It was a promising day with the promise of wave.
We launched a few who nearly all stayed up but just in thermal.
However, later on, conditions changed and we started getting into the wave. Anne and I got up to FL95 in the Twin and had to stop because there was no NOTAM above FL100 for today. We made our way down to the Lecht and back before the wave all collapsed.
Trevor and Ian took the Duo down to the Cromdales getting up to 7500' after working hard to get into the wave, finally cracking it near Mosstodloch.
The tug decided to stop charging its battery later. We managed to launch the trial lesson and Angie but it looks like the voltage regulator has packed in again. We will need to get a new one on order. It has had its battery charged for tomorrow and will be able to launch as long as the tuggie does lots of launches at once rather than stopping and starting.
And then Sunday turned out to be a more fruitful day than it looked to start with. Lots of overcast and just 3 gliders lined up to go (Mike with Derek in the K21, Bruce in 354 and Mark in R67). The sky was as dead as it looked. Dave got the tug started and we sent those 3 off for short flights. By the time it had launched the third, HYJ was already back on the deck ready for flight 4! A check ride for new Fulmar member Jon Ravenscroft, a Typhoonist with a lot of gliding under his belt already, and then the tug finally gave up. So we got out the winch and fired off 6 launches with Colin Conti's son Luca having a couple, Derek refining his circuits and landings, Colin himself having a shot and Bruce taking the last launch for currency. The sky had started to open up a bit, but still not much energy in it by the end of the day. Thanks to Mark and Anne for driving the winch!
Fingers crossed we can get the part and have the tug back to full operations next weekend.
Some photos from Robert on Saturday afternoon, when the wave produced some lovely cloudscapes.
