| Flight details: | Saw Facebook entry by Andrew Craig saying that the Dyke 'seemed OK', and rushed to see. Looked OK, but not special. Had a couple of flights, never getting above 200 ATO when anyone would let me thermal. Finally tried a flight along the NW face,and climbed slowly up in front of take off. Loads of pilots on the ground, watching me, but obviously they didn't like getting high, as noone followed. John Porter now with me, and we climb to 1500 above really slowly. I'm still debating whether our southerly drift will get us anywhere, but then John finds a better core, and then we start going up at a steady 5-up. Lubby jubbly, we're off! Eventually got to 3800 over, half way to the A27, and I decided that it's time to leave the thermal, as it's too good, and will see us in airspace in a few minutes. Headed off on a glide that still went up.... John now following. Got to the University still at 2200 ATO, having glided 3000' over ASDA (yippee!). At the Uni, had to climb in rough thermal, and headed off again, now 3000 ATO. I never turned again after this. Climbed to 4000 over Lewes with ears in, mostly in 6-up lift. Saw a rigid HG thermalling above me as I glided under him in that 6-up... Not sure why he was bothering... then got sucked into cloud, now the vario is crying out in pain, and it's 8.2-up on the averager with ears in! Yikes! For one mad moment, thought about letting the ears out,and seeing what sort of lift this really was. Thought better of that, and finally the vario stops screaming, and I descend below the white stuff. Came out of cloud in same direction as I entered; a miracle in itself. Flew over Caburn, and white flakes of snow/hail start laying on my flight deck. Must be Spring... Then glided on without much further incident to land in the middle of nowhere, just short of Arlington Reservoir. Kissed the ground, checked colour of underpants, and converted to religion. Was packing up when Martin Forss appeared, and offered me a lift to a station. Brilliant, |
