I'm flying this weekend with Beverley Soaring Club in Western Australia (info here - http://www.beverley-soaring.org.au/). First time in the air for almost a year I think. Excited but nervous and feeling rusty. Been brushing up on radio procedures (it's a CTAF field) and reading up on their fleet.

Photos next week I hope!

Nice shots Jamiroq! Good fun init?

Well, not the best weekend for soaring (see pic) but there was enough space between the rain (it wasn't as that) to get some short flights in. Mostly circuits and in total an hour in 5 flights but I managed to blow the rust off and gedt back in the air after 14 months!

Low cloudbase which limited the height of tow, but made for some lovely flights. No photos from the air (too busy on those circuits) but it was incredibly green out there and in the afternoon, when the clouds began to break up, I was flying in a sunny blue patch, watching an eagle below me. Lovely.



smith

Got to Beverley again on Sunday (the weather improved after an atrocious Saturday - they had a heavy hailstorm on Saturday before lunch but luckily no aircraft had been pushed out) and got three short flights in in a Puchacz (first time in this type) for some spins and stalls revision. Finally got some shots from the air (sorry for quality - camera phone on my blackberry - all I had with me).

Lovely and green from 2,000 feet. Caught this little rainbow.



smith

This is my club near Vermont. Three single seat Discus and me and my friend in a Duo Discus shooting the video.


We head off to Mifflin to soar the ridge soon.

oh and congrats Jamiroq for completion of training!

We just returned from Mifflin and I am happy to say I have nearly 6.0hr of ridge soaring (@115kts) and wave to 8,000ft


What an adventure!!!!




photos & video to follow

Hey Uther - where's the photos and video???

Here's some shots from my club's Christmas camp at Cootamundra (still ongoing). I managed to get a couple of days there earlier in the week and managed to get a flight on Wednesday evening (it was a goodish flying day and people were getting 3-5 hour flights, so I had to wait until almost 6pm before the glider I was going to fly - a DG-1000 - came back).

I launched at about 6.30pm and landed at 7.20pm (got a 46 min flight). When I launched the day was dying in terms of thermals but I managed to find a 3 knotter rising from a rocky bare hillside and centred it well enough that I gained 1,000 feet. After that it all pretty much went to mush and I was in as much strong sink as I was in weak lift. I took a few photos from the cockpit as the ground looked good at 3,500 feet (2,400 AGL) and then called it a day.

It was my first time flying the DG-1000 and it's a huge beast. Twenty metre wingspan, big retractable undercarriage that Arnie would find difficult to deploy (most pilots end up porpoising like crazy because the effort required to pull the gear level makes them pull or push on the stick as well) and the most reclined seating position I've flown. It feels like a 747 but is quiet and goes like the clappers.

The day before had developed into an excellent day and two of the blokes with private gliders went from Cootamundra to Gundagai and then over Tumut lake and then back to Coota via Harden.

Anyhow - here's some pics - my gals came to the field and got some shots.



Towing out





The Pawnee tow plane





Tying down after landing





three views of Cootamundra from the air in the evening










Thanks for looking,

smith

I had some pretty serious medical problems after my last post (recovering now).

I'm happy to say I am going to Mifflin again day after tomorrow and when I get back I'll post some shots Smithcorp

Uther, sorry to hear about the med problems, but glad you're recovering!

good to see the old bunch is still here!!!!