News Archive
October 21
After its outlanding the previous weekend the PW-6was 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.
Doncaster Air League.
October 6 and 7
Pictures of the visit on Saturday and Sunday 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.
Annual General Meeting
The Club's AGM was held on Sunday 23 September 2007.
The Club elected the following Officers and Committee members:-
President: Jack Lavery
Vice President: Rod Jewell
Secretary: Phil McCann
Treasurer: Rob Young
Committee: Craig Dilks, Keith Evans, David Goldsmith.
Committee Members by role: Phil Organ (CFI) and Paul Dilks (Airworthiness Officer).
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.
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 `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!
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.
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
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 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.
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. Pictures soon Tom
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 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
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!
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.
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 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!
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)
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 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.
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, relax and admire our efforts 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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
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
Building Program - Stage One
7-8 June
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 Sebastian 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 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.
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
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.Craig
Bonfire Night
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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. 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 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
Slope Day Mount Hollowback
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!
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 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. 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
TOP Flyers Visit
Sunday April 1
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
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
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. 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.
1,000th flight
March 17
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".
Donald Weekend
9-11 March
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
Two New Gliders at Raywood
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 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 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.
Christmas Cheer 2006
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
Ralph Makes Front Page!
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!
Bendigo Flying Club - Fly In 25th November
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.
After talking to power pilots for most of the day it was time to tow out at 2 pm.
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.
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 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
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. 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.
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 parked in the Super Cub, aerotowing, something he seems happy to tolerate.
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. 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
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 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.
As in other years we had an enjoyable night and a great meal and look forward to the prospects of a great season ahead.
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
The Bennett Woodstock Flys.
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!
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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. 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.
Craig
End of Winter Dinner. Saturday August 26
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.
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! Craig
With Sundays meeting over, Phil McCann briefed and completed the Radio Endorsements with a number of the members
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
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 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. Craig
News Flash- Pilot Solo's
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.
Spot Landing Competition 28 May 2006
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.
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
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.
Bendigo Model Flyers 21 May 2006
Today the Bendigo Model plane club came out to have a fly of their models and to fly in our gliders. 10 members of the model club came out. Their models ranged from 2 metre gliders, power planes ,electric Jet and a helicopter. They also had a buddy box so some of our members could have a fly of a model and have a back up instructor if they got out of control. Bill Matthews from the model club was voted big kid of the day. For someone that was not going to fly he had 2 winch launches, one in the PW and one in the K-7, some aerobatics and a hanger flight. It will take dynamite to wipe the smile off his face. Andrew Murphy from the Geelong Gliding Club also came up for the weekend and got a winch rating. Craig
Australian Air League Visit 6-7 May 2006
We had The Australian Air League at our field weekend for some flying. I think they had a great time and I think that they might make it an annual event. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the youngsters and it appeared that the amount energy that they expended exploring the place left some of our old members feeling even older!. In spite of the weather deteriorating on Sunday everyone got to have a fly and the operation ran efficiently. The club members had a great time sharing this aspect of aviation with the cadets and their leaders and I am sure that if they come back we can do it even better next time.
Mt Hollowback Slope Soaring 25 April 2006
Once again our club members have ventured forth to Mount Hollowback, near Ballarat, for a day of model flying activity. Conditions were extremely pleasant, northerly and light breeze, not too cold, although a little more wind could have made things interesting. A large fleet of Zagi's in the air at one time caused occasional lapses of judgement by some. Some interesting circuit procedures, scattering the crowd, may see Chris on checkrides for some time to come. Weak conditions prevented Paul from re-enacting a Normandy assault with his scale Waco Assault Glider. Phil decided his Zagi would be safer inside the communications compound, so flew it there. No-one went home without the requisite amount of exercise, tramping up and down the hill, and no significant casualties were reported. See you there next year!... Peter
Easter Weekend Flying 14-17 April 2006
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