Recent Flying
Club flying pics on Flickr
Wednesday 1st Sept 2010
We planned to fly the 1st day of Spring, damn and we should have tried harder
too. Phil, John and Brian all arrived at noon along with thickening high cloud.
No one was keen so we called off Gary but decided to throw KG into the air
anyway to confirm general flatness...nothing. We left by 1pm. However the day did come
right, the high cloud had a blue gap, thermals appeared and by 2pm it was looking
really good. By 3 the wave had appeared! Cripes things moved fast!
Sunday 29th August 2010
Not a great forecast, the sky was 8/8 stratus with the odd shower about. Phil
and Geoff did circuits in RLS and Aaron and Greg flew ERW with Roger B. It
seemed just unstable enough to get the gliders out despite the lack of any sun.
John and Brian rigged and each got an hour of local soaring.
Tuesday 24th August 2010
This must be a record---midweek flying during winter!! Malcolm gave his two
Japanese exchange students an aerotow each in JW, staying aloft for around
30mins each, and Phil took a high tow in KJ and managed 50mins. Conditions were
too stable for any appreciable lift to form but it was good to be back in the
air on a nice sunny day after the dull no-flying days of winter. Thanks to Gary
for turning out for the three aerotows.
Sunday 22nd August 2010
ERW was away on a Mainland Air charter so we pulled the winch out for some
circuit practice. Conditions were squally with a front going through but little
lift around. Malcolm gave his Japanese exchange student a couple of trial
flights in JW and then flew with Don Lamont and his son. Phil gave KJ an airing
with two flights and managed to work a bit of lift in front of an approaching
squall. Thanks to Pete for operating the winch for a total of 8 flights.
Earlier in the day Roger Bennett took Bob Kilgour for a sightseeing tour in the
Technam RLS.
July 25th 2010
A fine sunday, even above freezing for a change...Aaron and Dion flew with
Roger in ERW, Doug did his BFR with John in JW, and Malcolm took a high tow
above the clouds to look at the snow on the Dunstans. Steve Morton had a couple
of winch flights at the end of the day.
July 17/18th 2010
Saturday saw Geoff and Steve W. flying to Manapouri in RLS, sunday was also
fog-free for a change so a few hardy glider pilots assembled in the cold.
Vivienne had 5 flights in JW, earning her BFR and also flying a friend from
Dunedin. John instructed and he and Pete also did a quick flight in RLS.
Sunday evening was our AGM followed by a pleasant dinnner at Chatto Creek
Tavern. As usual there was no great fighting for Office positions and we retain
our familiar hard-working crew for another year.
Sunday 4th July 2010
We're back flying after a bit of a pause. The early winter weather
knocked out the last few sundays with either fog or rain. Over the
period we did have a few work parties though so all was not lost. On the 4th
the weather was perfectly clear after a frosty start. Geof and Phil flew RLS
and Aaron and Dion flew with Roger B. in ERW. In the PM John had a quick hunt
for wave in KG but returned after an hour battling with rotor in the strong
southerly off the Old Man Range. Phil and Brian required BFR's so each did
quick winch followed
by a high aerotow with John instructing. JW spent a lot of time in strange
attitudes either trying to spin or (in Brian's case) trying to loop. Last
flight landed at sunset. Thanks to Pete for driving winch and Roger for the
aerotows.
Sunday 9th May 2010
A nice sunny day, but little chance of lift this late in the season. Owen and
Jaques flew with John in JW, as did friends Carl and Phillip. Phil drove the
winch but also took a flight in KJ. The only highpoint was a deferred descent
when John and Phillip shared a weak thermal with a wily hawk.
Actually another highlight was Doug arriving with more Macs for the fridge at
the end of the day...
Sunday 2nd May 2010
A bunch of circuits off the winch.
Sat/Sunday 24/25th April 2010
We were kept busy on Saturday with twelve trial flights for members of the
Southern Motocycle club, organised by Malcolm Taylor. Although there was heavy
overcast and cloudbase down to 2000' with light rain at times, everybody
enjoyed their short time in the air, with many wanting to return next year. We
managed nine winch launches and three aerotows before retiring to the warmth of
the clubrooms in the late afternoon. Thanks to all who turned out to help make
this a successful and worthwhile event.
Sunday was a no-fly day because of the strong, gusty crosswinds and rain
squalls (superb wave above the airfield tho'), so John, Pete and Phil spent the
afternoon installing the radio in the new tow car and making adjustments to the
winch pay-on mechanism to give a better distribution of the rope on the drum.
Sunday 18th April 2010
A dull day, the promised wave didn't really look up to it. However Roger was
ready in ERW so John and Phil took high tows in search...Phil hung in for a
while over the Fraser Dam. John parked in weak wave behind the Cairnmuirs waitng
for the wind to increase. It eventually did perk up a little although the only
place to go was Roxburgh and back. Later John climbed to 17500' in Old Man wave
reporting it was still going up at 4 Kts when he left to land before dark.
Sunday 11th April 2010
It has been rather quiet at the airfield these past few weeks. Nevertheless,
John and Owen managed an hour in JW fighting the rotor to 5000', but unable to
contact the strong Westerly wave. Phil then took a winch launch in KJ but after
half an hour of being tossed around in the rotor and not making any progress,
returned to the airfield.
Earlier in the day Geoff and Phil delivered our "new" tow car to the airfield
on a transporter. It is a silver Subaru station wagon, and after a good wash
and clean is looking quite smart. A new battery is being installed today and
the airband radio will be installed next week. Please drive it with care and
keep it clean. Many thanks to Dave Lee who kindly donated the Subaru and to
Geoff for tracking it down and organising the transporter with Dave Ramsey.
Sunday 28th March 2010
By midday the low cloud had dissappeared and there was evidence of thermal
activity. John and Owen (JW) took a winch launch and managed a local soaring
flight of 1hr. Malcolm and Geoff then launched and later Phil (KJ) and John
(KG) took short aerotows and released in good lift in the Waikerikeri valley.
Thermals topped out at 5000' but were plentiful enough to stay aloft for a
couple of hours. Thanks to Roger for the aerotows.
Sunday 21st March 2010
Most folk were away for the long weekend. Just Pete flying. He flew LP south to
Mossburn and back in wave.
Sunday 14th March 2010
With strong westerly wave aloft and a small turnout, John, Phil and Owen
decided to try their luck off the winch. After struggling in rotor for 40mins
or so John & Owen in JW gradually climbed to 4500', and finally made it into
the wave to 10,000'. This was Owen's first wave flight and longest flight so
far and judging by the the smile on his face after returning from his 1hr 40min
flight, he was suitably impressed. Phil then launched in KJ but gave up after
being bashed around in the rotor for over an hour and could not reach the wave.
The difficult conditions were not helped by a 7-10knot cross-wind.
Mid-week flying on Tuesday 9 March . The previous day's sea breeze left behind a strong inversion for Tuesday but we decided to fly anyway. It was a slow start with weak thermals but things eventually improved as the day hotted up. Pete and John flew to Mt Kyeburn near Danseys Pass in OK lift reaching 9000' along the way. Malcolm also had a good 2 hr fly in JW over to the Ida valley from the Dunstans. Pete traded his beer time for more flying and went south to the Remarkables. He flew til sundown returning to an empty airfield! Thanks to Gary for towing in ERW.
6/7th March (Gliding weekend)
Kerry Jackson (Cirrus HY) and John Eggers Hornet (JC) arrived from Timaru on
Friday evening and joined Pete (LP), John (KG), Phil (KJ) and Vivienne (JW) for
some aerotowing and local flying throughout Saturday afternoon. Later on, Bob
Martin ( Discus ZP) from the Five Rivers club arrived and took a late launch.
Unfortunately, conditions were stable with an inversion layer at 4000' so
initially pilots stuggled in weak patchy lift over the translator/Leaning Rock
ridge. Eventually some made it to 6000' and managed to reach the Old Man Range
and soar for 2-3hrs. By 5pm most pilots had returned to the Club House, leaving
Bob to scratch around until landing just after 7.00pm. We then retired to
Pete's place for a tasty barbecue and a few well deserved beers.
On Sunday conditions had not improved and increasing high cloud cover reduced
the lift to weak thermals on the ridge again. Most pilots got airborne during
the afternoon and Doug and Malcolm were kept busy with five trial flights in
JW. All in all, a very enjoyable weekend and an opportunity to catch up with
our fellow pilots from other clubs in the region. Thanks to Russell and Gary
for aerotowing over the weekend and for Pete for hosting the barbecue on
Saturday.
28th Feb 2010
Conditions at mid-day were not looking particularly good so we decided on a
winch-only day, although some NW wave was evident higher up. Brian and friend
had a couple of short flights in JW followed by Phil in KJ who was also soon
back on the ground. Then Pete instructed Owen with a short flight in JW
followed by a re-light for Phil but still no luck in the rotor lift that was
starting to develop over the airfield. Alistair then launched in JW and managed
40mins, reaching 4500' in broken but strong lift up to 5knots. Phil then
decided on one last launch and as the lift was becoming more widespread, stayed
up over an hour but could not get into the wave. A good day for winch and
circuit practice.
21st Feb 2010
A hot, blue day with thermals to 6000'. During the morning, Roger Bennett was
busy with flying training in ERW, and Roger Sparks arrived back from Omarama in
RLS. Gliding started after lunch and first away on aerotow was Doug and Owen in
JW, followed by Phil in KJ. After 40mins both gliders were back on the ground
as the thermals had not fully developed. Vivienne then took JW solo and managed
an hour at 5000', so Phil took another aerotow and managed to stay up over 3hrs
as the thermals grew stronger and topped out at just over 6000'. In the
meantime, Doug gave Clinton a final check flight in JW before sending him solo
on aerotow. Congratulations, Clinton! A pleasant and challenging day's gliding.
Thanks to Gary for the aerotows.
14th Feb 2010
Winds NW/W at about 10Knots and some disorganised wave about so we aerotowed
throughout the afternoon. First away was Doug in JW with a trial flight that
went well and then Phil launched in KJ but was back on the ground after half an
hour, unable to contact the wave. Alistair then tried his luck in JW and
released in strong rotor lift which then promptly disappeared, requiring a
short circuit back to the field. Phil took another launch but could not get
above 4000'. Likewise, Doug and Owen in JW, although they managed 40mins before
having to return. Later on the wave seemed to become more organised as the wind
turned more westerly, and after struggling for over an hour at 6000' Doug and
Clinton were rewarded with a two and a half hour wave flight to Tarras/Lindis,
arriving back at 7pm. Thanks to Russell for the aerotows.
7th Feb 2010
Last Saturday. The DC3 had a very successful visit to Alexandra, with a very
good turn-out from the public. A total of four full flights flew throughout the
day. The barbecue lunch organised by Russell, Geoff and Phil was very much
appreciated by the crew, especially the whitebait fritters (Thanks Russell !)
Last Sunday. The heavy overcast did not clear until after lunch and then the lift was very patchy but soarable for a while. Flying was therefore restricted to circuits off the winch. John and Doug instructed Ludo and Clinton (member re-joined) with four short flights, plus a cable break in the parachute shock rope. Phil decided not to launch KJ and operated the winch instead.
31st Jan 2010
A hot day with plenty of blue thermals. However, the inversion layer limited
thermalling to about 3500' during the early part of the afternoon, gradually
lifting later on. We started the day winching and Doug and Ludo took the first
launch in JW. This was followed by a couple of trial flights and then it was
time to start aerotowing. John in KG took the first tow, followed by Phil in
KJ. Doug then had another trial flight and at one stage all three gliders were
scratching around at 2500' in the same thermal above the airfield but unable to
make much progress. Later, as conditions improved, Vivienne took JW solo for
half an hour or so and the final flight saw Doug and Alistair over the Old Man
range at 5000' for an hour. John was the last to land after a 3hr local flight.
Thanks to Russell for the aerotows
Mid-week flying tuesday 26th
On Tuesday early strong thermal activity on the hills proved too much for
John and Phil to resist, so with Doug on the winch they launched in KG and KJ
just before 12.45pm. Although thermals were quite short -lived, they were very
strong (4-10knots) and at one stage it looked as though there could be
over-development. Fortunately this did not happen, and both pilots were soon at
7000' cloud base. John flew east to the Rock and Pillar range where cloudbase
was pretty lower and overdeveloping a little, then he headed west to Hunter
Valley/Makarora where conditions where very good, arriving
back after over 5hrs aloft whilst Phil went round triangles Little
Valley/Omakau/Leaning Rock and landed after 4hrs. A truly great day. Thanks to
Doug for taking time off to launch us.
24th Jan 2010
By mid-day the gloomy start to the day had brightened and some thermal activity
was starting. With a SW flow, and roll clouds forming, it looked as though
there could be wave above so Doug and Vivienne took a winch launch in JW. After
scratching around for a while they finally made it into the wave and were
rewarded with a nice 2hr flight up to 13,500' along the Old Man Range. John
also launched in KG flying to Rox and Nevis in the wave.
Later in the day Ludo and Doug (JW) had half an hour or so.
(There were several cable breaks during the day, all at the point where the
Dyneema is joined to the recently added polyester rope section. Until a more
permanent solution is found, pull-out of the rope should be restricted so that
launches only use the Dyneema i.e. all the polyester rope plus, say, four turns
of Dyneema are to be left on the drum prior to each launch. In practice, this
has negligible effect on launch height).
17th Jan 2010
By mid-day the thermals were starting to boom and the sky filled with promising
looking cumulus puffs, with a 3-5knots Easterly. ERW was not available so we
winched all day. First away were John and Jaques in JW with a pleasant one hour
local flight, followed by two similar flights for Jaques's friends from Noumea.
John then rigged KG and had an hour on the Old Man range before returning to
instruct again in JW. After sorting out a foul-up at the winch and a few more
rope breaks Brian and his aunt had half an hour in JW. Later on, Malcolm took
over the instructing with Vivienne and Ludo having short flights.
Meanwhile back at the hangar, Phil and Kerry Jackson completed the annuals on
KJ and the six monthly checks were done on JW later in the day.
Please note that a 100m or so damaged section has been cut out of the Dyneema
rope and a longer section of the thicker polyester rope sliced in to restore
the total length to something over 5000'. This new section has been placed on
the winch end of the rope so that it provides a layer of 'cushioning' between
the Dyneema and the drum.
10th Jan 2010
Wet. It didn't clear til late afternoon. The only flying was John and Ludo in
RLS late in the day.
3rd Jan 2010
Rain in the morning but it cleared in time for us to start mid afty. John
winched up Al (JW) and Phil (KJ). There was scraps of lift about but the wave
was hard to reach. It was damn hot on the ground (29C) so something must have
been going up! Both had relights but still little lift was found. Doug arrived
later PM and John rigged KG, took a launch and got lucky, eventually flying to
Roxburgh to snap the recent fire from 13000'. Later he followed the wave to the
Hawkduns. Doug followed in JW and both landed about 7pm just before the
southerly came through. I think Alex had the pick of the weather, Omarama looked
damp and dull.
1st Jan 2010
Strong westerly conditions. John had a young Auckland glider pilot wanting a
flight. Fortunately Al was available to drive the winch and Vivienne was able
to help. John and Kyle got a great winch launch in the strong wind...straight
into wave. Kyle pointed into wind and climbed to 12000' at 1300 f/m. It took
longer to descend under full airbrakes, a 27 minute flight. I bet they can't do
that in Auckland!
Vivienne and John then took a launch, again into wave and a struggle to remain
below 13000'. The upper winds were 60 plus knots, in fact at one stage JW was
going 30 kts backwards...Unfortunately it was quite rough down low with much
rotor. We wisely decided to abandon flying for the day as it was getting a mite
tricky down low.
Many thanks to Al for driving the winch but missing out on a flight.
Sunday 13th December 2009
A good turnout so we were airbourne before noon. John and Brian both flew
friends in JW, both having soaring flights only terminated by pax illness (not
surprizing as it was rough!). The day then died a little as the wind got up
and a front went through but some soaring was possible. Vivienne experienced a
winch cable break and the parachute sailed off quite a long way. By the time
we were back in business the wave was forming but dumping on the airfield. Doug
was instructing Al, Ludo and Jacques who all experienced abreviated circuits!
Al did a solo flight and Brian had another go at making Laura crook.
The last flight however was better with wave lift overhead taking Ludo and Doug
down the Old Man wave for an hours soaring late in the day.
Thanks to Doug for instruction and winch drivers Al, Brian and John.
Friday 4th December 2009
Phil winched John up in KG for friday afty flight. It was another inversion day
in the basin but way out west it was one of the better days of the year.
Although John was too late to get beyond the Dingle he spoke to Roger Sparks
and others racing way south into the Eglinton and beyond in excellent 10,000'
thermals.
Sunday 29th Nov 2009
Another southerly day, this time quite cold. High cloud came in early. There
was limited soaring and it was possible to stay up over the tailings and the
terrace at times. JW was busy enough with Doug and Ludu while John showed
Jacques how to drive the winch. Later we swapped about with John instructing
and Doug at the winch. Phil flew KJ, and Brian and Vivienne did a circuit in JW
too.
Sunday 22nd Nov 2009
Southerly with a strong inversion at about 4-5000', however plenty of thermals
about. John R was first away and eventually got through the inversion and flew
to the head of the Dingleburn before heading home. Jacques had a couple of good
flights with Pete. Phil also had good soaring in KJ.
Russell towed (many thanks). Another good summer days soaring, heaps better
than the last winter!
Sunday 15th Nov 2009
ERW was away so the winch was kept busy with another excellent day of soaring,
with strong thermals (off the scale!) to 9000' and W wave above. Doug and
Alistair in JW contacted the wave after thermalling off the winch and went to
Ettrick. Next up was Phil in KJ and spent over 3hrs with a mixture of wave
flying along the Old Man and thermalling along the Dunstans. Ludo and Doug then
flew down to Roxburgh in the wave and later visiting Oz pilots Ian and Mark had
thermalling flights with Doug. They were most impressed with our winch design
and it's excellent performance with the dyneema rope. Towards the end of the
day the wave closed in with squall showers over the Old Man range, thus ending
a very enjoyable days flying. Thanks to Alistair for operating the winch for
most of the afternoon.
Sunday 8th Nov 2009
More good soaring. SW wave and thermals. Doug + Ludo had a couple of hours
soaring, later Malcolm flew JW too. John thermalled in KG, and Phil had a great
flight in thermals then wave for several hours. Thanks to Garry for towing.
Labour weekend 24/25 Oct 2009
Most folk away for the long weekend. However some of us did fly. Brian had a
good flight in Omarama and did his 50K. John when up to Fairlie and flew with
South Canty. On Saturday thermals were local but sunday was better and along
with Kerry Jackson and John E he flew up the Two Thumb range.
Sunday 18th Oct 2009
What a soggy weekend! We had another good turnout for gliding despite the poor
weather. Doug drove the winch, John and Pete instructed. Also flying were Ludo,
Vivienne, Phil and Brian. There was the odd thermal but the only soaring was
late at the end of the day when a southerly change allowed Ludo and John to
soar the front as it passed overhead for 40mins or so.
Sunday 11th Oct 2009
SW wave and thermals. Lots happening...John instructed new member Ludo who had
a couple of winch flights. Then Doug flew a couple of friends. John winched up
in KG and flew down the Garvie range. Pete flew some friends in JW and Al took
a flight too. Phil (KJ) and Doug (with Ludo) in JW then joined John in the Old
Man wave with the help of Russell aerotowing thru the rotor. It was almost 50
kts SW at 13,000'. All in all a good day with a few hours put on all gliders.
Thanks to Russell for the tows, and Al for winching work.
Wednesday 7th Oct 2009
Midweek! John and Phil flew. There was a very strong inversion at 3500' but a
few thermals and the odd fire which kept us airborne for a couple of
hours...thanks to Gazza for the aerotows.
Sunday 20th Sept 2009
Phil (KJ) and John (KG), after taking a couple of winch launches, struggled for
half an hour in weak thermals up to the inversion layer at 3500'. John and
Roger Bennett then had a short flight off the winch in JW. Thanks to Doug for
the launches.
Sunday 13th Sept 2009
SW wave forecast and eventually found. Doug winched John (KG) up high into a
northerly. It took a good hour before he inched high enough to find the wave.
Peter R and Pete M flew JW reaching 5000' on the edge of the wave which was
disolving fast. John reached 13000' over Roxburgh and reported very smokey
skies, possibly from the bushfires in Oz. The lower winds were NW and up high
it was direct S.
Sunday 6th Sept 2009
A flattish day withe the possibility of weak wave about. Peter Robinson + John
had a look in JW, as did Phil in KJ. Gary gave us good high tows but the wave
remained out of reach.
Sunday 23rd August 2009
The Spring thermals have arrived so we got the winch out and John (KG), Phil
(KJ) and Pete/Alistair (JW) launched early afternoon for flights of 30mins to
1hr in buoyant conditions. Later, as the conditions improved, Doug and Alistair
(JW) managed over an hour and reported 4 knots up over the FraserDam. Likewise,
Phil took another launch and managed 2-1/2hrs of local flying, with most of
thelift being to the West of theairfield.In the meantime, a major foul-up at
the winch curtailed further flying and tookPete and Johnover an hour to sort
out. This was probably caused by taking the glider too high with the different
characteristics of the new parachute. It is recommended that, in future, winch
drivers should reduce power well before the cable touches the top rollers.
Sunday 16th August 2009
Kerry Jackson arrived on Saturday and completed the annuals on KG and JW over
the weekend. After completing the work on JW, the sun came out for a while and
some thermal activity was observed. Phil quickly did the DI on KJ and took a
winch launch but the southerly started arriving which killed off the lift. John
introduced power pilot Willy from Bannockburn to his first glider flight and
took another winch launch, landing after 15mins or so. In the meantime, RLS was
kept busy with Steve and Geoff at the controls.
The old winch parachute has now been replaced by the new TOST one. Thismakes it
easier for the winch driverto wind in the rope after releaseas it descends at a
lower rate. Pete has made up a new strop between the parachute and glider which
replaces the old section with the blue plastic hose.
Sunday 9th August 2009
Hmmm, we flew. A little soaring but I can't recall the details...
Sunday 2nd August 2009
Well it's been a while since we had much to report. Flying has been affected
greatly by our rather bad winter this year. Pete has been active, flying at
Five Rivers a few times.
But Spring is round the corner so aftertwo months of inactivityPhil, John,
Pete and Doug spent the afternoon checking out the winch, tow car and JW and
then going for check flights. John rigged KG to try and contact the broken
westerly wave but returned to earth after about 20mins. In the evening we all
assembled at the Chatto Creek Pub for our AGM and enjoyed a very tasty
roastmeal anda drink or two.
Sunday 24th May 2009
The gloomy weather continues with heavy overcast, verylight SE wind, cloud base
4000'. The Mainland Air Open Day waspostponed once again as aircraft could not
even get airborne fromDunedin.AsJenny Collier, a reporter fromThe News,arrived
at the airfield to cover the event, it was a good oportunity to get some
publicity for gliding. Jenny was therefore introduced to the winch launch and
had a 15min flight with John inthe Twin Astir JW. We look forward to seeing an
article in the local paper.
As there were no other 'customers', John, Phil and Peteput the glider away
andretreated to the warmth of the club house for a late lunch and home.
Sunday 17th May 2009
Despite mediocre looking conditions, Phil (KJ) and John (KG)tooka winch launch
each and managed to stay aloft for almost 2 hours, working the rotor and weak
Westerly wave conditions to 9000'.Thanks to Doug for the excellent winch
launches, some of the best everto 2500' above the field, with surface wind
straight down 32 at about 10knots.
Sunday 3rd May 2009
Roger Bennett and ERW were kept busy with the ATC cadets, flying all day
Saturday and up to 2pm on Sunday. Terry Jones arrived on Sunday afternoon to
carry out the club's gliding audit for GNZ. There was a strong low level
inversion so gliding was restricted to keeping our hand in on launches. Phil
took a winch launch in KJ and Karen sampled the delights of our winch with a
launch with John in JW. Later on Vivienne and son Liegh took an aerotow in JW,
gently floating back to earth. Likewise, Phil in KJ. Thanks to Alistair for
driving the winch and Gary for the aerotows.
Sunday 26th April 2009
The northerly wave over Alexandra looked promising so Alistair and Doug in JW
and Phil in KJ took aerotows. The wave, however, proved to be disorganised and
elusive at lower levelsand after two aerotows Al and Doug decided to call it a
day. Phil managed to get to 6500' in the rotor but gave up after an hour and a
half.Meanwhile Johnflew to Omarama and back in RLSto attend a club committee
meeting. Thanks to Gary for towing at such short notice.
Congratulations to Vivienne Bryner who recently gained her Gold Badge with a
300km flight from Benalla in an Astir CS77.
Sunday 19th April 2009
A overcast day with a slight southerly. Roger and Steve training in ERW. John
did a quick circuit off the winch to confirm the absence of lift.
Sunday 12th April 2009
Doug, Al and Phil flying at Alex. Mainly circuits in JW off the winch. Pete
was at Wardells and flew down to Alex and back in 7000' thermals.
Sunday 5th April 2009
Sunday dawned with a heavy overcast, but completely cleared by noon with NW
winds aloft. John (KG),Pete(LP) and Phil(KJ) took aerotows but were unable to
contact the wave. John managed over an houron the translator ridge but could
not get above 3500'. Thanks to Russell for towing at short notice.
Sat+Sunday 28th/29th March 2009 (Glenorchy)
Pete and John joined Terry, Karen, Bill Walker, Sheena, Nigel, and friends
flying out of the Earnslaw strip near Paradise at the head of Lake Wakatipu.
Saturday was pretty cloudy, we mainly ridge-soared the Richardson mountains
above Glenorchy...just out of the rain. Saturday night was a pleasant dinner at
Kinloch lodge. Sunday was better and we reached the wave after a struggle and
flew over Mt Earnslaw. Many thanks to Jules Tapper for providing the aerotow.
Sat+Sunday 14/15th March 2009
Sun at last! A large high pressure system moving slowly over the South Island
provided hot sunny weather for our gliding weekend, but unfortunately created a
deep inversion layer with a 3000' base with thermals unable to push through the
layer. Despite this restriction we all had some enjoyable andchallenging local
soaring which provided good excercise to hone thermaling skills in weak
conditions. Tow pilots Russell and Gary were kept busy on both days, with a
total of 24 aerotows logged. Our visiting glider pilots came from Omarama,
Timaru, and Five Rivers and included Hugh Turner(Jantar GMJ), Terry Jones/Karen
Morgan (LS-8 GTK), Bob Martin (Discus GZP), and John Eggers (Hornet GJC). Club
members flying included John Robinson (PIK20 GKG), Phil Sumser (Hornet GKJ),
Pete McKenzie (GLP), Brian Savage (ASW19 GKD) and Doug White instructing with
UK visiting pilot Martinin the Twin Astir GJW. A surprise visit by Kerry
Jackson in the restoredAvid (VID) provided added interest (and humour at the
bee-like colour scheme)prior to the gliding on Sunday morning.
All in all a fun weekend enjoyed by all. Thanks to Russell and Gary for all the
aerotowing and to Pete and Sarah for hosting the barbecue on Saturday evening.
PIC of weekend
Sunday 15th Feb 2009
A good soaring day, with a NW'er up top for wave and thermals below. Kerry
Jackson was visiting to do KJ's annuals and JW 6 monthly, he and Al drove the
winch (thanks!). John instructed early afternoon, meanwhile Pete (LP) and Phil
(KJ) got airbourne. Later John launched in KG and joined Pete in the Dunstan
wave. Pete, John and Hugh (from Omarama) flew south down the Nevis to Lumsden
in wave. It was pretty cloudy, with about a 30Kt wind and lift to about 13000'.
It was great to say hi to the Matt, Bob and the crew as we flew over 5 Rivers.
Then it was a quick trip back to Alex. Pete continued to stack up the massive
Km by continuing past Alex and onto to Mt Cook and then back to Alex landing
just as the southerly hit.
Meanwhile back at Alex, Alistair had a good 2.5hr flight in JW and John landed
to do Malcolm Taylors's BFR in JW with an aerotow from Russell.
Also flying at Alex were Geoff in RLS, and Dion and Roger who went to Omarama
in ERW.
Waitangi weekend
Pete and John flew out of Oamarama. John took an Omarama winch launch and flew
to Mt Cook, Pete flew to Cook then south to Waikaia and back in good wave.
Sunday 1st Feb 2009
15-20Knot Westerlies throughout the day on Sunday 1st February meant that only
JW could safely get airborne with a challenging winch launch for Doug and trial
flight passenger. They were, however, rewarded with a 5knot thermal directly
above the winch and were able to rapidly climb and contact the wave, taking
them on a 2hr flightto Roxburgh at13,500'. Meanwhile on the ground, John rigged
KG but the wind made ground handling difficult so flying was abandoned for the
day. Johndecided to test his water ballast system instead. Thanks to Pete for
the winch launch and to Phil and Brian for helping out.
January 2009
There was no gliding at Alex over the holiday period, all the instructors and
most members were away. Pete and John spent some time flying out of Wardells.
Pete was there much of the period and accumulated over 50 hours and enjoyed
excellent flights as far away as Mt Earnslaw.
Club gliding started again on the 25th January with just Alistair and Phil
flying. John launched them on the winch, and Roger B did do one (56 minute!)
aerotow returning a stranded Omarama glider back home. Also calling in to say
hi was Terry Delore with his son in the motorised ASH25 (ex Steve Fossett's
personal record setting machine).
Tuesday 23rd December
Mid Week flying! Pete and John keen for a final flight before Xmas. Doug
launched John who returned soon after....too early for local thermals although
the mountains had good cloud. We retired for a cup of tea and gave the day more
time to warm. Pete with got away, eventually followed by John after another
relight. There was little local lift but once above 4000' things improved. Pete
flew to Mt Huxely, John to the Hawkduns. Cloud base inland was over 9000'.
Many thanks to Doug for helping out.
Sunday 21st December
The skies cleared Sunday noon after a very wet day before. New snow was thick
on the hills. Al, John and Pete got the gliding going. Al needed to leave early
so the others got him airbourne asap. Pete winched him up into the lowish cloud
where he happily soared for a couple of hours. KG was rigged and John winched
up to join Al. Local cloudbase wasabout 4000' rising a little later in the day
(John reported 6000' on the Cromwell side of the Dunstans).
Al and Pete went home early and John returned to launch Doug, who had arrived
with 2 pax, Rick and Jackie. Both pax got good long soaring flights. Jackie is
the daugther of Jim McIlwrick who was a popular gliding instructor in our club
a few years back.
Steve Morton flew ERW over to Lowburn and back.
Sunday 14th December
Geoff and John flew RLS in the morning. Gliding started when Phil arrived at
noon. He winched John in KG who avoided all lift to land a short time later in
McArthurs airstrip a few Km away. Doug and Hamish turned up to retreive John
and around 3pm we were all ready to try gliding again. The thermals improved as
the high cloud thickened(!). Pete flew LP, and John instructed Ruth and Luke in
JW. Later Doug flew with son Hamish in JW. Many thanks to Phil for winch
driving and helping out.
Sunday 7th December
Roger& student(s) flew ERW in the morning.
Phil, Doug and Al gave SJ a wash and reminisced. Phil carried on and did a few
other wee jobs.
Was a reasonable thermal day witha Northerly/NE with wave. Brianflew a couple
of freinds/family in JW making it into the wave on the Dunstans on one flight.
Al flew JW thermalling upto some wave but didn't quite make it to the primary
on the hill.
Thanks to Doug for instructing and winch driving.
Manapouri Gliding Camp, Dec 1st to 7th.
A bit damp at times but Pete, John and others had some good flights. On
Saturday we flew up towards the Greenstone and Eglington in good thermal
conditions.
Sunday 23rd November
A bit cloudy but very warm. No wind.
ERW and Roger were busy flying ATC in the morning. Gliding got underway after
midday with Pete flying a couple of friends. Alistair did 3 JW circuits off the
winch, John a short fly in KG. Late in the afty the sun came out briefly and
Russell aerotowed Phil (KJ) up to the lift for a good hour long flight. It was
great to see Malcolm Taylor back flying again. He took a tow in JW with Pete
sitting in just in case his arm wasn't healed enough to work the controls (it
was fine).
Thursday 20th November
Mid week flying!
Pete and John took advantage of the only thermal day of the week. Phil ran the
wings and Gary towed. Local thermals were going really well, just 1000' tows
needed. However the day was not straight forward, big holes and big thermals at
times, mainly cloud free.
They flew north to Omarama saddle, John flew down the Hawkduns and Pete
towards Omarama. Both home in time for the committee meeting!
Sunday 16th November
Grotty. Pete and Phil steam-cleaned the winch and gave it an ol and filter
change.
Mid week Omarama
John attended the week prior to SI Regionals, great flying. Roger Sparks is
flying in the champs this week.
Sunday 2nd November
Lots of action at the airfield on Sunday with the DC3 visit busy giving rides
to the public. Some club members were helping out and also enjoying a nostalgic
flight. RLS was busy with Geoff + Steve visiting Oamaru, and later John + Pete
checking the air. ERW seemed busy during the day too (Dion, Clinton and others.
The weather was too stable for gliding until very late in the day. John and
Pete had a couple of launches each before managing to stay airbourne, and even
then it took an hour or two at low level before managing to break through the
inversion layer. At the end of the day the thermals went to over 8000' but
there wasn't time to fly very far. Doug and Phil drove the winch (thanks) and
Doug also flew with Clinton and Russell Read in JW.
Sunday 19th October
ERW and RLS were both out and about returning mid afternoon.
On the gliding front it was a clear warm sunny day.... looked like there should
have been something thermally happening. Pete reckoned that it was going to go
off any minute. Brian rigged and had a circuit, Pete took his freind John for
circuits and Clinton (?) from Queenstown. Al tried a circuit too confirming
that indeed there wasn't any lift. Brian derigged and we launched Pete & John
in JW again. Must have been the NWer that came in and stirred things up but
that lift finally arrived. We packed up, had a beer and left them to it.
Thanks to Phil for the winch and Peter for instructing.
Sunday 12th October 2008
Crikey, it was big day with a heap of fixed wing, helicopters and gliders
coming and going all day.
It turned out to be quite a good day for gliding too. We welcomed Vivenne back
from Aussie. Brian, Phil and John were all flying too. Al picked the 5 min
before the next thermal cycle to scratch around in... not to worry though
Vivenne gave (daughter) Britteny the ride of her life,(looked like it
afterwards anyway!) Brian, Phil and John all had good soaring flights too. The
inevitable Southerly picked up later in the day and snuffed out the thermal
activity, so that was that.
Sunday 5th October 2008
ERW flew a.m. with Steve W, Dion, and Steve Morton.
Gliders active from quite early too, in fact is was an excellent thermal day
for this early in the season. John was off the winch at noon in KG flying up
valley for a couple of hours while Doug and Phil flew JW. Later Doug flew KG to
the Remarkables and Al flew JW local for a couple of hours reaching 9000' in
thermals above Alex. Meanwhile Pete was soaring LP out of 5R and also had good
flying, reaching the Remarks and later down to TeAnau and back to 5R.
We had a number of visitors at Alex airfield on Sunday...it was nice to met
Andy and Bjorn, two glider pilots from Wanaka who arrived in a very tidy
looking Bell 47 chopper.
Sunday 14th September 2008
Grotty (and extreme) weather...no gliding. John + Pete fettled their gliders
in readiness for summer...
Sunday 7th September 2008
High cloud killed any chance of thermals. Nevermind, we all had a winch flight
or 2. We had a voucher flight (Peter George from Dunedin), John did a flight
with Russell, Doug and Al, And Peter and Pete....We packed up early for an
ill-deserved beer.
Sunday 31st August
A fine sunday for a change, although nor-east and pretty stable. Just a
handful of flights: Pete, Doug + Hamish in JW, and John in KG. Also flying
where the ATC cadets, training in ERW with Roger.
Sunday 10th August
Annual checks were done on the gliders. Thanks to all those involved. All is
well with the aircraft.
So... not a lot ofgliding done. A clear stable day. After Philloaned his truck
battery to the winch Al did a couple of circuits. Thanks Phil and Pete.
Plenty of aircraft movements at LX on the day though. Several microlights from
Ashburton in the morning and another six GA on tour from Paraparaumu.
A reminder that the club AGM is on Sunday 24 August 2008. Please letPhil have
any nominations for Committee Membership by the end of this week.
Sunday 20th July 2008
Dull wx, no gliding, just a work party.
Sunday 13th July 2008
Geoff + John in RLS flying local, likewise Hayden in HQD, and Russell flew ERW
to Chch and back. Gliding was pretty flat, wave was about but not bouncing low
enough to contact off the winch. John had a couple of tries in KG while Pete
instructed. Vivienne finally got to exercise her Pax rating by taking son Leigh
for a quick winch flight. The sad news is that Vivienne is now off to work in
Australia, we wish her all the best and hope we see her back for the odd visit.
Thanks very much to Brian who drove the winch much of the day.
Sunday 6th July 2008
The Westerly wave was working well and saw four gliders flying between Roxburgh
and Alexandra. LP Pete, JW Phil & Al, KD Brian, KG John. Tows were to moderate
height and then, work the rotor into wave and up to airspace limit. We
eventually converged and followed KG between the secondary and primary wave
band managing to get some air to air photography.
The limiting factor was the usual cold feet... and the daylight, but everyone
flew for two hours plus. On reaching Alex again the downwind and base got a bit
interesting landing on 14, figure that the roll cloud had moved back a bit so
made things really quite lumpy, not helpful coming up to final approach!
Thanks Gary for towing, John for instructing and Patrik for help with rigging
and launching.
The photos can be viewed at
http://www.4shared.com/dir/8145275/1a5f5795/om_wave_2008-07-06.html
Sunday June 29th
ERW doing training flights early morning.
Patrik, Alastair and Athol did circuits in JW with John. John and Phil went
exploring and found some convergant type lift as the front(s) passed through.
Pete rigged and got some air time... and landout practice after the lift left.
The retrieve of LP gave a chance to have a look at the available landing areas
up the Waikeri Valley, a worthwhile exercise.
Sunday 22nd June 2008
We managed just 2 flights before the rain arrived. Doug instructed Al and Phil
while Gary towed in ERW. Pete and John beavered-away on fixing some faulty
wiring on the winch. We lit the pot-belly in the clubrooms and huddled around
with coffees and the odd ale.
Sunday 15th June 2008
Warm! But with showers and low cloud to the south. Dion and Steve flying Cessna
ERW and Geoff flying Tecnam RLS. Gliding was just circuits off the winch. John
instructing Patrik and Athol, Pete driving the winch, and Al dong some circuits
solo. Later in the day some nice wave formed on the Old Man but it was too late
to go looking. Bruce said hello as he passed overhead in Rans JIZ.