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Friday
- stormy weather
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09-Nov-12 |
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| From:
Judith Smith |
| To:
members@glidingcaboolture.org.au |
| Date:
Friday 09-Nov-12 17:55 |
| Subject:
Friday - stormy weather? |
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| Is
it wet where you are yet? Threatening looking cloud
developing overhead and dismal results from what the sky
was offering encouraged our small crew to head for the
tie-down area rather early to wrap gliders up before they
got wet, hence our total of just seven flights today.
Fortunately, there were no complaints about packing up
early. Unfortunately, the sky started to look as if
the few new clouds that were puffing up nicely may have
provided the elusive lift we’d been looking for all
morning. Such is life as Kelly said. |
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Bob
Hainsworth, John Knox, Carl Bodi, Patience "Pat"
Knox, Charles Hoch, Dave Payne and Ken Mitchell ...
this was around the time that the wind got under the
awning and crashed the frame back to the top of the
pie-cart scaring the hell out of everyone including
another couple of members who were inside the pie-cart at
the time! |
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| Leaving
Kelly aside, the day’s participants were Bob Turner as
our L2, John Knox as our tuggie with Karl Bodi and later
Steve Bowtell as backup. How come on some days we
have a surfeit of such talent? Karl was quickly
pressed into service as AEI to take Ken Mitchell’s
friend, Dave Payne, for a flight in CQC while Ken and Bob
got down to another flight in GYK. Dave does not
usually fly with a long rope out in front of his great big
aircraft but seemed to enjoy the novelty. |
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No
hiding the joy ... I also got to fly today! |
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| Bob
Hainsworth and Charles Hoch had already taken CQC to look
for friendly clouds but, like everyone else, seemed to
find nothing really special. However, they ended the
day with the aforementioned improvement in the sky
coinciding with the ‘hangar’ flight for CQC.
They didn’t really need to do a hangar flight as we were
established on 06 but their dogged determination to have a
second flight was rewarded with a tally of 37 mins during
which time we put PJs on GYK. Thus they gained the
honours for the longest flight of the day. Total
time for CQC’s three flights was 1 hour 23 mins and, for
GYK’s three flights, one hour and six minutes. |
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Bernard
Gonsalves and Bert Persson appeared to be having a good
time at the flight line in QA. Yes, WUC was at the flight
line (parked in the background with YK). |
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| In
the midst of this wrapping up of the day, QA returned to
the air in the hands of Bert Persson and
"Speedy" Gonsalves. QA was duly declared
fit for flight and Bert and Speedy joined Kevin Rodda
(when he returned WUC to the hangar without even a
launch), to complete the paperwork before sitting and
chatting while we packed up on a very quiet airfield. |
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Speedy
and Bert (with Ken Mitchell at right) back at the hangar
after completing QA's annual inspection paperwork. |
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| In
due course we joined them after such an efficient
‘pack-up’ that I was left in the van taking CQC’s
final launch time as Karl returned our ‘stuff’ to its
spot beside the containers. Thanks Nathan for
looking after the launch for us. We were a bit short
handed. Thanks too to our instructor and tuggies,
Knoxy, Karl and Steve. Four hopeful pilots, just one
instructor (busy), three tuggies (helpful), one visiting
pilot and lonely launch controller, Nathan... Almost
sounds like a reprise of a Christmas carol – needs a bit
of work though. |
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I
have found that sitting side-saddle helps balance the
hours and minutes columns on the Daily Flight Sheet at the
end of the day ... the empties weren't mine! |
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| Now,
once again, is it raining yet? |
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Whatever
the accuracy of the forecasters’ predictions, good luck
to weekend
members and please stay safe everyone, particularly if it
does rain.
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| Judith |
| On
behalf of the Friday Crew. |
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