The A competition task for Friday was to take off from Blease Fell and then try to get back to Blease Fell via a turn point at Grasmere.

The A competition task for Saturday was to take off from Carrock Fell. Then to fly to a waypoint on West Fell before returning to take off and then on to a goal at the football pitch at Threkeld.

The B competition started on Whiteless Pike. The forecast was for a light southerly but the actual wind was lively from the l where conditions were lively to say the least. The task was to fly up to a road junction in Lorton Vale, then back to takeoff, then over Grisedale Pike to Keswick. No-one made it to the first way point.

The task for the B competition on Saturday was take off at Carrock Fell and then fly to a goal at the football pitch near Threkeld.

LCC Coaching 3rd and 4th June 2011

The coaching group totalled 10 pilots, all low airtime but with a fairly wide range of experience and aspirations. The coach was Chris Field, assistance was provided by Dave Robinson and Rick Livingstone (Friday) and Rick (Saturday)

Friday – Buttermere Moss

A forecast of sunny, light and variable led the coaching group to Buttermere Moss with the plan to fly down to Buttermere while conditions remained light then return to enjoy the soaring as conditions strengthened. The 2 speed wing pilots understandably opted out of Phase 1 in favour of a long walk up/adrenaline ride down High crag. One pilot strained his groin on the approach to the launch however the remaining 7 pilots, coach and 2 helpers arrived on launch to find conditions marginal but encouraging. Dave Robinson nobly sacrificed himself to the weather gods, launched and (much to his relief) found the breeze comfortably stay-uppable and top-landable. In the course of the next hour all the coached pilots launched, soared and top landed. Several achieved impressive heights above launch and only one chose to head for the landing field. The day warmed and conditions became stronger and thermic necessitating a more resolute approach to launching. The missing speed wing pilots rejoined the group for some proper flying. In spite of the tricky, bordering on scary, conditions all the pilots successfully, if not actually cheerfully, launched, thermalled and made good safe and sensible decisions. The day ended with pilots flying down to an impromptu inaccuracy competition in the ‘long one behind the fish’

Saturday – Sandbeds.

A fairly discouraging NE forecast sent all LCC groups towards Carrock. To avoid the crowds the coaching group (less the speed wing pilots but plus one late arrival) headed for Sandbeds. On arrival conditions were strong, off the hill, overcast and cold. However, after a chilly wait, gliders were seen popping up over Carrock so the coach launched from low on the hill to find perfectly safe soaring conditions. Given the limitation of the short beat (around 50m on the soarable face) only one pilot at a time could soar. After a couple of pilots launched and landed conditions improved to the point the soaring pilots could be ‘parked’ in the bowl to the south. It became possible to launch 4 or 5 pilots simultaneously. Conditions were fairly tricky but provided a good opportunity for slope/top landing practice. The coaching group was occasionally joined by migrating A comp pilots attracted by laid out gliders presumably much as a decoy duck attracts game fowl to the guns. In spite of the discouraging conditions pilots had a worthwhile day gaining experience in launching, soaring, and top/slope landing in far from easy conditions.

Coaching was a success. The group enjoyed extremes of Lake District flying; the sublimity of thermalling over Buttermere on a glorious summer’s day and freezing your whatsits off on a piddly little ridge with a 50m beat. The experience was greatly enhanced by the assistance of Dave and Rick. However the key ingredient for success was the enthusiasm, cheerfulness and positive attitude of the participants. Brilliant – thanks guys!