09Jun13 - Hunter Valley Gliding

Hunter Valley Gliding

09-Jun-13

Constant controlled descent from a long downwind leg of a standard left-hand circuit into Runway 28 grass-right at Warkworth Airfield, NSW (Hunter Valley Gliding Club). Peter Alderdice is behind the camera in the front seat of the two-seater Puchacz VH-XQY. It looks a bit bumpy at the very start of the video but that is just Pete getting the camera into place! In fact it was amongst the smoothest air that I have ever flown in. Not long into the video you can hear the audio-variometer whimper momentarily as we hit a slight ripple ... that was virtually the only indication of lift that we experienced all day.

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From: Kevin Rodda
Date: Sun, Jun 9, 2013 at 5:44 PM
Subject: Hunter Valley Gliding
To: cgcmemlist@vicnet.net.au

I was lucky enough to be in the "land of the game-one-winners" today and had two flights with bro-in-law Pete at Warkworth (Hunter Valley).

Both flights were under 30 minutes and were flown in what would be some of the the smoothest air that I have ever experienced.

On early downwind for the second landing we hit a ripple (would be a gross exaggeration to call it a bump) and Pete said ... "is that the sound that vario thingy is supposed to make!"

Great hospitality was shown to us by the HVGC boys.

Kevin Rodda

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We called the Club before making the 90 minute trip from Newcastle to Warkworth and they had the Puchaz (PZL Bielsko SZD-50) DI'd and at the flight line waiting for us ... Puchacz is Polish for "Eagle Owl".

Not many landing areas around this airfield ... looking straight to the west as we make maximum use of the full 1200m of Runway 28 to gain height quickly and provide some turn-back landing options.

Only a very few "survivable" landing areas around this airfield and virtually no "safe from damage/injury" landing areas. This view is looking from behind the tug straight back into Runway 10 (we launched from 28).

Very different scenery ... however beautiful in its own way.

When you are in Newcastle, and your team inflicts a memorable come-from-behind defeat on the Knights, you just have to subtly flaunt it a bit in front of the Novacastrians the next day!

Mines, mines and even more mines!

HVGC's tug makes some clever use of clear perspex over the inspection ports