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From: Garrett Russell
Date: Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 6:52 PM
Subject: First Day of Autumn at CGC
To: cgcmem@mailmanlist.net.au


If ever there was proof that the imported four season concept does not fit the reality of Australia’s climate, it was the “first day of autumn” around the Pie Cart today. Thirty odd degrees of temperature and enough humidity to make early morning DI a sweaty experience made for a day more like what most of our ancestors would call "high summer”.

But that did not stop us logging 9 flights for the day and just short of 4 hours total flying for 3 club gliders.

The DIs were early because we were aiming for an early start. Due to weather cancellations last weekend, new member Jessica Bellamy had to squeeze in her first training flights before patrol duty at her home surf club. And we had another young lady, Stephanie, arriving around 08:00 to get an AEF in before two other passenger bookings.

Consequently duty pilot Alan Graham, AEI Lindsay Mitchell and tug pilot Karl Bodi, all with coffee in hand, met duty instructor Garrett Russell at an hour normally associated more with the breaking of wind of a sparrow (according to some of the crew) than with their usual flying routine. We were also joined by Tony Sorensen, making his third YCAB appearance in a row, and Speedy and Bert who thought it was not too early for second breakfast.

And because this is gliding, we did NOT get the first flight launched as early as we had planned. A terminally flat tail wheel tyre on the Blanik and an out-of-fuel situation in the Barina saw to that.

By the time we were ready to launch on 06 - the runway that all forecasts and windsock indications confirmed as the logical choice - there was so much power traffic on 12 that we lost even more time with the first launch crew sweltering under a rapidly steaming canopy.

That crew was Jessica and instructor Garrett. The planned second crew to launch - Stephanie and AEI Lindsay - did not eventuate as Stephanie wisely decided to take her flight on a day when the temperature was less likely to make her prone to air sickness. This was despite a considerable effort on Lindsay’s part at what is nowadays called "PR spin" but which the rest of us remember as "chatting up". A performance to place Lindsay in the lead for this year’s Golden Comb Award …

And to show that he flies as well as he talks, Lindsay scored club glider flight of the day with 51 minutes from the second launch with one of his other AEF pax.

By this time John Nestor had joined us from a prior commitment, DI’d the Libelle and got it to the flight line in time to claim launch number three. This also marked the changing of the guard in SPA from Karl to Neil Schaefer, who towed us into the afternoon.

Jessica had three training flights and over an hour in GYK including some thermal climbs - well done Jessica - and still managed to get off to her life saving duties in time.

After Lindsay had finished with IKW’s AEF duties, Alan Graham continued his Twin Astir conversion with Tony Sorensen.

And John Knox wrapped up the day with a hangar flight in the Blanik when he dropped in around three o’clock from visiting his ailing Pat the Dog in the local Vet Hospital. Get well soon, Pat, and great to see you in a glider again, Knoxy.

The steaming stats for a sweaty day:

GJY two flights 0:54
GYK four flights 1:15
IKW three flights 1:36

Plus another three hours or so each for Bert and Speedy, who self-launched around 11:00 and were back about the time the rest of us declared it cool drinks o’clock.

Roll on the cooler, dryer air of March, April and May!