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DATE: Saturday 3rd May 2008
SITE: Bache Hill
REPORT DAY 2:
The day dawned very grey with a flat looking sky. However the forecast was for 3 or 4 up climbs, a moderate SE or SSE wind and the likelihood of showers developing later. A task was therefore called at Bache Hill.
On arrival there, the wind was fairly well on the hill and the sky still looked very uninspiring. Despite that, the pilots all rigged and were probably hopeful of at least getting some air time. The task was set as a 50k Elapsed Time Race to Anywhere. A red ribbon pilot took off first and demonstrated that it was at least soarable and this encouraged a slow but steady stream of comp pilots to follow.
Most of the first couple of hours, the climbs were very weak and broken with nobody gaining any significant height. Eventually. the grey top cover started to thin and a few cumulus attempted to form. Bill Bell made a dash over the back from rather low but was unable to find anything else, then several gaggles managed to get enough height to activate the task and set things going in earnest.
The final results had 7 pilots making the 50k goal distance and the majority of pilots scoring more than minimum distance points and everyone gaining significant airtime after a poor Spring for flyable weather. Altogether a satisfying day and the forecast showers did not make an appearance.
From Skywings!
The Saturday forecast was similar, with showers predicted in the afternoon and a 15mph south-south-east wind, so it was off to Bache hill with the intention of trying to get a task in quickly before the showers. When we arrived there was a
uniform layer of stratus cloud cover, and the wind dummies showed that although it was ridgesoarable there was little thermic activity. Since there might well be showers, a 50km “race to anywhere” was set to allow pilots the flexibility follow any better bits of sky that might develop, and avoid any showers that might arrive. Although some pilots launched as soon as the launch opened at 12:45 there was no great rush.
An hour or so later the stratus was starting to thin a bit and the air was starting to get a bit more active,but thermals were all petering out around 3,000ft. Some brighter sky upwind was coming our way, but it wasn't until after 3pm that the first gaggle left. Conditions continued to improve, with the stratus clearing away and few punchy spring thermals up to 700fpm, but there were a lot of weaker thermals in between. Seven pilots made it to the 50km mark and Carl Wallbank, who left in the first big gaggle, won the day. Robin Rhodes and Bruce Kavanagh were joint 2nd having been amongst the last group
to leave the hill and gaining the benefit of the better conditions. Graham Phipps's instruments failed and he had to shout down to Carl in his landing field to ask if he'd got past the 50km mark before landing there. The highlight of the evening was the Wills Wing dinner at the Three Tuns brewery pub in Bishop's Castle, where Wills Wing provided an excellent meal for all their pilots.
