Just to let you know I managed a quickie today. As usual just a small window between gales and heavy rain. I was confident the sunny forecast looked right for a 9.30am flight with WSW at Sl Curn. As I drove up past the first windmill it even looked just a touch more WNW; even better, by the time I get rigged it will have come spot on. When I got to the second windmill it was reading very wrong. Went back down and realised I had read the first one back to front and it was actually blowing SE!!!! Thats confidence for you.
At Brandywell met Giles on way to work and it looked good for Ben y Phot. I thought it would be fairly lifty, with the wind forecast to increase. Took off into SSE 19mph, just right and nice. I thought the flying would be fine but wasn’t sure about:
a) How easy it would be to ground handle after a top landing in an hour or so given that wind was to pick up steadily.
b) If I left it too late would I be able to penetrate to get as far south as St Lukes Church for a safer bottom landing (in less wind lower down).
Had 40 mins and 850ft ATO and landed fine at St Lukes. Pleasant 1 hour walk back up by which time the cloudbase had descended 1000ft to sit right down on the hill and wind had increased to over 30mph.
Pleased to have got the best out of the day, to have had my best flight on Ben y Phot so far and soared Carraghan.
Doubt there will be anything between now and the meeting but hope to see you all Thursday.