Lets get this show up and running then

[nathan_c]

So who else does gliding??? What aircraft do you fly? Where do you fly? How many hours have you got?

 

Tell us about yourself guys, and dont leave anything out :thumb_up:

 

For the record, I have done about 11-12 flights in and L-13 blanik, and about 3 flights in a puchatek.... Blanik is far superior! And I fly at warwick in qld, a couple of hourse away from brisbane.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Nathan,

 

just did my fifth flight at Camden over this last weekend in a DG1000. Nailed the landing on first 1/3 of strip and right at the nominated point but was told i am a little harsh on the spoilers. Will have to go back and ask him what he was talking about.

 

Forgot how wonderful it is spending all day pushing gliders for a single flight:sad:.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Captain]

G'day Nathan

 

I have an ASW28-18E but haven't used it much over the last 2 seasons due to business commitments that seem to get in the way over summmer.

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

Hi Nathan, I fly out of Boonah, more of a challenge than Warwick and the other 'Downs sites. But the scenery is superb! We also have access to wave and slope soaring in the right conditions.

 

I've come back to gliding after a 7 year abscence so I'm just finding my legs again. still in the two seaters (K13,Blanik,K21). First time round I did my training in K7,K13, Puchatek(my first AEF was in a 'Puchatruck') and the Slingsby T53. The '53 was a much maligned glider but it had unsurpassed vision with the canopy sills being almost at waist height. The K7 and K13 flew almost the same (though back seat in the K7 was a bit of a cave), perhaps the K7 was a bit more 'floaty' as well. I think in many ways as a training glider the K13 would have to be one of the best, easy to fly but still had to be 'flown'. I'm sure some would argue in favour of the Blanik on that point. (feel free to discuss, this is a forum!). The K21 is a joy to fly! Very safe characteristics and extremely forgiving. IMHO too forgiving, I think people trained solely on K21 (and possibly other glass trainers of similar characteristics) could do better to get some time in gliders that need to be 'flown' a bit more.

 

Looking forward to hopping back into the single seaters. Especially the Arrow. I've heard if there are no thermals around they just light the BBQ at the clubhouse and the Arrow can thermal on that! :big_grin: The new sleek glass ships are nice, but they don't have the character of the old birds.

 

Ok, I've warbled on enough, hopefully some topics for discussion have been generated for this forum.

 

 

[nathan_c]

Unfortunately I have not had a chance to fly those other gliders at Boonah, but I can tell you I sure prefer the Blanik over the Puke.... I didnt mention it above, but I have been to Boonah once, and flown there. Oh and btw, the majority of my blanik hours are in WVP, your blanik =] I believe you just got it back from the air cadets?

 

I havnt been flying in a while, due to money issues, and it doesnt look like I will get to flying until I have visited Avalon in march, or at least saved the necessary money. I was debating wether to come to boonah and fly with the club there, as Air Cadets, while being cheaper, Dont fly as often as I would like.

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

I think WVP is privately owned, the club's Blanik is GWH.

 

Not sure how your transport situation is, but I think Gympie has a winch, this would allow cheaper flying than air-tow, food for thought.

 

The two-seaters and instructors are pretty flat-out at Boonah at the moment but by all means look into coming out for a flight.

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

Gee, is no one going to take up the torch for training in modern plastic gliders? I can't beleived Blaniks have been mentioned in this thread and no one has piped up and started 'Blanik bashing'. Perhaps I need to make some more contraversial and divisive posts to generate some discussion?

 

 

[nathan_c]

Hehe, now that you mention it, no one has really suggested any other sort of glider bar the Blanik in this thread..... There needs to be an argument, its getting boring around here :ah_oh:

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Can't help there. Some of my fondest memories are in Blaniks.

 

My first 2 hour solo flight I had an eagle showing me where all the lift was.

 

Just he and me cruising the same thermals. Pure magic.

 

 

[nathan_c]

Sounds Awesome. Im still waiting for Cadets to start gliding up again, and for my to have enough money to actually go, but Im hoping to go solo soon-ish, and Ill be able to enjoy those experiences aswell.

 

 

[maxamos]

Flying from Gliding Club Victoria - Benalla

 

I fly out of Benalla, although last season was a non event due to work committments and I am still pretty much a novice , though have progressed through training on IS-28's, some solo flights in them as well as a couple of flights in a Blanik. Most of my solo time has been in a Junior, with a couple of flights in an LS-7, which is a great machine to fly. This year has been much better so far. Managed to get up to Benalla in early December, but as I had only just arrived back in the country, didn't manage to get there for the morning briefing, which is when the single seaters are allocated on the weekend. So had to make do with a couple of longer flights in an IS-28, including one of about 2 hours. Came down as my butt was getting a bit sore, and just after I did the LS-7 landed and the guy flying it wasn't keen to go back up, so I managed another 3 hrs in that. First time I had gone straight from the IS-28 into the LS-7, and it was like getting out of a mack truck into a sports car. Fantastic. It was an absolute joy.

 

It is a great and very friendly club, but a bit busy on the weekends, so I normally try to fly mid week during the season. I am venturing further away from the airfield and looking forward to some longer cross country flights. Will relay about my longest flight in the next post.

 

Sure is a great sport, and makes me feel a lot more confident with my powered flight, due to all the extreme angles and low speed flying. :big_grin:

 

 

[maxamos]

Had a great flight in the LS-7 in early December on a blue day. Thought it was about time to have a crack at completing the silver C, as I have allready done the 5hr endurance, and the height gain, just needed the 50km straight flight.

 

Organised to get a logger, but there was no one around to set it up for me, but wasn't too concerned as the log would still be there. So up and away , off tow at a bit under 2000 agl, and then into lift. Struggled for the first hour, staying with in gliding distance of the strip, as I couldn't get above 3500agl or so. Found the thermals quite broken, and there seemed to be an inversion, (or lack of skill??) preventing me getting any higher, and it was a blue day. I kept pushing out towards my intended goal of Yarrawonga, and finally managed to start getting some better thermals up to about 4000, then 4500 agl. Was starting to get a bit more comfortable and after about 2 hrs had left the airfield area and was getting closer to halfway there, or about 20 kms out. (Of course I had filled out the SAR log etc) Really was enjoying the flight, and it was making me work. So after about 3 hrs I was nearly at Yarrawonga, but now really starting to need to have a Pee, but decided to keep going for the flight. Finally was over the destination, and could see on the logger that I had made the 50 k flight, Yippee, now lets head for home. On the way back, had a bit of a scare when I was starting to get fairly low, only about 2300agl, and was really starting to look at my options for landing out, when I managed to find some weak lift, and get back up to about 3500 agl, and then headed off again looking for some better lift, in an area that I had been lucky with previously over some hills. Once there found some good lift, and got my best height of the day, up to about 6000agl. From there it was an easy and fast glide back, as I really needed to get out of the cockpit, and relieve that bladder. Oh what a great feeling it was too.

 

What a great flight, my first 50k out, and I had learnt a lot.

 

Yeah learnt even more when I told one of the more competent guys about making my goal, completing the flight and asking him to help me download the logger so I could put it in for my silver C. He then asked, "You did declare it on the logger didn't you ?? " :confused: Oh oh. He then went on to explain that the GFA were getting very strict about claims. Bugger, guess that it isn't my Silver C, but just a practice run.

 

Will make sure that the logger is set up properly next time !!

 

Best flight to date though , and plenty more to come.

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

Nice Stories Maxamos,

 

With the conditions you have down ther you should be able to knock your silver C 50km over in an hour shouldn't you?;)

 

Several weeks ago a big day was forecast and many pilots at Boonah were orgainsing loggers and declarations and pickup crews etc etc. Hours of bussling activity. Of course the weather never developed and no one went anywhere. . .

 

I stoppe gliding several years ago just on obtaining my 'C' certificate, so I have duration, height, distance yet to come. Hopefully in the year ahead, as I reaqcaint myself with the air.

 

I've only flown in an IS28 a few times and I must confess it was not my favourite glider. I'm not sure if it was this individual glider but the airbrakes were very very stiff and required a lot of effort to retract. . .It pretty much precluded me from flying it. In the air seemed ok from what I recall. . . .

 

 

[maxamos]

If Only

 

With the conditions you have down ther you should be able to knock your silver C 50km over in an hour shouldn't you?;)

. .

Yeah if only I was a better pilot it wouldn't be a problem. :thumb_up:

 

At the moment I am still pretty conservative, and it takes me a while to suss out the conditions. Besides I am just happy to be up there enjoying the flying, and learning more. Certainly agree with you about the IS-28, but it is a competent training aircraft. The club have just got a brand new ASK-21, which everyone seems to be suitably impressed with, and I am sure will be a lot more popular than the older machines.

 

By the way, this week there have been two flights from Benalla of over 1000kms, one by the current world champion, so the difference certainly shows. These guys are unreal. There was also a recent flight, launching at Benalla at 9.30am , and landing in Qld, by David Jansen

 

Check out the GCV website for more info about some of the flights. Gliding Club of Victoria - News - Summary

 

 

[Guest L/D]

There is definitely more training conducted in composite gliders these days than those wonderous days of the blanik. Whilst my training was also in a Blanik and it is a gracious old girl to fly, the maintenance headache makes composites much more favourable.

 

Most European countries trained in the Grob G103 Twin Disaster (aka the resin blob), gave the Centrair Marianne a go (then quickly forgot that idea) and have moved on to the Duo Discus (along with some of it's imitators).

 

The major drawback to this approach in Australia is cost. Therefore, the Blanik will continue to be a viable training aircraft. Others such as the Puchatek and Puchacz are good at the time, but in training use see an growing rate of maintenance required as the hours are piled on.

 

For a small club, the Blanik is a great workhorse for the money, for the larger more financial clubs (like Kingaroy), the move to a composite fleet has proven very successful with more membership and more hours being flown on club aircraft.

 

 

[chrisag]

Can't help there. Some of my fondest memories are in Blaniks.My first 2 hour solo flight I had an eagle showing me where all the lift was.

Just he and me cruising the same thermals. Pure magic.

I became very careful about flying near eagles early in my training in the early 70's....Following a wedgy in a thermal then lost site of him. Shortly after noticed him on a collision coarse with his big feet extended ready to tear me apart. He shot passed my right side under the wing of the K7. He then left the area after working out i was a bit big for him. I often think about this incident and think about what would have happened if he had hit the wing or tail...it may have been a messy end.

 

Has anyone else had a close encounter with an aggressive eagle?

 

 

[slartibartfast]

True Chris. Worth thinking about. There was a moment where we were going opposite directions at the same level. I could see him coming, and I could also see he hadn't seen me yet - he was watching for prey below. I vividly remember the moment he realised. It was an almost human look of surprise, followed by a folding of the wings and a dive under me. Most impressive.

 

There was a time hang gliding on a ridge where I was attacked by 2 eagles. I could only hear them above and behind me, but people on the ground reported that they were very keen to reach me. Thankfully they failed.

 

I did hear once of a sailplane pilot above the alps in Switzerland who had an eagle crash through the canopy and attack him from behind. They say he had to reach behind his head and strangle it. Don't know if it's true, but a good story.

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

Eagles and hawks are amazing to see in flight, in fact nearly all birds are. We have some wedgetails who frequent the hill near the airstrip, they are comfortable with sharing the airspace with the gliders when slope soaring. I've also had a butcher bird investigate me at over 1000 ft AGL one day, I really felt sorry for him/her as I think it was trying to protect it's territory and must have expended an awful lot of energy to get up to us.

 

One of the most amazing things I've seen is a juvenile wedgetail fly in formation with an RC glider slope soaring. He flew wingtip to wingtip not a foot away and matched it's every move. The wind was quite strong so glider and eagle were both pretty much stationary in the wind. As the glider banked and slid left or right across the hill face it would just go with it holding position on the wingtip. When the glider was looped he'd follow it up to vertival stop, flap and then drop back down into position as the glider came out of the loop. He did this for about 5 or 10 minutes. I wish I had video footage, it was as if it was a planned airshow formation routine.

 

 

[chrisag]

I must have been just unlucky to encounter a grumpy wedgy but I must admit that the incident has made me wary of them while in the air. They are a very impressive bird and I spend a lot of time watching them.

 

I started gliding in about 1973 in a k7 with winch...what fun. I flew on and off for 20 years flying all sorts then got the ultra light bug. As I think all glider pilots will agree, the skills learnt flying and hanging around gliding fields is a superb grounding for other sorts of aviation. I'm still having fun in a skyfox as well as my 2 sons with the odd visit to a gliding club to trade a few flights...good days.

 

 

[nathan_c]

You guys are making me jealous!!! I havnt had the oppurtunity yet to fly alongside an eagle, but I hope to one day :)

 

 

[Guest coaltrain]

Had eagles out again on Sunday - Lift was quite broken. As I was looking around a flew past a Wedgetail at may altitude - he wasn't flapping so I turned back around to investigate. Sure enough he was in a couple of knots so I started turning. We actually did one orbit with him turning inside me. We parted ways not long after that. Always a pleasure to share their domain with them.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

A good tip for when flying with eagles. DO NOT throw wake tubulance at them. they tend to get agressive about that, as some HG pilots at Stanwell discovered. They will attack.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[winsor68]

Hi...Some of you may have already seen this...This footage was taken in the late 60's and early 70's in North West Qld with the now defunct Leichardt Soaring Club before the days of the Blanik and the like...I have not heard any mention of the good old Aussie Kookaburra, the grandaddy of Australian Gliding. My first flight (at six months old according to my Dad's log books) was in a Schneider Kangaroo.

 

The Mucha shown in some of the footage was flown to 6th place at the nationals by my dad in 1968...There are 4 clips in total...worth watching if you have the time...

 

I also have some even older footage from the 50's showing the Kangaroo and a machine called a swift...a one of machine built with the purpose of breaking world gliding records.

 

I hope you enjoy...

 

 

 

[Yenn]

A good plane the old Kookaburra, I flew the original one, but sadly didn't solo in it as someone crashed it and I ended up doing some of the repair work for its C of A.

 

I loved the way you could demonstrate the further effect of rudder and ailerons.

 

 

[Guest weekendwarrior]

Hi Nathan,

 

I am flying a bit out of Camden. I went solo a few months ago on the K13, which is what I have been flying mostly, with my longest solo flight so far being 2 hours. I have also been flying in the ASK21, duo and a couple of solos, and had a handful of instruction flights in the DG1000.

 

Last week I went solo in the Junior single seater for the first time, it felt like a Ferrari compared to the K13, it feels like it doesn't ever want to go down :) I can't wait to get my bum in it again!