Saturday 17th October - Butser North - PG
I don’t mind people knowing that I love Butser hill. The place has been good to me over the years but you have to treat it with the right attitude, take it for what it is.
Saturday was a typical example. Got there was 8.30. cold, clear skies with a smooth light NNE. Flew a short hop then updated Twitter. Soon Darren joined me and got some pleasant soaring in. By lunch time the wind had dropped and we were grounded, shorten Alun arrived. More short hops and tricky slope landings set the scene. A third pilot joined us, Tom, a regular of the Thames and Green Dragon sites, who hadn’t flown Butser before. He was given a detailed site tour by Darren. Shortly after the sky began showing hints of blues, the sun showed its face and the wind picked up with the arrival of punchy little thermals. Several fast climbs could be had, with Darren and Alun making good accounts of themselves. Our peak heights were just under 500ft ATO. Great to look down of the old hill once again! Unfortunately the NNE wind was pushing the thermals over the valley and I didn’t have enough height to venture into the No Man’s Land. Tom also flew at this point and flew well considering his apprehension to flying such a small and unusual site. Tom and Darren suffered small collapses but they were well handled.
By 3pm the thermals were gone, leaving behind a cold and lumpy air mass so we all called it a day.
A really enjoyable day with the challenging conditions making us feel all the more satisfied with our modest efforts.
You don’t need the alps when you have this place.
At butser we make a mountain out of a mole hill
Jason Smith
Well said Jason
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