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Rooster,
feather duster and fledgling Sunday |
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03-Nov-13 |
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Mark
Thompson tried hard but in vain all day to
launch us into something even resembling lift.
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-------------------
From: Garrett
Russell
Date:
Sun, Nov 3, 2013 at 7:27 PM
Subject:
Rooster, Feather Duster and Fledgling Sunday @ YCAB
To:
cgcmemlist
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With
an average flight time of 10.9 minutes, there were no
roosters in the air above the Pie Cart today. Not like
Friday, with Neil and Judith’s 1:25 and another
flight to crow about which, well, we’ll get to
shortly.
In
fact, the whole day could very well have been a
feather duster, wiped out before it started. L1 Mick
Moloney, Tuggie Mark Thompson, AEI Kevin Rodda and I
came close to calling it off due to lack of interest -
not a single member apart from the duty crew in sight.
Only the presence of fledgling Duty Pilot Florian Poff
gave us the motivation to unwrap a glider and pull the
tug out.
Just
as well we did, because it went on to become a very
satisfying 10 flight day. Well, satisfying for some.
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Florian
Poff's mum Coralie takes refuge in the pie-cart shade
with Garrett Russell and Mick Moloney.
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Kevin,
Friday’s reigning rooster and still wearing the glow
of his 2:40 flight in GRV, fell straight to feather
duster today with two Ka6 flights - 17 minutes
from RWY30 and 18 minutes off RWY06.
Admittedly
both were above the day’s average, but enough to
bring Kevin’s weekend average down to mere mortal
levels. And those two little flights were above
average only because the one other member flying today
was NOT trying for time.
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Florian
Poff enjoyed yoghurt with two delightful young ladies
Anika and Freya (who just happen to be his younger
sisters.
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Floran
took advantage of two instructors and no queue to
concentrate on take offs and landings. And eight short
flights later, he achieved the hold-off touchdowns
he’d been aiming for, with the additional benefit of
landing one from his first simulated emergency!
Very
satisfying from the training angle, but it was also a
memorable day on the family and friends front thanks
to an extended visit by Florian’s mother and two
young sisters.
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Anika
and Freya took the opportunity to do some low flying
during retrieves.
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Mum
Coralie eventually conceded to Mick’s gentle urging
and took off on her first ever glider flight, while
sisters Freya and Annika “flew” the Blanik back to
the tie downs after seeing and hearing their big
brother fly. None of them identified his voice on the
radio, prompting a new slogan for the club's training
services:
“we’ll
turn you into a pilot your own mother can’t
recognise”
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Florian
had the honour of being ground crew for his mum's
first glider flight (with Mick Moloney). The srprised
facial expressions were when it was "hinted"
that this would be Mick's first glider flight as
well!
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The
social scene got even better when Speedy arrived at
the airfield “to do some work” - but didn’t -
and Neil Schaefer briefly dropped in after a hot day
of dark side instructing.
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Speedy
(Bernard Gonsalves) impersonating the work that he
came out to do today (after finishing the lawn-mowing
at home this morning) before being delayed while
socialising at the RWY 06 flight line. Now there was
the clue that was missed by some earlier in the day
... no Bert, no Speedy, no thermals!
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For
a day that was just the duty crew, the pleasure was
all ours!
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Garrett
Russell
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Photos
and captions courtesy of Kevin Rodda. |
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