Thursday 6 December

15 tows today - but all in MIE. Thanks very much Ian Barraclough for helping us out this week.

Alan Murdoch and Gen Francis came back, and we thought they had brought the Pommie weather with them. I woke up at 6.30, heard the thunder crashing, and went back to sleep again. It was grey and miserable at briefing and the aviation forecast was abysmal BUT I thought it was referring to the weather that had already passed through during the night. We re-briefed at noon, by which time the sun was shining and the cus were popping.

I had a couple more flights with Peter in the Twin Astir, and then persuaded Boris to go gliding for a change. He flew the twin perfectly on aerotow, and then thermalled up to cloudbase. I asked if he had done much XC gliding and he said not, so I thought it was a good time to start.

Gen and Alan were trying to do the Manilla Gunnedah milk run, so barrelled off towards Manilla in the twin. Boris did the flying, and kept saying "not good enough- that next cloud looks better" so we were quite low when we got to Mt Borah. However the cloud that was there was good enough and we climbed back up to cloudbase - about 6000ft QNH. Off around Manilla Silo where we found another ggod thermal, and then back along the hills under the clouds. After a number of not good enough thermals, we got back to the airfield quite low. I couldn't help it, I had to take over because I couldn't talk us into the themal! However I managed bank the concrete swan up into a tight 6 knotter, and we got back up to cloudbase again. Then off toward Gunnedah. Unhappily there was a blue hole over Gunnedah, so we chickened out before we got to the airfield and turned back.

Boris did a beautiful flare and landing, - except a foot too high! Power pilots for you. As we were towing the glider back up to the take off he said - that was my second glider flight in thermals - the first was with Ian Barraclough in the ASH 25 a month ago! Well he is used to finding thermals in tug.... What it is to be 23.

After that I did three more circuits with Peter in the Twin Astir, after which I thought he was ready for the Junior - but we left that for Friday.