[aus-soaring] BORING @ NQSC

[David Olsen]

A copy of the mail sent our club mailing list... I've done a 200 k in a Astir at DDSC but this flight was more demanding and more fun- 50k in an Arrow can be tough up here.   I had planned some local soaring, but after a generous offer from a great crew, I was able to take advantage of a fantastic day. I set off for Woodstock at around 11:15 am, getting a great climb straight off the winch, to 3000 ft. I then worked my way westward to the black silo, where I was joined by Grant in the Blanik. After some encouraging words and a few thermalling lessons over the radio, I reached 4000 ft (cloud base) and Grant set off back to the strip. Thanks to Grant, it is fun doing that sort of flying. Oh and another thing, that Blanik looks pretty mean when it is in cross country mode, and coming at you at 60 kts. I'm used to seeing it boating around!   Anyway, the conditions looked a little weak from Majors Ck Mountain to Woodstock with very scattered and small Cu's. I found a good climb to the south of M. Ck mountain and then had to work my way further south to capatilise on the best lift. This put me well and truly over tiger country, including some hills, but I had easy glide to farming land closer to Mt Elliot.The first two climbs were slow and I was hesitant to set off, but once I got over 4000 ft, I knew that I could do it easily. Another two thermals had me over the Calcium Roadhouse at 4000 ft and a fast glide put me almost over my destination and straight into 5kts. I took the climb back to 4000 ft before zipping off to get the photo, and then returning to the same thermal (50k completed). From there it was a quick zip over to Donnington where I followed a small cloud street to a point halfway between Donnington and Calcium.   Up ahead of me a wide blue hole of about 20 kilometres had opened up. I carefully studied the sky and could see that I could track around the edge of Mt Elliot to Artillery Hill, but due to the angle of the clouds streets closer to home, it looked as though that would put me too far away from the best clouds. I watched my circles traced over the ground and could see that there was little wind. I knew that it was possible to get home across the blue hole but it would require me to get a thermal at the cloud line that extended from near Cape Bowling Green to the south western part of the Haugton River. I set off, flying to my plan, a little faster than best L/D, which acording to the polar, gave  away very little in glide angle. I knew that I could make it to a large paddock I had carefully studied on the way up. I arrived at that paddock, a little lower than I'd hoped (1700 ft) and kept on going toward the best of the clouds, and over tiger country ( it was not far to the clouds). Unfortunately, at this point, I neglected to make the essential switch from.looking at the clouds to looking at the ground, and by the time I did, I was too low to make good use of the lift, and struggled away gaining no height in the rough narrow thermal. Time for another outlanding!!.   My selected paddock was a beauty, but a little wet at one end, so I landed on the dry bit. A nice landing, no problems. I could tell exactly where I was, but I had no idea how a retrieve crew could get there. The rest is a very long story, probably best left for Grant and Jo to embellish over some beers, maybe after another retrieve, perhaps out at Hughenden, when I'm not there ;-)   Thanks guys, I'll be staying local now until I get my own trailer. PS I got the 50 k but it can't be official, as I had no Barograph or properly set up camera, but who cares, it was FUN.   Now I wonder how much better the Arrow would go with a bit of tape???? :-)