Richard Barber @ Monks Down & Combe 29 April

Having looked at the forecast for the alps early on Friday and compared them to the weatherjack forecast for the UK, there seemed little point in using my easyjet flights when it would only cost me £20 or so to change them...

Having decided the alps were out I then spent the rest of the afternoon surveying the weather forecasts at work....

I determined that the weather looked more promising further west and as there was a possibility that the wind would be a little North Easterly, I headed down to squat at mothers house conveniently placed near shaftsbury....

After I got up this morning I surveyed weatherjack and felt a little smug as Compton Abbas airfield was indicating 6 - 12 MPH winds NNE. as almost everywhere else was showing no wind at all!

After seeing the chart I left immediately (without changing the sheets, sorry mum!) and headed for Monks Down. I followed another pilot the last couple of miles to the site (another Richard) and we both got our gear out and started to get ready. Richard took off before me on his zoom and had a few scratchy beats back and forth, just about maintaining but definetely not going up. He then landed just as I'd finished faffing with my kit and sure enough a nice cycle came through right on queue. We took off again and he managed to climb to about 350M, but failed to really get through the inversion. I had been luckier and managed to keep with the lift to about 530M or 240M about launch, but the cycle petered out and as it was still early (before 11am), I didn't risk going over the back. I then pushed forward and quickly found myself back on the deck.

By this time a gaggle of other pilots arrived all of whom had initially gone to Bell (NW site), but had given up as it was too far to the North / North E.

When I next took off there were about 20 of us all stuck under the inversion, bouncing between T/O height and 350M... The lift areas were small and occasionally quite rough, but no one seemed to be having any trouble dealing with the conditions.

After an hour or so, I landed again and vented to Richard about the inversion and my complete incapacity to penetrate through it. I then hooked back in and waited. Eventually the cloud that was putting the hill in shadow passed and brought another cycle through.

I took off straight into lift. I then thermalled up, concentrating on staying with the lift and doing my damnest to ignore the fact that i was now heading over the back very low and not completely clear of the inversion. But, as far as I was concerned it was either going to be a fun XC or a landing in Madonna's estate, both options would give me something to talk about anyway!

Just as I was beginning to contemplate that I might not be going anywhere, I felt a reassuring tug as the climb which had almost come to a complete stop, start again with a slightly rough but reassuring 2UP which took me to 1000M or so where I decided to head off on glide only to find no more lift!

I landed at a farm about 2KMs past Tarrant Gunville and after a short spell of attempting to hitch got a taxi back to Monks, where it was looking pretty cloudy and not terribly inspiring, so I decided to head to Combe on my way back to London.

When I arrived there were about 30 wings in the air and about another 40 on the floor. It looked okay, so i got ready as fast as possible and was in the air within 3 - 4 minutes of arriving.

The conditions were pretty similar to those at Monks except the cycles were a bit stronger and it isn't the ideal site to fly in a NNE! However, I got up a bit and started thermalling with a tandem, but i fell out of the back of the thermal and got drilled to the ground, only to look up and see the tandem gaining height and distance away from the hill at great speed (bugger!).

I got myself organised in the middle of a very strong cycle so moved forward to the front of launch and decided to try and takeoff, which i did, but it wasn't so much a takeoff as a lift off!

After about 10seconds I looked down at my screaming vario to find the averager had already reached over 3M/S! Great perhaps I was going to go XC again after all!

I then started to thermal up a bit with a couple of others who seemed a little more determined to stay above the ridge than me. I ignored them (knowing little of the site and headed over the back in the lift I was in). The other pilots then headed over the back and I figured we would probably meet up at base...

However, this was a nice reminder as to the Niave idiot that I am as at that moment I lost the lift and had to decide whether I wanted to run downwind and hope for some unlikely lift or risk heading back to the hill, but risk arriving behind the spinback.

Having already had one lousy XC I decided to head back and my trusty Tempest battled well against the headwind and got me back to above takeoff just above launch.... only to see the other gaggle just behind me also having given up on their xc adventure!

I then decided to sack it as the conditions were still quite strong / rough and it didn't appear I was going to get any decent distance, SILLY ME! As soon as I'd packed up I watched the other guys i'd been thermalling with hook into another thermal that this time kept going to base..

After landing I had a chat with a few pilots who hadn't flown since the morning and we discussed the problems of the dyke (busy and incident rich). Just as we finished our discussion an almighty gust came though and we then saw/ heard one pilot have a BIG frontal and then watched the other pilots in his area have collapse after collapse whilst being tossed around the sky!

One of the pilots was then over enthusiastic trying to pump out a small collapse and spun his glider. After about 700* of turn or so, he did the right thing and threw his reserve and had a safe landing.

I ran over to stop him getting dragged with a few others and was very happy to see he was okay and I am pretty sure he will be investing in an SIV course soon!

All in all an eventful and excellent days flying, but once again the dangers were there for all to see.

Richard