|
|
First
flying day of Spring |
|
06-Sep-14 |
| |
--------------------
From: Garrett
Russell
Date:
Sat, Sep 6, 2014 at 7:31 PM
Subject:
First Flying Day of Spring at Caboolture
To:
cgcmem@mailmanlist.net.au |
| |
| Yesterday's
hiccough with the tug gave the Saturday crew the
honour of first flights for spring, and the weather
delivered delightful soaring conditions in the
middle of the day. The flights launched between
11:00 and 13:00 averaged over an hour duration, and
that's not counting Bert Persson's self launch which
almost certainly went well over the two hour mark,
taking him out to Watts Bridge and up to 7,000 feet. |
| |
|
|
|
Karl
Bodi and Tim Williams set up our flight line shelter
while Rupert Perry and Alan Graham head back to the
container to look for the part of the shelter that
actually provides shelter |
|
|
The
mere mortals restricted to the coastal plain were
headed by Speedy Gonsalves and duty pilot Tim
Williams on Kookaburra GLM, who came back after 1:49
mostly in the 4,500 step. They were chased around
the high sky by AEI Kevin Rodda in Blanik GYK,
giving the daughter of an AEF passenger a
complimentary introduction to Caboolture soaring of
just over an hour. |
|
 |
| Kookaburra Kings ... Tim Williams and
Bernard "Speedy" Gonsalves
salute almost two hours of soaring on (very short
1956 vintage) wood and fabric wings. Speedy was very
pleased to break the recent run of 20 minute Kooka
flights! |
| |
| And
her father was more than just a passenger, being a
former glider pilot of much experience in South
Africa. We may see more of David Renton, after his
first flight in 12 years, of just under an hour in
CQC with duty instructor Garrett Russell. |
| |
|
Those
flights occupied so much glider time that Alan
Graham and Rupert Perry - who worked tirelessly on
paperwork, retrieves, and great PR work with our
passengers while waiting for their turn to fly -
could not find 20 minutes of lift in the afternoon
sky. Thanks for your gracious patience, fellas! |
| |
|
With
the forecast change in the weather bringing flight
times down dramatically - Speedy and Kevin only
clocked 20 minutes from GLM's second launch - the
passion for flying faded as quickly and we logged
the last landing just after 14:30. |
| |
|
So
just 9 flights for the day, but a happy little crew
who lingered quite a while longer once the gliders
were put to bed. |
| |
|
Karl
Bodi was our rostered tuggie for all the day's
flights, while his mates on the new Pie Cart
construction crew put in another big day getting it
to lock up stage. Their work was so efficient that
it took Kevin Rodda some time to work out why he
couldn't lock the door on the old Pie Cart at the
end of the day. It had been whisked away to be
installed in the new van! |
| |
 |
| Where's
the door? |
| |
 |
| There's
the door |
| |
 |
| Bob
Hainsworth, Arthur Mailey, Eric Dickeson and Shane
Tuck put in another big day to get the new Pie Cart
to lock up stage |
| |
 |
| Interior
of the new Pie Cart - duty pilot luxury! (Note that
the windows go right up to the ceiling ... Judith
Smith's suggestion aimed at providing Duty Pilots
with the best possible view
upwards). |
| |
|
The
day's results:
CQC
5 flights 2:14
GYK
2 flights 1:10
GLM
2 flights 2:09
Plus
the pleasure of many throbbing Mustang take offs
right next to our flight line. And one bogged
Barina, driven by a member whose identity will
remain a telephoto blur ... |
| |
 |
| Our
passengers enjoyed lining up with 1500 horsepower on
the runway |
| |
 |
|
Bogged
Barina (image blurred to protect the bogger who
bogged it) |
| |
| Sent
from my iPad, |
| |
 |
| Garrett
Russell |
| Duty
Instructor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
