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Half
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13-Jan-13 |
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From: Garrett
Russell
Date:
Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Subject:
Half Day Sunday Half Report
To:
members@glidingcaboolture.org.au |
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Duty
Pilot Rod Ellsworth will send the full report
tomorrow.
In brief, we got in only three flights before the
Bribie Island bushfires again cut short
operations.
The
island itself disappeared from our view as the
predicted NE wind kicked in about 1130 and blew
enough bushfire smoke our way to take away half
the horizon.
The moral of the story:
come out early in summer because the afternoon can
be too late!
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Garrett
Russell
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From: Rod
Elsworth
Date:
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 3:38 PM
Subject:
Smoky Sunday
To:
members@glidingcaboolture.org.au
Thanks
to Garrett for the interim report and apologies
for the delay - I've just got back to Cootharaba
and to my internet access.
A
small band consisting of Garrett Russell
as Duty Instructor, Mick Moloney as AEF
chauffeur and Mark Thompson as SPA driver
assembled a little after 0800. We were
also joined by Tim Williams who was looking to
solo, and President Lindsay. Alex Horvath
and Speedy also arrived with the intention of
doing further work on Alex's Ka6, an idea which
was quickly abandoned as the day rapidly heated
up. With the small numbers it was decided
that only CQC was required and we duly set off
to join our powered bretheren on Runway 30.
Garrett and Tim headed off on the first flight
of the day at 0948, and in the meantime Rupert
Perry and friend Helen Rowland who was visiting
from the UK, joined us at the Pie Cart.
Mick then took Helen for what proved to be the
flight of the day at 31 minutes. In the
meantime the expected northerly wind change
arrived, heralded by a stong smell of smoke.
We packed up and moved to 06 to which we had
also diverted CQC. Garrett and Rupert then
headed off on a check flight while Helen,
Lindsay and I had an enjoyable discussion about
fossils, and no… I'm not talking about more
senior members of the gliding fraternity, but
rather fossils of the palaeontological kind, as
Helen is a geologist. Sadly, Garrett and
Rupert returned after only 13 minutes to report
that rapidly diminishing visibility precluded
further flying operations, and we drew stumps at
about 1230 hrs. To add insult to injury,
David Crocker had dutifully DIed GYK, but it
never got to leave its mooring point.
The
stats - 3 flights in CQC for a total of 1
hr 06min.
Safe
flying
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Rod
Elsworth
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From: Garrett
Russell
Date: Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 4:12 PM
Subject: Smoky Sunday
To: members@glidingcaboolture.org.au
To
clarify one important detail in Rod’s report on
a hazy day, it was Tim Williams who actually did
the DI on the Blanik in an ultimately forlorn
attempt to add some training launches to the
flight sheet while (we hoped) the 28 was busy with
solo flights. However, as reported, just a few
minutes into the next launch I confirmed myself as
a life member of the Wildly Optimistic Society.
At least Tim got in some extra DI practice in lieu
of a solo flight.
We were also late to start flying because we
waited for the busy power traffic to heed the
weather forecasts and switch from 30 to 06, thus
saving us a double set up. Another forlorn hope!
Thanks to all the crew who worked so well through
the heat, and especially to Lindsay for
re-securing the rear clearview panel on CQC’s
canopy in what was surely the hottest operation of
the day.
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Garrett
Russell
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