Thursday 26 July

The day dawned blue and sunny, but cumulus soon started to form over the hills to the north. They stubbornly avoided Lake Keepit until about 1:30 pm.

Chris Carr and Vic Hatfield came out to assist with the winch operation, as well as myself, Gerhard and Roy and our student Ish. With more hands on deck the operation went very smoothly, and we did eighteen launches. Only the Puchatek was flying.

Ish did a few more solos after a few check flights, and then Chris Carr took three launches, but was unable to stay up much longer than the standard 7 minutes. We should have got one of the other gliders out, because at about half past one Gerhard and I managed to find a good 4 to 6 knot thermal which we left at 4000 ft to bring the glider back.

Gerhard has installed the old Borgelt vario from the Grob in the Puchatek, which is a great improvement. Thanks for that Gerhard!

Later in the afternoon, I did some flying with Vic to brush up my winch launching and winch instructing skills. I learned heaps.

I am starting to get to grips with this winch launching business - its not a bad idea if there are enough people about - after all you only need enough height to get the first thermal. We have been consistently getting 1500ft AGL two up in the Puchatek, with no wind. Everything has gone smoothly so far this week - touch wood.

Tomorrow I will be flying the tug as Ish is going home - all the way to Melbourne.

Jenny

Wednesday 25 July

The day started with a high aerotow so that Gerhard could revise stalls and spins with Ish. This must have gone according to plan, as after a few more winch launches, Ish went solo. He did three more solo flights during the day.

Congratulations Ish and Gerhard.

Roy Worthington also took another winch launch to keep his hand in, and Chris Carr did likewise.

Vic is coming out on Thursday and all other thursday-ites are welcome to come out. You can winch or aerotow as you wish!

Jenny

Monday 23 July

Today we did 15 launches on the winch. Ish did 12 of them with Gerhard and Roy Worthington did the other three also with Gerhard. Guess who was driving the winch!

There were some nice looking cus over the hills, but nothing close to Keepit, however Ish managed a 27 minute soaring flight, and Roy later in the day managed 19 minutes.

As Ish was practicing landings and Roy take offs on the winch, the lack of soaring did not trouble them much.

Jenny

Saturday and Sunday's Flying

Hello everyone

I did not go home this weekend, as I wanted to fly my (our) glider and I hadn't had a fix all week!

Saturday was blue and sunny, with some cumulus round about mid-day, which disappeared when we launched. As usual we were a bit late launching - I because I went to Tamworth shopping first, and Garry because he was fixing his canopy on the twin astir. I don't know what Bob Emery's excuse was.

I bombed out on the first launch because I thought I had a good thermal at 1000ft, but it disappeared on releasing from the tug - as they do. The second try was better, and I was able to soar, but only locally, for 2 hours and 20 minutes. Max height was 4200 ft, but that was the last thermal of the day.

Garry and Gerhard flew together in the Twin and Bob Emery also had a soaring flight.

Jay Anderson flew up with Nick in his Socata (?) and was endorsed on the Etug by Phil, who was tuggie for the day. Thanks Phil.

On Sunday we were visited by the Tamworth Vintage Car Club. Nick gave them a talk about gliding while they had their morning tea in our new paved area in front of the club house. Afterwards they were shown around the gliders and I believe three of them went for a flight. I have received an email of thanks, saying that they enjoyed their visit very much. They described Nick as extremely well spoken and full of knowledge!

I went over to the Gunnedah aero club for their monthly meeting, and finally ratified my membership and had a check flight in their 150. I also met a couple more members who are keen to become tuggies - probably need to get them into a glider first.

Our student for this week, Ish, from Adelaide Uni Soaring Club, turned up on Sunday afternoon, and had a flight with Nick.

Jenny

Friday 13 July

The day started off sunny, but soon clouded over. However the clouds passed, and then the cumulus started - and then overclouded again.

We had two trial instructional flights booked and Geoff Neely came out and flew the tug. On thee first flight I was only able to find some areas of reduced sink, but when I flew the second there was a little more sun and we were able to get to cloudbase at 4,500 ft ASL and fly along a street towards Gunnedah. There was a brisk westerly wind.

After tug flying, winch driving and instructing during the week, it was nice to get in a glider and actually have my hands and feet at the controls for a bit!

This week has been surprisingly busy, due to school holidays I think. The weather has definitely taken a turn for the better. Lets hope it continues.

Thursday 12 July

We planned an early start again, but thick fog prevented it. Of the Thursday group, only Vic Hatfield and Craig Borchard turned up! The rest only seem to come out for barbecues not for the flying! Well they truly missed out this Thursday, because the flying was excellent!

After a successful check flight in the back seat of the Puchatek, Laurie Bartlett had his first flight in a single seater - the Junior. He didn't bring it back for an hour! Meanwhile Vic instructing Craig disappeared for an hour and a half in the Puchatek. Matthew Minter flew the Jantar, and outlanded at his property where he has made a new runway. Bruce Clark retrieved the glider with Gabriel at the controls.

At the end of the day, I towed Bruce up so that he could give his six year old son Matt his first flight in a glider. The glider flight was successful, but the tug suffered an engine failure on the way down! Fortunately it was only just as I was landing - however we have not been able to get it going since!

Wednesday 11 July

Another blue sunny day and we (or a least some of us) were out getting the gliders ready at eight o'clock in the morning, ready for a 9.00 am start. In the end our first launch was not until 10 am, but that was better than the day before!

Unfortunately on the second winch launch in IKX, the front canopy flew open during the flight. Rob de Jarlais took over and landed the glider with the canopy open, but luckily it was undamaged. However one hinge was broken, and the other bent.

With the Grob still out for its form two, we were now fresh out of two seaters capable of winch launching. Tim Belcher, a visitor from South Gippsland, winched up in the Junior, and on his second attempt had a pleasant one hour soaring flight. Gabriel Kalkbrenner aerotow launched in the Jantar and disappeared for two hours.

After some more work on the Puchatek, we were finally able to winch launch it, and Rob did some more training flights with the students for the week. Laurie Bartlett did a couple more solo flights.

Only 13 launches for the day despite the early(ish) start, but it was a very good day for the middle of winter.

Tuesday 10 July

Hello everyone,

Tuesday was blue, clear and frosty in the morning, not a bit like the aviation forecast which told us that it was fog and drizzle. They must be real pessimists! By mid morning we had nice cumulus, not very high but heaps better than anything we have had lately, and anyway the sunshine makes you feel so much more cheerful.

Rob De Jarlais and others managed to put the bellyhook from the old Puchatek into the new one, but after two aborted launches on the winch we found it was not working properly - so we aerotowed it after that, and used the twin astir for winch training.

Laurie Bartlett, a visiting GFA member who had previously done some flying with Rob De Jarlais had a flight with me in the Puchatek. He did some flights with Rob yesterday. Both of us agreed that he was ready so we sent him off on his own. Not a completely first solo, but the first for a couple of years, and then only a few flights! He did two solo flights in the Puchatek with excellent landings in a slight crosswind. Well done Laurie!

Gabriel Kalkbrenner did the longest flight of the day in the Jantar Standard - 42 minutes. He reported that he could get no higher than 2500 ft above ground, which was the forecast height from the Moree temp trace. Rob and Ian had a decent 25 minute flight in the twin off a winch launch, and at the same time Laurie stayed up for 20 min solo in the Puchatek from a 2000ft launch. Gabriel was airborne at the same time, so we managed three in the air at once.

The aim is to get the gliders out early tomorrow, and get plenty of winch launches done for our visitors and students, before doing some aerotows when (if?) the thermals start.

Thursday people don't forget to come out - might actually do some flying rather than just eating this time! Thursday and Friday will be aerotow only.

All the best

Jenny

Monday 9 July

Grey and overcast, but not a huge amount of wind, certainly not 15 gusting 25 as forecast!

We had a busy day today with 15 aerotows, some of them to a great height! We had intended to winch launch, but just as we were about to hook on the rope for the first launch, we discovered that the "new" Puchatek does not have a belly hook! Very embarrassing, but fortunately the pilots concerned had a laugh about it. The twin astir proved to be the only two seat glider capable or being winch launched, and we had four student pilots plus Matthew Minter wanting to fly it We gave up on winching today and aerotowed instead!

After the flying, Robyn Gostelow cooked everyone a roast pork dinner, which was great.

Next exciting installment tomorrow!

Jenny