It can seem, after getting up at 7 in the morning and starting to cycle out at 7:30, that it's then very unfair to arrive at the airfield only to find everybody sitting around waiting for the spitting of rain-trying-to-happen to cease and desist. However, I would advise everybody who encounters this situation to do exactly what I did, which is basically to nap on the couch.

However, by 12 we had gliders out and were ready to launch ourselves into the great sinkbowl that was the sky. On the third launch, I was convinced this was going to be one of those expensive days of circuit-bashing. Which is when IT happened. We flew into an 8 knot thermal and were away! An hour and a half of gorgeous soaring, only interrupted by the voice of the instructor telling me not to fly  'like an agriculural driving a tractor'. I'm assuming I mishear this, and he was in fact comparing my extreme elegance of movement and coordination to ballet instead. 

Coming down is always a depressing experience, especially when you don't have to. Usually, the sneaky instructor will pretend you need some practice using the airbrakes or more stalls, and out of the sky you topple. However, this is the first time I didn't mind one bit, as I have today flown one of the most marvellous things I have ever flown, namely my very first LOOP-THE-LOOP! I couldn't help singing loudly on the way back to Cambridge. Someday that person being awesome in the air, that'll be me!

I may get murdered in the night by a mysterious person whose name begins with 'M' unless I write a blog post, so here it is! As unpolished as I can make it, to make sure that nobody will be forcing me to write these too often.

And the big news is: I have aerotowed for the first time in my life! Having got control of the glider at about 800 feet, my goal was to keep the tug at the same position on the canopy 'as a squashed fly', as the instructor put it. Of course, when he did it, that was exactly what it looked like. As soon as I got control, the fly came alarmingly alive, and there is not a single part of the canopy it did not roam to.

Having got to 2000 feet, I then proceeded expertly to find the areas of most sink, and then do some (if I say so) very beautiful tight turns in them, the goal being to be the fastest person ever to be back on the ground after an aerotow. This I managed admirably, having taken exactly 13 minutes. The next goal is to bring this down to 10, which will save an extra 5 minutes of soaring fees. Minimizing these fees is of course the sole reason for my existence.

The exciting adventures continue this evening, when I shall be single-handedly attempting to wrench the sun from behind the clouds it likes to lurk behind.

Unfazed by last week’s failure and emboldened by the predictions of it being a 500k day I cleared the weekend for some outstanding gliding.

Having arrived at the airfield it was clear the day was not going to be as good a promised, the conditions where overcast and unsoarable. I was accompanied by Graham and James who had hatched a cunning plan, convert to the CGC Discus. Having had a handful of short flights in CU I decided that a Discus conversion would be more fun than any more circuits.

By now it was about 3 pm and things were starting to look up, the possibility of local soaring arose. It was my time to hatch a cunning plan. I declared the task GRL – CAX – HDW – GRL. For those who don’t speak BGA turn points, Gransden Lodge to Caxton Gibbet, Hardwick and back home. A grand total of 22 km. With the most distant, point (Hardwick) only 9 km away. Although this is a perfectly acceptable task is so tiny that most pilots would not bother, the whole thing can be done under local soaring rules and the Discus can cover the distance between Gransden Lodge and Hardwick and only loose 700ft!

So why bother with this tiny task?

1)      I could practise using the loggers, and turning turn points correctly.

We usually write about peoples successes in gliding which can give the impression that gliding is easy or certain. So I’m sharing a story of abject failure in the hope that you can learn from some of my mistakes.

After a dismal 2012 I have been itching to get my Silver Badge this year, buoyed by the fact that James has just completed his silver, and that the weather for the weekend was looking good. I planned a task West to Husbands Bosworth and back, which should comfortably get me my 50 km silver leg and 100 km diploma, I aslo wanted to do my Silver height gain.  I intended to take off at midday and be back by 2 pm to make another commitment at home around 4 pm.

Mistake 1: I had panned my task well in advance, (on the Thursday before Sunday flying) and not modified my plans based on the changing forecast.

Mistake 2: adding in an unnecessary time pressure, by having another thing to do on the same day

I arrived at around 9:15 and started to rig the glider, it took longer than usual as I was rigging alone, and had to replace batteries in the loggers.

Mistake 3: Not having got the kit ready in advance