12 minutes air time

Today I drove over fifty miles out and fifty miles back all for 12 minutes air time. Last night a few club members expressed intentions of going out to Dungiven or White Mountain. I left the house about 10 and arrived about 11 at Dungiven, I sat eating sandwiches until a fellow novice pilot arrived and we both went to check our kit before the 'grown ups' arrived. Although the wind was a little off to the north it seemed like it could be flyable.

Buy the time we were ready to fly other pilots had arrived and they helped the other novice to launch off the hill. Unfortunately her flight was short and a top to bottom. Another quite experienced pilot took off only to land shortly after and announce that the conditions were "not nice" by which he meant turbulent due to the North element in the wind. Having just been put on my arse by the wing when I failed to stand with it above my head for more than a minute or two I had to agree. So I packed the glider and followed the 'grown up' pilots to White Mountain.

I was up against the clock because I needed to be back to collect the kids from school. When I arrived at White mountain I didn't waste any time in getting to the top of the hill but when I saw the conditions I slowed down. The wind was strong at times but this seemed to go in cycles. I watched nearly all the other 6 pilots get off the hill before I was happy enough with the conditions join them.

After a few false starts I got the wing above my head and launched into great dynamic soaring conditions. After a few minutes flying I noticed one side of the glider lifting more than the other I turned the glider towards the side that was getting more lift (like I have read I am supposed to in a thermal). I think that today I was starting to tune into a thermal. I even performed a 360 turn to see if I could find more strength. I am far from captain thermal at the moment but I guess you have to keep at least thinking about these things.