There was an element of changing guard about Friday flying this week, so what better way to open the report than with a military metaphor:

We enjoyed our now customary Friday visit from an apparently brand new MRH-90 helicopter (last week’s was still in undercoat, this week’s and the one the week before looked more finished). As is now usual, it hovered around the airfield for part of the morning in a very professional manner.

Meanwhile, we made our first change of the guard, swapping from RWY30 where we had followed the traffic to 12 where duty instructor Barry McCarthy and tuggie John Knox always knew we’d end up anyway. At least we launched both GQA and GYK first, landing them at the other end so only the pie cart needed to be towed down.

Barry celebrated his 1,500th flight with Jessica Bellamy in the Blanik while Tony Sorensen and I flew with Ken Mitchell and Shane Tuck in the IS-30 to complete their conversions to type. These early flights were all below 15 minutes under a clear blue sky. The forecasts indicated lift, however it was still not around by 1130. That's when Tony set off with Charles Hoch for his re-introduction to GQA and they came back after 19 minutes.

By 1145 it was on, but not for long. Judith Smith and Arthur Mailey launched in the Blanik for a 54 minute flight of the day. Bob Hainsworth and Charles followed in the 30 but could not quite manage half an hour. And by the time Ken and Shane celebrated their new type status with a mutual in GQA, the flights were back to the 20 minute mark.

Longest flights for CGC members while all this was going on were easily the Level One Instructor training flights Lindsay Mitchell and Kevin Rodda took in motor gliders GHM and JLL with Mike Truitt and Al Sim.

Stats for the club’s 12 flights:

GQA seven for 1:58

GYK five for 1:54

So what does all this have to do with changing of the guard?

Well, Charles changed with Ken: one coming back from a long absence overseas and the other leaving us until late September. And there was none of the usual Friday changing of the guard between tuggies: Knoxy earned all our thanks for a very big day in the Pawnee.

But back to the military metaphor:

Just as we had started the day in company with the Army’s newest aircraft, we ended it with an aircraft synonymous with the Australian Flying Corps. 

Changing guard across almost a century of history from the Bristol F2 Fighter to the MRH-90, and a satisfying day or soaring in between. Where else could you ever do that but at Caboolture Gliding Club?