All Lasham pilots or pilots making flights from Lasham are encouraged to click here and use the form provided to tell us of their exploits. We want to know about

First Solo's
Badge flights (or heroic attempts) or personal bests of any kind
or any flight that put a big grin on your face

Flights below are in date order (ish) click pilot names to see mugshot entries where available.

John McCullagh
Date: 11 July 2006 Aircraft Type: Discus Registration:150 Task: Sisteron - Matterhorn - Sisteron Distance: 463km Speed: 89kph Duration: 5hr 12min Story: The forecast had been good with an unusually early start at 11:30 but the air in northern Italy was predicted to produce a lower cloud-base there. Initial plans were therefore made for a trip to Mont Blanc. After launch, rapid progress was made northwards with only a few glitches up to the edge of the Maurienne valley, 115km to the north. There the Italian air was leaking in at Mont Cenis and its low cloud was obscuring the view to the north-east. There was attractive cloud on the northern side of the valley, but on arrival I received a typical Maurienne greeting of turbulence and sink. With the local airstrip coming up rapidly, I doubled back and fortunately found good lift to 11,000 feet in the middle of the valley. I could now see fluffy white clouds to the north east and so flew 40km up the Maurienne to a 10,400 foot pass, Col de Caro, where I crossed into the Aosta valley. Despite the forecast, the cloud base was 12,000 feet and so I headed for the Matterhorn 75km away. With 20km to go I found two cloud-bases where the Italian air was mixing in and so I had to double back again and instead fly nearer to the Swiss border to sneak up on the Matterhorn from the west. After a quick look into the Zermatt valley and with dreams of future flights there, I turned for home. After clearing the cols back into and then out of the Maurienne with 1,000 feet to spare, a celebratory banana was followed by a comfortable glide home.
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Alistair Nunn
Date: 11th July 2006 Aircraft Type: Nimbus 3 Registration:374 Task: Lasham to Hereford race course toTibenham airfield to Birdlip to Lasham Distance: 758km Speed: 86kph Duration: 8 hr 45 min Story: Subject to verification... Finally managed not to plank it: even went over Great Malven. Thanks to Dave Masson for the pep talk at 0715 on the morning of the day! He was muttering about remote starts and 800+k - and he did (see other 'how I did it'). The man is a sky god. Not wanting to tempt fate, I sedately wallowed into the air full of water at about 1020 and now having listened to everyone, a) didn't touch any knobs in the cockpit, b) took a tow to 3000 feet over Lasham (many thanks to Andy Hall for the excellent tow). Run up to Hereford started with a lowish cloudbase and a headwind, but it got better and better. Run across the country went a little wobbly as the air went a bit funny (again, Dave was right: stay south - which I only remembered when I was too far North), but picked up again over Cambridgeshire. Had a mild panic when I thought that some cirrus was developing, but ignored it and had a good run into Tibenham - where I met Bernie and DP in Y44. We then set off back West: I then had a romantic 6 kt triste with Dave Masson over Milton Keynes (he was going the other way, so much waving). It started to go bluish by Banbury, and the climbs got weaker, but I bravely pressed on until I had to start dumping water near Birdlip, where I spotted Y44 below me (eh, sorry). We then crept around the turn point and the sky began to look really watery and the wind had gone SW, but boy was I glad I could dump water (I did feel for the boys in Y44 as I climbed away from them). By Swindon, it was beginning to look like another field, but after a 1/2 knotter by Hungerford, and a top up by Newbury, we managed to whizz home with the MacCready set to 2.5. Amazingly, I had remembered to put the wheel up at the start. Many thanks to Roy for his help in trying to download the trace, but alas, the computer beat us. Just hope this doesn't mean anything. Fingers crossed!
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David Masson	See flight details on BGA Ladder
Date of Flight: 11 July 2006 Glider: LS6 W Reg: LS6 Task MEM MEMBURY RAT RATTLESDEN LEO LEOMINSTER BSE BURY ST EDMUNDS MEM MEMBURY Task Time: 10h 24m Distance: 845.8 km Speed: 81.3 kph Pilot comments: Pending confirmation this should be the 15m distance record. A slight query of the 1000m (27ft out!), but there is a rule that allows for this so fingers crossed... I had a couple of 750's prepared. One had a remote start/finish at Membury which should "help" me around the Thame/Luton corner and allow me to use what I thought would be the best air of the day in the Cambridge area four times. I got rigged and watered by 9am and watched the cumulus develop. While towing out I got a phone call saying it was going well there (thank you Kay). That decided for me and I rushed to extend the task and get in the air. When we took off cloudbase was 1500ft QFE and we had a beautiful tow over the cumulus to Membury. Leg1: Quick with a good tailwind, good lines of energy, but low cloudbase, getting lower as I went east. Nearly got tangled up with Luton. Leg2: The direction and nature of the streeting changed completely, but good climbs now. Then into blue-ing out conditions over the Midlands where thermals weren't so good. Back into cumulus/streeting towards Leominster. Leg3: Tailwind less, but climbs better, even in the nearly-blue. Got exceptional around Bedford with good cumulus and strong climbs to around 6000ft QNH. Shame that didn't last a bit longer... Leg4: Turning BSE around 5pm should have given plenty of time to race home, but last good climb was south of Newmarket and the day started dying quickly. Limped on with 2kt climbs and only the odd haze cap to help find them. Epic struggle then with long weak climbs in "evening thermals" at Milton Keynes, Bicester (nearly dropped in) and Oxford which finally got me to Didcot which was still sending up good bubbles. Taking 3 or 4 of these got me on a very comfortable glide to the finish. Did a very crap "landing" at 8:30pm. 11 hours in the air, 10:28 on task. Knackered, dehydrated. Yet again a thermal average of 2.6kts. Most of the time came from good running.
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Kay Draper

Date: 2nd July 2006

Task: LAS - EYE - LAS

Task Time: 3h 6m

Distance 302.9 km

Speed 97.7 kph

300km Out and Return UK Record (Feminine) in Standard, 15m, 20m and Open Classes
(to be confirmed)

See flight on the BGA Ladder

Date: 3rd July 2006

Task: LAS - BIR - NOS - LAS

Task Time: 3h 3m

Distance: 305.7 km

Speed: 100.2 kph

300km Triangle UK Record (Feminine) in Standard, 15m, 20m and Open Classes
(to be confirmed)

See flight on the BGA Ladder

Chris Sterrit	See Flight on the BGA Ladder
Date: 29/06/06 Task: LAS-SKE-LAS Dist: 318 Km Glider reg: CS, my much loved tatty old K6e Achieved: LAS-SKE-Field 12 Km north of the airfield, 307.1 Km on track Task time: 6 hours 21 mins How I dun it: It started badly with a fairly late launch because I wasn't quick enough in the morning and ended up at the back of the grid. I really didn't want to go 159 Km downwind, with the prospect of returning into a 10 kt headwind and sea air cutting off my return. Strangely, Gordon thought it was possible, so I closed my mind to the inevitable land-out and set off. I nearly panned in just south of Basingstoke - down to 1300 ft QFE. Memo to self - try to fly in the lift and avoid sink. I had to turn back because my plan of finding lift over the town failed badly. Still, I got away and that was in fact the worst moment of the whole day. Thanks to David Masson in LS6 for showing me the best climb I had all day - 3.9 kts average for 4 minutes until cloudbase got in my way. Memo: remember to take the radio next time, so you can say 'thanks'. This was just east of Skeffington and my optimism really soared as well. Sadly, the headwind now got the better of me after this point, but it wasn't until I could see the vast blue, dead area south of the M4, filled with the dreaded sea air, that I finally admitted defeat. Never mind, I thought, this time I'll get the best climb I can and see if I can cross the 300 Km line. My Diamond Goal had vanished into sea-air, but the Gold Distance could be on... My final climb was to about 3500 QFE, just north of Reading. Looking at the GPS, I had 35 Km to go with a 10 kt headwind. Maybe Adrian could have done it in 36, but being merely mortal, I ran out of height and picked a field whilst I had time. What a fantastic day - 300 K Gold distance and the 2nd highest scoring flight so far on the BGA Wooden Ladder. PS Many thanks to Graham Garnett for telling me (in the bar, naturally) that I had no chance of ever doing a 300K in a K6. Being a stubborn s*d, that was all the motivation I needed to keep trying. I owe you a beer, mate. Cheers, Chris
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Gerry English	See the flight on the BGA Ladder
Date: 23 June 2006 Aircraft Type: DG808B Registration:G-CCTK Task: LAS-Ringmer-Challock-Newmarket-Calvert Junction-LAS Distance: 453 KM Speed: 79.7 KPH Duration: 5:41 Story: London TMA Circumnavigation Friday, June 23 2006; the sky over Lasham full of cumulous well before Briefing. Best conditions east of the Prime Meridian, with possible top cover from the west closing down the afternoon. I floated the idea of a TMA circumnavigation past the CFI, who said I may have left it too late but to go for it anyway! As ever, Gordon was right on both counts. The planned route was to give a minimum TMA airspace cap of 3500ft. Launched at 1015 straight into 2-3kts to 3800ft(all altitudes amsl(QNH)) with good Cu to Parham. Sure enough I should have started earlier; north of Brighton we were suddenly in blue, dead, sea air and down to 1200'; very relieved to find an isolated 3kts to the giddy height of 2500ft. Once through Ringmer and tracking away from the sea air, it was an easy run up through Challock. Now the Thames Estuary was coming up with naturally, blue dead air once again, on the south shore. We made a good climb to TMA base (3500') approaching the Isle of Sheppey and glid out to cross Isle of Grain at 2200'. With Canvey Island only 5km over the water and lots of lovely Cu to the north, we went for it and at 1300' north of Canvey hooked into 5kts back up to TMA base (phew!). Enjoyed good cumulous northwards to Newmarket with just one more low retrieve, happily with Ridgewell close under my lee. Finally after nearly four hours with a TMA base at 3500', at 1410 we were north of Cambridge and the joy of 5kts to 5000ft. Now staying high and enjoying a late lunch, it was good to turn Calvert Junction and cruise home over familiar terrain once again. One great day out! Remember that David gets useful feedback on his forecasts from our logger traces.
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Charles Baker

Date: 9, 11 June 2006

Aircraft Type: Puchacz

Registration:GCU

Task: Glider Aerobatic Nationals

Story: Silver Medal in the Sports Class of the Glider Aerobatic Nationals at Saltby.

Two known sequences as published on http://www.aerobatics.org.uk/ and one unknown sequence. That is, a sequence published on the morning so there is no opportunity to practice.

Competition aerobatics are good fun!

Darren Kershaw

Date: 28th May
Aircraft Type: Standard Cirrus
Registration:G-CKNB
Task: LAS - ARU - LAS
Distance: 99.7
Speed: Bit more than usual
Duration: 2.12

Story: A Messy Flight

Sunday 28th May looked miserable for at least a week beforehand, the Saturday holding more promise. As it turned out the cold front hadn't cleared by Saturday and Sunday arrived with soarable weather. The mornings briefing was for thickening high level Cirrus as the day progressed but a short soaring window before it got here. The task set was a 203k, Lasham start going south to Amberly, back north to Marlborough and then back to Lasham.

A quite large grid for the day gathered as I rushed about trying to get ready. They launched quite early as I faffed around forgetting one thing after another and having to make countless trips back to the clubhouse. After missing the grid go at about 11.30 I asked DCFI Colin if it was ok for me to attempt the first part of the task down to Amberly, expecting that at my average cross country speeds I might just make it. He agreed and I promptly rushed to get the task setup, making a mistake and setting Arundel as the turnpoint in my PDA.

Towed the lovely clean Cirrus out to the launchpoint and got in line. Got launched at 12.30 and started to get in the way of locally soaring gliders before getting to a reasonable height to start the task.

First mistake made, I missed the start line by flying around the western end of the line. The task doesn't actually register as starting, although my PDA still shows it as active and gives me a direction. The first 20-30k goes by quite quickly for me with some great streeting, although cloud base stays quite low, I didn't see over 3400 QNH for the whole trip.

Having just read Pete Masson's article in S+G about improving your cross country speed I'm eager to follow his suggestions and am trying to think ahead as far as possible. I have to keep slapping myself on the wrist to not turn in every bit of lift I come across and enjoy some nice long glides, or at least a lot longer than I would normally have done. The time goes by very quickly and before I know it I'm over a very pretty little town, looking down at a spectacular castle and quaint town centre. As was mentioned later that day, Arundel is a very good example of a reason for the CAMRT (Campaign For Real Turnpoints) to exist. After rounding the wrong turnpoint I am surprised that my PDA hasn't bleeped to tell me I'm on the second leg. I decide to go back again and go right around the outside edge of the sector to make sure I've gone through. Of course I don't know at this stage that I didn't start the task, so I just accept that something is wrong with it and start back to Lasham.

Into wind now and the going gets a little harder but I still attempt to glide as far as I can without turning. A slightly low point but the best thermal of the day at an actual average of 3.9kts for the whole climb pleases me no end. I'm happily racing what I think was an ASW20 back and swap places as we take turns to thermal, neither of us using the others thermals in an attempt at psychological warfare. I take the lead as we get about half way between Petersfield and Alton. I'm cruising along watching the altimeter unwind as I wait patiently for the next thermal that's good enough for me to take, ignoring anything under 3 knots.

Unbeknown to me the high cirrus cloud has arrived on the front of 80knot winds at height, instantly cutting off lift for the day as it quietly blocks out the sun. Meanwhile I'm blissfully waiting, listening and watching the vario, beginning to think that something isn't quite right with the situation. I can see Lasham in the distance as I get just past Oakhanger airspace but I'm at about 1000' feet and getting a bit desperate. 'Where has all the lift gone?' I only need another 1000' and I'm home.

Oh bugger. Looking at the ground I pick a likely field and start to hunt for that final saving bit of lift. No birds around, no clouds and no chance. I turn in a circuit and realise that it is all hopeless; I'm resigned to going down. The field I picked I now study a bit closer and begin to realise that it only looks big enough because all of the others around it are really small. I see another that will do at the bottom of a large hill with a farmhouse at the end of it. I have visions of drinking tea, eating a big ploughman's sandwich in the comfort of a lovely kitchen as I wait for an easy retrieve for someone about 30 minutes form the airfield.

Over the trees and I like the look of the surface, very nicely tilled with a tiny head of a well spaced crop showing. I'm holding off and losing all the energy well, trying not to land. As I look ahead I begin to see that the actual part of the field that I'm going to land in seems very rough and ploughed. I quickly shut the brakes but it's too late, I've got no energy left and I'm landing there whether I like it or not. Oh double bugger. I have visions of me trying to explain why I broke the glider rush through my head as I prepare for what seems like a very rough landing.

I probably closed my eyes just at the moment of touchdown to prepare for the bang and jolt into the rough land. There's what sounds like a rather loud raspberry as the wheel hits and I come to an abrupt halt, the nose hits as the ground splats and sucks the glider down. I wait for a second and check that that alls ok then open my cockpit to rather bad smell. The ground I thought was ploughed was in fact a large circle of cow manure that had been placed in what was obviously an infertile part of the field. I had quite literally landed in the sh*t. I gingerly step out and walk across a thin crust on the poo to the edge of the field and begin the trip down to the house.

Getting close to the farmhouse I can see that there is no way into the field from the road and that a large wire fence separates the house from the field. The owner is a very nice man who happily informs me that the farmer lives just down the road, about 10 miles away. Oh god, a retrieve from hell.

Suffice to say I didn't mention all of these facts when I made my call back to Lasham and the two experienced people who came out initially soon brought my fears home by explaining that the only way out was to take it apart where it sat in the muck and lift everything about ½ a kilometre down the field, over a hedge and across the headland of the next field to get to the road. Luckily the people at Lasham are truly wonderful and soon there were 5 strapping helpers (I would say young men but this isn't really a work of fiction) who gave up their afternoon to help. I can't thank them enough for what they did, without them I would still be sat in the largest cowpat in Hampshire moaning about how unfair life is.

Thanks to them I now have a memory of a great flight with lots of lessons for future flights, the first of which is to add another letter S to the end of the field checks.

Bob Bickers	Download IGC file
Date:17th January 2006 Aircraft Type: ASW 24 Registration:247 25000ft over Mt Cook, New Zealand for Diamond Height
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Hugh Kindell and Andy Aveling

Date: Thursday 26th January

Aircraft Type: Duo Discus T

Registration:570

Task: South Downs Bustser-Eastbourne-Butser-Lewes-Butser

Distance: 330Km

Duration: 5hrs 20m ( 0.09 engine time)

Story:

Wind was 045/20Kts. We took off at 0928 hrs and released just east of Alton over the A31 at 2000' QFE Lasham. We arrived at Butser just about ridge height and confirmed that it was working well before heading east. We passed Parham before any launching started and had a good but slow run due to the headwind, to Eastbourne with no real problems crossing any of the gaps in the ridge. On the return to Butser at Harting we had an overall thermal average of 4.6kt to 3000' QFE LAS and duly headed northwards to Lasham. We pushed into wind but the street ahead was decaying offering no real strong climbs so we scuttled back to the ridge. We then completed another run east to Lewes and back to Butser. We left Butser at 1200' QFE LAS and had to use 0.09 hours of Turbo time to get us back to Lasham. We landed some 5hours plus later at 1448hrs just in time to de-rig before the condensation set in.

Tips for South Downs flights:
Speak to Gordon/Colin to check conditions OK, if it's your first time ask them to take you in a 2 seater, there's no Lasham soaring charges in the winter months! Telephone Parham to confirm that the ridge is working. Parham normally operate on Wednesdays and at weekends/bank holidays plus any day that the ridge is working. You can get aerotow retrieves from Parham to LAS, it's cheaper if you use their tugs! Monitor XC weather, Met Office form 214 and make use of the Lasham weather station to determine the viability of a suitable ridge day. There's a very good booklet with maps and south downs soaring techniques in different wind directions titled "Soaring The South Downs Ridge" written by Dick Dickson. I believe it is available from the Lasham office and costs around £5, it's well worth it.

The South Downs Ridge will work in any northerly direction when the wind sock is in line with the medium runway 050 through to 345 with a wind speed of at least 15kts. Normally the stronger the wind the ridge will work well to boundaries of these direction limits, less strength the limits may well be reduced. Wind in the east allows you to fly further along the ridge eastwards beyond Lewes. Winds west of North limit the ridge flight to Lewes.

Some magnificent soaring is to be had using the South Downs. This January we have had at least four ridge days to my knowledge. January 1st was the first but I suspect everybody was hung over to take advantage of it. 2nd was on the 26th . 3rd was on the 28th when Peter Reading & Mike Parkin went down in 776, they had an aerotow retrieve from Parham after having explored the ridge between Harting and Glynebourne. 4th was on the 29th when Peter Reading and myself, flying in 570, did a similar trip to Peter's on the previous day. Who says you can't soar from Lasham in winter!