Not the easiest of days but well worth the effort!

This morning we ventured out to the Ashdown Forest which started out breezy but as time went on it warmed up and the wind eased a little and finally we were blessed with some good strong thermals. We had an excellent turnout with Rob, Jack, Graham, Tim, Geoffrey, Bill, myself and Clint (a welcome newcomer to the group). Graham was cheating a little with his big floaty glider with the motor up front but he definitely got the duration award. Jack had his vintage Gentle Lady that had its ups and downs but its last flight must have got to a 1000ft, so Jack wins the height award. Rob tried out his 2.7mtr floater that unfortunately didn't last too long but out came the Pretty motor glider that performed well. I flew my trusty old Algebra which on its first flight hooked a lovely thermal but then had a few rubbish launches which ended up it being crunched in between two small holly bushes.

But for me, my highlight was the Dream-Flight Alula Evo. Several flights over 5 mins in what was a very windy day for such a light glider. It did get some good launches and performed well if not a bit twitchy on the elevator. All in all, I enjoyed myself and I hope all the other who came along did so too? The Forest doesn't hand its lift out on a plate (if that makes sense?) There is no massive slope to fall back onto and the landings are somewhat of a lottery with all the gorse and bushes. You have to find the lift, work for it and when it happens you get lifted up high and become a tiny dot (just likes Jack's glider).