From: Garrett Russell 
Sent: Saturday, 14 November 2009 6:37 PM
To: CGC List
Subject: You just missed another great soaring Saturday

The Saturday pattern, as Kevin Roden’s morning photo and Tony Sorensen’s message sadly show, is now well established: great soaring weather going to waste on a hangar full of immobile gliders.

Today was almost a total zero.

Kevin, Tony and I were the only people at the hangar when we pulled the plug around 0930.

But shortly after they left and just as I was about to follow, Bert Persson and Speedy Gonsalves decided the sky was too good for them to concentrate on work.

Bert offered to wear the double hats of tuggie and L2 instructor to get Speedy and me airborne before going off in his own self launcher, so Tony’s good work on the tug DI would not be wasted after all.

Kevin Rodda also quickly swapped to single seater mode after a morning of motor glider AEFs, making a grand total of four members to share the booming thermals overhead.

The result was 1, 2, 3:

1. A little over an hour’s flight for Kevin (as well as four motor glider sorties)

2. Two and a quarter each for Bert and me

3. And a bit over three hours for Speedy, including the achievement of a personal goal in finally getting to Kilcoy and back (and he’s got the attached photo to prove it!)

The soaring was superb. The feeling of companionship from flying with good friends was even better. The only thing missing was more of our club mates to share the day with.

What are you doing tomorrow? Kevin Roden predicts it will be even better than today – and there’s still a hangar full of gliders begging to be used!

Garrett Russell
For the Saturday Soarers