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From: Garrett Russell
Date: Tue, Sep 20, 2011
Subject: 3,000 hour day @ Go for Solo Week
To: cgclist

The Adams and Davids were back at YCAB in full strength today and joined by Dan Kershaw, but the big highlight was not a training flight. It was flight number 6 on the sheet and John Clayton's second Blanik flight for the day: 39 minutes which took JC exactly a quarter of an hour past 3,000 hours of gliding.

Lindsay Mitchell had pride of place in the second seat for this historic flight, which took place in a hazy and gusty sky.

Congratulations JC! Never has a champagne toast in the hangar been better deserved.

The turbulent conditions made for interesting lift, as proven by other flights of 43, 52 and 92 minutes, but they also had the crew switching from runway 30 to 06 to 30 again for the day's 12 flights.

David Higgs, Tony Sorensen and Garrett Russell assisted JC with instructing and Mick Moloney even got a walk-in AEF (the 43 minute flight - nice one, Mick).

Paul Strike rounded out the official crew, taking over the towing from Tony. And Adam French claimed the prize for best two seater flight (the 52 minute one).

JC will be back in the skipper's seat tomorrow, cracking the first hour of his next goal - 4,000 hours as he said today! - and helping the day's trainees to more high achievement in the Caboolture sky.

Garrett

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