Many years ago I did my first 750, Temora, Narromine, etc. My log book entry:
30-Dec-97
JANTAR
CQT
WILSON
Narromine, Coolamon, Weethalle, Temora 750 at last !!
8.75
764
****
Travelling south of Narromine there was a fantastic line of clouds at about
10,000’ from Bogan Gate to Tottenham and further north. The downburst,
lightning, virga, etc from those clouds was fantastic, shifting paddocks of
dust to the east, as the[trough?] system rolled/moved east [at say 20 _ 30
knots?] but ground winds below looked much stronger [at least 40 knots?]. I had
intended gliding along the eastern face of that trough[?] but the downburst was
so fantastic I flew east away from it. I was at about 8,000’ and got lift over
Peak Hill that got me past the southern edge or the system. I got to 10,000’
over Forbes and later and further south I was getting above 11,000’ in the blue
so it was a strong day. But back up north it was 8/8 and black at 8,000’ plus
and probably pouring rain.
My suggestion is that the downburst is more likely to cause the tree damage out
west on the plains.
To have a decent wave system you need to be on the downwind side of a
significant mountain range and the country is flat west of Peak Hill [and
strong winds seldom come from the east out there]
Come to the Canberra Club’s wave camp in September to sample the real stuff.
Alan Wilson
Canberra.
From: aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
[mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net] On Behalf Of Brisbane
Gliding Adventures
Sent: Wednesday, 19 June, 2013 9:08 PM
To: aus-soaring
Subject: [Aus-soaring] Wave cloud and tree damage?
My dad (life long Forestry worker Henry) told me many years ago about some
strange damage to pine trees that he had found in the back (western-most)
paddock of the Strahorn State Forest near Peak Hill, in the Central West of
NSW. (For those who have flown out of Narromine, it is the 10,000 acres of
trees smack bang in the middle of farming country south of Narromine ... midway
in a line between Peak Hill and Tullamore).
The way he described it, the branches of trees had been shorn off as though
something had scooped down from the tops of the trees getting gradually lower
and lower to ground level then gradually back up to the tree-top level again on
the other side of a wide "flattened to ground-level" area.
I attended a Gliging Queensland lecture last night on Wave Clouds where the
presenter (Wes McIvor) mentioned briefly that wave cloud formations can
actually touch down to ground level on rare occasions.
I have been thinking today that maybe this could explain the pattern of tree
damage that my Dad had referred to all those years ago.
Maybe I am just putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5?
Kevin Rodda
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