overnight.

We went back to the Club Bar to pick up our pre-paid ‘plated food’; we were not sure what to expect here, and it wasn’t particularly appetising as it was rather like airline food.  We’ll give it one more try and if no good, see if we can get our money back. 

Talking of money, we were also required to pay a EUR90 charge for camping – all UK competitions include the camping in with the competition entry fee, but not here.  On top of all of this, it appears that the so-called Pre-World Club Class Gliding Competition turns out not to be that at all, but other gliders outside of the Club Class have now been included, so that probably puts me at the bottom of the handicap stack with the Cirrus.  I’m not very happy at all.

All I can do now is see what the weather brings for tomorrow and set about studying the airmaps.

Shenington Regionals Sunday 1 July 2012

Last night’s 1940s Hangar Party was a great success!  Many people had taken the opportunity to dress appropriately, there was a 6-piece band as well as male and female dance instructors who bravely attempted to teach us steps of the time.  Some succeeded more than others in achieving this!



Steve took Michael to Badminton training in Thatcham today, so it was up especially early for me today and out for a walk with Django.  The sky was amazing – it was crystal clear and very blue; even the strange orb known as the sun put in an appearance and I managed to capture it on the camera behind a tree.

Worryingly, the wind was still pretty strong, I estimated it to be about 20 knots from the South West and not easing as stated in the BBC weather forecast.  Additionally, wisps of scudding cloud were already beginning to form at 06:30…not a good sign.

Briefing was held at 10:30 and everyone was requested to grid beforehand.  Two tasks were set: Task A was a 113.1km Shenington – Worcester – Cherington – Banbury West – Shenington (EDG-WOR-CGT-BA1-EDG).  First launch was set for 12:30.

Steve and I went back to packing up the tent and caravan in preparation for departure form Shenington whilst we waited for first launch.

The sky darkened as the clouds over-developed, spread-out and whizzed past the airfield.  Rain could be seen at various points on the horizon, yet the Director held on and delayed the first launch time several times.  The wind was relentless – cold and very tiring and it was best to be indoors somewhere out of it; this was concurred by Django who snuggled up inside the caravan.

A Snifter was launched and reported back on reasonable thermal climbs but a cloudbase of 2200; this combined with a wind speed of 27 knots at 2000ft makes for difficult, if not impossible cross countries, especially in the smaller gliders.

Eventually, after much hesitation, the Director decided to scrub the day at 15:30. 

So that was it – one competition day…just like Lasham…

What’s next?  Well it’s back to work for a few days, then re-pack everything again and shoe-horn it into the car with a big tent for a trip to Issoudun in France to fly as a part of the British Team Squad in the Women’s Nationals competition.

Watch this space!

Shenington Regionals Saturday 30 June 2012

I took this photograph last night, looking towards the West at about 19:00.  You can clearly see the formation of the lenticular wave bars due to the strength of the wind.

Early this morning there was a tremendous, heavy downpour of rain that bounced off the aluminium roof of the caravan and woke us up.  As I walked Django, the sky was around 6/8ths cloud and through the gaps you could again see the wave bars.  I judged the wind to be South West 20-25kts (hence you can see the glider tied down and ballasted).

Briefing was held at 11:00 at which the Met Man gave an interesting overview of Thursday’s weather in that there had been 13 fronts (warm/cold/occluded/trough) across the country during the one day…most unusual.  The cause of all of this appears to be the Jet Stream which is much further South than normal and which is causing many more Lows to be sweeping across the country, bringing the wet and windy weather.

The weather for today was forecast to be very windy, at times sunshine and at other times showery.  A task of 81.2km was set – Edgehill – Watford Gap – Northampton West – Edgehill (EDG-WAT-NOW-EDG).

We were to be gridded in the 8 acre field, but then pulled out onto the short hard runway to be launched.  This was an attempt to launch further into wind and to avoid the curl over problems associated with the previous day, but there’s not enough room for all 30 gliders to be pre-gridded on the short runway.

I elected to go to the back of the grid, and here you can see JEV beneath the rather turbulent looking sky.

First launch was delayed and a Snifter was launched.  The snifter managed to stay airborne, but rapidly drifted away and found it difficult in the gusty conditions.  The launch was delayed and delayed further until a re-brief was called at the front of the grid.  The Director had been informed by the Met Man that there were two troughs approaching us, one just to the South of us and one in Wales heading in our direction.  The plan was to re-task and hopefully launch us after the first and before the second trough.  The new task was now 83.3km Edgehill – Bidford – Deddingtopn – Banbury West – Edgehill (EDG-BID-DED-BA1-EDG).  Launch was duly delayed for 30 minutes, but the Director didn’t take into account the timing for the approaching trough which hit us and dumped a load of rain across the airfield which then created much dead air. 

The launch was delayed, delayed again and again, until eventually the day was scrubbed at 16:00.  A few pilots elected to fly anyway.

Tonight is the Shenington Gliding Club 1940s Hangar Dance.  I’m not much of a dancer at all, but I’m really looking forward to it!  I will report on how it all went tomorrow….

As regards the weather for tomorrow, well we are all hoping the wind will reduce in speed and that it will dry out a little.  Only time will tell…

Shenington Regionals June 27-28-29 2012

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Well apparently, it’s the second wettest June on records, and we are not at the end of June yet – it therefore could be the wettest ever recorded!

Wednesday dawned dreadfully gloomy as I walked Django.

We were told to rig and grid in the ‘8 acre’ field which we all did, but the weather was not to materialise and eventually after many delays, the day was scrubbed.

The best I could make of it was a run that I did around the village and the airfield, so at least I managed to complete 5kms!

Thursday 28 June 2012

It was really, very hot and humid all day today.  A formal briefing was held at 11:00 today.  The Met Man gave his best performance, but the material he had to present was poor from a gliding perspective.  As soon as he’d finished, an inflatable shark emerged from behind the screen and motored its way around the hangar – what a sight!  Highlight of the day as it was scrubbed.  Sadly, the day improved dramatically during the afternoon and it was probably suitable for a short task. 

Friday 29 June 2012

The briefing today was progressively put back one hour after the other.  At 15:00, there was a sudden flurry of activity and a briefing was hurriedly held at 15:10.  You could tell it was hurried as they re-used  the previous day’s task of 84km from Shenington to Wescott and return (EDG-WEC-EDG).  The wind was howling from a South-West direction and we were required to grid at the Northern end of the field.  This would put us in a position whereby the take-off run would be behind the ‘bund’ around the Karting track.

I had already commented to one of the organisers that I thought that the curl-over from the bank and the cross wind would be too near the limits for some of the tugs.

The view on the grid at 16:00 looked terrific – however, what you don’t get the impression from the image above is the wind strength.

A Snifter was launched and he and the tug pilot reported back that the launch was extremely rough due to the curl-over from the bank.  Shortly after that, the Director scrubbed the day.

So all in all, a pretty awful three days. 

I’ve spent all the time that we were not rigging/gridding/de-gridding, completing the knitted tank top that will form a part of Steve’s fancy dress for the 1940s Hangar Party that will be held on Saturday evening.  I never want to see a knitting needle again for quite some time…..

Shenington Regionals – Tuesday 26 June 2012

As I walked Django first thing this morning, the first thing you noticed was the temperature – it was already a very warm 12 degrees Celsius.

The sky however, was already 8/8ths strato-cumulus.

And the view towards the hill to the West of the airfield did not improve matters.

At briefing at 10:00 the Met Man described an oncoming warm front which would only thicken the cloud further and therefore reduce any opportunity for thermals.

The Director therefore scrubbed the day.