Gliding 1950 - Lakes Gliding Club

~T'HIS was a very surprising flight, and it is
not often that after seventeen years'
sailflying one is surprised.
On the last Saturday ofthe 1950 National
Contests it was announced that if any
competitor decided to attempt an out-andreturn
flight to Boston, 73 miles away,
special arrangements had been made to
mark the turning point. This had proved
very necessary, because two days before I
had-attempted an out and part return flight
to Coltishall, and in spite of previous
warning, the watchers there failed to spot
me whilst for nearly 20 minutes I circled
down from 4,000 feet. When they eventually
gave me a recognition signal I was down to
600 feet and couldn't get away.
As a result of this, my wife and I had
worked out a method which, whilst it had
.certain obvious disadvantages, appeared
extremely likely to solve the problem, and
in fact we used it on this occasion with
complete success.
Before take-off, I estimated the average
speed I would achieve on the outward
flight, and hence the estimated time of my
arrival at the turning point, after gelling
. aJl'a); ji-om tlte site on the first thermal. A
. few days earlier, on a goal race to Boston in
rather similar weather, I had done the
distance in I hr. 40 mins. after getting away.
On that flight I had of course delayed takeoff
\Jntil the time of day when maximum
thermal strength had developed, whereas
OD this flight I clearly had to get away as
early as possible. I therefore estimated
two hours, and in the event was right to
within five minutes.
I took offat 10.40, and got away at 12.10.
At 2.10 p.m. my wife phoned "BQston, and in
effect asked them to go out and examine
the sky with great care, as there was a sailplane
circling overhead between 2,000 and
4,000 feet. There was no need in this case
to ask them to fire me a Verey light, because
··a letter. changed every hour, was being
displayed on the airfield.
The man came back to the phone a
minute later and in a somewhat surprised
voice replied that my wife was right.
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