--------------------
From: Garrett
Russell
Date:
Sun, May 27, 2012
Subject:
Another new member Sunday @ YCAB
To:
members@glidingcaboolture.org.au
New
members are coming in at the rate of one a day, at least on
this weekend’s numbers. And they’re coming back to learn
and succeed, as yesterday’s newbie Lars Wijsman can
happily confirm. More on that later, after you welcome our
latest recruit:
Justice Lockley, a student at Aviation High, was booked for
an AEF this morning to see if he liked the idea of gliding
as the pathway to a flying career. That’s a lot of weight
on the shoulders of the AEI.
Whether Chris Weir’s shared kiwi heritage had anything to
do with it we don’t know. All we do know is that after 26
minutes together in CQC these two not-so-flightless birds
came back to the Pie Cart with Justice keen to spend his
mum’s money on a student membership.
Justice may also have been inspired by the number of
pre-solo members around the flight line.
Tim Williams, Lehai Reeves and Paul Griffin all came down
from the Sunshine Coast to continue their training, and Lars
Wijsman came back for his second day of pilot training. Duty
instructor John Clayton quickly divvied all those potential
training flights between himself, rostered L1 Garrett
Russell and non-rostered Mick Moloney – who had selflessly
come out to just be the duty pilot.
And what we at first thought would be a lift-free day of
short training flights turned into a booming afternoon of
soaring as well as learning.
It started with Tim and Mick getting 37 minutes in GQA
around midday. Paul and JC followed with a 42 minute
training flight and possibly Paul’s first experience of
thermalling close to another glider (more on that glider
later). Then Lars and I shared a 41 minute hangar flight in
which he – on
his second day –
climbed from 2,000 to 3,500 feet, unassisted except by an
occasional prompt from the back cockpit.
Now that is learning with success.
But none of these times comes anywhere near the aero tow
flight of the day:
Janet Neisler from the yet-to-be-hatched Maryborough Gliding
Club came down to keep current and went home with 1:22 in
GQA under her belt. That was the glider Paul Griffin shared
some thermalling with, and it was a magnificent sight from
both cockpits.
Notice the aero tow caveat above. Absolute flight of the day
went to Speedy Gonsalves in his K-14, which gave Lars his
first taste of chasing another glider around the sky as we
both came down under airbrakes through a sea breeze
convergence that made for magical late afternoon flying.
And none of those aerotows would have been possible without
the day’s TWO stand in tuggies. Thanks to Steve Bowtell
for coming at a minute’s notice in the morning and Karl
Bodi who returned for his second day in a row to take on the
afternoon shift.
The day’s score card:
11 flights (plus Speedy’s)
7 in CQC for 2:52
4 in GQA for 1:55
And of course 1 new member
What more could you ask from the last Sunday in May at YCAB?
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