Club News
Horsham Coaching Week 2010.
Arriving at Horsham on Friday afternoon, checking in at the Wimmera Lakes caravan park on the way and then meeting up with David Tickner at the airfield, after securing our trailers we took a trip into town to stock up on supplies for the week.
Steve Baldini arrived later that day to join us at the caravan park for a BBQ tea.
Next morning early rise and after breakfast we are off to the airfield to rig our gliders and there we meet Mark Kerr and later on Phil McCann. After rigging our gliders we had a short briefing and then it was our turn to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, and what better way than to take a launch and see it from the air. Conditions were soft so most of us were flying within a 25km radius of the aerodrome.
Sunday after the morning briefing and weather forecast, a front was approaching from the north east and a thunderstorm warning was present, so taking all this into consideration the daily task was set, north to Brim, south east to Donald and then back to Horsham a total of 208km.
I was one of the last to launch. After release and establishing myself into the thermal, I looked towards my first turn point and noticed a dark front approaching, so without wasting time I set on-task after reaching 5500ft.
Flying under a now overdeveloped sky I could find nothing but sink, so I decided to track into the sunny spots to the east, a diversion of 90 degrees, but it payed off after a low point of 2400ft I managed to find a 4.5 knot claim which took me up to 8500ft.
So now back on track and the sky ahead is not looking good. The front by now well established, by the time I get to Warracknabeal I get a little rained on and looking ahead there is already lightning in front of me. Looking towards Donald I can see severe rain showers and listening to the radio also suggests that conditions are rapidly deteriorating, that’s when I spotted two gliders thermaling about 2 km in front of me as it turned out it was MK (David) and LN (Mark). David having local knowledge suggested we go to Dimboola instead and then Horsham, which also means flying in the blue.
After agreeing with David and taking my thermal to the top of 10,500ft - the best I have seen all day, I followed those two only to pass them 20km on track it was a further 15km before I found a thermal but it was worth it, averaging 7.4 knots and giving me a height gain of 3050ft finishing a little over 9700 ft.
Rounding Dimboola and on to Horsham. It was only after Horsham that I took another thermal and then continued towards the Grampians, Wartook reservoir from above is a sight I can highly recommend, a blue lake in the middle of what seems to be wilderness, sheer cliffs and large forest areas. Condition were getting soft by now so back to the aerodrome and secure the glider for the night.
Steve Baldini was flying with Horsham’s legend Max in the Janus that day and Steve will still have this little voice in the back of his head saying “push on Steve push on”. Monday the weather was not so good with most people doing short flights, while David put on a flight to Dimboola and back, “he must have something about Dimboola”.
Tuesday was a no flying Day due to the Weather so we had lectures about the use of oxygen, thermalling and cross country flying in general. Wednesday was looking to be the day so we teamed up with our coaches for lead and follow or in a 2 seater. I was to fly lead and follow with Peter Busken while Steve was to follow Geoff Vincent, David in the Janus two up and Mark ventured out by himself.
The task was Litchfield, Brim and return a total of 185km. After meeting up with Peter on the east side of the aerodrome at 7000ft we set on track to Lichfield we covered the 72 km with just two thermals so now on to Brim where conditions were not as good and Brim once again was covered by a dark blanket of clouds. After topping up to 6100ft I flew into Brim rounded the turn point and out again for a height loss of 2800ft. Conditions once again improved so we extended the task, flew to Dimboola and then via Horsham to the Grampians and return - the total distance covered was 360km, 18 glides and 22% thermaling. I think I still had a smile on my face the next morning, what can I say, it was the highlight of the week for me.
Personally I believe I learned a lot from this one flight and little did I know that I could put it all into practise a few days later at Raywood. Thursday, rain, rain and more rain so more lectures and review of previous days flying (I still had a smile on my face). I believe Steve sneaked out to sample a few wineries. That night being the last one of the course the Horsham club put on a spit roast, cooked over charcoal and redgum followed by some ice cream and liquid amber, Friday, last day, weak conditions and the task was Lubeck, Dimboola and return. Setting out on task from 3800ft I flew most of the time between 4000 and 3000 ft with a low point of 1600ft.
By the time I got to Dimboola the wind has increased to 18 knot straight from the south breaking up those already weak thermals and making thermalling interesting. 5 km before the airport I ran out of height and landed in a rather soft paddock so no chances of aero tow retrieve. Lucky for me the farmer’s son came over to see if I was ok and as he was on his way to work past the airfield he offered me a lift.
As the farmer showed a great interest in gliding I showed him around the Horsham club and you never know but he may be the next student pilot to join. Mark and Steve offered to help retrieve, so we derigged WQR in the paddock and after saying good bye to everyone I was on my way home.
I would recommend this coaching camp to anyone interested in gaining or further developing their cross country skills.
Frank
BGC at Horsham Week 2010.
Once again Paul and Craig made the trip over to the Horsham week Competition. This year Craig was lucky to be able to fly David Tickners Hornet GMK, also known by Craig as the Super Hornet. Paul Flew his Astir KYP in Performance class (Sports Class). He won one day and placed just about every other day. Over all Paul finished the Comp in 3rd place.
Craig on the other hand moved into Standard Class for the first time. On one of the days he put water ballast in the wings only to find they leaked, so Craig flew dry for the rest of the comp. Craig had a great time but finished 6th in the field of 10. They both hope to improve their flying and place higher next year at Horsham week 2011.
Craig
Australia Day at the club
Like most Aussies we spent Australia Day hanging around with our mates. It was planned to have and old fashioned BBQ at the club. The day kicked off with the PW-6 and winch being made ready for the days operation, as well as the knots being checked.
While Steve Baldini did the DI on the Pw-6, Phil Organ and Neil Frizwell fired up the BBQ for a feast of snags and onions.
After everyone had a go at cooking and a short Australia Day Quiz, (which as a group we didn’t do so good). But… None of the questions were about gliding.
After a fairly slow start we finally go into the air, with Rob Young getting to 5000ft in the Pw-6. Mal Bennett had the longest flight of 2 hrs in his Woodstock.
Craig
Christmas Camp
The year has got of to a 'flying'' start at Raywood with the completion of the Geelong Gliding Club camp at our field. Some extraordinary achievements by both members of their club and ours, and early commentaries from GGC members indicate a glowing appreciation of our clubs ability to host our visitors.
Ailsa McMillan GGC is the first woman to solo off our field and along with her father Alf, went a long way to achieving their badge requirements. We would have to have had some of the best soaring conditions around for some time and I even managed to coax the Woody out to 341km last Saturday, and that was with being the second last glider to launch on the day.
Terry Bellair kindly provided weather information and advice on the best tasks each day and also set the benchmark in distance flown each day, starting early and finishing late. In between keeping the fridges topped up, the bins emptied and the guests happy, Frank managed to achieve up his first 500k task, encouraged along the way by Caleb White of 'Team DG'. Rod Jewell pushed the Junior around a 300, a first for both of them! There were so many personal success stories during the camp that we will have to wait to read the accounts of the Geelong Club to get a measure of these.
With an excellent pizza night hosted by Frank and Jason our guests were looked after in fine style. Thanks must go to many of our members who turned up and put themselves out to ensure our visitors had a great time. Thanks Guys.
Peter
FLARM progress
With the help of a Community Grant from the City of Greater Bendigo, as well as many hours of work by Paul and Phil, the Bendigo Gliding Club has been able to purchase and fit a FLARM device into the two-seat PW-6 glider.
This will be of great assistance in providing an extra level of flight safety, as well as providing the facility to log flight traces.
FLARM is an affordable, active and cooperative traffic and collision-warning system for general aviation and recreational flying.
Since 2004, over 11,000 fully FLARM and fully-compatible devices have been installed in aircraft worldwide.
These devices have been credited on many occasions with avoiding dangerous situations and increasing situation awareness. FLARM is the only prevalent alternative to the commercial airliners’ expensive ACAS/TCAS system.
Mark
Library Display.
In January 2010 the club held a week-long display in the foyer area of the Bendigo Library.
Included in the display were some models, a variety of general gliding information, some gliding equipment as well as various brochures for people with an interest to take home.
Thousands of people pass through this area on their way to the library each week, so the opportunity to have a display at this location provided us with a good deal of public exposure.
If all goes according to plan we will try to have another display late 2010 or early 2011.
Mark
2009 Christmas Party.
I can't believe its Christmas time again, it only seemed like I was at last years party at Bill Hughes house . This year we held it at the CFI’s house again. Phil an Mandy Organ offered their party room for the Christmas feast of BBQ and a huge range of sweets.
The cooking was done by a few members, but Ralph Keller lead the charge with tongs in hand, nothing was burnt and was cooked to perfection. A highlight of the night was the cake made by Franks wife Janice, marking the 30th birthday of the club.
During the night Phil gave a guided tour of the Kestrel 19 he’s repairing, giving a blow by blow description of the repair work and the direction he will take next to finish the project off.
Phil doesn’t call the party room the party room for nothing, with the night going full steam ahead with the drums and other musical instruments getting the full work out. Who would have known we had so many gifted musicians in the club. David Goldsmith broke out the violin and with Mal on the Keyboard providing some back up.
What a great night!, with most of the 30 people that attended staying just past midnight. Oh yeah, and we did do a fair bit of flying over the weekend too.
Craig
Vintage Rally at Bendigo Gliding Club- Cup Week
Well, I’m not likely to say it wasn’t a good time - but I reckon that most of those who came WOULD say it was a GREAT time!
The weather started out warm to hot but with a little more wind than we would liked, and we missed a day’s flying on Melbourne Cup day - but one rest day out of nine isn’t bad! From Wednesday the rally had ideal conditions, with light winds and an increasing temperature giving long flights and heights over 9,000 ft. Scattered cu’s dotted the sky on most days. Weather briefings were kindly given by Terry Bellair and Caleb White. After Sunday’s briefing Ian Bogaard gave a presentation detailing progress on his Jaskolka restoration. This fascinating high performance vintage glider is the only one of the type in Australia and has not flown for many years. It had advanced features including easy rigging, automatic control connection, retractable undercarriage, and fowler flaps. We look forward to seeing it grace our skies once again.
Mal Bennett also gave a comprehensive rundown on progress with the Minimoa building project. This rare and beautiful gull winged sailplane has not been seen before in Australia, and the building process is very complex.
A good roll up of visiting vintage gliders, supplemented by the local ones, gave a total of thirteen vintage craft. In addition, VGA member Robert Percival visited with his Libelle, and Keith Nolan brought his Sapphire ultra-light for the morning temp trace flights
WIN TV and the Bendigo Advertiser both featured the rally in their presentations.
No vintage tasks were set, and pilots could participate in the coaching course task, nominate their own flight task, or carry out local flying. Quite a few elected to fly crosscountry as conditions improved and good progress was made each day. Certificates and Cherry Ripes were awarded at morning briefing to the pilot making the highest height, longest distance or greatest duration flight on the previous day. A vintage of a different kind, (red), was presented to the overall winners at the final briefing.
Congratulations to all who came! Some excellent flights were made, perhaps the best being the 189 km jaunt taken by Arie Van Spronssen and John McCorquodale in the Ka-7 to Echuca and down the Murray River. However, the point in vintage gliding is not to fly farthest, fastest or highest, but to fly for the most pleasure, the most fun! Each pilot decides what he would like to do and where he would like to go on the day. There is no pressure, no stress, just the desire to enjoy vintage gliders and the company of other pilots. While the gliders of yesteryear have varying characteristics and some have limited performance, they each have their plusses, such as low sink rates and being fun to fly. There are financial advantages too, as they are often much cheaper to buy and most don’t have airframe life limitations. They also come in different colours
Vintage Gliders Australia would like to thank the members and assistants of the Bendigo Gliding Club for putting on such a friendly rally, and for all the hard work to ensure the smooth running of the rally and the well-being of all the participants. Your efforts were greatly appreciated!
Dave G.
Spring Flying
It's easy to tell the soaring season is approaching.
Despite less than perfect weather, Saturday, October 3 saw the biggest lineup of gliders for quite a while.
Taking to the air were the PW-6, Hornet, DG-101, ASW-19, two Libelles and Astir, on what turned out to be a good days flying, with many soaring flights being accomplished.
Although most of the flights were short, Paul showed everyone how it should be done by finding and following a little hawk around the sky for the longest flight of the day in his Astir.
Mark.
Winter Dinner
Thanks to the organisational skills of 'Friza' and the participation of around 30 club members and their partners a pleasant, social, Saturday evening was spent at the Mount Edgecombe Hotel, Bendigo. If the noise level of the evening and the late departures were any indication then this event was another resounding success.
Air Force Cadets go Gliding
On the weekend of June 13 and 14 the local Bendigo based 410 squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets paid a visit to the Bendigo Gliding Club at its Raywood airfield.
Two staff and 29 cadets (6 female and 23 male) attended, with all of them getting the opportunity to fly in the gliding club's two seater aircraft, the PW-6 and Bocian.
The brisk wind and cold conditions did not affect flying at all, with about 53 flights taking place over the two days.
For many of the teenagers it was their first time in the air, but this didn't put them off, with most electing to take aerobatic flights after their initial training flight.
Anzac Day Model Flying
This year saw something of a dramatic change to the weather we have experienced over the past few years at Mount Hollowback. This time it was strong winds and low temperatures that greeted the seven club members who attended. Peter arrived at 10 am and managed to sort out a couple of models before the Bendigo contingent of Phil & Bill, Craig, Patrick and Friza & Billy drove in around 11.
Undeterred by winds gusting to perhaps 25 kts or more the models were ballasted up and under threat of passing showers much flying was done. North Westerly winds saw us flying over the rock strewn side of the hill, but fortunately landings below the summit were minimal. Little damage was incurred on the day in spite of the challenging winds and by 3 pm everyone agreed that they had satisfied their slope soaring urges and departed under rainy skies.
Into the blue!
Bendigo and Grampians Gliding Clubs visit Donald, Labour Day weekend, 7th to 9th March, 2009
Launched into a glorious blue sky behind the Callair tug at Donald, prospects and adrenalin high as nearly all the early starters stayed up and cleared the area, a nice 5 knot thermal from release in a right turn, it doesn’t get much better than this. Set course at 3,500 feet, heading towards Charlton to (rather pessimistically) follow the highway in case Bertha and trailer are called on for a retrieve.
Craig’s brave voice from one of the black boxes, “left Donald for Raywood,” encourages, - if plastic can do it, wood should! Dropping 700 feet, tiptoe mode, still assessing the day and keeping height at the expense of speed. Another climb – this time to 4,000, speed up to 50 knots and back on course. Look for the sweet air, savour the moment! After all, when turning, 50% of the time is backtracking!
Problem - air is not sweet enough and back down to 1500 feet we go! Bump – straight into a nice climb back to 4,000. Passed Charlton and heading east-south-east towards Raywood. Pass beside the quarry as thermals are good, air is sweet and Wedderburn beckons. What’s that? Craig, out well ahead, but down low and struggling, just north of Wedderburn. Ahh, up he goes and sets course a few miles ahead. We pass Wedderburn and I confidently follow towards Mount Korong. Soon Craig is high above Mount Korong as I slip into the air he has recently used so well. Down, down, down….
Approaching the Mount some sweet air searched carefully in widening circles at minimum sink gives a few hundred feet, enough to transit to the large granite rocks of the Mount itself, crossed at 1800 feet, a mere 400 above the top – ahh, up! – oops, down! Round and round. Keep near the selected paddock Dave, safety first! Up to 2300, sneak east-south-east a kilometer – down – back to the bumps! Muck around, remembering “up is not down! This is what your glider is built for – hang on to every sniff!” Why aren’t the sources working? – try harder on the sunny side – nix – try the windward side – nix! Don’t be distracted by the people on the track below looking up! Do they realize how much fun I’m having…..?
It had been a great inter-club long weekend in Donald. All the usual suspects from both clubs, Bendigo and Grampians (Ararat) enjoying the flying and each other’s company. Bendigo had fielded eleven gliders, Grampians four gliders and tug, and of course Keith Willis from Bordertown club showed up. Flying in pleasant mild weather was good, getting better as the weekend progressed. Thermals, however, were not to be taken for granted, cu’s popped - and disappeared just as quickly, a few low scrapes were had by most pilots, who generally reached heights to four and almost five thousand feet. The Jeffcott Pub on Saturday night served excellent food and drink, and lots of stories were told. The barbeque in the caravan park on Sunday night was great (thanks guys and girls), a carnivore’s delight and even bigger stories were told!
Back at Mount Korong, a few hundred feet more allows another attempt at moving on track, this time to a nice thermal, all of two knots all the way round – oh joy!! Slowly, carefully, don’t waste it!! Up to 3,500 feet and I’m off on course again – phew! Twenty five minutes of pure adrenalin!
Heights up to 4,500 as we settle down to eating miles again! Long glides but occasional thermals help keep the pace on, wave “Hi!” to Jean and Bruce Mc Clymont?’s farm abeam Bridgewater, won’t be dropping in on them today as I check final glide in the seven knot headwind. 5000 feet and 25 miles become 4000 and 20.
Three thousand and 15 miles becomes two thousand at ten miles. At this rate I will arrive 500 feet below the airfield! Where are those thermals?? Pass south of Raywood town, but I need some lift first! It comes, slow and sweet, drags me up 500 and dies. Move out, search for it!
At last, half a kilometer away – 7 knots! What, where have you been all day?! Straight up, the luxury of 6,600 feet, a diversion towards Bendigo City to check out the recent bushfire damage. A nice spot landing to be met by Craig’s smiling “What kept you? Let’s take some photographs!” I just can’t wait for next year!
Bendigo gliders to attend were PW-6, Junior, Woodstock, Super Woodstock, ESKa6, PW-5, ASW19, Hornet, Astir, DG-100 and LS-1 Grampians gliders were Janus, PIK-20, LS1F, ASW20. Bordertown glider PW-5.
Dave Goldsmith.
Silver C congratulations!
Frank and Mark both received their Silver C badge awards last week, on Monday 9-3-09.
Naturally Saturday's drinks at the bar were generously provided by the pair, which was a good thing - especially for Paul.
You see, only the three of them turned up on Saturday.
Just goes to show that it pays to turn up, even on a rainy day!
Mark.
Craig and Paul compete at Horsham
For the past few years Craig and Paul Dilks have made the trip to Horsham Week, and this year was no different. Paul had his Astir KYP in tow and Craig had the club's Super Arrow GYS ready to race.
The two of them entered sports class which means 15 meters, no flaps or water ballast. The class also allows 2 seat gliders up to 20 meters. About lunch time on Friday February 6 Paul and Craig arrived to rig, tie down and to enter the comp. Arriving early means on Saturday all they had to do is a DI and clean the gliders.
On Saturday the 7th the day was cancelled due to the extreme conditions which gripped Victoria. The caravan park they were staying at came under threat from a grass fire which went around the boundary fence. Craig and Paul had left earlier and took all their stuff out to the glider club to wait it out.
At about 7:30pm we called the park to ask if it was safe to come back, and the owner said they were OK but had no power. On the way back the guys got stopped the Police barricade for three hours before being allowed to continue to the park. Sunday was also cancelled due to poor conditions and the events the day before.
Monday the 9th started out looking fine and that’s what they said at morning briefing. Time to race at last. The task for sports class was Marnoo, Warracknabeal and back to Horsham. The last leg should have been the hardest because it was the most direct into the wind but Craig and Paul found it was the easiest with lots of thermal streeting.
Tuesday was cancelled due to the really poor weather, they launched five gliders and within 10 minutes three had landed. The lift up there was very hard to work and the remaining two gliders just struck it lucky and found a half-good bit.
Wednesday came and the weather had settled down so the racing was back on. The task for sports class was Minyip, Ellam and back to Horsham. This was an AAT task with 20 km circles around the turn points. Most of the fleet had a hard time getting home into the strong head wind. Craig had a big struggle in the Super Arrow - it took him 2 hrs 20 mins to make it home with an average speed for that leg of 27kph.
Both Thursday and Friday where fairly good with good lift and light winds. Paul and Craig completed the set tasks with ease. They started seeing heights of up to 8000ft and six to eight knot climbs. Saturday was the final Day of Horsham week. What a scorcher! That’s what best describes the day.
It was a 2 hour run task, Murtoa, Warrackabeal , Antwerp and back to Horsham. The aim is to go as far as you can before you run out of time. Paul in his Astir KYP did over 200km in the time at an avg speed of 105kph. Craig in the Super Arrow GYS did 182km in the 2hrs with speed of 91kph. Craig hoped to break the 100kph but it wasn’t to be. A great time had by both of them and they look forward to Horsham week 2010.
Craig.
Horsham Coaching Week: January 31 – February 6, 2009
Horsham Coaching Week was held from Saturday, January 31 to Friday, February 6, and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this event.
The first day was put aside for people to arrive, begin rigging their gliders and generally settle in and get organised. This proceeded well, with all pitching in to rig each other’s gliders, the only problem being the withering 44 deg temperatures, made worse by a blast-furnace wind.
Overall 15 attendees arrived, as well as nine coaches and several pilots preparing for the competition week which was to immediately follow the coaching week. On Sunday some people were still rigging, but after that pilots unfamiliar to Horsham took area check flights with instructors, so I went up with Ian Grant in the VMFG Duo Discus for a pleasant flight of over one hour.
The structure of the course was well organised, with each day beginning at 9 am with general announcements and operational issues being covered. These were followed by reviews of the previous day’s flying, usually with several flight traces being analysed.
Instructional talks on various gliding related subjects came next, generally including some discussion on the subject matter with pilots relating their own experiences. After a short break the prevailing weather conditions were presented and discussed, with a task then being planned taking the weather information into account.
Glider allocations then took place, with coaches and students being assigned, and lead-and-follow or dual flying pairs being organised. Following this about an hour was allocated for pilots to get organised, DI their aircraft, get flight plans programmed into their GPS etc, then gridding took place. Typically the first glider on the grid was the PW-5 of Keith Willis. Everyone reckoned if he couldn’t stay up then no-one could, so Keith got the job of sniffer.
On a personal note, three flights stood out for me during this week. The first resulted in my first outlanding, where I travelled 137 km out of the task of 140 km, landing in a large paddock only 3 km from the airfield, battling a 20 kt headwind. The second flight was one taken directly south to the Grampians. While the task was set to the north and most people headed that way a few of us elected not to do the task.
Instead we headed towards a breaking line of cu’s which presented a nice street leading all the way to the Grampians. This was a very scenic and enjoyable flight of over four hours. Of the people who did the task there were about six outlandings, so as soon as I landed I was on the job helping to derig and transport these. The last memorable flight was a task to Arapiles silo, north over the Little Desert to Nhill, then across to Jeparit and back to Horsham, which I then flew around locally for a few hours to achieve the 5-hour requirement for Silver C.
The only real downside of the week was the weather, which was generally very hot with quite a few windy days. Company was good, meals offered by the hard working members of the Horsham Flying Club were great and a lot of excellent flights took place. Several attendees achieved some or all of the requirements for their Silver C and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the next Horsham coaching week to those interested in improving their cross-country flying skills.
Mark.
October 25
Frank's immaculate DG101 arrived at the field on Friday, and was rigged on Saturday. Soon after lunch Frank made his first few flights in his new acquisition and we couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
Meanwhile, the working-bee continued, with a tractor mowing the field, bricks getting cleaned and laid, and general trimming, mowing and cleaning up around the club house area. All is now looking good for the upcoming Cup weekend activities.
Mark.
October 11
The field was a hive of activity on Saturday, with everything seeming to be happening at once. Frank was busy digging holes with his Bobcat, Peter and Mal doing work around the clubhouse, bricks being cleaned, gliders being assembled, on top of all the usual preparations being made for flying. Ka-6's were out in force, with David and Jenne's prepped and ready to go, and John Mackley's being reassembled for its first flight in a while. David Parham's Libelle had just returned from its form 2 ready to take to the air, and many other gliders including the PW-6, Sparrow, Junior, Phil's Libelle, ASW-19, PW-5 and LS-1 were rolled out onto the strip to fly.
Gliders launched into what initially looked to be an average October day, but this rapidly developed into what can only be described as a "boomer". Cumulus clouds began popping out everywhere, almost all of them providing excellent lift. Most pilots had no great plans for cross country flights when they launched, but this quickly changed as the conditions provided excellent opportunities for long distances to be covered. Gliders disappeared in all directions on their ad-hoc tasks. Many gliders broke the 10,000 and 11,000 ft barriers, with straight line flying betwen regions of lift the order of the day. Cloud base was around 11,500 feet, and the main problem everyone seemed to have was getting back down, with most having to apply full airbrakes to get to circuit height. .. Mark.
A Great Weekend at Echuca September 21-22
Four glider trailers from Bendigo arrived in close formation at Echuca Airport at about 9.15 am on Saturday morning, 20th September, heralding the start of a great weekend for all concerned. Peter Raphael with his Woodstock, followed by Mal Bennett with his Monerai, followed by Mark Kerr with his PW-5, with Paul and Craig Dilks bringing up the rear with the Bendigo Gliding Club's PW-6 two seater. They were met at the gate by Echuca locals and Bendigo Gliding Club members John and Sian Mackley, and Dave and Jenne Goldsmith who had driven - snail-like - to Echuca the previous day in trusty "Bertha" the Bedford motorhome. Other club members to blow in, apart from Tug pilot Tim Cook and Ralph Keller with the Maule towplane, were Keith Evans with Robyn and Kim, David Parham, Kevin Harrison and Colin Campbell. Blow in was the operative word, for the wind blew and blew, the Maule was quickly stowed in the hangar, and the PW-6 was rigged - also in the hangar. Most visitors then took advantage of the tourist attractions in the town - including the riverboat port and shops, to fill in a pleasant afternoon. John had a delicious barbeque ready by 6 o'clock in the Echuca Aero Club's well-appointed and comfortable clubroom.
Sunday dawned clear and calm, and the rigging party started as the Monerai, Woodstock and PW-5 were removed from trailers and assembled to their full glory. Neil Friswell, Billy Hughes, Phil and Mandy Organ, Patrick and Ingrid Roberts, and Rod Jewell showed up to enjoy the day. Flying got underway using Runway 35 grass left as the warm breeze built up to about 8 knots and thermals started to pop. Most pilots managed to get away from their first attempt, and three visitors enjoyed their flights in the two-seater, one thrilled by his birthday present (a flight) and leaving for the party to follow. All visitors enjoyed their experience and expressed their desire to glide again.
Mal Bennett carried out his evaluation flight after a twenty-year inspection of his Monerai, which had not flown for the last five years. Craig then tried the V-tailed glider, and Mal flew it again to show how good it really is, having already logged about 550 hours on his little gem. Peter Raph had a long soaring flight in the Woodstock, and Mark had a nice flight in the PW-5. Mark then kindly offered his pride and joy to Jenne, who joyfully went soaring while crying crocodile tears over her absent Ka6! Jenne followed this up with a nice flight courtesy of Peter in his Woodstock, then Paul also enjoyed the Woodstock. Meanwhile members and visitors continued to keep the PW-6 busy with training and local flights, but the prize goes to Patrick in the PW-5 who stayed up long into the afternoon and found some shear wave lift that gave him the top altitude for the day of 5,700 FEET - also keeping him out from under our FEET while we derigged the gliders!.
Sunday was monthly competition day for the Echuca Aero Club, and the lunch, including roast lamb, chicken and veges, followed up by chocolate cake for sweets, was well appreciated by the large gathering of power and glider pilots and friends present. Tim was working so hard in the towplane that a sumptuous plate of goodies, covered by foil, was presented to him on the field - we do look after our tow pilots! Bertha's kitchen was also appreciated on the launch point by those needing a tea or coffee, and she performed sterling service as a wind break. The formation flight put on by the Yak and Stearman, followed by the majestic solo aerobatics of the Stearman, were a highlight of the day. In the late afternoon, John put a smile on Keith's dial by taking him flying in the Aero Club's Jabiru.
All round the weekend was a wonderful success - a great experience for the Bendigo Club members and a wonderful chance to share our interest in sport flying with the Echuca Aero Club members. Thanks are especially due to John Mackley, who worked tirelessly and sacrificed his own flying to ensure the success of the visit. Many thanks are also due to the members of the Echuca Aero Club, a very friendly and hospitable group of aviation enthusiasts, who unselfishly shared their facilities and supported this happy bunch of wandering glider pilots. Hopefully one day soon we can return the favour. Finally, a big THANK-YOU to everyone who contributed to this great weekend!
September 13-14
The weather was a bit windy on Saturday, but warm at 25 degrees. Thermals went to over 5000 feet, but were a bit broken up by the wind. Nevertheless, some reasonable flights were done on the day. One of the pics shows the fields are finally getting a bit of colour in them, although this probably won't last too long into the hot weather. The hangar looks to be almost ready, with the doors sitting on the ground ready to be attached. Once this is done it should be ready to take gliders.
Bill's LS-1 took to the air on Saturday. I think it had just completed its form 2 and is back in service.The PW-5 was derigged away on Saturday for the Echuca weekend, and the PW-6 derigged on Sunday.. Mark.
Nearly there! August 17
Now with wall and roof cladding on, Hangar 3 is almost ready for its new tenants. picture: Craig.
Hangar Rises! August 3
Hangar 3 finally takes its 3 dimensional form as the steelwork begins to rise above the earth.
Pie Night & AGM July 26 &27
As a precursor to the AGM, members Bill Matthews and Neil Friswell agreed to demonstrate their culinary skills and prepare pies and pasties for the evening meal on the AGM Weekend. While the majority of members present on Saturday decided to take at least one launch and test the winter conditions, Bill and Neil laboured away in the kitchen preparing their delicacies and filling the clubhouse with a mouth-watering aroma. With the longest flight for the day being only 14 minutes there was no contest as to whether the flying was going to be better than the pies and pasties prepared for us.
The tally for the day was 25 launches and at least one pie and pastie for each person present (some were further observed to over-indulge themselves!). Some of those members absent at the dinner were lucky enough to share the experience for lunch the next day. A BIG Thank You to Bill and Neil for their significant contribution to the social club.
At the AGM on Sunday Jack gave a summary of the past years achievements before initiating the appointment of new office bearers. With Peter Raphael elected as President supported by David Tickner as Vice President and the perennial Treasurer, Rob Young, a protracted meeting ensued. Other new appointments are Mark Kerr and David Goldsmith as ordinary members of the committee.
It would appear the that club is going to be quite busy over the next year dealing with lots of diverse issues spawned by the growth and enthusiasm we are now experiencing. New hangars, more private gliders,launch method development and strip maintenance being just some of the issues coming under scrutiny.
Milestones
June 28-29
This weekend two quite different milestone were achieved. On Saturday, Neil Friswell aka 'Friza', soloed in the PW-6. Neil is an accomplished aeromodeller who has decided to demonstrate his flying skills from inside the aircraft. Congratulations Neil!
On Sunday Mark Kerr logged flight number 100 for his PW-5. As is usual, the ever present grin was still there at the end of the flight.
Bonfire Night
June 21-22
Bonfire Night is over again for another year and this time it was at least as good as the last, with lots of entertainment. Tim and Laurel flew down from Tocumwal in the Maule again, and with the PW-6 returning to service after its annual maintenance and the Blanik gaining acceptance, it gave members an opportunity to refresh their aerotow skills.
While a cold southwesterly kept everyone rugged up it did not deter the modeling activities, as dusk approached Phil dragged out the 'Rascal' to perform some scale aerotow and the air-dropping of items designed to entertain. Modellers were well represented this year with the likes of Col Collyer, Dete Hasse and other VARMS members with their quarter scale gliders and a number of the Bendigo Modellers flying illuminated electrics. Even Caleb and Patch persevered into the darkness with their control line models in a determined effort to complete at least one lap with their aging but patient models.
Bill Matthews and Friza took charge of the catering ,performing admirably in the kitchen, preparing a selection of soups and a beautiful roast beef dinner. Even when the genny failed during dinner and we had to resort to the low voltage lighting it did little to impede the enjoyment of the meal and the great company of the assembled. With around 60 people attending it proved the viability of the clubhouse in hosting large groups.
After dinner Phil fired off a few hot air balloons adorned with sparklers and as the bonfire was ignited people filtered out to enjoy the entertainment. After launching his hydrogen balloon, an impressive conflagration, Peter put Big Bertha, a veteran of 3 previous events, into the air several times in the hope of finding a thermal over the fire. Frank also took the opportunity to engage with Surface to Air Missiles in the form of skyrockets, but failed to score a kill. Maybe next year Frank?
Meanwhile back at the bonfire, Ralph was given the opportunity of sacrificing one of Paul's old slope soarers to the gods of gliding with a perfect hand launch into the flames.
Sunday dawned and besides a little modelling activity there was scant enthusiasm for gliding activity. The stiff breeze and bleary eyes told the story. After a protracted meeting covering a lot of business and the rigging / derigging of gliders under maintenance, most chose to leave early to repair to warmer surroundings. In all, another successful weekends activity that is sure to be repeated next year. Don't miss it!
Another "New" Glider
June 01
Last weekend Caleb and I drove to Stonefield to get the Blanik. Saturday morning started with a 5:30am rise, which for me is very rare. I normally surface about 9am, but with 695 km to drive I had to make an effort, even Caleb said he doesnt get up this early on Christmas morning. At 5:50 we jumped into my car and started out, the plan being to swap drivers every hour just to make the trip easier on both of us. Our first long stop was in Ouyen, at the Mallee Bakery, for some much needed food. The pies are worth the long drive. After the 15 minute break headed for Mildura which we thought would be the first fuel stop, as it turned out we didn't stop and kept on going out the other side for half an hour before refueling. Over 400km on 40 ltrs of juice, not bad.
Down the track a bit further we found a Macca's at Renmark for lunch. Now that we had made it into South Oz the excitement was fairly building, not far to go before we get to see the Blanik at Stonefield. At 2:05pm we arrived at Stonefield and it was then I learned why it was called Stonefield. Not much grass but heaps of stones, for a short time it could have be Mars. Fortunately the Adelaide Uni guys had derigged the glider for us and had it pointed in the right direction. Good job. At 3pm and after seeing one launch and a taken tour of the club house and hangers we set out for the run back to Victoria. Not having towed this trailer before I was pleasantly surprised at how well it ran. Sitting on 100kmph it rolled along nicely, not even a wobble when trucks went by, the fuel consumption did suffer though.
Half way between Remark and the border the sun set and we knew it was going to be a long night. In Mildura we halted for tea and a driver stop. Heading on home I decided we would go via Swan Hill because I didn't like the idea of driving through the scrub country. On reaching Swan Hill, and as we needed fuel, Caleb brought up the petrol stations on the Navman. The closest one was on the Truck bypass route but 10 o'clock at night and it was all in darkness, so we had to head for the main street. As we turned into the main street a Police car pulled up behind us and followed us all the way to the petrol station. We were thinking, "what have we done?", turns out they wanted to look at the glider because they had taken a flight at the Swan Hill club and they had loved it.
2 hours to run before we would be back home in Raywood. We arrived there at 11:50 pm, put the glider in the back annexe and headed into Bendigo and to my place. A 1464km round trip. The Blanik flew the next day. Craig.
New Glider
May 10
John Mackley flew his recently acquired Ka6cr for the first time this weekend. Racking up 3 flights on Saturday, John was able to appreciate the excellent climbing abilities of this German built glider, in what were challenging conditions. It may be some time before John will lose the permanent smile he carried this weekend!
Mark's PW-5 also returned to service after its Form 2.
Anzac Day
April 25-27
As the Anzac Day holiday fell on a Friday the opportunity presented itself for a number of club members to take advantage of the long weekend and make the trek for a day's slope soaring at Mount Hollowback near Creswick followed by a weekend at the club.
With most arriving on the hill mid morning it was not long before the sky was filled with models. While dark clouds threatened the rain remained at bay and a reasonable breeze throughout the day from the north meant that there was sufficient wind for the more aerobatic models while still being within the scope of the floaters. Frank made several valiant attempts with a borrowed model but the transition to a mode 1 transmitter proved his downfall and in the end and in spite of Frizas excellent skills no amount of tape and glue could rectify matters. Packaging tape was the order of the day and kept a number of models going, however as Chris found, when a foam Zagi turns into a beanbag no amount of determination will make it fly. Phil Organ terrorised everyone doing beat-ups with his DG 500, Paul found the day tiring, probably from all the walking he had to do. Ralph attempted some dual instruction with Craig which did not have the desired outcome. "My Aircraft!" can sometimes be too late. Mal was physically attacked by Geoffs F18 and in the distraction failed to pullout of a loop. In spite of a degree of attrition all agreed it was great day and look forward to returning. Ralph should have some pictures here soon!
After all the excitement it was back to Phils place for a barbeque and a debrief on the days activity. Saturday the field was fairly quiet with no flying, just a meeting of the winch committee and those present getting a head start for Sundays working bee and attending to maintenance tasks around the club.
Sunday was filled with the monthly meeting and plenty of activity on a variety of tasks. The Tickners laboured away on the new floor for the PW-6 trailer. Peter, Mal and John Mackley completed guttering at the front of the clubhouse. Paul and Friza organised the concreting of the turnaround posts at the end of the field while Phil and Craig sorted out the winch motor and obsolete field cars. A number of others shared their time around these and other tasks. To be honest, I was too busy with my own work to take note of everyone, but all that were there did pitch in and got a lot of work done. Toward the end of the day most of the remaining members lent a hand in removing concrete tie downs on the new hangar site. This turned out to be a formidable task with a satisfying outcome. Things are looking good for this weekends visitors.
Easter Weekend
March 21-24
Good thermals and pleasant weather with temperatures in the mid twenties gave pleasant soaring on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to the clubmembers able to take advantage of the Easter break. Good Friday did not provide a good start however, as crosswind conditions deterred pilots who preferred to socialise on the ground.
Saturday's wind was quite light and Paul Dilks flew crosscountry in his Astir to Gunbower, in conditions of streeting cumulus, while heights of up to 7,500 were available. Keith Evans enjoyed a long flight, his first in the ASW19, sharing a thermal with Dave Goldsmith in the K6. Some visitors from Central Coast Gliding Club, NSW, checked out the PW-6.
Sunday was a little more difficult, the wooden Super Arrow with Dave and the Ka6 with Jenne being the only ones to exceed one hour. Mal Bennett had a nice flight in the Junior, and Dennis Hipperson converted to the Junior. Monday had good thermals for those lucky enough to blunder into one, but many circuits were practiced! Sian Mackley had a circuit and a soaring flight while training in the PW-6. A threatening thunderstorm brought the day to a close early as all present had done some flights, except Sian's son Lloyd, who departed with John in the Jabiru before the storm arrived. Lloyd will be attending University in Bendigo, and has already completed 18 glider flights in New Zealand. We hope to welcome him as a new member soon.
A great time was had by all at the informal Club Dinner at the Queen's Arms, Bendigo, on Saturday evening. The dinner was very well attended, the sumptuous meals leaving little room for desserts! Attendance at the club monthly meeting next morning was a little tardy, but the spirited agenda soon woke the growing crowd! A lively discussion preceded the motion that we accept an offer for the Super Arrow, which was defeated by a very narrow margin. Also, during the weekend some brick paving was re-laid around the clubhouse after the termite treatment.
All in all, a very relaxed and enjoyable weekend! Anon.
Long Weekend at Donald!
March 8-10
What a great weekend! As with last year the Ararat and Bendigo clubs met at the Donald Airfield to share what turned out to be 3 excellent days of flying and personal achievements. The advance guard in the guise of Frank and Phil McCann headed over on Friday to greet Brian the tuggie with the Callair and the Janus while the majority of our members arrived via Raywood on Saturday.
All of the Bendigo club gliders were there, and a majority of the private ones too. In all the excitement Ben T. discovered on arrival that he had left behind most of his gear and had to drive to Warracknabeal to get a sleeping bag! Even Dave and Jenne in ‘Bertha’ arrived in due course and made her apology by providing ample shade for all during the hot afternoons. John V arrived in the Dimona later in the day, having flown from Raywood with plans to stay the night. The weather over the three days was very hot and dry with temperatures ramping up slowly from a max of 37 on Saturday to 40 on Monday, so while things were a little warm it took some time for the conditions to allow for reliable soaring conditions on each day.
At the initial briefing, Met specialist, Geoff Vincent of Ararat encouraged everyone to make the most of the weekend and undertake some cross-country flying. Once things got going some very creditable flights were undertaken and some notable achievements were by Frank and Dennis attaining and renewing their aero tow ratings while Neil and Ben managed some extra lessons in this, for them, different launch method. Some of the more experienced pilots ranged out across the countryside and even flew north across the border.
On Saturday night we all filled two long tables at the Mt Jeffcott Hotel in town, a great meal along with the usual mingling ‘war stories’ and discussions around solving the problems of the sport. Steve and Rod arrived on Sunday and made the most of the conditions to explore country north of the field, pair flying increasing their chances of a safe return. Mark even extended himself and the PW-5 to visit Charlton and Wycheproof. Phil and Bill had to leave this day but not before the LS-1 they were sharing had been given a thorough workout.
As with last year the Ararat guys led by Maurice Little and Russell Sparrow, put together a great barbeque dinner at the campground. Not even the loss of lighting when the fuse blew could dampen proceedings and it was late in the evening before the last of the stragglers wandered off to bed. However, the next visits menu may also involve chicken if the resident park rooster is still there!
On Monday, Jenne in the K6, Phil McCann in the ASW19 and Peter in the Woodstock elected to fly back to Raywood, a distance of 112k, as they had previously arranged for groundcrew. All flights were concluded uneventfully and Peter even reporting a climb to over 10000ft early in his journey home.
Mal, not known to be a fan of technology, still managed to unload the following items from his glider at the end of the day. These were:- Palm Pilot, GPS, UHF Handheld, VHF Handheld, Mobile Phone and VHF Panel mount. Oh, the stubbie? That’s an optional post-flight accessory.
Party Time!
February 16-17
A special weekend for the club on a number of levels.
David Goldsmith celebrated his 60th with the members on Saturday night and thirty pilots, wives and girlfriends enjoyed a birthday celebration hosted by Jenne and Dave at the clubhouse. After a magnificent spread of salads and barbeque (pictured), many of the partygoers moved outside to enjoy the balmy evening and their chocolate mud cake, raspberry sauce and ice cream! This was so delicious that many members were seen indulging in another round of it on Sunday afternoon. Thanks Jenne!
Club members led by Mal Bennett completed the new verandah roof on Sunday morning, immediately appreciating the additional shade that this affords the clubrooms. By Sunday evening some observant member suggested that the new structure had a little lean. A few drinks were enjoyed while we considered the problem, and this seemed to work as it was quite straight when we staggered out! (below)
Dennis celebrated his "4th" solo this weekend emphasising his "once again" return to active gliding. Perhaps the news that the K6e is in the final stages of painting has him fired up. Dennis is emphatic that this is the last time he will need to "go solo" and is very keen to stay current and rack up the hours.
Flying was halted early on Sunday afternoon as the new "chinese" starter motor failed on the winch putting paid to any further flying. Many then took the opportunity to head home early for well earned rest.
BGC Represented at Horsham Week
February 2-9
A pleasant week's gliding was had by the six members of the Bendigo Gliding Club team at Horsham Week from 2nd to 9th February. Club Pilots were Craig Dilks(Super Arrow), Paul Dilks (Astir), Terry Bellair (DG-400) Caleb White(DG-100), Dave Goldsmith (DG-100) and Jenne Goldsmith who shared the Geelong syndicate Janus with John Ashford on two days.
Reasonable conditions with some cirrus cloud on the Saturday and Sunday climaxed with a great day on Monday with thermals to 10,600 feet, and a skyful of large cumulus. On this day Caleb attained his Gold C Distance and Diamond Goal with a flight of 346 k.
The next three days were not flyable,and most of our team spent Thursday exploring the Grampians and Halls Gap, and looking for Australia's best meat pie!
Friday was difficult with wind and areas of overcast. Some competitors outlanded but all our team made it home, although Dave flew a special task all of his own and scored no points. Saturday with small scattered cu looked good however the third leg into wind made the going tough, but again our trusty gliders prevailed to get everyone home. In their classes, Terry and Caleb came third and Craig came a very creditable fourth in the Super Arrow. Paul came in ninth and Dave with one scoring day was tenth.
Generally they were billed as the friendly comps and about thirty five gliders competed. Once again Horsham Week had shown itself to be a great introduction for those interested in competition or crosscountry flying, with everything from met briefings, marshalling and tugs through to catering with three meals a day and a bar service laid on. The previous week had seen a cross-country coaching course with twelve students, who were very enthusiastic in their praise for the course.
Like Raywood, plenty of large paddocks available for outlandings take much of the stress out of crosscountry flying. At this competition FLARM was mandatory, and the general feedback was that pilots liked having FLARM, while ensuring they continue to use their main aid for spotting other gliders, and enjoying the view - two eyes!
Caleb shares with Jenne the excitement of winning the Achievement Award at
Horsham Week. This award was won by Craig last year.David G
Australia Day Weekend
January 26- 28
Some excellent flying was experienced out of Raywood, over the long weekend. While high overnight temperatures and stable conditions on Saturday meant a late start, the days flying saw climbs by many to nearly 10,000 feet. Sunday presented a stong westerly wind and while many present were keen to fly after a late start due to the protracted club meeting, the first launch of the day with the PW-6 and a subsequent difficult landing brought forth the abandonment of flying for the day.
Jack had called a working bee for Monday morning with the intention of making a start on the verandah. Once this was underway attention turned to preparation for flying. Mal, Peter and John pressed on with the project until the frame was complete then rigged the Woodstocks to join in the flying fun.
This Australia Day holiday was even more special for Ben Tickner, as he made his first solo flight and not even a dousing by the CFI could wash the smile off his face. Congratulations Ben!
Club Christmas Gathering
Saturday December 1
Once again, Mandy and Phil Organ kindly hosted the club's Christmas gathering. After what was an exceptional days flying for many, with climbs above 8,000 feet, many members and their partners still found enough energy to spend the evening enjoying each others company at Lockwood South. Served up in Phil's wonderful entertainment facility, a barbeque of a wide selection of meats was carefully cooked by Craig and Phil, and wonderful salads and desserts ensured no one was left hungry.
As the evening wore on the latent musical talents of some of the members were exposed when Rod took up a guitar and Mal put his hands to the keyboard. Bill didn't take much urging from Phil to follow up on the drums and we were all treated to a period of light musical entertainment. Maybe we should utilise these talents during our Cup Week Regattas! It was after midnight before the last of the attendees finally filtered away into the night.(Inset: Rob asks Phil and Rod to play a request)
Huge Thanks to Mandy Phil and Craig.
Terry cleans up at the Narromine Cup
Bendigo Gliding Club member Terry Bellair won the prestigious Narromine Cup last week in his DG-400 sailplane. Held between 18 - 24 November, the event attracted over 50 pilots from eleven countries. Due to extensive thunderstorms, the competition was restricted to four flying days. Terry’s four flights covered 748, 563, 693 and 533 km, landing back at Narromine on each occasion. These distances were sufficient to score first place on three days and second on the other.
Congratulations Terry!
Mammoth Weekend at Raywood
To say that last weekend was a huge weekend in gliding at the Bendigo Gliding Club would be an understatement. It was massive, over 2000 km was flown by club pilots in cross country flights and we had a first solo plus a new instructor joining the ranks.
On Saturday the 10th of November the day started with most people arriving before 10am and the winch and gliders ready to go at 11am. First, launch training commenced at 10 past 11, and by 12:30 the first crosscounry flight was airborne. Craig was in the Astir KYP and Phil was in his Libelle GSQ. They planned to go north west, up to Boort then if the day looked good through to Nyah. Just as they left Raywood Terry reported in from his DG-400 HDE that he was at 9'000ft just north of Boort. Patrick in the IS29 HNC got all excited when he heard this and decided to head to Swan Hill.
After reaching Nyah Craig went to Donald before returning to Raywood. Phil made it to Nyah also and Patrick turned Swan Hill before both of them went on back to Raywood. Terry did just short of 750km in his DG-400, Craig did 420km in the Astir, Phil flew 350km in the Libelle and Patrick did 320km in the IS29. When you get heights of 10'000 ft it does make crosscountry easier.
On Sunday, with the use of Geelongs Super Cub, some of the Bendigo Gliding Club pilots refreshed their aerotow ratings. We still did winch launching for most of the day because our tug pilot had to go home early after having done 8 days of towing. Phil McCann did a top job for those days, I know he likes towing but after awhile it does become something like hard work.
The Big news for the weekend is that we had a First Solo flight. John Mackley has been training with the club for about 3 months now and yesterday Phil Organ sent him solo. When John got back on the ground he said it was the quietest flight he has ever had and the PW-6 feels much lighter without the instructor aboard. In other news David Goldsmith got his level 1 instructor rating back, David took a break way from gliding due to work commitments and now that he is back into gliding wants to teach people the the art of gliding again. Noel Vagg from the Beaufort Gliding Club was the Level 3 instructor present to renew Davids rating.
Craig.
Cup Weekend Regatta
Cup Weekend began under the spectre of a poor weather forecast with rain expected right across the weekend. Unfortunately, the weather prognosis discouraged a lot of visitors, particularly the vintage gliding participants, as they do not enjoy wet conditions. An analysis of weather conditions by David Wilson was not encouraging but in spite of this many decided to rig and soar locally. Eighteen launches, winch and aerotow, were undertaken on Saturday before showers late in the day ended proceedings.
Sunday was a washout, with most choosing to lounge around the newly dedicated club extension and partake in the informative talk that was presented by David Wilson on Thermal Theory. This was preceded by the official opening of the new clubroom and the unveiling of a magnificent painting by Ralph Keller, of the Club's original Kookaburra and the current PW-6, soaring in company over the field. Along with the sometimes torrential rain, strong South Easterly winds did make it uncomfortable for campers.
By Monday morning things were looking a little better, the rain having departed and the winds easing, and so a 120k task was set, but most pilots did more like 200k. Brian in the Grampians Callair and Phil in the Geelong Super Cub were kept busy with launches over the afternoon and conditions continued to improve steadily, with only one outlanding reported.
Tuesday proved even better with climbs in the vicinity of 7500'. A larger, 180k plus task had been set, Raywood, Elmore, Borung, Inglewood, Raywood. Again nearly all pilots did 250k some doing 400 plus and this was completed with little difficulty by most of the field. On the vintage scene the field was graced with the presence of a beautifully maintained Scheibe SF25C Motorfalke flown in by Neale Halsall and Pete Boreham of the Mangalore Gliding Club (now based at the Nagambie Soaring Centre at Wahring).
In view of the improving conditions a number of pilots remained on for Wednesday and pilots did tasks ranging from 120k, to two pilots, David W.& Geoff V., doing 500k. Craig even did a creditable 200k in the Woodstock.
And the days just keep getting better! On Thursday Geoff V. did 600k in 7:30 hrs and Keith W. had a 7hr flight and 9000' plus heights.
Once again, at great personal sacrifice, (who wants to use up their annual leave doing this?), Helen Dilks, with the assistance of her mother Val, took care of the catering requirements and ensured that no-one went hungry. Thanks Helen, Val, and the members who went out of their way to make sure our guests had a great time. If you didn't make it this year than check out Melbourne Cup Weekend and put it in your calendar.
Now is the time to get those gliders prepared and take advantage of what looks like being a record breaking season. With a bit of moisture around now the skies should be full of Cu's begging to be used. Get cracking!
Presentation Dinner.
On Saturday the 27th of October the Tyson Reef Pub came alive with the Bendigo Gliding Clubs Presentation night. We had about 25 members and their better halves there. The Night began with a few drinks followed by the meal, like most little pubs, when a gliding club swarms the meals come out a little slower than normal, but then most of the meals you would have had trouble jumping over!
At about 9pm new club President, Jack Lavery, kicked off the formal part of the night presenting the "Get Knotted Trophy". This is the one awarded when you have a giant tangle on the winch. This year Paul Dilks won it by a mile after his effort at Easter. Paul wrapped the wire around the whole airfield twice on good Friday and it took about 3 and a half hours to fix it on the Saturday.
Next Cab off the rank was the 200km Cup which was won by Craig Dilks in the Super Arrow. Craig did a flight this year and put in a claim for the 200km cup and no one else did. The "Staying Up" Cup was also won by Craig in the Super Arrow for 5hr 43 minutes in the air. He said he didn't plan on stay up there for so long but at least he made it back to the airfield.
This year saw a new trophy added to the list, it's called the "Winch Craft" Award. The Winch Craft Award is for outstanding good effort on the winch, e.g. launching, fixing and teaching of new drivers. It was awarded to Ralph Keller who seems to be always in the winch.
The final Trophy was the one for Clubmanship but due to the person or persons not being at the night it will be presented this weekend in front of a bigger group of pilots. Everyone had a great night and are really looking forward the the Melbourne Cup Weekend.
Craig