Winter Dinner

What a venue ! Great food friendly service and good company. A good night to be had by all and nice to see Ralph is well after his op.

Frank.

Air force cadets get airborne! 19-20 June

Bendigo Gliding Club played host to approximately 30 members of 410 squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets on the weekend of June 19-20.

aafc3.jpg

Bendigo Gliding Club played host to approximately 30 members of 410 squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets last weekend.

Three dual-seat gliders were made available to provide the cadets with a thrilling winch launch and short flight around the Raywood airstrip, and although the weather threatened at times, everyone present managed at least one flight.

Ranging in age from 13 to 18 years, this was the first time many of the air force cadets have had the chance to become airborne, and may be the first step to aviation careers for some of them.

The gliding club and air force cadets have forged a close relationship, providing a conduit for the aviation minded youth of the region to follow their interest.

The Kestrel flys! 4 June

After several years of hard work and perserverence, Phil Organ was finally able to savour the delights of flying Kestrel GGR following completion of its restoration and airworthiness preparation. This 19m glider, a participant in the World Gliding Competition in Waikerie 1974, exceeded all of Phils expectations and should now be seen regularly in the skies around Raywood.

After several years of hard work and perserverence, Phil Organ was finally able to savour the delights of flying Kestrel GGR following completion of its restoration and airworthiness preparation. This 19m glider, a participant in the World Gliding Competition in Waikerie 1974, exceeded all of Phils expectations and should now be seen regularly in the skies around Raywood.

The Kestrel flys! 4 June

After several years of hard work and perserverence, Phil Organ was finally able to savour the delights of flying Kestrel GGR following completion of its restoration and airworthiness preparation. This 19m glider, a participant in the World Gliding Competition in Waikerie 1974 exceeded all of Phils expectations and should now be seen regularly in the skies around Raywood.

The concrete trucks began arriving early Saturday morning and the arduous task of moving in some 18 metres of concrete began. With Frank and Peter sharing the screed and Phil Organ following up with the float, we had a team comprising of Paul Dilks, Ralph Keller, David Parham, Neil Friswell, Mal Bennett, Dave Tickner and maybe a few others I couldn't see while I was head down, preparing the way and moving mountains of concrete. Inspired by all the activity, Mark Kerr and Tom Howard did a great job cleaning up the main hangar. Later in the day Bill Hughes even got his'helicopter' endorsement, assisting in the final phase of floor finishing.

Well, the club has moved a little closer to the assembly of the new winch with the efforts of many club members in the concreting of the annex floor. This will now provide a sound work area for the project. On Friday the area was levelled and prepared and those in attendance, in alphabetical order, were Mal Bennett, Craig Dilks, Neil Friswell, Ralph Keller, Patrick Roberts and Frank Van Der Hoeven this days efforts revolved around preparing the area to level and positioning the mesh. At the same time, the gate frames were installed between the private hangars with the assistance of Mal, Neil, Patrick and Ralph, who also kindly donated the sausages for lunch.

Overall, an excellent effort from all those that attended on the weekend, as even those not directly involved assisted in getting the flying operations started or in many other ways, enabling the labourers to savour a few flights before the conditions deteriorated.

Congratulations Guys & Girl, on a job (jobs) well done.

Peter

Annex Concreting 16-18 April

Well, the club has moved a little closer to the assembly of the new winch with the efforts of many club members in the concreting of the annex floor. this will now provide a sound work area for the project. On Friday the area was prepared and those in attendance, in alphabetical order, were Mal Bennett, Craig Dilks, Neil Friswell, Ralph Keller, Patrick Roberts and Frank Van Der Hoeven this days efforts revolved around preparing the area to level and positioning the mesh. At the same time, the gate frames were installed between the private hangars with the assistance of Mal, Neil, Patrick and Ralph, who also kindly donated the sausages for lunch.

The concrete trucks began arriving early Saturday morning and the arduous task of moving in 18 metres of concrete began. With Frank and Peter sharing the screed and Phil Organ following up with the float, we had a team comprising of Paul Dilks, Ralph Keller, David Parham, Neil Friswell, Mal Bennett, Dave Tickner and maybe a few others I couldn't see while I was head down, preparing the way and moving mountains of concrete. Inspired by all the activity, Mark Kerr and Tom Howard did a great job cleaning up the main hangar. Later in the day Bill Hughes even got his'helicopter' endorsement, assisting in the final phase of floor finishing.

Once all the concreting was completed Sunday saw attention turn to completing the gates and with Daves encouragement even Jenne Goldsmith lent a hand squeezing off the many rivets required to hold them together.

Overall, an excellent effort from all those that attended on the weekend, as even those not directly involved assisted in getting the operation under way, enabling the labourers to savour a few flights before the conditions deteriorated.

Congratulations Guys, on a job (jobs) well done.

Club News

'+Club News

"End of Summer/Start of Autumn" Dinner April 3

"End of Summer/Start of Autumn" Dinner April 3

Neil

A brief report on the "End of Summer" Dinner. All who attended most thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We had a booking for 28 persons, in the end around 23 attended. The venue, Golden Square Hotel, was excellent, the food was excellent, the atmosphere also was excellent with lots of laughs, lots of tales, tall and true were the order of the night. Thank you to all who attended, commiserations to the those who couldn't attend.

Congratulations to Tom Howard, AAF Cadet, on achieving his solo status on the 28th March. Tom is now reinforcing his new found freedom by regular attendance. This is a young man with a bright future in aviation and he also has an interest in model rockets, so he may well be Australias next astronaut!

The BGC enjoys a good relationhip with the Australian Air Force Cadets and always looks forward to the opportunity to provide gliding experiences to more of their members.

Tom Goes Solo!

Congratulations to Tom Howard, AAF Cadet, on achieving his solo status on the 28th March. Tom is reinforcing his new found freedom by regular attendance. This is a young man with a bright future in aviation and he also has an interest in model rockets, so he may be Australias next astronaut!

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

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.

FLARM progress

Attach:flarm1,jpg"FLARM"

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

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 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.

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 Mc Cann?. 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 worse, 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Mc Millan? 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. 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

But… None of the questions were about gliding.

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 where 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

Craig

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.

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.

2009 Christmas Party.

I can believe its Christmas time again it only seemed like I was at last years party at Bill Hughes house . This year we had it at the CFI’s house again. Phil an Mandy Organ offerred their party room for the Christmas feast of BBQ and a huge range of sweets.

The cooking was do by most members but Ralph Keller lead the charge with tongs in hand nothing was burnt and was cook to perfection. A high light of the night was the cake marking the 30th birthday of the club made by Franks wife Janice.

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 know 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 night!, with most of the 30 people that attended staying just past midnight. Oh yeah we did do a fair bit of flying over the weekend too.

Craig

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 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

Additionally, vintage supporters to visit the rally included Alan and Wendy Pilkington, Dennis Hipperson, Eddie and Judy Self, Vintage Gliders Australia President Alan Patching, Keith Willis, Ian Bogaard from the Hunter Valley Gliding Club, and Ross Birch from Geelong Gliding Club. Scott’s family were present, Amanda due to have their second child soon and Scott getting some flying in while he has the chance!

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 Mc Corquodale? 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.

Despite less than perfect weather, Saturday, October 3 saw the biggest lineup of gliders for quite a while.

Spring Flying

It's easy to tell the soaring season is approaching.

Despite less than perfect weather, Saturday, April 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.

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.

Winter Dinner

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.

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.

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.

Approximately 30 members of the Cadets 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 60 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. 410 squadron is based in Bendigo

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….

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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).

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.

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 modelling urge and departed under rainy skies.

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 the models were ballasted up and under threat of passing showers much flying was done. Little damage was incurred on the day in spite of the challenging winds and by 3 pm everyone agreed that they had satisfied their

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.

Bendigo and Grampians Gliding Clubs visit Donald, Labour Day weekend, 7th to 9th March, 2009

Into the blue!

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, ES Ka 6?, PW 5?, ASW 19?, Hornet, Astir, DG-100 and LS-1 Grampians gliders were Janus, PIK-20, LS 1 F?, ASW 20?. 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

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.

All is now looking good for the upcoming Cup weekend activities.

Mark.

All is now looking good for the upcoming Cup weekend activities.

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.

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.

Attach:10_climb.jpg Δ

October 11

The field was a hive of activity on Saturday, with everything seeming to be happening at once. Frank was busy digging holes, 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.

Attach:rigging Δ pw-6.jpg"Rigging out of the wind"

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.

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!.

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!

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 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.

Nearly there! August 17

Now with wall and roof cladding on, Hangar 3 is almost ready for its new tenants.picture: Craig.

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.

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.

Hangar Rises! August 3

Hangar 3 finally takes its 3 dimensional form as the steelwork begins to rise above the earth.

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.

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 before the meeting. While the majority of members present 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.

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 the 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.

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 before the meeting. While the majority of members present 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. 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 the 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.

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!

This weekend two quite different milestone were achieved. On Saturday, Neil Frizwell 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.

Milestones

June 28-29

This weekend two quite difffernt milestone were achieved. On Saturday, Neil Frizwell aka 'Friza', soloed in the PW-6. Neil is an accomplished aeromodeller who has decided to demonstrate his flying skills from inside the aircraft.

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.

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.

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!

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 Haas and other VARMS members with their quarter scale gliders and a number of the Bendigo Modellers flying illuminated electrics. Even Caleb and Patch perservered into the darkness with their control line models in a determined effort to complete at least one lap with their aging but patient models.

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 Haas and other VARMS members with their quarter scale gliders and a number of the Bendigo Modellers flying illuminated electrics. Even Caleb and Patch perservered 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 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

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.

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 got back home to 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.

Recently placed in the care of the Bendigo club is the Blanik GAQ belonging to The Australian Junior Gliding Club. Craig and Caleb made the trip to Stonefield S.A. in order to relocate it.

Recently placed in the care of the Bendigo club is the Blanik GAQ that belongs to The Australian Junior Gliding Club.Craig and Caleb made the trip to Stonefield S.A. in order to relocate it.

New Glider

May 10

Another New Glider

June 01

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.

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 Gernman built glider, in what were challenging conditions. It may be some time before John will lose the permanent smile he carried this weekend!

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.

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.

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.

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 ASW 19, sharing a thermal with Dave Goldsmith in the Ka6. Some visitors from Central Coast Gliding Club, NSW, checked out the PW6.

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 PW6. 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.

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.

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.

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!

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, 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.

Story coming soon!

Long Weekend at Donald!

March 8-10

Party Time!

February 16-17

BGC Represented at Horsham Week

February 2-9

Australia Day Weekend

January 26- 28

Club Christmas Gathering

Saturday December 1

Building Program Stage 4& Flying

18-19 August

Building Program - Stage Three

4-5 August

Building Program - Stage Two

21-21 July

Building Program - Stage One

7-8 June

TOP Flyers Visit

Sunday April 1

Club Night Saturday

March 31

1,000th flight

March 17

Donald Weekend

9-11 March

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)

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.

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 lead 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 () Caleb White(DG-100), Dave Goldsmith (DG-100) and Jenne Goldsmith who shared the Geelong syndicate Janus with John Ashford on two days.

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 () Caleb White(), Dave Goldsmith () and Jenne Goldsmith who shared the Geelong syndicate Janus with John Ashford on two days.

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.

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.

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.

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(http://www.bendigogliding.org.au/Main/ClubFleet#ES60b), 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.

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 http://www.bendigogliding.org.au/Main/ClubFleet#ES60b, . Paul came in ninth and Dave with one scoring day was tenth.

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.

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.

Horsham Week. This award was won by Craig last year.David G

Horsham Week. This award was won by Craig last year.David G

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!

BGC Represented at Horsham Week February 2-9

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!

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.

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.

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! David G

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Once again, Mandy and Phil Organ kindly hosted the club 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 Phils 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.

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)

Once again, Mandy and Phil Organ kindly hosted the club Christmas gathering. After what was an exceptional days flying for many, with climbs above 8,000 feet, many members still found enough energy to spend the evening enjoying each others company at Lockwood South. A barbeque of a wide selection of meats, 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.[<<]

Once again, Mandy and Phil Organ hosted the club Christmas gathering. After what was an exceptional days flying for many, with climbs above 8,000 feet many members still found enough energy to spend the evening enjoying each others company. A barbeque of a wide selection of meats, carefully cooked by Craig and Phil, and wonderful salads and desserts ensured no one was left hungry

Later in the evening 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 can utilise these talents during our Cup Week Regattas!

Once again, Mandy and Phil Organ hosted the club Christmas gathering. After what was an exceptional days flying for many, with climbs above 8,000 feet many members still found enough energy to spend the evening enjoying each others company.

Club Christmas Gathering, Saturday December 1

Club Christmas Gathering

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!

Bendigo Gliding Club member Terry Bellair won the prestigious Narromine Cup last week in his DG-400 sailplane. 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.

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. 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.

Mammoth Weekend at Raywood

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.

Craig.

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.

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.

After its outlanding the previous weekend the PW-6was unloaded from its trailer and re-rigged.

Phil and Steves ASW-19 returned to the field on Sunday, having been away for its Form 2. After Paul had obtained required data for a Weight and Balance calculation she was cleared for flight. An interesting afternoon ensued with a late finish involving the retrieve of the PW-6 from an adjacent paddock. Seems like these launch failure checks can get a little too interesting. Loss of hydraulics on the winch also curtailed a last flight for Tom.

The Berwick Air League visited us for the week end with a compliment of 17 cadets and officers. They arrived bright and early on Saturday and we were ready to aviate before mid day. The day was warm and sunny with no wind but the thermals were far and few between. Most flights were of around the six minute mark although a few lucky ones were able to stay aloft for twenty minutes. Both the Bocian and `PW6 were working well in tandem till Mark Kerr commented how well things were going with the winch. With in twenty minutes, we were experiencing copious problems with the winch wire. Thanks Mark!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Tuesday proved even better with climbs in the vicinity of 7500' a larger task was set and this was completed with little difficulty by most of the field. (more details to come)

Tuesday proved even better with climbs in the vicinity of 7500' a larger task was set and this was completed with little difficulty by most of the field.

(more to come)

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 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 clubs 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 task was set (details soon). 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 to

Once again, at great personal sacrifice, (who wants to use up their annual leave doing this?), Helen Dilks, with the assistance of her mother, took care of the catering requirements and ensured that no-one went hungry. Thanks Helen.

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.

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 didnt 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 long weekend.

Craig

October 21

After its outlanding the previous weekend the PW-6 was unloaded from its trailer and re-rigged. While that was going on, Phil Organ and a team of helpers were doing some major repairs on the yellow drum of the winch.

A Big Weekend.

October 13 and 14

A big weekend at Bendigo as preparations continue for the Cup Weekend. On the clubhouse scene we managed to get the carpet tiles down in the main room and the office, along with some trim painting. You can see Dave Goldsmith in the background, hard at work, while Jenne discusses the virtues of K6's with John. Still lots of preparatory work to do for the event so if you have some spare time speak to Jack or Paul, they could use the support. There was flurry of pilots intent on completing their Annual Checks and this work occupied most of Saturday and Sunday's flying.

Phil and Steves ASW-19 returned to the field on Sunday, having been away for its Form 2. After Paul had obtained required data for a Weight and Balance calculation she was cleared for flight. An interesting afternoon ensued with a late finish involving the retrieve of the PW-6 from an adjacent paddock. Seems like these launch failure checks can get a little too interesting. Loss of hydraulics on the winch also curtailed a last flight for Tom.

Pictures of the visit on Saturday and Sunday by the Doncaster Air League, courtesy of Mark Kerr.

October 6 and 7

Pictures of the visit on Saturday by the Doncaster Air League, courtesy of Mark Kerr.

Despite a fair crosswind the day proved very good for flying and all of the air leaguers got decent times in the air.

22nd 23rd September

Doncaster Air League.

October 6 and 7

A few pictures attached from the visit on Saturday by the Doncaster Air League. Despite a fair crosswind the day proved very good for flying and all of the air leaguers got decent times in the air.

22nd 23rd September

Rod Jewell On behalf of the Youth Development Committee.

The Berwick Air League visited us for the week end with a compliment of 17 cadets and officers. They arrived bright and early on Saturday and we were ready to aviate before mid day. The day was warm and sunny with no wind but the thermals were far and few between. Most flights were of around the six minute mark although a few lucky ones were able to stay aloft for twenty minutes. Both the Bocian and PW6 were working well in tandem till Mark Kerr commented how well things were going with the winch. With in twenty minutes, we were experiencing copious problems with the winch wire. Thanks Mark!

Berwick Air League Camp

22nd 23rd September

The Berwick Air League visited us for the week end with a compliment of 17 cadets and officers. They arrived bright and early on Saturday and we were ready to aviate before mid day. The day was warm and sunny with no wind but the thermals were far and few between. Most flights were of around the six minute mark although a few lucky ones were able to stay aloft for twenty minutes. Both the Bocian and PW 6? were working well in tandem till Mark Kerr commented how well things were going with the winch. With in twenty minutes, we were experiencing copious problems with the winch wire. Thanks Mark!

Sunday saw a late start to proceedings due to the Club's AGM and monthly meeting. The wind was up and it looked like we may have to cancel the days flying but it stabilised enough to launch. John Viney took several cadets up in his Dimona which took away some of the pressure and added another dimension to the experience of the cadets. Berwick finally said goodbye late afternoon happy and content with their experience with the gliders. A big thank you to all who turned out to help make it a successful week end for the cadets.

Rod Jewell On behalf of the Youth Development Committee.

Club News

Annual General Meeting

Australian Air League - Victorian Group

Club News

The Club's AGM was held on Sunday 23 September 2007.

President: Jack Lavery

President Jack Lavery thanked Craig Dilks on behalf of the Club for his two years as President and welcomed the new members of the Committee.

Annual General Meeting

Committee: Craig Dilks, Keith Evans, David Goldsmith.

Committee Members by role: Phil Organ (CFI) and Paul Dilks (Airworthiness Officer).

A Annmual? General Meeting

The Club's AGM was held on Sunday 23 September.

The Club elected the following Officers and Committee members:-

President:Jack Lavery

Vice President: Rod Jewell

Secretary: Phil McCann

Treasurer: Rob Young

Rod Jewell On behalf of the Youth Development Committee

All in all it was a very exciting and successful day and one which the Scouts will remember for a long time. Pictures soon Tom

Rest in Peace Mighty Galant.Craig

Phil McCann takes the frame inspection tomorrow so it is anticipated the the next major step will be the construction of the office walls and lining of the clubroom. Phil has done the groundwork on this too, and has already got all the lining materials onsite. Plenty to do, so try and be there! Peter

Peter

It's finally back! After 1 month without the winch Phil Organ, the club CFI, also club machanic, got the job done. The winch had 2 cracked heads and the rings where worn down to next to nothing, but now after a lot of work it has 2 new heads and rings. While the work on the engine was going on Paul Dilks made new arms to guide the wire on. He has replaced the old trumpet arrangement with a set of box rollers. Peter and Mal put windows on the side of the cabin too. On the 1st of July we did 4 winch launches before the rain set in and from the reports by the pilots, they got better launches.Craig

Craig.

poem by Terry Whitford

'Rod Jewell' On behalf of the Youth Development Committee

Much interest was shown by several squadrons in also attending a gliding camp. Two options spring to mind. We can either extend the number of squadrons that we invite to come to Bendigo, or we can arrange for another club to come on board with us in this programme. Our work with the Air League is catching the eye of the hierarchy of the Australian Air League, not only in Victoria.

I was invited by Judy Owen, Executive Commissioner of the Victorian Group, to attend as a representative of the Bendigo Gliding Club, in recognition of our ongoing work with several squadrons, and to be part of the Official party. The reviewing officer for the day was the Chief Commissioner of the Australian Air League. As part of the official party, I was also asked to present one of the awards.

Much interest was shown by several squadrons in also attending a gliding camp. Two options spring to mind. We can either extend the number of squadrons that we invite to come to Bendigo, or we can arrange for another club to come on board with us in this programme. Our work with the [[http://www.airleague.com.au/ |Air League]] is catching the eye of the hierarchy of the Australian Air League, not only in Victoria.

Sunday 16th September 2007 at Ashwood Oval

All in all, another great event to keep gliding in the public eye and to nurture youth in the wonders of flight.

Rod Jewell On behalf of the Youth Development Committee

Australian Air League - Victorian Group

Sunday 16th September 2007 at Ashwood Oval Annual Review & Field Competitions Day

I was invited by Judy Owen, Executive Commissioner of the Victorian Group, to attend as a representative of the Bendigo Gliding Club, in recognition of our ongoing work with several squadrons, and to be part of the Official party. The reviewing officer for the day was the Chief Commissioner of the Australian Air League. As part of the official party, I was also asked to present one of the awards.

Squadrons came from all around including Ballarat, Bendigo, Sunbury, outer Melbourne such as Berwick and Lilydale, and from around Melbourne. The day consisted of squadrons competing against each other in areas such as discipline, drill, presentation, flag party and on field ball game competitions. There was also judging of model aeroplanes and gliders constructed by the cadets and flight displays set up by the squadrons.

Much interest was shown by several squadrons in also attending a gliding camp. Two options spring to mind. We can either extend the number of squadrons that we invite to come to Bendigo, or we can arrange for another club to come on board with us in this programme. Our work with the Air League is catching the eye of the hierarchy of the Australian Air League, not only in Victoria.

All in all, another great event to keep gliding in the public eye and to nurture youth in the wonders of flight. Rod Jewell On behalf of the Youth Development Committee

The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW-6. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW-6 and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences.

Last weekend the gliding club held it's annual Bonfire night, this is the one night of the year when we can find out who the fire bugs are. Around 11:30 am on Saturday morning Tim Cook and Laurel arrived from Tocumwal in the Maule to do some towing for us. At the same time a few of the club members started to trim their free flight models in preparation for the night scrambles ahead. I found out that a tank full of fuel makes my freeflight model climb to about 500ft and while this was happening members DI'd the PW-6 and just about everything else in the hangar. The weather was not very good for long flights and I think the best was about 12mins with most launches to 2000 ft but we were able to maintain currency in aerotow launches. Approaching 4pm the roast meats were put on to cook, this included chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

The PW-6 returned to service this weekend , having had its annual inspection completed.

Saturday it was all hands on deck as with so many flights to do we needed all of our AEI pilots. Rod Jewell (Vice President) helped arrange the weekend so it was he who took the first winch launch in the PW-6. Then Kevin Harrison in his Bocian GQJ flew another passenger. New Club Member, Caleb White, rolled out the Mk 4 Kookaburra which quickly became a favourite with a lot of the kids. I think it was because it is an Australian designed and built glider. In total we did over 30 flights on Saturday, both 2 seater flights plus a few single seat flights. The Clubs Junior returned to service after it's annual inspection done by Peter Raphael and his team, Malcolm, David P., Steve and Dennis.

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the east. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears over the hill. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest. That's him hiding behind the hand!

Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 and a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well maybe not 1000 but somewhere close to that.

Back out at the field on Sunday the wind, being gusty, was discouraging and only a few brave souls confronted the conditions, Geoff Vincent in the Pik-20 and a Libelle flew and our club PW-6 made 2 flights while the rest were happy to spin yarns in the shelter of the field office or drink tea and munch Kooka's Country Cookies in 'Bertha', Jenne and David Goldsmiths mobile abode. Phil McCann took the opportunity to relieve Brian Wood of his towing duties and cast the gliders to the wind. Tom of GSC, flying the Libelle Bravo Lima managed to outland upwind and once tuggie Brian had him safe back home, on recommendation of the "early arrivals", we descended on the Mount Jeffcott Hotel for a meal that was possibly designed to put our personal C of G's out of range!

Congratulations to member, Ralph Keller, on having one of his magnificent pictures featured as the December 2006 cover of Soaring Australia magazine. This watercolour painting showcases the clubs PW-6 soaring in the vicinity of the airfield, laid out below. Now that we have seen Ralph on the cover of Soaring, I wonder when we will see Soaring on the cover of Ralph!

On Saturday the 25th on November the Bendigo Flying Club held a Fly-In at the Bendigo Aerodrome. With the aid of Geelong Gliding Club's Super Cub, MSA, we flew our PW-6 into the event. The Flying Club wanted us to be on the ground by about 9:30 am, so Phil Organ and Bill Hughes took on the job of getting up early and flying in. I was already on the ground when they landed, ready to tow them off the strip.

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to circuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the Club's Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Craig

What a big weekend for our club! We flew every day, well some of the lucky ones did. Day one was interesting due to the number of outlandings. About 9 in all, with a mixture of aerotow and road retrieves. Vintage Gliders Australia attended again and fitted in well with the operations. Launching later in the day, after the 'glass' had departed, a number of creditable tasks were flown.

Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6,GYC. Another award given each year is the Get Knotted Award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day while undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the Year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website.

The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW-6. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW-6 and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences.

The PW-6 returned to service this weekend , having had its annual inspection completed.

Saturday it was all hands on deck as with so many flights to do we needed all of our AEI pilots. Rod Jewell (Vice President) helped arrange the weekend so it was he who took the first winch launch in the PW-6. Then Kevin Harrison in his Bocian GQJ flew another passenger. New Club Member, Caleb White, rolled out the Mk 4 Kookaburra which quickly became a favourite with a lot of the kids. I think it was because it is an Australian designed and built glider. In total we did over 30 flights on Saturday, both 2 seater flights plus a few single seat flights. The Clubs Junior returned to service after it's annual inspection done by Peter Raphael and his team, Malcolm, David P., Steve and Dennis.

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the east. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears over the hill. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest. That's him hiding behind the hand!

Monday was a mirror image of Sunday as far as the weather and we had about the same amount of people out flying. Kent continued his training with Colin. While this was happening Peter went cross country in the Wood Stock, Elmore, Mitiamo and return to Raywood. Tom Dannatt is now a Super Arrow pilot. Craig

Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 and a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well maybe not 1000 but somewhere close to that.

Back out at the field on Sunday the wind, being gusty, was discouraging and only a few brave souls confronted the conditions, Geoff Vincent in the Pik-20 and a Libelle flew and our club PW-6 made 2 flights while the rest were happy to spin yarns in the shelter of the field office or drink tea and munch Kooka's Country Cookies in 'Bertha', Jenne and David Goldsmiths mobile abode. Phil McCann took the opportunity to relieve Brian Wood of his towing duties and cast the gliders to the wind. Tom of GSC, flying the Libelle Bravo Lima managed to outland upwind and once tuggie Brian had him safe back home, on recommendation of the "early arrivals", we descended on the Mount Jeffcott Hotel for a meal that was possibly designed to put our personal C of G's out of range!

Club President, Craig Dilks, overcame all odds to finish 3rd overall place in Sports Class at the combined Horsham Week / VSA State Comps. this past week. Flying the club Super Arrow, Craig has proved once again that it takes more than the latest technology to be a champion. As well as winning the the day on Wednesday, Craig's persistence and consistent performance gave him the edge on the competition. Other member performances worthy of note are those of Craig's father, Paul, who placed 5th in Sports Class flying his Astir, and Terry Bellair in his DG 400 achieving 4th place in the Open Class.

On Saturday the 25th on November the Bendigo Flying Club held a Fly-In at the Bendigo Aerodrome. With the aid of Geelong Gliding Club's Super Cub, MSA, we flew our PW-6 into the event. The Flying Club wanted us to be on the ground by about 9:30 am, so Phil Organ and Bill Hughes took on the job of getting up early and flying in. I was already on the ground when they landed, ready to tow them off the strip.

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to circuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the Club's Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Craig

The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW-6. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW-6 and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences.

An All-round good weekend. Some gliding and some productive work. Current status of the building is the completion of the lining, leaving only the flushing-up of the plasterwork before painting can proceed. Saturday saw the specialists focus on the plasterwork while the "lucky" ones got to sort out the problems with the winch and eventually enjoy some soaring flights. Craig sacrificed his flying to assist with the installation of the cornice.

It's finally back! After 1 month without the winch Phil Organ, the club CFI, also club machanic, got the job done. The winch had 2 cracked heads and the rings where worn down to next to nothing, but now after a lot of work it has 2 new heads and rings. While the work on the engine was going on Paul Dilks made new arms to guide the wire on. He has replaced the old trumpet arrangement with a set of box rollers. Peter and Mal put windows on the side of the cabin too. On the 1st of July we did 4 winch launches before the rain set in and from the reports by the pilots, they got better launches.Craig

Last weekend the gliding club held it's annual Bonfire night, this is the one night of the year when we can find out who the fire bugs are. Around 11:30 am on Saturday morning Tim Cook and Laurel arrived from Tocumwal in the Maule to do some towing for us. At the same time a few of the club members started to trim their free flight models in preparation for the night scrambles ahead. I found out that a tank full of fuel makes my freeflight model climb to about 500ft and while this was happening members DI'd the PW-6 and just about everything else in the hangar. The weather was not very good for long flights and I think the best was about 12mins with most launches to 2000 ft but we were able to maintain currency in aerotow launches. Approaching 4pm the roast meats were put on to cook, this included chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

On Thursday June 14 a main part of our club house extension project arrived at the club. The delivery was at half past eight in the morning and Club president Craig Dilks met the truck driver at the gate to let him in. The roof trusses took about 20 minutes to unload, the crane on the truck making it easy. The Club plans to make a start on the frame in the coming weeks.

Saturday it was all hands on deck as with so many flights to do we needed all of our AEI pilots. Rod Jewell (Vice President) helped arrange the weekend so it was he who took the first winch launch in the PW-6. Then Kevin Harrison in his Bocian GQJ flew another passenger. New Club Member, Caleb White, rolled out the Mk 4 Kookaburra which quickly became a favourite with a lot of the kids. I think it was because it is an Australian designed and built glider. In total we did over 30 flights on Saturday, both 2 seater flights plus a few single seat flights. The Clubs Junior returned to service after it's annual inspection done by Peter Raphael and his team, Malcolm, David P., Steve and Dennis.

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the east. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears over the hill. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest. That's him hiding behind the hand!

On Saturday morning it took a group of 6 guys one hour to sort out the mess on the winch. It must have been one of the busiest days we have seen at the club for a while, all but 2 of the rigged gliders flew on Saturday. At one stage we had 10 gliders all in the air, some out on cross countries and some just local flying.

Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 and a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

What huge weekend it was at the club, on Saturday we saw Jenny Goldsmith have her first flight in the club's Super Arrow GYS. The day was fairly good for local flying but Terry Bellair did over 300km in his DG 400 HDE. Later that night the club had a dinner at Phil Organs place, in his new party room. Phil's wife Mandy prepared all sorts of fine food like Greek lamb and marinated chicken, delicately cooked on the BBQ by club president Craig Dilks. Ralph Keller kindly donated funds for the catering so this was the first time the club has been able to put everything on for the members, including the drinks. The last of the 35 club members attending finally left around midnight.

On Sunday morning flying started early because the TOP flyers were expected (more above). It must have been the weekend for people to convert to the Super Arrow because David Tickner had his first flight in it, and then another to seal the deal by climbing away to 4,000ft and coming back to the field 2 hrs later. We also signed up 2 new members to the club, they already know how to fly and they will be bringing their own gliders to Raywood. Look for the photos among the private fleet in the next few weeks.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well maybe not 1000 but somewhere close to that.

Once again the Grampians Soaring Club and the Bendigo Gliding Club gathered in regional Victoria to enjoy a now traditional March long weekend of socialising, beer and red wine testing and a bit of flying in each others company. While some of the crew took the opportunity to roll into the town of Donald on Friday the majority chose to get there on Saturday. Donald, a progressive country town, has one East-West sealed strip and an intersecting North-South strip located on lightly undulating terrain. A hardstand and small office/toilet block and a detached hanger complete the facilities. Connected to adjacent country towns by an excellent network of roads ideally places this town as a base for cross country flying.

Back out at the field on Sunday the wind, being gusty, was discouraging and only a few brave souls confronted the conditions, Geoff Vincent in the Pik-20 and a Libelle flew and our club PW-6 made 2 flights while the rest were happy to spin yarns in the shelter of the field office or drink tea and munch Kooka's Country Cookies in 'Bertha', Jenne and David Goldsmiths mobile abode. Phil McCann took the opportunity to relieve Brian Wood of his towing duties and cast the gliders to the wind. Tom of GSC, flying the Libelle Bravo Lima managed to outland upwind and once tuggie Brian had him safe back home, on recommendation of the "early arrivals", we descended on the Mount Jeffcott Hotel for a meal that was possibly designed to put our personal C of G's out of range!

The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW6. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW6 and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences.

Recently repaired by Mal Bennett, the K6e GEA, currently under restoration by Dennis and Ian, looks likely to take to the skies over Raywood this season. In the hands of the Australian Gliding Museum for covering and painting, the completion of this project should see yet another vintage glider swell the ranks of the Bendigo fleet.

The building program continues and, in conjunction with the flying, a Working Bee around the club over the weekend saw the interior and most of the exterior painted, along with a number of other important tasks. Tim, our blind expert is on the job, restoring the blinds, and once the floor is levelled the interior decoration can begin. Well Done Guys!

Rest in Peace Mighty Galant.Craig

The building program continues and in conjunction with the flying a Working Bee around the club over the weekend saw the interior and most of the exterior painted, along with a number of other important tasks. Tim, our blind expert is on the job restoring the blinds and once the floor is levelled the interior decoration can begin. Well Done Guys!

Rest in Peace Mighty Galant.Craig

It is with some sadness that we have to report to members that the Clubs best tow out car, The Mighty Galant, has towed its last cable. During a tow out the Galant blew its head gasket turning into a steam powered car and running on about 3 1/2 cylinders. In 2001 we were given the Galant by one of our club members and since this time it has had little attention, it has used little oil or water until now and we have put it through everything. Glider towout car, cable tow out car, push starter for other cars. The Galant lost a side window, most of its lights and had a hole in the radiator which was fixed by squashing the leak with pliers. At our club we prefer to put money into gliders and other projects, not the fixing of tow out cars. This one has has outlived 3 Datsuns, 2 Corollas, a Barina and a few others. Rest in Peace Mighty Galant.'''Craig

Vale Galant

It is with some sadness that we have to report to members that the Clubs best tow out car, The Mighty Galant, has towed its last cable. During a tow out the Galant blew its head gasket turning into a steam powered car and running on about 3 1/2 cylinders. In 2001 we were given the Galant by one of our club members and since this time it has had little attention, it has not used any oil or water until now and we have put it through everything. Glider towout car, cable tow out car, push starter for other cars. The Galant lost a side window, most of its lights and had a hole in the radiator which was fixed by squashing the leak with pliers. At our club we prefer to put money into gliders and other projects, not the fixing of tow out cars. This one has has outlived 3 Datsuns, 2 Corollas, a Berina and a few others.

    Rest in Peace Mighty Galant.

One of the Club's instructors, Paul Dilks, explained to the Scouts that the clouds were forming what was known as a “Cloud Street” all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine. He implied that a good pilot could fly all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine and back again just by following the “Street” or almost anyway.

One of the Club's instructors, Paul Dilks, told the Scouts that the clouds were forming what was known as a “Street” all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine. He implied that a good pilot could fly all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine and back again just by following the “Street” or almost anyway.

All in all it was a very exciting and successful day and one which the Scouts will remember for a long time. Pictures soon Tom

The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW6. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW6 and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences.

It was a magnificent day with bright blue sky, no wind and cumulus clouds popping at about 4000 ft. The clouds seemed to roll in from the North and South and meet over the field.

As the thermals developed the gliders flew higher and longer. The pilots used their air brakes and side slipped to loose height to get down; some days you just can’t go wrong.

All in all it was a very exciting and successful day and one which the Scouts will remember for a long time. Pictures soonTom

Scouts and Rovers go Gliding 8th September

The Bendigo Gliding Club hosted a visit from the 1st Castlemaine Scout Group and the Bevan Trimble Rover Crew on Saturday at Raywood. It was a magnificent day with bright blue sky, no wind and cumulus clouds popping at about 4000 ft. The clouds seemed to roll in from the North and South and meet over the field?? One of the clubs leading instructors, Paul Dilks, told the Scouts that the clouds were forming what was known as a “Street” all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine. He implied that a good pilot could fly all the way from Raywood to Castlemaine and back again just by following the “Street” or almost anyway. The first Scout Brett Priestly got a good launch into a clear sky in the club’s PW 6?. The Instructor Pilot declined the lure of the nearby street though and was soon back on the ground ready to take the next willing Scout. The Club used both its two seat training gliders, the PW 6? and the Bocian to give the Scouts and Rovers their gliding experiences. As the thermals developed the gliders flew higher and longer. The pilots used their air brakes and side slipped to loose height to get down; some days you just can’t go wrong. The Scouts tackled the syllabus for their red and blue Air Activities badges while waiting for their turn. Only one of the Scouts had to use his “air travel comfort bag” and only one of the Rovers jammed his foot under the rudder pedal to test the pilot’s skills and diplomacy. All in all it was a very exciting and successful day and one which the Scouts will remember for a long time. Picures soonTom

Work in Progress - K6e

Recently repaired by Mal Bennett, the K6e GEA, currently under restoration by Dennis and Ian, looks likely to take to the skies over Raywood this season. In the hands of the Australian Gliding Museum for covering and painting, the completion of this project should see yet another vintage glider swell the ranks of the Bendigo fleet.

Recently repaired by Mal Bennett, the K6e GEA, currently under restoration by Dennis and Ian, looks likely to take to the skies over Raywood this season. In the hands of the Australian Gliding Museum for covering and painting, the completion of this project should see yet another vintage glider swell the ranks of the Bendigo fleet.

Work in Progress

Recently repaired by Mal Bennett, the K6e GEA, currently under restoration by Dennis and Ian, will hopefully take to the sky over Raywood this season. In the hands of the Australian Gliding Museum for covering and painting, the completion of this project should see yet another vintage glider swell the ranks of the Bendigo fleet.

What a great night out! Craig had booked dinner at the The Bendigo National Hotel/Motel and it was so popular that we eventually had to drag in an extra table to accomodate all our guests. The meals were well presented and with members circulating and chatting it was close to midnight before we all dispersed for the evening. As for the rest of the weekend, well, the weather was kind but the thermals failed to materialise to any satisfying extent. Flying continued nevertheless with a number of pilots using this time to advance their annual checks. After the monthly meeting on Sunday, Phil McCann gave the first of this years Safety Seminars on launches. Oh, and the building program? Well, the plasterwork has been filled and the trims installed. A little more preparation and it will be all hands on deck armed with brushes and rollers. Standby!

Winter Dinner - 26 August

What a great night out! Craig had booked dinner at the The Bendigo National Hotel/Motel and it was so popular that we eventually had to drag in an extra table to accomodate all our guests. The meals were well presented and with members circulating and chatting it was close to midnight before we all dispersed for the evening. As for the rest of the weekend, well, the weather was kind but the thermals failed to materialise to any satisfying extent. Flying continued nevertheless with a number of pilots using this time to advance their annual checks. After the monthly meeting Phil McCann gave the first of the Safety Seminars on Sunday on launches

Building Program Stage 4& Flying - 18-19 August

An All-round good weekend. Some gliding and some productive work. Current status of the building is the completion of the lining, leaving only the flushing-up of the plasterwork before painting can proceed. Saturday saw the specialists focus on the plasterwork while the "lucky" ones got to sort out the problems with the winch and eventually enjoy some soaring flights. Craig sacrificed his flying to assist with the installation of the cornice.

On Sunday additional fitout of doors and architraves continued until work was halted at lunchtime to ensure that everyone got to fly. A number of extended soaring flights were had on a beautiful, clear winters day and Craig eventually scooped the pool, as he managed to stay airborne long enough to watch the setting sun. (see Gallery)

Inside, things are now beginning to look like a clubroom. A large proportion of the lining of the new clubroom was installed over the weekend, along with the construction of the office walls. After rectifying some outstanding issues and the installation of the ceiling battens on Saturday morning it was all hands on deck to hoist the 6 and 4 metre ceiling sheets into position. Luckily we had a great turnout of members to assist with this task, as they first had to carry the sheets from the main hangar to the clubroom. Meanwhile, Keith, Patrick and a few other willing helpers pressed on with the task of completion the exterior cladding.

Sunday saw Caleb , Mal and Peter well into the taping and jointing of the walls and ceiling whereupon Patrick arrived with the skills to supply us with electricity once again. Work then started in earnest on the office walls and was only interrupted in order to derig the Kookaburra. Caleb has acquired a new canopy and was keen to take it away for fitting. By the end of the day Keith, assisted later in the afternoon by Fabian, saw to the completion of the exterior. No mean feat either, as they had to scratch around the club for the materials to do it.

Inside, things are now beginning to look like a clubroom. A large proportion of the lining of the new clubroom was installed over the weekend, along with the construction of the office walls. After rectifying some outstanding issues and the installation of the ceiling battens on Saturday morning all hands were on deck to hoist the 6 and 4 metre ceiling sheets into position. Luckily we had a great turnout of members to assist with this task, as they first had to carry the sheets from the main hangar to the clubroom. Meanwhile, Keith Patrick and a few others pressed on with the task of completion the exterior cladding.

Anyway by Saturday evening the majority of the extension was lined and insulated and we were all able to sit back, relax and admire our efforts over a few beers. Not bad for what has amounted to 5 days work so far!

A little more plaster to hang, lots of jointing to do, but things are well on schedule for the rooms to be ready for the coming season. A huge thanks to all the guys who turned up to do their bit and It's great to see the enthusiasm that a project like this engenders within the membership.

Inside, things are now beginning to look like a clubroom. A large proportion of the lining of the new clubroom was installed over the weekend, along with the construction of the office walls. After rectifying some outstanding issues and the installation of the ceiling battens on Saturday morning all hands were on deck to hoist the 6 and 4 metre ceiling sheets into position. Luckily we had a great turnout of members to assist with this task as they first had to carry the sheets from the main hangar to the clubroom. Meanwhile, Keith Patrick and a few others pressed on with the task of completion the exterior cladding.

A little more plaster to hang, lots of jointing to do, but things are well on schedule for the rooms to be ready for the coming season. A huge thanks to all the guys who turned up to do their bit and It's great to see the enthusiasm that this project engenders within the membership.

Building Program - Stage Three 4-5 August

Inside, things are now beginning to look like a clubroom. A large proportion of the lining of the new clubroom was installed over the weekend, along with the construction of the office walls. After the installation of the ceiling battens on Saturday morning all hands were on deck to hoist the 6 and 4 metre ceiling sheets into position. Luckily we had a great turnout of members to assist with this task as they first had to carry the sheets from the main hangar to the clubroom. Meanwhile, Keith Patrick and a few others pressed on with the task of completion the exterior cladding.

Craig once again excelled in the culinary arts by producing roast chicken and chips in the club oven. Having Mum and, Dad Paul, away overseas hasn't hurt his cooking skills any, as so far, Craig has managed a diverse menu of lunches that have certainly kept the workers adequately fuelled.

Anyway by Saturday evening the majority of the extension was lined and insulated and we were all able to sit back and relax and admire our effort over a few beers. Not bad for what has amounted to 5 days work so far!

Sunday saw Caleb , Mal and Peter well into the taping and jointing of the walls and ceiling whereupon Patrick arrived to supply us with electricity once again. Work then started in earnest on the office walls and was only interupted in order to derig the Kookaburra. Caleb has acquired a new canopy and was keen to take it way for fitting. By the end of the day Keith, assisted later in the day by Fabian, saw to the completion of the exterior. No mean feat, as they had to scratch around the club for the materials to do it.

A little more plaster to hang, lots of jointing to do, but things are well on schedule for the rooms to be ready for the coming season. A huge thanks to all the guys who turned up to do their bit and It's great to see the enthusiasm that this project engenders within the membership.

PS The frame inspection went well. There are a few minor modifications required and then we can hang the plaster and proceed to completion. Phil

Phil McCann takes the frame inspection tomorrow so it is anticipated the the next major step will be the construction of the office walls and lining of the clubroom. Phil has done the groundwork on this too, and has already got all the lining materials onsite. Plenty to do, so try and be there! Peter

Well, its happened again! Undeterred by the previous weekend of hardship a large number of the members attended for a weekend of construction on the clubhouse extension. Braving the sub-zero morning temperatures, the workers progressively assembled to meet the challenge. The weekend's primary goal was to get the building to lockup stage. This meant the relocation of a large window, the installation of the new roof along with the installation of the valleys required to meld it with the old structure, and the positioning of a 5 metre beam that would allow the enlargement of the openings between the new and old structures.

With Mal and his crew tackling the roof cutting, Peter and company concentrated on the relocation of the window and the installation of, the soon to be office, sliding door. Terry was around the back looking after the facia and gutter and Ken had a team working on the exterior cladding. By late Saturday afternoon Peter and Craig were well into fixing the new iron to the roof, ably assisted by Mark, handling the underlying foil. We conceeded to the conditions only when the dew on the roof would not allow a secure footing. Sliding down and waiting for the boots to catch a screwhead is not a great feeling! Things may have gone more smoothly this day had not the generators decided to become temperamental. First the diesel would not start, and then late in the day when the VW finally ran out of petrol, it would not restart, placing additional strain on the cordless appliances.

Sunday dawned to crystallised pastures but the prospect of a fine day. We were not looking forward to hand cranking the VW into life and when David Tickner and Ben arrived, Dave was quickly despatched to look at the "genny", Within short order he had diagnosed and rectified the problem and we were back online, fantastic! While we waited for the roof to dry preparation for installation of the beam proceeded. This was interupted by the monthly meeting although our resident "sparkie" ,Ken, was undeterred and continued with "the rough in" for the required electrics.

Once the meeting was over the beam was soon in place and attention turned to the roof. With a surplus of labour a few members also took the chance to make the most of the day and get in some training flights. While Mal and Barry beavered away on the second valley, Peter and Steve completed the roofing to the first. Concurrently, work was progressing on the cladding of the gable end. Once people had had their "flying fix" the workforce expanded and it was with some sense of urgency that the final stages of the roof were completed in the fading light. It was dark before everyone was able to enjoy the confines of the new extension but it was obvious that this will make a huge difference to the club in the coming and future seasons.

Building Program - Stage Two 21-21 July

Phil McCann takes the frame inspection tomorrow so it is anticipated the the next major step will be the construction of the office walls and lining of the clubroom. Plenty to do, so try and be there! Peter

Phil McCann takes the frame inspection tomorrow so it is anticipated the the next major step will be the construction of the office walls and lining of the clubroom. Plenty to do, so try and be there! 'Peter'

Attach:inside1.jpg Δ

Building Program - Stage Two 21-21 July Well, its happened again! Undeterred by the previous weekend of hardship a large number of the members attended for a weekend of construction on the clubhouse extension. Braving the sub-zero morning temperatures, the workers progressively assembled to meet the challenge. The weekend's primary goal was to get the building to lockup stage. This meant the relocation of a large window, the installation of the new roof along with the installation of the valleys required to meld it with the old structure, and the positioning of a 5 metre beam that would allow the enlargement of the openings between the net and old structures.

With Mal and his crew tackling the roof cutting, Peter and company concentrated on the relocation of the window and the installation of, the soon to be office, sliding door. Terry was around the back looking after the facia and gutter and Ken had a team working on the exterior cladding. By late Saturday afternoon Peter and Craig were well into fixing the new iron to the roof, ably assisted by Mark, handling the underlying foil. We conceeded to the conditions only when the dew on the roof would not allow a secure footing. Sliding down and waiting for the boots to catch a screwhead is not a great feeling! Things may have gone more smoothly this day had not the generators decide to become temperamental. First the deisel would not start, and then late in the day when the VW finally ran out of petrol, it would not restart, placing additional strain on the cordless appliances.

Sunday dawned to crystallised pasture but the prospect of a fine day. We were not looking forward to hand cranking the VW into life when David Tickner and Ben arrived. Dave was quickly despatched to look at the "genny" and within short order he had diagnosed and rectified the problem and we were back online, fantastic! While we waited for the roof to dry preparation for installation of the beam proceeded. This was interupted by the monthly meeting although our resident "sparkie",Ken, was undeterred and continued with "the rough in" for the required electrics.

Once the meeting was over the beam was soon in place and attention turned to the roof. With a surplus of labour a few members also took the chance to make the most of the day and get in some training flights.While Mal and Barry beavered away on the second valley, Peter and Steve completed the roofing to the first. Concurrently, work was progressing on the cladding of the gable end. Once people had had their "flying fix" the workforce expanded and it was with a sense of urgency that the final stages of the roof were completed in the fading light. It was dark before everyone was able to enjoy the confines of the new extension but it was obvious that this will make a huge difference to the club in the coming and future seasons.

With Phil Mc Cann? taking the frame inspection tomorrow it is anticipated the the next major step will be the construction of the office walls and lining of the clubroom. Plenty to do, so try and be there! 'Peter'

Building Program - Stage One 7-8 June

Sunday dawned fine and the task of erecting the remaining trusses was addressed. Additional teams saw to the installation of the front doors and one outside window,the other window remaining to be done after the roof is in place. This work then allowed another team to focus on the exterior cladding of some of the outside walls. Toward the end of the day the roof battens were put in place and bracing tasks completed. Once again the social club cranked up the BBQ to feed this army. It's alway been a policy that if you work for the club at a working bee you will get fed.

Building Program Stage One

While Saturdays weather conspired to delay proceedings, apart from an occasional rain shower, construction of the wall frames proceeded and by the days end they were standing and the first roof truss was in position. This set the scene for some serious work to be done the next day. Those members not going home then adjourned to the Sebastian Hotel for a well earned meal.

Peter

photos here soon.

Sunday dawned fine and the task of erecting the remaining trusses was addressed. Additional teams saw to the installation of the front doors and one outside window,the other window remaining to be done after the roof is in place. This work then allowed another team to focus on the exterior cladding of some of the outside walls. Toward the end of the day the roof battens were put in place and bracing tasks completed.

Stage One Building Program

Well, what a great weekends effort!, and thanks to the large contingent of club members who turned up to help with the building program a huge leap forward in the clubhouse extension was achieved. It seemed that we had more members in attendance than one would expect to see at the field on a fine summers day!. Mal even seconded his B.I.L., Barry, along with his tools and ladders, to support the effort too. Craig also supplied a pizza lunch to keep the workers fuelled and happy. While Saturdays weather conspired to delay proceedings, apart from an occasional rain shower, construction of the wall frames proceeded and by the days end they were standing and the first roof truss was in position. This set the scene for some serious work to be done the next day. Those members not going home then adjourned to the Sebastion Hotel for a well earned meal.

Sunday dawned fine and the task of erecting the remaining trusses was addressed. Additional teams saw to the installation of the front doors and one outside window,the other remaining to be done after the roof is in place. This work then allowed another team to focus on the exterior cladding of some of the outside walls. Toward the end of the day the roof battens were put in place and bracing tasks completed.

While there is still much to do before we can consider the building to be at lockup, by the end of the day it was possible to gain a real sense of what the new extension will mean to the facility of the clubrooms. A huge thanks to all those who attended, and remember, while we all may not be skilled in the required building arts and may feel left out, even the "lift and carry","gofers" and "feeders" are necessary and much appreciated.

I deliberately haven't tried to name all the participants here as this will be best served in the photos of the event that we hope will eventually grace the new clubroom photoboard.

Peter photos here soon.

It's finally back! After 1 month without the winch Phil Organ, the club CFI, also club machanic, got the job done. The winch had 2 cracked heads and the rings where worn down to next to nothing, but now after a lot of work it has 2 new heads and rings. While the work on the engine was going on Paul Dilks made new arms to guide the wire on. He has replaced the old trumpet arrangement with a set of box rollers. Peter and Mal put windows on the side of the cabin too. On the 1st of July we did 4 winch launches before the rain set in and from the reports by the pilots, they got better launches.Craig

It's finally back! After 1 month without the winch Phil Organ, the club CFI, also club machanic, got the job done. The winch had 2 cracked heads and the rings where worn down to next to nothing, but now after a lot of work it has 2 new heads and rings. While the work on the engine was going on Paul Dilks made new arms to guide the wire on. He has replaced the old trumpet arrangement with a set of box rollers. Peter and Mal put windows on the side of the cabin too. On the 1st of July we did 4 winch launches before the rain set in and from the reports by the pilots, they got better launches.Craig

Winch Returns!

 It's finally back! After 1 month without the winch Phil Organ, the club CFI, also club machanic, got the job done. The winch had 2 cracked heads and the rings where worn down to next to nothing, but now after a lot of work it has 2 new heads and rings. While the work on the engine was going on Paul Dilks made new arms to guide the wire on. He has replaced the old trumpet arrangement with a set of box rollers. Peter  and Mal put windows on the side of the cabin too. On the 1st of July we did 4 winch launches before the rain set in and from the reports by the pilots, they got better launches.

Bonfire Night

You can read the old club news stories here

Last weekend the gliding club held it's annual Bonfire night, this is the one night of the year when we can find out who the fire bugs are. Around 11:30 am on Saturday morning Tim Cook and Laurel arrived from Tocumwal in the Maule to do some towing for us. At the same time a few of the club members started to trim their free flight models in preparation for the night scrambles ahead. I found out that a tank full of fuel makes my freeflight model climb to about 500ft and while this was happening members DI'd the PW-6 and just about everything else in the hangar. The weather was not very good for long flights and I think the best was about 12mins with most launches to 2000 ft but we were able to maintain currency in aerotow launches. Approaching 4pm the roast meats were put on to cook, this included chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

While the food was cooking Paul set about trimming his flying UFO, a saucer shaped model, and now that we know all UFO's are here only to attack us, we will avoid them in future.Phil Organ did some impressive flying with his Rascal 110 model with the 26cc engine, Model club member, Neil Friswell, flew his electric Beaver at night with lights and a few other modellers also flew similar models. At 7:30pm Craig lit the Bonnie then we retired to the clubhouse for a 3 course meal of soup, roast and dessert.Many thanks to the members and their partners whose efforts made this dinner a great success.

Over the course of the evening The usual hydrogen an hot air balloons were released and there was plenty of aerial activity to amuse everyone. The model flying went long into the night with the last flight at 2:30am, let's just say that one model is now back in kit form.

Last weekend the gliding club held it's annual Bonfire night, this is the one night of the year when we can find out who the fire bugs are. Around 11:30 am on Saturday morning Tim Cook and Laurel arrived from Tocumwal in the Maule to do some towing for us. At the same time a few of the club members started to trim their free flight models in preparation for the night scrambles ahead. I found out that a tank full of fuel makes my freeflight model climb to about 500ft and While this was happening members DI'd the PW-6 and just about everthing else in the hangar. The weather was not very good for long flights and I think the best was about 12mins with most launches to 2000 ft. About 4pm the roast meats were put on to cook. this included chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

Craig.

Attach:bfn073 Δ"Maule and gliders"

Attach:bfn072 Δ"Free flighters"

Attach:bfn071 Δ"Firewatchers"

Last weekend the gliding club held it's annual Bonfire night, this is the one night of the year when we can find out who the fire bugs are. Around 11:30 am on Saturday morning Tim Cook and Laurel arrived from Toccumal in the Maule to do some towing for us. At the same time a few of the club members started to trim their free flight models in preparation for the night scrambles ahead. I found out that a tank full of fuel makes my freeflight model climb to about 500ft and While this was happening members DI'd the PW-6 and just about everthing else in the hangar. The weather was not very good for long flights and I think the best was about 12mins with most launches to 2000 ft. About 4pm the roast meats were put on to cook. this included chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

While the food was cooking Paul set about trimming his flying UFO, a saucer shaped model, and now that we know all UF Os? are here only to attack us, we will avoid them in future.Phil Organ did some impressive flying with his Rascal 110 model with the 26cc engine, Model club member, Neil Friswell, flew his electric Beaver at night with lights and a few other modellers also flew similar models. At 7:30pm Craig lit the Bonnie then we retired to the clubhouse for a 3 course meal of soup, roast and dessert.Many thanks to the members and their partners whose efforts made this dinner a great success.

Over the course of the evening The usual hydrogen an hot air balloons were released and there was plenty of aerial activity to amuse everyone. The model flying went long into the night with the last flight at 2:30am, lets just say that one model is now back in kit form.

After a very cold start of -2 degrees C the next morning we emptied the club hangar and did a full days flying of both aerotow and auto launching. We are now focussing on starting the new extension to the the club house in 2 weeks time. "Craig."

poem by Terry Whitford

Bonfire Night

by Terry Whitford

It was great to catch up with everybody again
On that wonderful night of nights
It is very much becoming a must do thing
The Raywood Bonfire night

There were models of every size and shape
And the fun started as soon as we arrived
And although some of the stunts were really mistakes
I feel that some of them were contrived

One of the models was appropriately named
It went by the name of BIG BERTHA
It was made out of foam with some lights in the frame
I didn’t think it would take off from the eartha

Well it got fired up and it climbed into the air
But it was a very short flight I recall
And that old adage came true, that the bigger they are
The harder they bloody well fall

Well the design engineers all got together
And came up with a system of repair
But it was 5 minute epoxy and a series of tapes
That put it finally back into the air

There was one there among us who was trying to fly
An object like a very large plate
He stuck an engine on the front and flung it into the sky
And sent it aloft to its fate

Well it just went berserk. It was out of control
And it nearly cleaned up some of the men
But quite undeterred he fueled it up
And it attacked everybody again

We had things that went bang and hot air balloons
That, as they rose made a really weird sight
But I think on the whole and despite all the hoons
We had a really great bonfire night

On Thursday June 14 a main part of our club house extention project arrived at the club. The delivery was at half past eight in the morning and Club president Craig Dilks met the truck driver at the gate to let him in. The roof trusses took about 20 minutes to unload, the crane on the truck making it easy. The Club plans to make a start on the frame in the coming weeks.

On Thursday June 14 a main part of our club house extention project arrived at the club. The delivery was at half past eight in the morning and Club president Craig Dilks meet the truck driver at the gate to let him in. The roof trusses took about 20 minutes to unload, the crane on the truck making it easy. The club plans to make a start on the frame in the coming weeks.

On Thursday June 14 a main part of our club house extention project arrived at the club. The delivery was at half past eight in the morning and Club president Craig Dilks meet the truck driver at the gate to let him in. The roof trusses took about 20 minutes to unload, the crane on the truck making it easy. The club plans to make a start on the frame in the coming weeks.

PW-6 Back On Line

The PW-6 returned to service this weekend , having had its annual inspection completed.

A big effort by a number of the members there on Saturday ensured that it was all nicely polished and waxed before taking to the air.

Craig

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the east. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears over the hill. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest. That's him hiding behind the hand!

On Sunday a few Cadets did not want a second flight but there were still 18 who lined up for the ride of a life time. Plus we had 3 pupils to get some training. In all we did just short of 70 flights for the weekend and on Sunday the club had 6 gliders in the air at the same time even though the conditions were marginal. Craig

Saturday it was all hands on deck as with so many flights to do we needed all of our AEI pilots. Rod Jewell (Vice President) helped arrange the weekend so it was he who took the first winch launch in the PW-6. Then Kevin Harrison in his Bocian GQJ flew another passenger. New Club Member, Caleb White, rolled out the Mk 4 Kookaburra which quickly became a favourite with a lot of the kids. I think it was because it is an Australian designed and built glider. In total we did over 30 flights on Saturday, both 2 seater flights plus a few single seat flights. The Clubs Junior returned to service after it's annual inspection done by Peter Raphael and his team, Malcolm, David P., Steve and Dennis.

Air League Visit

Another big weekend at the Bendigo Gliding Club on the 5th & 6th of May. We had the Nolan Wing of the Australian Air league come gliding. There were 20 cadets and 5 leaders in total, all of them keen to take to the skies over Raywood, some for the first time and others who are still in the unit from last year.

Saturday it was all hands on deck as with so many flights to do we needed all of our AEI pilots. Rod Jewell (Vice President) helped arrange the weekend so it was he who took the first winch launch in the PW-6. The Kevin Harrison in his Bocian GQJ flew another passenger. New Club Member, Caleb White, rolled out the Mk 4 Kookaburra which quickly became a favourite with a lot of the kids. I think it was because it is an Australian designed and built glider. In total we did over 30 flights on Saturday, both 2 seater flights plus a few single seat flights. The Clubs Junior returned to service after it's annual inspection done by Peter Raphael and his team, Malcolm, David P., Steve and Dennis.

On Sunday a few Cadets did not want a second flight but there were still 18 who lined up for the ride of a life time. Plus we had 3 pupils to get some training. In all we did just short of 70 flights for the weekend and on Sunday the club had 6 gliders in the air at the same time even though the conditions were marginal. Craig

For the past 5 Anzac Days Club members have made the trip to Mt Hollowback near Creswick. Once again, our annual pilgrimage was a great success with even more club members attending than ever before. Most turned up around mid-morning and wasted no time in getting models into the air. Paul arrived a little later, confessing to having slept in. The mornings flying afforded us with a variable northerly around 10-12 knots just suitable for the zagi's and some aerobatic gliders and perfect for all the floater types. Dennis brought the Collier 'Eagle' and unfortunately it went home with concussion after a frequency clash with persons un-named but Dennis consoled himself with helping Caleb get the hang of slope soaring. Patrick spent time helping Tim get his models into the air, and Mal undertook a few major wing repairs in the field.

As the afternoon progressed, winds got lighter and lighter, occasioning some launches that seemed destined to end in tragedy on the rock strewn slopes below hilltop. Phil, Craig and Bill opted to use electricity to extend their flight times and on occasion, (Phil), terrorise the crowd with high speed passes and snap rolls. At times the adventureous were able to push out and take advantage of passing thermals with Chris and Peter even managing to soar to the limits of visibility on a couple of occasions. While there were a few midair 'taps', most of the model damage occured while landing amongst the rocks below the hilltop and I think everyone went home with a few scarred models.Another great day out!

Once again, our annual pilgrimage to Mt Hollowback near Ballarat was a great success with even more club members attending than ever before. Most turned up around mid-morning and wasted no time in getting models into the air. Paul arrived a little later, confessing to having slept in. The mornings flying afforded us with a variable northerly around 10-12 knots just suitable for the zagi's and some aerobatic gliders and perfect for all the floater types. Dennis brought the Collier 'Eagle' and unfortunately it went home with concussion after a frequency clash with persons un-named but Dennis consoled himself with helping Caleb get the hang of slope soaring. Patrick spent time helping Tim get his models into the air, and Mal undertook a few major wing repairs in the field.

As the afternoon progressed, winds got lighter and lighter, occasioning some launches that seemed destined to end in tragedy on the rock strewn slopes below hilltop. Phil, Craig and Bill opted to use electricity to extend their flight times and on occasion, (Phil), terrorise the crowd with high speed passes. At times the adventureous were able to push out and take advantage of thermals with Chris and Peter even managing to soar to the limit of visibility on a couple of occasions. While there were a few midair 'taps', most of the model damage occured while landing amongst the rocks below the hilltop and I think everyone went home with a few scarred models.Another great day out!

Slope Day Mount Hollowback

Another great day out!

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the west. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest. That's him hiding behind the hand!

Monday was a mirror image of Sunday as far as the weather and we had about the same amount of people out flying. Kent continued his training with Colin. While this was happening Peter went cross country in the Wood Stock, Elmore, Mitiamo and return to Raywood. Tom Dannatt is now a Super Arrow pilot. Craig

The Easter Weekend.

On Good friday the day started out with very little crew available. We decided to take the PW-6 out as well as the Super Arrow. The wind was from the east, fairly light, so we used the East-West strip for a change. To get a bit more length we drove the winch up over the slight hill to the west. Phil McCann said that you can do the first few seconds blind, before the glider appears. On the 2nd last launch we had a new winch driver so Phil could have a fly. It was Paul Dilks, who showed us that even if the cable breaks near the parachute you can still get 99% of the wire back on the drum before it becomes a huge birds nest.

On Saturday morning it took a group of 6 guys one hour to sort out the mess on the winch. It must have been one of the busiest days we have seen at the club for a while, all but 2 of the rigged gliders flew on Saturday. At one stage we had 10 gliders all in the air, some out on cross countries and some just local flying. Easter Sunday started out with a few less people but by lunch time Mal and Peter both had the 2 Woodstocks rigged and ready to fly. We auto launched Peter in his Woodstock and he soon climbed just about out of sight. One of our latest Students, Kent, was out and he did some training with Keith Evans. David Goldsmith went cross country in the Ka6 ,Inglewood, Pyramid Hill return to Raywood. David Parham, in his Libelle, disappeared for over 5 hours, being second to launch and last to land.

Monday was a mirror image of Sunday as far as the weather and we had about the same amount of people out flying. Kent continued his training with Colin. While this was happening Peter went cross country in the Wood Stock, Elmore, Mitiamo and return to Raywood. Tom Dannatt is now a Super Arrow pilot. Craig

We flew all 4 days over the Easter Weekend. On Friday we only had 4 flights before the rain got us. On Saturday there were about 10 flights, the wind on the ground was 15 to 20 knots and stronger at height. I got 2,800 ft on the wire in the PW-6. On Sunday the wind was only a few knots. Terry Bellair went cross-country to Wedderburn then to Dunolly and home. On Monday it was fairly stable and climbs topped out at 3'500, local flying was the only thing on the cards even for Terry and his iron thermal. The club might be going to The Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum just before the May meeting. I will bring it up at the meeting next week.Craig

What huge weekend it was at the club, on Saturday we saw Jenny Goldsmith have her first flight in the club's Super Arrow GYS. The day was fairly good for local flying but Terry Bellair did over 300km in his DG 400 HDE. Later that night the club had a dinner at Phil Organs place, in his new party room. Phil's wife Mandy prepared all sorts of fine food like Greek lamb and marinated chicken, delicately cooked on the BBQ by club president Craig Dilks. Ralph Keller kindly donated funds for the catering so this was the first time the club has been able to put everything on for the members, including the drinks. The last of the 35 club members attending finally left around midnight.

On Sunday morning flying started early because the TOP flyers were expected (more above). It must have been the weekend for people to convert to the Super Arrow because David Tickner had his first flight in it, and then another to seal the deal by climbing away to 4,000ft and coming back to the field 2 hrs later. We also signed up 2 new members to the club, they already know how to fly and they will be bringing their own gliders to Raywood. Look for the photos among the private fleet in the next few weeks.

TOP Flyers Visit Sunday April 1

Club Night Saturday March 31

What huge weekend it was at the club, on Saturday we saw Jenny Goldsmith have her first flight in the club's Super Arrow GYS. The day was fairly good for local flying but Terry Bellair did over 300km in his DG 400 HDE. Later that night the club had a dinner at Phil Organs place, in his new party room. Phils wife Mandy cooked up all sorts of fine food like Greek lamb and marinated chicken, cooked on the BBQ by club president Craig Dilks. Ralph Keller kindly donated money for the food so this was the 1st time the club has put everything on for the members, including the drinks. The last of the 35 club members attending finally left around midnight.

On Sunday morning flying started early because the TOP flyers flew 3 powered aircraft into Raywood. It must of been the weekend for people to convert to the Super Arrow because David Tickner had his first flight in it, then another to seal the deal by climbing away to 4'000ft and coming back to the field 2 hrs later. We also signed up 2 new members to the club, they already know how to fly and they will be bringing their own gliders to Raywood. Look for the photos in the private fleet in the next few weeks.

1,000th flight March 17

By Email: "Peter on behalf of Top Flyers could you pass our thanks to the Gliding club for once again organising a great day, everyone appreciated the effort and enjoyed the visit." Ray

By Email: "Peter on behalf of Top Flyers could you pass our thanks to the Gliding club for once again organising a great day, everyone appreciated the effort and enjoyed the visit. Ray"

Late afternoon saw the staggered departure of the visiting aircraft as the occupant's flights progessively concluded. Shortly after the last powerplane departed, a quick stacking of the hangar, and the BGC members retreated for a well earned beer and debriefing. The usual strong teamwork within the club once again ensured that the day went smoothly, leaving a strong impression in the visitors that we continue to build a growing and successful club. On behalf of TOP Flyers-Thanks Guys

By Email: "Peter on behalf of Top Flyers could you pass our thanks to the Gliding club for once again organising a great day, everyone appreciated the effort and enjoyed the visit. Ray''"

TOP Flyers once again flew into our field for what is becoming an annual fixture on their aerial touring calendar. At a little after 10am two aircraft arrived from Tooradin. First was Piper Cherokee EDJ, then a little later Cessna 172 WXA. Not long after the crews had made themselves comfortable, Bonanza FCT arrived from Lilydale after being somewhat delayed by low cloud through the Kilmore Gap. This brought to eight the number of TOP visitors flying in, nine in all attending including Peter, a BGC member.

Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 and a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

Late afternoon saw the staggered departure of the visiting aircraft as the occupant's flights progessively concluded. Shortly after the last powerplane departed, a quick stacking of the hangar, and the BGC members retreated for a well earned beer and debriefing. The usual strong teamwork within the club once again ensured that the day went smoothly, leaving a strong impression in the visitors that we continue to build a growing and successful club. On behalf of TOP Flyers-Thanks Guys

TOP Flyers once again flew into our field for what is becoming an annual fixture on their aerial touring calendar.At around 10am two aircraft arrived from Tooradin. First was Piper Cherokee EDJ and a little later Cessna 172 WXA. Not long after the crews has made themselves comfortable, Bonanza FCT arrived from Lilydale, being somewhat delayed by the low cloud through the Kilmore Gap. This brought to eight the number of TOP visitors flying in, nine in all attended including Peter, a BGC member.

Late afternoon saw the staggered departure of the visiting aircraft as the occupants flights progessively concluded. Shortly after the last powerplane departed, a quick stacking of the hangar and the BGC members retreated for a well earned beer and debriefing. The usual strong teamwork within the club once again ensured that the day went smoothly, leaving a strong impression in the visitors that we continue to build a growing and successful club. On behalf of TOP Flyers-Thanks Guys

Late afternoon saw the staggered departure of the visiting aircraft as the occupants flights progessively concluded. Shortly after the last powerplane departed, a quick stacking of the hangar and the BGC members retreated for a well earned beer and debriefing. The usual strong teamwork within the club once again ensured that the day went smoothly, leaving a strong impression in the visitors that we continue to build a growing and successful club. On behalf of TOP Flyers-Thanks Guys

Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

TOP Flyers Visit

TOP Flyers once again flew into our field for what is becoming an annual fixture on their aerial touring calendar.At around 10am two aircraft arrived from Tooradin. First was Piper Cherokee EDJ and a little later Cessna 172 WXA. Not long after the crews has made themselves comfortable, Bonanza FCT arrived from Lilydale, being somewhat delayed by the low cloud through the Kilmore Gap. This brought to eight the number of TO Ps? visitors flying in, nine in all attended including Peter, a BGC member.

 Conditions could only be described as perfect for the event, with a light and variable wind, comfortably warm temperatures and signs of early convection in a clear blue sky. Flying commenced before a barbeque lunch diligently prepared by Craig, and a number of soaring flights were completed  prior to and during this session. Using both the Bocian and the PW-6 a number of our rated members allowed all the visitors to experience soaring flight along with variations of the hands-on experience,which is, as usual, generally dependent upon the length of their flights.

Late afternoon saw the staggered departure of the visiting aircraft as the occupants flights progessively concluded. Shortly after the last powerplane departed, a quick stacking of the hangar and the BGC members retreated for a well earned beer and debriefing. The usual strong teamwork within the club once again ensured that the day went smoothly, leaving a strong impression in the visitors that we continue to build a growing and successful club. On behalf of TOP Flyers- Thanks Guys!

Australian Air League Visit 6-7 May 2006

1,000th flight

Saturday's weather was warm with light and variable winds. All the attending gliders, about 13 in all, were prepared and launched in the early afternoon. Conditions were quite reasonable and most of the gliders were able to range out from the field over the afternoon. While climbs to over 5000' were reported, most pilots later indicated that they experienced close encounters of the outlanding kind at some time during their respective flights. The longer flights were a 250km out and back to Swan Hill by Gary Stephenson (HDY) and Geoff Vincent (GAX) and a 150km to Warracknabeal and Birchip by Phil McCann (UKF). Phil got low near Watchem and had a great paddock picked out opposite the pub but unfortunately was able to dig himself out and got home so he had to wait untill much later for a beer. Everyone made it back and eventually repaired to the local caravan park to participate in a barbeque organised by Maurice Little and the Grampians guys. Overnight the expected change arrived and we awoke to a strong southerly wind.

On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the club's old site at Woodvale. He took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said "that was it for flying gliders". But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the skies again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well maybe not 1000 but somewhere close to that.

Jack said "it might have taken 24 years to make the 1st 1000 but there's still hope for another 1000 more, gliding is in my blood and giving up is never on my mind".

On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the clubs old site at Woodvale. He took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said that was it for flying gliders. But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the Skys again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack.

On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the clubs old site at Woodvale. He took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said that was it for flying gliders. But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the Skys again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well many be not 1000 but some where close to that.

Jack said "it might have taken 24 years to make the 1st 1000 but theres still hope for another 1000 more, gliding is in my blood and giving up is never on my mind".

On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the clubs old site at Woodvale. He took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said that was it for flying gliders. But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the Skys again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack.>>?

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well many be not 1000 but some where close to that.>>?

Jack said "it might have taken 24 years to make the 1st 1000 but theres still hope for another 1000 more, gliding is in my blood and giving up is never on my mind".>>?

On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the clubs old site at Woodvale. He took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said that was it for flying gliders. But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the Skys again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack.

On the day the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well many be not 1000 but some where close to that.

1000th flight

    On Saturday the 17th of March Jack Lavery had his 1000th flight. Jack started flying back in 1984 at the clubs old site at Woodvale. He  took a break from flying when he had a car accident 4 years ago, the doctor said that  was it for flying gliders. But after 18 months of recovery Jack took to the Skys again. "If I can travel in a car, a glider would not be a problem" said Jack. 

On Saturday the population of Raywood almost doubled when the Lavery Clan came out to see the Flight. Jack took his Granddaughter for the flight with him. From the moment the PW-6 left the ground to the landing there had to have been at least 1000 photos take from the large group of spectators. Well many be not 1000 but some where close to that.

Jack said "it might have taken 24 years to make the 1st 1000 but theres still hope for another 1000 more, gliding is in my blood and giving up is never on my mind".

Once again the Grampians Soaring Club and the Bendigo Gliding Club gathered in regional Victoria to enjoy a now traditional March long weekend of socialising, beer and red wine testing and a bit of flying in each others company. While some of the crew took the opportunity to roll into the town of Donald on Friday the majority chose to get there on Saturday. Donald, a progressive country town, has one East-West sealed strip and an intersecting North-South strip located on lightly undulating terrain. A hardstand and small office/toilet block and a detached hanger complete the facilities. Connected to adjacent country towns by an excellent network of roads ideally places this town as a base for cross country flying.

Once again the Grampians Soaring Club and the Bendigo Gliding Club gathered in regional Victoria to enjoy a now traditional long weekend of socialising and flying in each others company. While some of the crew took the opportunity to roll into the town of Donald on Friday the majority chose to get there on Saturday. Donald, a progressive country town, has one East-West sealed strip and an intersecting North-South strip located on lightly undulating terrain. A hardstand and small office/toilet block and a detached hanger complete the facilities. Connected to adjacent country towns by an excellent network of roads ideally places this town as a base for cross country flying.

Back out at the field on Sunday the wind, being gusty, was discouraging and only a few brave souls confronted the conditions, Geoff Vincent in the Pik-20 and a Libelle flew and our club PW-6 made 2 flights while the rest were happy to spin yarns in the shelter of the field office or drink tea and munch Kooka's Country Cookies in 'Bertha', Jenne and David Goldsmiths mobile abode. Phil McCann took the opportunity to relieve Brian Wood of his towing duties and cast the gliders to the wind. Tom of GSC, flying the Libelle Bravo Lima managed to outland upwind and once tuggie Brian had him safe back home, on recommendation of the "early arrivals", we descended on the Mount Jeffcott Hotel for a meal that was possibly designed to put our personal C of G's out of range!

Once again the Grampians Soaring Club and the Bendigo Club gathered in regional Victoria to enjoy a now traditional long weekend of socialising and flying in each others company. While some of the crew took the opportunity to roll into the town of Donald on Friday the majority chose to get there on Saturday. Donald, a progressive country town, has one East-West sealed strip and an intersecting North-South strip located on lightly undulating terrain. A hardstand and small office/toilet block and a detached hanger complete the facilities. Connected to adjacent country towns by an excellent network of roads ideally places this town as a base for cross country flying.

Saturday's weather was warm with light and variable winds. All the attending gliders, about 13 in all, were prepared and launched in the early afternoon. Conditions were quite reasonable and most of the gliders were able to range out from the field over the afternoon. While climbs to over 5000' were reported, most pilots later indicated that they experienced close encounters of the outlanding kind at some time during their respective flights. The longer flights were a 250km out and back to Swan Hill by Gary Stephenson (HDY) and Geoff Vincent (GAX) and a 150km to Warracknabeal and Birchip by Phil McCann (UKF). Phil had a great paddock picked out opposite the Watchem pub but unfortunately was able to dig himself out so had to wait untill much later for a beer. Everyone made it back and eventually repaired to the local caravan park to participate in a barbeque organised by Maurice Little and the Grampians guys. Overnight the expected change arrived and we awoke to a strong southerly wind.

Donald Weekend 9-11 March

Once again the Grampians Group and the Bendigo Club gathered in regional Victoria to enjoy a long weekend of socialising and flying in each others company. While some of the crew took the opportunity to roll into the town of Donald on Friday the majority chose to get there on Saturday. Donald, a progressive country town, has one East-West sealed strip and an intersecting North-South strip located on lightly undulating terrain. A hardstand and small office/toilet block and a detached hanger complete the facilities. Connected to adjacent country towns by an excellent network of roads ideally places this town as a base for cross country flying.

Saturdays weather was warm with light and variable winds. All the attending gliders, about 13 in all, were prepared and launched in the early afternoon. Conditions were quite reasonable and most of the gliders were able to range out from the field over the afternoon. While climbs to over 5000' were reported, most pilots later indicated that they experienced close encounters of the outlanding kind at some time during their respective flights. But everyone made it back and eventually repaired to the local caravan park to participate in a barbeque organised by Maurice Little and the Grampian guys. Overnight the expected change arrived and we awoke to a strong southerly wind.

Back out at the field on Sunday the wind, being gusty, was discouraging and only a few brave souls confronted the conditions, Geoff Vincent in the Pik-20 and a Libelle flew and our club PW-6 made 2 flights while the rest were happy to spin yarns in the shelter of the field office or drink tea and munch Kooka's Country Cookies in 'Bertha', Jenne and David Goldsmiths mobile abode. Phil McCann took the opportunity to relieve Brian Wood of his towing duties and cast the gliders to the wind. Tom of GSC, flying the Libelle Bravo Lima managed to outland upwind and once tuggie Brian had him safe back home, on recommendation of the "early arrivals", we descended on the Donald Hotel for a meal that was possibly designed to put our personal C of G's out of range!

Strong wind gusts overnight did little to build our confidence in the possibility for flying on the Monday and once we had assembled at the field the consensus was for an early departure. So with careful derigging in the the gusty conditions we were soon on our way back to Bendigo, trailers in tow. Bendigo Club mustered 7 gliders and 10 members for the occasion, a great turnout. Thanks go to all those attending in making this a worthwhile effort to strengthen the camaraderie and ties between our respective clubs.

Club Member Kicks Ass!

Two New Gliders at Raywood

Club President, Craig Dilks, overcame all odds to finish 3rd overall place in Sports Class at the combined Horsham Week / VSA State Comps. this past week. Flying the club Super Arrow, Craig has proved once again that it takes more than the latest technology to be a champion. As well as winning the the day on Wednesday, Craig's persistence and consistent performance gave him the edge on the competition. Other member performances worthy of note are those of Craig's father, Paul, who placed 5th in Sports Class flying his Astir, and Terry Bellair in his DG 400 achieving 4th place in the Open Class. Look out for more details on our member performances soon.

Club Member Kicks Ass!

Club President, Craig Dilks, overcame all odds to finish 3rd overall place in Sports Class at the combined Horsham Week / VSA State Comps. this past week. Flying the club Super Arrow, Craig has proved once again that it takes more than the latest technology to be a champion. As well as winning the the day on Wednesday, Craig's persistence and consistent performance gave him the edge on the competition. Other member performances worthy of note are those of Craig's father, Paul, who placed 5th in Sports Class flying his Astir, and Terry Bellair in his DG 400 achieving 4th place in the Open Class. Look out for more details on our member performances soon.

Club Member Kicks Ass!!!

"

Club President, Craig Dilks, overcame all odds to finish 3rd overall place flying in Sports Class at the combined Horsham Week / VSA State Competition this past week. Flying the clubs Super Arrow, Craig has proved once again that it takes more than the latest technology to be a champion. As well as winning the the day on Wednesday Craigs persistence and consistent performance gave him the edge on the competition. Other members performances worthy of note are those of Craigs father, Paul who placed 5th in Sports Class flying his Astir and Terry Bellair in his DG 400 achieving 4th place in the Open Class. Look out for more details on our members performances at this event.

The main force in the kitchen again was Helen Dilks who took 2 days off work just to help us out. Again the meals and catering were excellent ensuring no one was forgotten, even those returning from long retrieves. With out these people putting a huge effort the weekend would not have ran so smoothly. Thank you! And if you couldn't make it this time and want to join us next year. Find out more here... Craig

The main force in the kitchen again was Helen Dilks who took 2 days off work just to help us out. Again the meals and catering were excellent ensuring no one was forgotten, even those returning from long retrieves. With out these people putting a huge effort the weekend would not have ran so smoothly. Thank you! CraigIf you couldn't make it this time and want to join us next year. Find out more here...

Two New Gliders at Raywood

Photo of HNC to come.

At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in VH-HNC, an IS29, which is being considered for purchase from Club member Eddie Self, by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love, I won't give it back, it's all mine". We think he liked it and may make Eddie an offer.

At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in VH-HNC, an IS29, which is being considered for purchase from Club member Eddie Self, by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love, I won't give it back, it's all mine". We think he liked it and may make an offer.

First off was Steve Baldini and Phil McCann's ASW19b, VH-UKF. recently purchased from Graham Rock at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club. Following a small repair to the left aileron by Phil Organ, it was ready to roll. Phil McCann had the huge time of 9 minutes before the day was canned due to weather. Phil reckons it's great!

At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in VH-HNC, an IS29, which is being considered for purchase by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love, I won't give it back, it's all mine". We think he liked it and may make an offer.

On Friday 26th January, Australia Day, how fitting, BGC won the daily double with the first flights at Raywood of two new (to Raywood) gliders.

First off was Steve Baldini and Phil McCann's ASW19b, VH-UKF. recently purchased from Graham Rock at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club. Following a small repair to the left aileron by Phil Organ, it was ready to roll. Phil Mc Cann? had the huge time of 9 minutes before the day was canned due to weather. Phil reckons it's great!

At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in VH-HNC, an IS 29?, which is being considered for purchase by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love, I won't give it back, it's all mine". We think he liked it and may make an offer.

First off was Steve Baldini and Phil McCann's ASW19b. recently purchased from Graham Rock at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club. Following a small repair to the left aileron by Phil Organ, it was ready to roll. Phil Mc Cann? had the huge time of 9 minutes before the day was canned due to weather. At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in HCM, an IS 29?, which is being considered for purchase by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love".

Two new Gliders at Raywood

On Friday 26th January BGC won the daily double with the first flights at Raywood of two new (to Raywood) gliders.

First off was Steve Baldini and Phil Mc Cann?'s AS W19b?. recently purchased from Graham Rock at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club. Following a small repair to the left aileron by Phil Organ, it was ready to roll. Phil Mc Cann? had the huge time of 9 minutes before the day was canned due to weather. At around the same time Phil Organ (CFI) did a check flight in HCM, an IS 29?, which is being considered for purchase by Patrick Roberts and Ken Wlliams. "Goes well" said Phil and following a quick flight by Patrick - "I'm in love".

Photos to come.

After tea everyone settled into a few quiet drinks before the clubs new pool table had it's first real workout. When we build the extension on the club house early next year the pool table will make it's way out to the club. A few of us fell prey to Ralph "the pool shark" Keller on the night, who claimed to have not played the game before.Craig

After tea everyone settled into a few quiet drinks before the clubs new pool table had it's first real workout. When we build the extension on the club house early next year the pool table will make it's way out to the club. A few of us fell prey to Ralph the "pool shark" Keller on the night, who claimed to have not played the game before.Craig

On Saturday we got together for our gliding club Christmas party at my place. The night started a little slow with the end of the days flying ending later than we had all planned. It made the BBQ quiet at around the planned 7pm start and wearing your flying hat to a classy evening may make you an outcast. By 7:30 pm about 13 of the 15 guests had turned up so I put the onions on to cook, soon followed by the meat.

After tea everyone settled into a few quiet drinks before the clubs new pool table had it's first real workout. When we build the extension on the club house early next year the pool table will make it's way out to the club. A few of us fell prey to Ralph the "pool shark" Keller on the night, who claimed to have not played the game before.Craig

Christmas Cheer

    On Saturday we got together for our gliding club Christmas party at my place. The night started a little slow with the end of the days flying ending later than we had all planned. It made the BBQ quiet at around the planned 7pm start and wearing your flying hat to a classy evening may make you an outcast. By 7:30 pm about 13 of the 15 guests had turned up so I put the onions on to cook, soon followed by the meat. After tea everyone settled into a few quiet drinks before the clubs new pool table had it's first real workout. When we build the extension on the club house early next year the pool table will make it's way out to the club. A few of us fell prey to Ralph the "pool shark" Keller on the night, who claimed to have not played the game before.Craig

Before we departed Phil McCann, the tuggie, took the opportunity to explain his new towing theory to Phil Organ, the CFI, and myself. "Now if the tug goes this way and the glider goes that way..........." Needless to say we were not impressed.

Attach:phil explaining.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg"Phil explaining"

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to circuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the Club's Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Craig

On Saturday the 25th on November the Bendigo Flying Club held a Fly-In at the Bendigo Aerodrome. With the aid of Geelong Gliding Club's Super Cub, MSA, we flew our PW-6 into the event. The Flying Club wanted us to be on the ground by about 9:30 am, so Phil Organ and Bill Hughes took on the job of getting up early and flying in. I was already on the ground when they landed, ready to tow them off the strip.

Before we left Phil McCann, the tuggie, took the opportunity to explain his new towing theory to Phil Organ, the CFI, and myself. "Now if the tug goes this way and the glider goes that way..........." Needless to say we were not impressed.

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg"Phil explaining"

Attach:phil explaining theory smaller.jpg

After talking to power pilots for most of the day it was time to tow out at 2 pm.

Before we left Phil Mc Cann?, the tuggie, took the opportunity to explain his new towing theory to Phil Organ, the CFI, and myself. "Now if the tug goes this way and the glider goes that way..........." Needless to say we were not impressed.

By this stage the wind had sprung up from the southwest so I launched behind the Cub from the short strip at Bendigo. Flying out over houses and very small paddocks proves to be tense until until you get some height and you know can make it back to the Aerodrome.

Ralph Makes Front Page!

Ralph Makes Frontpage!

Congratulations to member, Ralph Keller, on having one of his magnificent pictures featured as the December 2006 cover of Soaring Australia magazine. This watercolour painting showcases the clubs PW-6 soaring in the vicinity of the airfield, laid out below. Now that we have seen Ralph on the cover of Soaring, I wonder when we will see Soaring on the cover of Ralph!

Ralph Makes Frontpage News

Congratulations to member Ralph Keller on having one of his magnificent pictures featured as the December 2006 cover of Soaring Australia magazine. This watercolour painting showcases the clubs PW-6 soaring in the vicinity of the airfield, laid out below. Now that we have seen Ralph on the cover of Soaring, I wonder when we will see Soaring on the cover of Ralph!

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to circuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the clubs Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Craig

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to curcuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the clubs Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000Ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Craig

On Saturday the 25th on November the Bendigo Flying Club held a Fly-In at the Bendigo Aerodrome. With the aid of Geelongs Super Cub MSA, we flew our PW-6 into the event. The Flying Club wanted us to be on the ground by about 9:30 am, so Phil Organ and Bill Hughes took on the job of getting up early and flying in. I was already on the ground when they landed, ready to tow them off the strip.

After talking to power pilots for most of the day it was time to tow out at 2 pm. By this stage the wind had sprung up from the southwest so I launched behind the Cub from the short strip at Bendigo. Flying out over houses and very small paddocks proves to be tense until until you get some height and you know can make it back to the Aerodrome.

With about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the field at 3,000ft. As we slowly descended to curcuit height Tim Berkes winch launched in the clubs Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000Ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Pictures soon...Craig

Bendigo Flying Club - Fly In 25th November

On Saturday the 25th on November the Bendigo Flying Club had a Fly in at the Bendigo Aerodrome. With the aid of Geelongs Super Cub MSA, we flew our PW-6 into the event. The Flying Club wanted us to be on the ground by about 9:30 am, so Phil Organ and Bill Hughes took the job of getting up early and flying in. I was already on the ground when they landed ready to tow them off the strip.

After talking to power pilots most of the day it was time to tow out at 2 pm. By this stage the wind had sprung up from the south/west so I launched behind the Cub on the short strip at Bendigo. Flying out over houses and very small paddocks proves to be tense until until you get some height and you know can make it back to the Aerodrome.

At about 15 km to run I decided that the PW-6 had enough height to make it back to Raywood. After releasing I took a thermal to 4,000ft and bumped the speed up to 80 knots just because I could, still arriving back at the feild at 3,000ft. As we slowly decended to curcuit height Tim Berkes winched launched in the clubs Junior XOA and climbed away to a bit over 10,000Ft in 8 to 10 knots of lift. It's the second 10,000ft day we have had in 2 weeks. Pictures soon...Craig

What a big weekend for our club! We flew every day, well some of the lucky ones did. Day one was interesting due to the number of outlandings. About 9 in all, with a mixture of aerotow and road retrieves. Vintage Gliders Australia attended again and fitted in well with the operations. Launching later in the day, after the 'glass' had departed, a number of creditable tasks were flown.

First, I would like to thank Rob for looking after the flight sheets for the 4 main days, without his effort the flights sheets would have most likely have been a mess. Second Phil McCann lent a hand in the kitchen and in other places like parked in the Super Cub, aerotowing, something he seems happy to tolerate.

What a big weekend for our club! We flew every day, well some of the lucky ones did. Day one was interesting due to the number of outlandings. About 9 in all, with a mixture of aerotow and road retrieves. Vintage Glders Australia attended again and fitted in well with the operations. Launching later in the day, after the 'glass' had departed, a number of creditable tasks were flown.

The main force in the kitchen again was Helen Dilks who took 2 days off work just to help us out. Again the meals and catering were excellent ensuring no one was forgotten, even those returning from long retrieves. With out these people putting a huge effort the weekend would not have ran so smoothly. Thank you! Craig

Mal & Peter did a heap of running around in the kitchen and on the airfield. David Tickner worked on the generator again. Jack also helped out in the kitchen.

First, I would like to thank Rob for looking after the flight sheets for the 4 main days, without his effort the flights sheets would have most likely have been a mess. Second Phil McCann lent a hand in the kitchen and in other places like aerotowing.

 Mal & Peter did a heap of running around in the kitchen and on the airfield. David Tickner worked on the generator again. Jack also helped out in the kitchen.

What a big weekend for our club! We flew every day, well some of the lucky ones did. Day one was interesting due to the number of outlandings. About 9 in all, with a mixture of aerotow and road retrieves.

I would like to thank some of our Indians that did a large amount of work. First, I would like to thank Rob for looking after the flight sheets for the 4 main days, without his effort the flights sheets would have most likely have been a mess. Second Phil McCann lent a hand in the kitchen and in other places like aerotowing. Mal & Peter did a heap of running around in the kitchen and on the airfield. David Tickner worked on the generator again. Jack also helped out in the kitchen.

The main force in the kitchen again was Helen Dilks who took 2 days off work just to help us out. With out these people putting a huge effort the weekend would not have ran so smoothly. Thank you! Craig

Cup Weekend Cross Country - November 4-7

What a big weekend for our club! We flew every day, well some of the lucky ones did. I would like to thank some of our Indians that did a large amount of work.

First I would like to thank Rob for looking after the flight sheets for the 4 main days, without his effort the flights sheets would have most likely have been a mess. Second Phil McCann lent a hand in the kitchen and in other places like aerotowing. Mal & Peter did a heap of running around in the kitchen and on the airfield. David Tickner worked on the generator again. Jack also helped out in the kitchen.

The main force in the kitchen again was Helen Dilks who took 2 days off work just to help us out. With out these people putting a huge effort the weekend would not have ran so smoothly. Thank you! 'Craig'

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006, at Prattys Patch, an historic pub in the township of Maiden Gully. Each year the Bendigo Gliding Club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities, some for serious endeavour and others for somewhat more amusing achievements. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved a speed of 96kph in his Libelle GBX.

Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6,GYC. Another award given each year is the Get Knotted Award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day while undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the Year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website.

On Saturday we had conditions of up to 8,000 ft. It looks like serious cross country flying will be soon with us. Paul did about 80-90 km and Terry has done 2 flights in the last couple of weeks of over 300 km. It's time to get your maps and GPS's out. Don't forget water bottles and have all your normal cross country gear ready. Check the trailers to see if all the bits are in/on there, if you are not sure whats meant to be in the trailers come and see me. Its time to learn how to use your GPS don't leave it to the really good weather starts to learn.

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006, at Prattys Patch, an historic pub in the township of Maiden Gully. Each year the Bendigo Gliding Club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities, some for serious endeavour and others for somewhat more amusing achievements. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved a speed of 96kph in his Libelle GBX.

Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6,GYC. Another award given each year is the Get Knotted award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day while undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website.

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006, at Prattys Patch, an historic pub in the township of Maiden Gully. Each year the Bendigo Gliding Club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities, some for serious endeavour and others for somewhat more amusing achievements. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved a speed of 96kph in his Libelle GBX.

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006, at Prattys Patch, an historic pub in the township of Maiden Gully. Each year the Bendigo Gliding Club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities, some for seriaous endeavour and others for somewhat more amusing achievements. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved a speed of 96kph in his Libelle GBX.

Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did one flight of 100 km at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6,GYC. Another award given each year is the Get Knotted award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day while undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website.

As in other years we had an enjoyable night and a great meal and look forward to the prospects of a great season ahead.

What a Big year in Gliding!.

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006, at Prattys Patch, an historic pub in the township of Maiden Gully. Each year the Bendigo Gliding Club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities, some for seriaous endeavour and others for somewhat more amusing achievements. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved a speed of 96kph in his Libelle GBX. Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did one flight of 100 km at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6,GYC. Another award given each year is the Get Knotted award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day while undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website. As in other years an enjoyable night was had by all

What a Big year in Gliding.

On Saturday the 21th Of October we had our Presentation night for 2005/2006. Each year the Bendigo gliding club has a night of awards for flying and onfield activities. This year was no different with a trophy for the fastest 300 km flight which was won by Colin Campbell when he achieved 96kph in his Libelle GBX. Craig Dilks and Phil Organ won the Brian Sinclair Memorial 100km trophy when they did one flight of 100 km at a speed of 123kph in the PW-6, GYC. Another award given each year was the Get Knotted award for the biggest tangle on the winch and this was won by Tom Dannatt for his tangle one day when undertaking driver training. The Clubman of the year was won by Peter Raphael for his outstanding effort through the year. Peter showed a willingness to jump in and help out as much as possible, he also had a big hand in setting up the clubs website.

    Craig 

Lots of Wind - September 14-15

On Sunday the wind was straight down the the main runway from the south, which gave our pilots very good winch launches. Once again Paul had his Astir out and this time he was the one who had a long flight of a bit over 2 hours. In other news recently, solo pilot, David Tickner has converted into the clubs SZD-51 Junior, XOA. David said after his thermaling flight of an hour that the "Junior thermals like a homesick angel".Craig

Lots of Wind September 14-15

It's been windy this weekend but that did not stop the Bendigo Gliding Club from operating. On Saturday the 14th of October we had a strong cross wind from the west, it made for some interesting flying. Most of the day we just did circuits although Paul Dilks had a short thermaling flight of about 12 minutes in his Astir CS 77 KYP. His son Craig took the Astir for the last flight of the day and he climbed away to 6,900 ft in with 4 knots on the vario. After an hour Craig decided that the cross wind was too strong to land in on the usual runway so he landed on the east/west strip.

    On Sunday the wind was straight down the the main runway from the south, which gave our pilots very good winch launches. Once again Paul had his Astir out and this time he was the one who had a long flight of a bit over 2 hours. In other news recently, solo pilot, David Tickner has converted into the clubs SZD-51 Junior, XOA. David said after his thermaling flight of an hour that the "Junior thermals like a homesick angel".
    Craig

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock GFJ, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of another Woodstock, IKL, before returning to earth, for a first flight duration of 1:49. Congratulations Mal!

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of Woodstock IKL before returning to earth, for a first flight duration of 1:49. Congratulations Mal!

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of Woodstock IKL before returning to earth, for a first flight duration of 1:45. Congratulations Mal!

Got SeeYou?. Then Download the IGC File

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of Woodstock IKL before returning to earth for a first flight duration of 1:45. Congratulations Mal!

Got SeeYou?View the IGC File?

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of Woodstock IKL before returning to earth for a first flight duration of 1:45. Congratulations Mal!

The Bennett Woodstock Flys.

attach:firstflt.jpg"GFJ over Bacchus Marsh"

On Saturday 30th September the much modified Woodstock, built by member Malcolm Bennett, took to the air over Bacchus Marsh for the first time. Towed to 4'500 feet Mal was able to spend some of the flight soaring in the company of Woodstock IKL before returning to earth for a first flight duration of 1:45. Congratulations Mal!

Saturday September 1

On Saturday we had conditions of up to 8,000 ft. It looks like serious cross country flying will be soon with us. Paul did about 80-90 km and Terry has done 2 flights in the last couple of weeks of over 300 km. It's time to get your maps and GPS's out. Dont forget water bottles and have all your normal cross country gear ready. Check the trailers to see if all the bits are in/on there, if you are not sure whats meant to be in the trailers come and see me. Its time to learn how to use your GPS don't leave it to the really good weather starts to learn.

    Craig

About every 2 months the BGC goes out to a pub for an evening. This year it was decided that the end of winter dinner would be held at a pub in Bendigo called The SandBar, a small Pub located near the center of town on McIvor rd. The night started like most nights with every one rolling in from a great days flying at Raywood. The day had been good and some of our pilots had flights that were over one hour. Terry Bellair in his DG 400m had over 5 hours and covered about 340 km for the day.

On arrival to the Sandbar Pub most of us stopped at the bar for a few refreshing ales while the Staff organised more tables to acommodate us. We initially booked for 15 and the numbers rose to 18 by Friday night. When we got to the pub it turned out that we totalled 21, that's members and their partners. An excellent turn-out.

We sat down to order about 7:40pm and, as the service was efficient, by around 9pm we had finished tea. After this everyone settled into the normal glider related conversation helped along with a few more drinks. The evening wound up up around about 11pm. It was so good that the Club President couldn't make it to the meeting the next day!

About every 2 months the BGC goes out to a pub for an evening. This year it was decided that the end of winter dinner would be held at ocal pub in Bendigo called The SandBar, a small Pub located near the center of town on McIvor rd. The night started like most nights with every one rolling in from a great days flying at Raywood. The some of our pilots had flights that were over one hour and Terry Bellair in his DG 400m had over 5 hours and covered about 340 km for the day.

On arrival to the Sandbar Pub most of us stopped at the bar for a few refreshing beers while the Staff organised more tables to acommodate us. We initially booked for 15 and the numbers rose to 18 by Friday night. When we got to the pub it turned out that we totalled 21, that's members and their partners. An excellent turn-out. We sat down to order about 7:40pm and, as the service was efficient, by around 9pm we had finished tea. After this everyone settled into the normal glider related conversation helped along with a few more drinks. The evening wound up up around about 11pm. Craig

This was a busy and diverse weekend. On Saturday Phil Organ facilitated the "Lookout" briefing and Peter and Mal wired up some low voltage lighting in the clubhouse.

After a very successful days flying a large number of club members and their partners repaired to the Sandbar Hotel for a pleasant evening, celebrating the impending end of winter and the possibilities of the coming summer.

With Sundays meeting over, Phil McCann briefed and completed the Radio Endorsements with a number of the members

After a very successful days flying a large number of club members and their partners repaired to the Sandbar Hotel for a pleasant evening, celebrating the impending end of winter and the possibilities of the coming summer.

End of Winter Dinner. Saturday August 26

After a very successful days flying a large number of club members and their partners repaired to the Sandbar Hotel for a pleasant evening, celebrating the impending end of winter and the possibilities of the coming summer.

End of Winter Dinner.

At 1 o'clock we started flying, first on line was the PW-6 then the Bocian. The cross wind was very strong and right on the upper limit for the gliders and pilots, but we still managed to tally up a grand total of 28 flights for the day. 22 flights between the Bocian and PW-6, and 6 flights given by John Viney in the Dimona. At the end of the days flying the kids used up the last of their energy in a game of soccer.

On Sunday their day commenced with marching practice in the thick fog that had developed overnight. At about 10:30 the fog lifted and we were then able to commence operations. This days flying was a big improvement on the day before, with very little cross wind, and for a period of time we had thermals everywhere. Peter Raphael showed all of us how to thermal on just about every flight he had in the Bocian, while Rod Jewell got very current in taking passengers in the PW-6.

On Sunday their day commenced with marching practice in the thick fog that had developed overnight. At about 10:30 the fog lifted and we were then able to commence operations. This days flying was a big improvement on the day before, with very little cross wind and for a period of time we had thermals everywhere. Peter Raphael showed all of us how to thermal on just about every flight he had in the Bocian, while Rod Jewell got very current in taking passengers in the PW-6.

Doncaster Australian Air League Visit.

On the 29th and 30th of July the Club hosted the Doncaster Branch Of the Australian Air League. In total there were 28 Members of the League in attendance and that's including Leaders and parents. The Saturday started with the Air League arriving at about 12:00 o'clock, en masse in 6 cars. Fortunately we had just finished one of our scheduled morning safety briefings, one on "circuit planning", so before they could disperse I gave them a quick introduction on airfield safety and what they would be doing for the day.

At 1 o'clock we started flying, first on line was the PW-6 then the Bocian. The cross wind was very strong and right on the upper limit for the gliders and pilots, but we still managed to tally up a grand total of 28 flights for the day. 22 flights between the Bocian and PW-6 ,and 6 flights given by John Viney in the Dimona. At the end of the days flying the kids used up the last of their energy in a game of soccer.

On Sunday their day commenced with marching practice in the thick fog that had developed overnight. At About 10:30 the fog lifted and we were then able to commence operations. This days flying was a big improvement on the day before, with very little cross wind and for a period of time we had thermals everywhere. Peter Raphael showed all of us how to thermal on just about every flight he had in the Bocian, while Rod Jewell got very current in taking passengers in the PW-6. The days flying finished with the last flight being just before last light. What a huge weekends flying! Craig

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, "first soloed" for the 'second' time. He did his first "first solo" some 28 years ago, and following an extended break, a return to gliding, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith Evans on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil McCann after a text book landing.

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, "first soloed" for the 'second' time. He did his first "first solo" some 28 years ago, and following an extended break, a return to gliding, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith Evans on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil Mc Cann? after a text book landing.

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, "first soloed" for the 'second' time. He did his first "first solo" some 28 years ago, and following an extended break, a return to gliding, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith Evans on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil 'Mc Cann? after a text book landing.

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, "first soloed" for the 'second' time. He did his first "first solo" some 28 years ago, and following an extended break, a return to gliding, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith Evans on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil Mc Cann? after a text book landing.

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, "first soloed" for the 'second' time. He did his first "first solo" some 28 years ago, and following an extended break, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil McCann after landing.

At 3 o'clock the evening meal of roast beef was put on to cook, along with some delectable soups previously prepared by Mandy and Karen. Throughout the day members of the Bendigo Model aircraft club arrived to share the bonfire and join in the nights fun with several taking the opportunity to fly their models as well.

The night wound down with a few drinks by the fire, with number of people choosing to camp the night. Sunday dawned as another superb day and the gliders managed another 25 flights with some managing climbs to over 3000ft. A great nights entertainment and something you should be sure not to miss next year. Craig

News Flash- Pilot Solo's

At 3 o'clock the evening meal of roast beef was put on to cook, along with some delectable soups previously prepared by Mandy and Karen. Throughout the day members of the Bendigo Model aircraft club arrived to share the bonfire and join in the nights fun with several taking the opportunity to fly their models as well.

At the 5:30 pm we started flying free flight models in the fading light, while hot air balloons limped across the carpark. Around 6:30, president Craig Dilks lit the Bonfire and then we hopped into the evenings 2 course meal, soup and vegetables followed by the roast. After the meal Peter Raphael launched his monster radio assisted (control is too strong a word) model, Big Bertha. It was covered in 21 Leds for lighting and made a spectacular sight as it clawed for altitude in the black night sky. This model was based on last years successful model only around 4 times larger. Meanwhile Craigs striking little model orbited around the assembled, with a myriad of coloured lights flashing, looking like a re-enactment of "Close Encounters".

News Flash- Pilot Solo's

Congratulations to David Tickner who, on Sunday, soloed for the 'second' time. He did his first solo some 28 years ago, and after a final bit of airwork with Keith on the day, was cut loose in the K7. He is pictured here being congratulated by Phil McCann after landing.

For about the past 5 years now we have had an Annual Bonfire Night. This year was the second year that we have had a Free Flight Night Scramble event with models, as part of the proceedings. Other disciplines demonstrated are hot air and hydrogen balloons, rocketry and airdrops!, all guaranteed to provide spectacular entertainment. The day started well with a little model flying and tuning then we got into the gliding operations, with the Super Arrow GYS coming back from it's form 2. There were a total of 12 flights for the day and some soaring undertaken as well.

At 3 o'clock the evening meal of roast beef was put on to cook, along with some delectable soups previously prepared by Mandy and Karen. Throughout the day members of the Bendigo Model aircraft club arrived to share the bonfire and join in the nights fun with several taking the opportunity to fly their models as well.

At the 5:30 pm we started flying free flight models in the fading light, while hot air balloons limped across the carpark. Around 6:30, president Craig Dilks lit the Bonfire and then we hopped into the evenings 2 course meal, soup and vegetables followed by the roast. After the meal Peter Raphael launched his monster radio assisted (control is too strong a word) model, Big Bertha. It was covered in 21 Leds for lighting and made a spectacular sight as it clawed for altitude in the black night sky. This model was based on last years successful model only around 4 times larger. Meanwhile Craigs striking little model orbited around the assembled, with a myriad of coloured lights flashing,looking like a re-enactment of "Close Encounters".

The night wound down with a few drinks by the fire, with number of people choosing to camp the night. Sunday dawned as another superb day and the gliders managed another 25 flights with some managing climbs to over 3000ft. A great nights entertainment and something you should be sure not to miss next year. Pictures soon

Bonfire Night 24 June 2006

For about the past 5 years now we have had an Annual Bonfire Night. This year was the second year that we have had a Free Flight Night Scramble event with models, as part of the proceedings. Other disciplines demonstrated are hot air and hydrogen ballons, rocketry and ballistics delivery, all guaranteed to provide spectacular entertainment. The day started well with a little model flying and tuning then we got into the gliding operations, with the Super Arrow GYS coming back from it's form 2. There were a total of 12 flights for the day and some soaring undertaken as well.

At 3 o'clock the evening meal of roast beef was put on to cook, along with some delectable soups previously prepared. Throughout the day members of the Bendigo Model aircraft club arrived to share the bonfire and the nights fun with several taking the opportunity to fly their models as well.

At the 5:30 pm we started flying free flight models in the fading light. Around 6:30, president Craig Dilks lit the Bonfire and then we hopped into the evenings 2 course meal ,soup and vegetables followed by the roast .After the meal Peter Raphael launched his monster radio control model, Big Bertha. It was covered in 21 Leds for lighting and made a spectacular sight as it clawed for altitude in the black night sky. Meanwhile Craigs striking little model orbited around the assembly with coloured lights looking like a re-enactment of "Close Encounters".

The night wound down with a few drinks by the fire with most of the people camping the night. Sunday dawned as another superb day and the gliders managed another 25 flights with some managing climbs to over 3000ft. A great nights entertainment and something you should be sure not to miss next year. Pictures soon Craig

After 3 attempts Peter Raphael got the Junior (XOA) to within a metre (each time!...PR). While club Rob Young put the PW-6 (GYC) to about 17 meters, very sensible in a glider that rolls for what seems like forever. For a cold day there was a lot of flying with all club gliders out, as well as Phil Organ's Libelle (GSQ). Phil is the CFI of our club and he got his Libelle to just under a metre of the mark. With so many great efforts it was hard to find a winner, but I think Jack Lavery showed the best effort in the K-7 GNX for the day.Craig

Today after our meeting we decided to have an 'end of roll' competition. The purpose of the comp is to improve our pilot skills in putting a glider down in a set length. We choose about 75 meters after the aiming point. For some of our pilots normally just landing on the airfield is good enough, but when we made a competition of it those pilots showed their skill and put the glider down right on the money.

Today after our meeting we decided to have an 'end of roll' competition. The purpose of the comp is to improve our pilots skill in putting a glider down in a set length. We choose about 75 meters after the aiming point. For some of our pilots normally just landing on the airfield is good enough, but when we made a competition of it those pilots showed their skill and put the glider down right on the money.

Many extended flights were posted over Saturday and Sunday and the Junior was returned to service. The PW-6 and The Sparrow were derigged and are now away for their annuals to be done.

Today after our meeting we decided to have an end of roll competition. The purpose of the comp is to improve our pilots skill in putting a glider down in a set length. We choose about 75 meters after the aiming point. For some of our pilots normally just landing on the airfield is good enough, but when we made a competition of it those pilots showed their skill and put the glider down right on the money. After 3 attempts Peter Raphael got the Junior (XOA) to within a metre (each time!...PR). While club Rob Young put the PW-6 (GYC) to about 1.5 meters, very good effort for a glider that rolls for what seems like forever. For a cold day there was a lot of flying with all club gliders out, as well as Phil Organ's Libelle (GSQ). Phil is the CFI of our club and he got his Libelle to just under a metre of the mark. With so many great efforts it was hard to find a winner, but I think Jack Lavery showed the best effort in the K-7 GNX for the day.Craig

PW-6 and The Sparrow were later derigged and are now away for their annuals to be done.

Today after our meeting we decided to have an end of roll competition. The purpose of the comp is to improve our pilots skill in putting a glider down in a set length. We choose about 75 meters after the aiming point. For some of our pilots normally just to land on the airfield is good enough, but when we made a competion of it those pilots showed their skill and put the glider down right on the money. After 3 attempts Peter Raphael got the Junior (XOA) to within a metre (each time!...PR). While club Rob Young put the PW-6 (GYC) to about 1.5 meters, very good effort for a glider that rolls for what seems like forever. For a cold day there was a lot of flying with all club gliders out, as well as Phil Organ's Libelle (GSQ). Phil is the CFI of our club and he got his Libelle to just under a metre of the mark. With so many great efforts it was hard to find a winner, but I think Jack Lavery showed the best effort in the K-7 GNX for the day.Craig PW-6 and The Sparrow were later derigged and are now away for their annuals to be done.