On 21/09/2009, at 16:50, Jenny Ganderton wrote:
> Apparently there were some good flights over the weekend, but no-one
> has either posted them to the OLC or written any of them up on the
> chat group. I heard that John Stewart got to 10,000ft and flew about
> 170km. Come on guys - don't hide your light under a bushel!
There were some good flights on Saturday, but the definition of "good"
must depend on if you were flying or not. Any flying is better than no
flying but Saturday was something different altogether.
Maybe I am not experienced enough with spring weather but Saturday had
heaps of lift, very closely aligned with double the amount of sink.
The task was set by Robin W who typically elected not to fly.
Christian and Greg (?) headed out to Manilla and Castle tops early. I
launched a little later and got a decent thermal near the strip...
which I had to leave because I was being out-climbed by Wendy M in the
LS7 who headed to Manilla after me, a little later.
I headed for Manilla and had a go at a couple of thermals on the way
with not much of a result. Wendy reported that she was returning to
Lake Keepit for a top up. I got lower at Manilla, headed back towards
Gaineys, then back to Manilla and was just about to start the iron
thermal when I got a boomer. off the dial... which alternated with off-
the-dial sink which was so close to the lift that it was like a
washing machine and near to un-workable that close to the ground, by
me in any case. So I did a TOL (technical out landing) and got back up
to 3000'.
From then on, it was character building for all.
I heard Dave Shorter launch and tell Garry S that he had water on.
Obviously Dave could handle conditions which I could not. I felt
fairly inadequate at that point. Then Christian radioed in to say that
he was about to do his first outlanding for the year near Mt Kaputar.
Then Dave S comes on the radio and made a few unqualified enquiries
about the state of the lift and how high people were getting. At that
stage I had got another boomer near Rangarai and was (briefly) going
up like a rocket. Greg (?) joined me and by the time he had bailed
out, I had lost 1500' or so. Partly because I was talking to Dave S to
explain the state of things at the end of the Kelvins and partly
because the sink was huge and mixed up nicely with the lift.
While I escaped to a black coal mine which surely was a thermal
generator, Dave S radioed in to say he was outlanding. Then Christian
comes on and says he's 20 kms out and homeward bound.
What a day! I need to learn more about something.
Right now I am looking at Torrey Pines near La Jolla in California
which gives me an excuse for leaving the club in a hurry and not
helping pick up Dave and being at the committee meeting. Lots of
"dopes on ropes" out soaring on a lovely light sea breeze and no real
gliders. It's a shame that fashion moves so fast!
Apparently they do winch sailplanes up from a strip just behind the
cliffs in April which must be a hoot. Not so much the flying, but
setting up a landing over the high rise buildings just behind the
strip... and making sure you don't fly over any of the condos on the
beach and upset the privacy loving occupants. Never had that trouble
flying over beaches and houses in Oz!
BR
JC
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