13 August 2009

Beautiful sunny day! Not much cu about, and a westerly breeze - I think it would have been soarable.

John Hoye came out to the airfield as we had a vist from 61 Probus members from Gunnedah and Narrabri. They just wanted to "look around". Not quite sure what to do with so many visitors all at once we came up with a plan. Set up about 30 white chairs in the Flight cente around the computer screen, and moved the white board in front of the window. Hooked up my laptop to the computer screen so we could show a DVD. We had a few to choose from - John Clarks promotional one, Matthew Minter's "Learning to fly" and the GFA's Gliding Downunder. We divided the people up into two groups, one lot in the flight centre, the other looking around the gliders and tug.

I showed my lot the GFA's DVD, because the commentary said all the things I would have said if I'd been giving them a talk. Also told them about our operation here and invited questions - there were quite a few. Then showed them round the hangars, and John took his lot into the flight center. He used Matthew's video.

At the end we showed them a launch - John Hoye towed and I flew the grob with my friend Val, who is visiting at the moment. Managed to land right in front of the audience - what a pose!!

The all seemed very happy, and I gave out quite a few cards and leaflets - they all have kids and grandkids who may want to fly. A few seemed quite interested for themselves. One of the people was a retired LAME, and another used to fly Pawnees!

It was 4pm by the time Val and I launched, there was a tiny bit of lift about, so I think it would have been OK earlier.

Successful day's PR, many thanks to John - could not possible have coped with the numbers single handed.

Looking good for Friday

11 August 2009

Very ordinary weather here today. Thunderstorms and showers, and strong winds. Occasional sunny periods though. Kangaroos seem to be enjoying it

Made a new control column boot for the Junior out of grey vinyl and sewed it in place on the seat pan. Looks quite spiffy. New canopy cover next on the list.

Spent much of the day printing out ADs and ANs as a reference for our upcoming maintenance week - not the most exciting job.

Committee meeting (by phone conference) this evening - finished in record time. We must be getting more efficient - I hope.

Spring must be on the way though, because the ants are back in my kitchen and there are flies about. Pattersons curse is springing up along the runways. No frogs in the toilets yet - thats the real sign that the weather is warming up.

10th August 2009

Another quiet day at Keepit.

Flew home without incident on Saturday, and called in at PG Aviation to see the progress of my Brumby. Now sitting on its undercarriage (tailwheel of course) waiting for installation of instruments before final assembly.

Meanwhile Vic and Ken Flower flew to Armidale in Ken's Grob 109 to get our Callair back. They must have been successful, because its sitting in the hangar now. Its all ready to go. Vic Hatfield, Ken Flower, Chris and Errol Carr and especially Todd Clark have been helping with the work on it to try to keep the costs down. We owe you all a big vote of thanks.

Lots of niggles have been fixed - it should be easier to start now, and the next 100 hourly, which is likely to fall in the middle of the flying season should be a breeze.

On Sunday it appears to have been pretty quiet, but there was one Air Experience Flight, and Al Giles did some instructor training with John Hoye. I believe he is now a fully fledged AEI - great news. Now we just have to hope there's not too much swine flu about so he can come to the club and do some flying.

Flew back to Keepit this morning - bit of excitement on the radio - someone gave a Pan Pan call. Sounded as if their engine was packing up and he was trying to make it to Katoomba. Not a nice area for a forced landing. I didn't hear how it went - I hope they made it OK. Other than that, all quiet. Why is it that I get headwinds on the way home, and headwinds again on the way back?

Harry needs as many volunteers as possible to come out and try the new winch. I would like to be able to use it during a course I am planning to run on 7 September. He says that Thursday and Friday look like being good days. If we get a few takers his is prepared to make the trek up to Keepit from the coast again to get us going on it.

In the meantime, anyone feeling desperate for some aviation can come out and be launched by me, as long as they are current. If you need an AFR, give me some notice so I can arrange a tuggie.

7 August 2009

Pretty quite here at the club at the moment. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, and there are some fantastic cus in the sky today. Makes you wish you had a self launching glider!

I have been pottering around doing odd jobs, trying to fix things and sorting the tools out - a never ending job. Also making a start on the Junior form 2.

Went to CASA briefing on "Airmanship" and "Operations at non-towered aerodromes" at Gunnedah Aero Club last night. Geoff Neely also attended. Good opportunity to catch up with GAC members and a free BBQ.

Todd Clark Vic Hatfield Ken Flower, Chris And Errol Carr have been beavering away at Armidale on the Tugg, doing the "menial" jobs as Vic puts it, so save the club some money. I bet it was cold up there. Anyway the word is that it should be ready to come back to Keepit by lunchtime on Saturday, and Ken and Vic between them are ferrying it back. Vic is now endorsed to fly Ken's G109 so they will go up to Armidale in that on Saturday morning.

Been getting some enquiries for training - things are starting to pick up again. The cross country season will be upon us again before you know it, so better get those Annual Flight Reviews done. Everyone should be winch endorsed too - we are really lucky here to have the option of both types of launching available.

And more good news - Juho is coming back to tow for us next summer.

Jenny

4 August 2009

Ian Barraclough and Al Giles in residence. The day dawned sunny after a very cold night, but a little high cloud around. Blipmaps indicated there might be thermals to about 5000ft, but it didn't look that promising. Wind forcast to be more or less straight up the strip.

Ian wanted to get current winch launching again, so once again Garry Speight came out. What would we do without him? He was able to bring the green car back from Manilla, and Ian took him back in the evening.

While waiting for Garry to arrive, we set up the winch at got the Grob out. Launched Al Giles solo in it - for the usual 7 minute circuit. Then Garry and Ian took to the air, and soared for three quarters of an hour. They reported gentle climbs to 4000 ft. There was some cu over the hills toward Manilla, but nothing over the strip here. That used up the days supply of thermals it would appear. Al had another launch and then Ian and Garry again, then we packed up and adjourned to the shade sail for hot bread!

3 August - catch up

Its been fairly quiet at the club since I got back from UK.

My first week back, the weather was pretty cold and miserable. The committee decided to get some work done on the tug while things were quiet, so I flew it up to Armidale, met Todd there who drove me back to Keepit. Todd has been doing heaps of work on the aeroplane up there.

We brought back the Puchatek fuselage, and eventually managed to get it off the trailer. It's still sitting derigged in the tug hangar - thought we might as well do the Form 2 before we rig it again.

Transferred the Junior to the tug hangar too - it needs its form 2. Retrieved the fuselage cradle from Tamworth - it was in the "mobile sign" i.e the trailer.

There have been some quite nice looking days - Garry Speight took up a couple of joyflight people on the winch and managed to soar for 1/2 hour, despite the late start. Next day he flew with Lauren Goddard who needs to get a winch endorsement. Lauren had been having a few problems with landings in the Grob - I warned Garry about this, and she then proceeded to do 5 perfect ones!

We are still using the old winch, as Harry's had a problem with the lead in gear - which is now fixed, but not yet returned to Lake Keepit. I am hoping to become endorsed to fly and drive the new winch soon. I am getting very good at getting the old winch out and putting it away again. Winch launching is a sociable activity in winter, and heaps cheaper than aerotowing.

Gabrielle Kalkbrenner earned a heap of brownie points one day stamping over 1000 payment envelopes with the correct BSB and account number. John Clark earned some more by soldering the connector on to the battery lead in the Grob, which had come adrift. However he lost half of them again by complaining about the connector!

Al Giles helped me clean all the gunk off the winch so that we could try to see where the oil is leaking from, and also tied some rops to the tie down cable down near the yellow windsock on runway 14.

Lauren and Warren (dad) Goddard helped Garry and I to de-rig the Junior after flying last week.

I still need a gang of people to erect the new yellow windsock on runway 14 - will probably need about 4 people to do it.

UK Holiday

Something to be said for getting on the plane dog tired. Slept nearly all the way the the UK and arrived quite fresh! Met by my partner, John, who took me to Croydon, where we both grew up! A trip down memory lane.

Spent the rest of my holiday in Dorset apart from a weekend in Shropshire visiting rellies. First day in Dorset was sunny, and we went to the beach, which sported lots of people enjoying the sunshine wearing swimming gear. Trouble is the wind was freezing - I needed my fur coat! Weather was hot later on by UK standards - 32 degrees C and they were warning everyone about the dangers of heatstroke! I must have got acclimatized because I actually braved swimming in the sea one day.

On one weekend we visited Dorset Gliding club, where Peter Robinson allowed me to fly his cirrus. It was a quiet weekend there, so the winch was not operating. I took an aerotow to 2000 ft, and glided down to cloudbase at 1500 ft. Some circling in zero lift extended the flight to about 20 min. Then Peter derigged his glider again and put it away and that was that! We don't know how lucky we are here both with weather and hangar space. John had a flight with an instructor in a K13, and we had a good yak to the club members.

Time went all too quickly, and I was soon on my way back to Aus. Slept most of the way again, and didn't really suffer much from jet lag at all.