Flying Report for Monday, January 1st, 2024

After a prolonged period of inclement weather, it was wonderful to turn up to an airfield smothered with sunshine and blue skies, tickled with a light wind.

Matt Cook is a, “New to RAF Shawbury Gliding Club” Full Cat, who has been flying from the Long Mynd.  He stepped into the breach and provided instructional support for members that hadn’t flown much in the last few months.

With Colin safely ensconced in WG………..

…………Connor and Matt were first up in R22 with Connor champing at the bit to shrug off the rust of the last few weeks of the year where flying has almost been impossible.

The skies became overcast as a classic warm front drew into the area, for all you ab initios and those of you are just plain interested, a warm front is the transitional zone where a warm air mass is replacing a cold air mass. Warm fronts generally move from southwest to northeast and the air behind a warm front is warmer and more moist than the air ahead of it. In the pics below, it can be seen in diagrammatic form and by photo curtesy of Colin.

Next Sophie took advantage of Matt’s Full Cat capabilities, by sticking him in front of her in R22 and making him comply with a BI lesson in aileron control and turning.  She then chucked him out and went off to do a solo over the soggy Shropshire countryside (although not before switching to the front seat!).  A big thank you to Matt.

Our Rev. gave thanks to the Weather Gods by adding to his TMG hours doing a few circuits of the airfield in KE.  Soon he will be able to take passengers and provide another tug pilot for our club.

The last flight of the day was Colin who towed R22, containing Matt, to a reasonable height where he bimbled about in not quite zero sink for half an hour.

Colin then flew WG over to see if Attingham Park was still afloat on the banks of the River Severn, as you can see, it is, but barely.

So, to conclude, a really nice day’s flying.  A positive and hopeful start to the new year.

It just leaves me to wish all of you, from all of RAF Shawbury Gliding Club, all the best for the New Year, may you achieve your goals and reach the heights you set to yourself, and most of all, have fun along the way.