It's been a while since the Club arranged a visit to this slope and we were not disappointed. In my opinion I consider it to be one of the very best slopes we have in Sussex, especially for basic flying training and of course the magnificent views of the South Downs. I may be biased as I conducted most of my initial training on this slope under the guidance of our club instructors.
Another reason for the outing was to meet up with two potential members, Nick and Sam both were thoroughly nice chaps and I do hope they decide to join our club. Over the past two years we have had a number of individuals enquire about club membership. Usually these are chaps who have past experience but have not flown recently and at the other end of the spectrum is our newest member Gary who is an enthusiast and will require some instruction, he came along this morning to watch. I am pleased to say that in today's environment our small club is going from strength to strength. We now have 48 members.
The weather provided us with excellent lift from the 35 MPH plus wind speed and almost clear sky's. However, I think the windspeed was at the top limit of my SAS Wildthing and sometimes the landing was problematic.
Another club member was present, Paul H was flying his Dammit glider and considering how lightweight it is coped very well with the prevailing conditions.
We spent about two hours on the slope which allowed me to brief our potential members on the workings of Slope Soaring Sussex and also gave me the chance to fly my Wildthing.
Paul and I decided to call it quits and make our way back down to the cars. Just as we got to the lay by the heavens opened.
In summary, a very good morning's flying and hopefully two new club members in the future. Already looking forward to our next outing.