March - Hang Gliding Federation of Australia

March 20111 Australian Junior GlidingNationals 2011 aka JoeyGlide!4 Setting and Flying AATs5 Beverley Airfield, WA6 Forbes XC Clinic, December 20108 Forbes Flatlands ’Steve Hocking’ HangGliding Championship 201110 My Last Diamond – Glider flyingin the USAOfficial publication of the Gliding Federation of Australia (GFA)and the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia (HGFA).The Gliding Federation of Australia Inc. and the Hang GlidingFederation of Australia are membersof the Fédération Aéronautique Inter -nationale (FAI) through the AustralianSport Aviation Confederation (ASAC).CREDITSCover:Aaron Stroop, with Robert Bull in the back, executes asteep turn after a pull up in ASH25, VH-IW, at BathurstPeter NewcombSuzy Gneist, Gneist DesignPhoto:Design:Printing: Bluestar Print, Canberra ACTMailing: Bluestar Print, Canberra ACTNOTICE TO READERS AND CONTRIBUTORSThis magazine is a joint publication by the GFA and the HGFAand each association contributes 50% to the production costand is allocated 50% of the content pages of each issue.Contributions are always needed. Articles, photos and illustrationsare all welcome although the editors and the GFA andHGFA Board reserve the right to edit or delete con tributionswhere necessary. Materials of unknown origin won’t be pub lished.All contributions should be accom panied by the con tri butor’sname, address and membership number for verifica tionpurposes.Photographs should be printed on gloss paper either inblack and white or colour or submitted on CD. Drawings, maps,cartoons, diagrams, etc, should be in black ink on white paper.Lettering may be pencilled light ly but clearly on the drawing,for typesetting.Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarilythose of the GFA, HGFA nor the editors. They are strictly theviews of the contributor. Any GFA officer quoting his title willbe responsible for submitting an official article.Copyright in this publication is vested in the GFA/HGFA.Copyright in articles and other contributions is vested in eachof the authors in respect of their contribution.13 Waikerie Wanderings14 Two to Tandem, Roast Lamband Carrots…17 Rigging Advisory18 Thinking About Australia’sSailplane Fleet – Part 420 Map Reading22 Breakneck Ridge Lake St Clair24 Jocky Sanderson Downunder26 The Blanik Situation27 Speed Week 201128 30th Club and Sports Class Nationals30 HGFA News32 Soaring Calendar33 Review: PlayGravity 234 Vintage Gliding Corner37 From The GFA President’s Desk38 GFA NewsHGFA EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONSThe three contact points for HGFA memberssub mitting to Soaring Australia are the HGFASub-editor, the HGFA Office, and the GraphicDesigner. These contacts should be used accordingto the directions below.HGFA SUB-EDITORHGFA OFFICE & SALESSuzy Gneist Ph: 03 9336 7155Ph: 07 5445 7796 Fax: 03 9336 7177 Post to: 57 Alice Dixon Drive, [www.hgfa.asn.au]Flaxton QLD 45604a-60 Keilor Park Drive,Keilor Park VIC 3042GRAPHIC DESIGNER/PRODUCTION EDITORSuzy Gneist, Ph: 07 5445 7796, ,Post to: 57 Alice Dixon Drive, Flaxton QLD 4560.ArticlesHGFA members should send article contributions to the HGFA subeditor.Article text is preferred by email either as a Word document or plain text file, photos canbe sent via post (57 Alice Dixon Drive, Flaxton QLD 4560) eitheras print copies or high resolution JPEGs or TIFFs on CD. Photosmust be accompanied by full captions and photo grapher nameson a separate text file (.txt) on the CD.News, Letters to the Editor, New Products,Events Calendar entriesHGFA members should send the above editorial itemsto the HGFA Sub-editor, Suzy Gneist, as text in the bodyof an email to .Classifieds, Club Executive and Member UpdatesHGFA members should submit classifieds (secondhand gearfor sale) and changes of address, etc, details (whether for ClubExecutives or individual members) to the HGFA Office . See HGFA Classifieds section at rear of thismagazine for more details.Display AdvertisingHGFA commercial operators wishing to place a display advertshould email the Graphic Designer, Suzy Gneist , to receive a booking form and detailed instructions.HGFA WEBSITE CONTRIBUTIONSEmail Club News to , Email Comp Newsto . The information is for ward edto Soaring Australia and the maintainers of the HGFA website.40 Going Cross-country43 HGFA Operations Manager's Report44 Contact Addresses46 ClassifiedsSteve Blenkinsop coming in to goal at the 2011Forbes Flatlands, with a storm in the distancePhoto: Jamie SheldenGFA EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONSThe three contact points for GFA members submittingto Soaring Australia are the GFA Subeditor,the GFA Office, and the GFA AdvertisingRepresentative. These contacts should be usedaccording to the directions below.GFA SUB-EDITORGFA OFFICE & SALESAnne Elliott Ph: 03 9303 7805Ph: 02 6889 1229 Fax: 03 9303 7960 Post to: PO Box 189,[www.gfa.org.au].Narromine NSW 2821Level 1/34 Somerton Road,Somerton VIC 3062GFA ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVEGFA Secretary, Ph: 03 9303 7805, Fax: 03 9303 7960,,Post to: Level 1/34 Somerton Road, Somerton VIC 3062Articles, News, Letters to the Editor,Events Calendar entriesGFA members should send article contributions to the GFA Subeditor,Anne Elliott. Article text is preferred by email either as a Word document or plain text file,photos for articles should be sent in the post (PO Box 189,Narromine NSW 2821) either as print copies or high resolutionJPEGs on CD. Photos must be accom panied by full captionsfor each and photographer name.Classifieds & Display AdvertisingGFA members wishing to submit a classified should do sovia the GFA Office. See GFA Classifieds section rear of thismagazine for more details.Club Executive and Member UpdatesGFA members should send change of address, etc, details(whether for Club Executives or individual members) to theGFA Office .DEADLINE FOR ALL CONTRIBUTIONS:25th of each month, five weeks prior to publication.Photos and materials will be returned after publicationonly if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is supplied.Otherwise, photographs, whether publishedor not, will be filed and may be used subsequentlyin further publications.Australian Junior GlidingNationals 2011 aka JoeyGlide!Adam Woolley – Contest DirectorAfter another successful Junior Nationals – thanks to Angus Stewart (CD), ’Super John’Hudson and his hard working team at the Waikerie Gliding Club – it’s time to startthinking about the next great year of the comp that has always been known asJoeyGlide. So if you’re a pilot under 30, read on!This year we plan to bring youmonthly updates, a posterfor your club and daily videosfrom the competition venue.We’re aiming to make this one of thebiggest and best yet, and with yourparticipation I guarantee you’ll have agreat time. This is the first of nine articlesin which we plan to introduce you to theAustralian junior gliding movement, whois eligible, how you can be involved inthe upcoming junior nationals and finallya quick introduction to yours-truly, thecompetition director!Subsequent articles will go into detailsof the competition, when and where, prizesand the benefits that you’ll see by beingthere, other events within the event, introducingother key personnel, and of courseshowing off our sponsors as they come intofruition – I guarantee you won’t be disappointedwith what we can give you back!H i s t o r yThe current junior gliding movementstarted back in 2002 at the QueenslandEaster Gliding Competition. Despite a staggering50-plus entries, I was astoundedto realise I was the only junior anywherenear the event; and not actually competing!Something clearly had to be done.Recently solo and enthusiastic I got togetherwith the only three other juniors (Anne-Maree Dearden, Ben Thompson and DanTruitt) I knew at the time from Queenslandto hold the first junior gliding meet outof Kingaroy. These meets moved aroundto different clubs once a month, and slowlygained momentum as more youngpilots got involved. It wasn’t known to meat the time, but the Southern states werealso gearing their juniors up. Tom Claffey,Miles Gore-Brown, Bruce Taylor and BruceCampbell were spending their holidayshelping juniors make the transition fromflying to racing. It wasn’t until the initialjunior webgroup was brought to life thatall the juniors in Australia were able tounite into one strong movement. Theactual name JoeyGlide I believe camefrom a number of influential people ata Gulgong meet, until finally Nick Gilbertcame up with the winning name!It wasn’t until the 2003/2004 seasonthat JoeyGlide was actually born intowhat we recognise today. I was luckyenough to meet some of my gliding idolsat the Benalla airfield during the Australiansquad week, where Jay Rebbeck,Martyn Wells and Brian Spreckly (all fromthe UK) convinced us to hold JoeyGlideas a separate event. Mitchell Turner, withhis team, was the first to take on the reinsas CD in 2004, which was the start of somethinggreat. It was held at the Temora,NSW airfield and attracted 15 single-seatentries and numerous coachees. Sincethen JoeyGlide has been led very stronglyover the years by Nick Gilbert and HeathL’Estrange – without these key guys,JoeyGlide could have fallen over afterthe third year. We’re now organising ourseventh nationals and we want you to bea part of it!A i m s o f J o e y G l i d eFirst and foremost, a SAFE competition;secondly, to have a FUN competition, thirdlyto encourage and develop Australianjuniors in the world of cross-countrysoaring, both in their own solo effortsand in the coaching arena; fourthly, todeclare a winner and select a junior torepresent Australia; and lastly, refer tothe second aim!JoeyGlide 2010 contest director Gus StewartJ o e y G l i d e 2 0 1 1So who do we want at JoeyGlide 2011?The definition of Junior throughoutthe gliding world is those who are 25at the start of the competition. But toattract even more numbers and fun tothe event, we’ve decided to up that age!Now everyone under 31 is welcome as aJoeyGlide competitor, with the provisothat only under 26s will be eligible to bedeclared the Australian Junior NationalChampion, and have the chance at beingselected to represent Australia at theJunior World Gliding Championships. Aswith other years, all those with Silver Csand a competition license will be eligibleto compete in the single-seat class.The good news is that the coachingsection is open to all entrants. This is agreat way to build confidence in yoursoaring cross-country ability, to prepareyourself for future events (junior andsenior), and to have fun with like-mindedindividuals at the end of the day. We’rehoping to run this in two-seaters such asDuo Discus, DG1000, ASK21 and the like.Stand by for more information on this asit comes to hand.March 2011 Soaring Australia 1G F A

G F AG F AJoeyGlide 2004 funPhoto: Courtesy Adam WoolleyAnd all attendees are welcome tomorning lectures and post-flight de-briefson the day’s weather, racing and generalaction. These will be run by some ofour leading National coaches and evenan International competitor that hasalready locked in his family for the event.Of course this will entail lots of groupdiscussion to help get the most out of thisgreat opportunity!H o w t o b e i n v o lv e dThanks to Heath L’Estrange and hissupporting company Web Adventures, wenow have the new and updated juniormailing list through our very own site[www.joeyglide.com.au] It is here thatyou’ll find all the information on how tojoin the webgroup, have a chat amonglike-minded individuals, add some banterand get into the hype of the Juniors inAustralia. At the JoeyGlide website, you’llalso find all the information on the previousjunior nationals, coming Nationalsand the like. Of course, Facebook has toget a mention – I have created a groupnamed ’JoeyGlide 2011’ (106 membersand growing), which is becoming a greattool for communication, feedback anda number of laughs!Another great JoeyGlide outcomeis the Australian Junior Gliding Club.Find information about the club, its veryown glider – an IS28 thanks to some keyinvestors – news, links, events and more!Check it out at [www.ajgc.org.au].Sponsors“To Foster, Promote and Develop Glidingthroughout the Region”JoeyGlide announces its first sponsor:Gliding Queensland!We have an amazing culture up inQueensland due to the massive supportwe all receive from GQ, do go up and havea glide one day, month or year! Thanksto Dave Donald and his team for helpingthe juniors out this year. I assure you it willbe one to remember! For all your news,info on Queensland clubs, development,history and heaps more – please checkout [www.glidingqueensland.org.au].Introduction to the Competition DirectorCanadian Selena Boyle in an LS4 chilling before take-off at JoeyGlide 2010Photos: Ailsa McMillanThanks to Heath L’Estrange for hostingthe JoeyGlide website, his support has mademy life much easier on the web front!Web Adventures is an Australian businessbased in Adelaide providing specialised webhosting, design, and marketing services to customers.The business prides itself on providinga level of service that makes your website developmentproject as pain free as possible.Please check out [www.webadventures.com.au].Adam Webb ready to go, JoeyGlide 2010Some well-known faces at an early JoeyGlidePhoto: Courtesy Adam WoolleyAndrew Maddocks trying to fly VH-WVXbackwards at JoeyGlide 2010My name is Adam Woolley, I have beenfortunate enough to be brought up in agliding family: being the third generation,which has given me the nickname of’Woolley Pup Pup’ among seniors, and’Woolley Dog’ among my younger mates!I soloed on my 15th birthday in aBlanik(!) and have gone on to pursue acareer in the airline industry, now flyingan Airbus A320, with 4500 hours flyingexperience, of which 700 hours are in sailplanes.Highlights start with a fortnight’Plane Soaring’ course with George Lee,Adam now flies an Airbus A320 with Tiger AirwaysAdam Woolley at 10 months old: a sign of things to comePhoto: Courtesy Adam Woolleywho ultimately prepared me to win theinaugural JoeyGlide in 2004! Then shortlyafter, I was lucky to represent Australia atthe Junior World Gliding Championshipswith my best mate, Dave McManus – wetogether achieved 15th out of 30 in StandardClass! I haven’t done much glidingsince 2005, but I plan to get back ontothe world stage in the next four years.I can be contact by email [agwoolley@hotmail.com].Bring on JoeyGlide 2011!Thanks for providing some great prizes andsponsorship for this and the following years’JoeyGlide, we’ll be sure to announce whatthey are in the coming issues! Come and tryyour hand at flying a Boeing 737 simulator,Nick Kranenburg will make the simulatoravailable at a special hire rate for any memberof the GFA and HGFA when it’s not beingused by an airline academy! Check it out at[www.simjet.com.au].SimJET Training Systems provide a rangeof airline and military training devices fromprocedural trainers to fixed Base TrainingDevices (FBTDs) and Full Flight Simulators(FFS). SimJET apply world leading technologyin their simulators, such as automated ATCenvironment and high res visual databasesfor military operations. The SimJET TrainingSystems devices aim for a high level of realismsuiting low cost operations, using low costCOTS and OEM architecture, to enhancethe training experience by providing a fullyrealistic training environment.2 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 3

G F ASetting and FlyingAssigned Area TasksTerry CubleyI remember when we had Cats’ Cradles and POST tasks. Theseoriginated due to an increasing number of people wantingto get away from the gaggles (and collision risks) of thenormal speed task, plus a desire to return to some formof distance flying and the belief that speed tasks were nottesting the pilot’s ability to select weather conditionsection – avoid irrigation areas aroundRutherglen, go well north of the river?The second turn (Berrigan) is a 50km,20-degree sector so there is a limitedchoice of terrain but distance is certainlyquite variable.The ’time soak’ is a 30km, 20-degreesector (St James). If time is okay you justkeep coming straight, otherwise you canvary the distance by up to 20km.F ly i n g t h e A ATThe key factor is time, so I typically determinethe amount of time I wish to fly oneach leg: if the weather is good I thereforefly a good distance, if the weather ispoor then I end up turning a little shorter.In each case the time is the same.Beverley Airfield, Western Australia…On this task:• I would probably select 50 minutesfor the first leg, 50 minutes for thesecond and 55 to 60 minutes for thelast leg (two hours 40 minutes). Agood run home will still leave sometime available plus I can elect to usethe time soak if required.• These times can be varied dependingon the conditions, but cutting the firstleg short means that I have to flydeep in the last sector when I haveno idea what conditions will be likewhen I get there.• If the weather gets better and better,fly much longer than the minimumtime to increase your average speed.G F AKey decisions:• Planning the best tracks to take advantageof particular terrain or weatherpredictions,• Deciding when to turn the first turnpoint,• Always fly straight lines, in particularwithin the sector,• An extra one or two kilometre in eachsector will increase your speed by say2km/h (important when with gaggles),• Get better at predicting your speedon final glide; it is much faster thanyou think.I would be interested to see somecomments/opinions on this topic, Maybewe can help the task setter to set better,more enjoyable AATs? Maybe coaches canhelp people fly them more effectively?on track.The intent of these tasks was that thepilot selected turnpoints from a list andflew to these to maximise distance (Cats’Cradle) or maximise speed in a set time(Post). The biggest complaint was thatpilots could fly in completely differentweather conditions but the informationavailable to make the decision where togo was just not available; so many timesit came down to a lucky choice. Randomlypick the one good direction and you win.The other major complaint was that youcould fly all day and never see anotherglider (the pure ’racing’ pilots hate thisaspect) and newer pilots would headoff, get beaten by 20km/h and have noidea what they had done badly – no reallearning opportunity.The Assigned Area Task (AAT) removedor reduced some of these issues, andalso overcame some problems with thefixed task in classes with a broad rangeof glider performance: where the highperformance gliders flew for the bestthree hours and the low performancegliders had to struggle early and late justto get around.The AAT has a restricted choice ofdirections, sets people into basically thesame thermal areas (so reducing someof the luck), keeps the flow of aircraftin one direction (so reducing the randomcollision problem) and means that all glidersfly for the same period of the weather(three hours etc). New pilots see the betterpilots for a part of their first leg andquite often see then again after they turna little earlier in the sector – so opportunitiesfor learning are much improved.As we got better at the AAT weidentified the problem of getting backas close to the allocated time as possible:so you don’t waste time in weakeningconditions and so the first glide and finalglide are a bigger percentage of theflight, with increased speed. The problemis that you need to make a decisionsometimes 150km away as to how longit will take to get home. If you find goodair then you get back five or 10 minutesearly which costs you many kilometresas you are just given the allocated timewhich reduces your speed.I remember a Benalla Nationals whereI was 130km from home with 50 minutesto go. I headed for home and the cloudstreets just got better and better. I washome approximately eight minutes early.Not very happy!S e t t i n g a n A ATIn my view many task setters are gettinga little lazy with setting the AAT. They arejust setting a couple of points with hugecircles around them to ensure that no matterwhat the weather the task is smallenough and big enough. As a consequence,we are getting back to a huge differencein track based on little knowledge by thepilot and so increasing the luck factoragain. New pilots are once again seeingno one on their flight so the learningdisappears. They are not setting ’timesoaks’ so the pilot has to decide hundredsof kilometres away when they shouldturn for home: with the ensuing traumasof getting home early or the day stoppingwhen they are still 50km from home.The aim should be to set a consistenttask direction, provide scope to accommodatedifferent glider and pilot performances,give some element of decision-making remeteorological navigation, and provide atime soak at the end of the task to allowfor weather variation later in the day.A suggested structure1. First turnpoint is a small circle: ensuresa common first direction with somevariation/decision-making as to whento turn.2. A second and possibly third segment(not a circle) to ensure that the lowerperformance and higher performancegliders have an ability to fit the task.(the better the tasksetter the smallerthese segments can be).3. A final circle or segment that canallow zero deviation or up to 15minutes deviation as a ’time soak’.The local weather and terrain mayinfluence the order and size of thesesectors/circles.Example: A 2.5 hour AAT fromBenalla (see diagram)Minimum distance is 214km (85km/h)Maximum distance is 353km (141km/h)First turnpoint (Corowa) has a 15kmradius circle; 30km plus variation yet allgliders are heading the same way for thefirst leg. There is some pilot choice re-dir-…home of the Beverley SoaringSociety suffered damage from thepassage of a severe thunderstormfront around 4pm on Saturday,29 January. Fortunately no injurieswere sustained and all clubPhotos: Ross Richardsonaircraft were hangared in time.According to reports wind wasaround the 70kt plus mark andday went to night with the dust.The storm lasted 15 to 20 minutesand left the airfield looking likea war zone.4 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 5

H G F AForbes XC Clinic,December 2010Peter BoltonH G F AJust before the Forbes 2011 international competition,about 10 of us ’student’ pilots took part in four-dayInstructor Curt Warren also conducting the the pre-flight briefing with Jonny under the glider at Forbes airfieldAll other photos: Steve Papai.Launch marshall Rob van der Klooster giving the ’all out’signal to the Dragonfly tug for my launch. Meanwhile, VickiCain assists the next glider in lineThis was the first such course I’ve beenaware of and it was organised by Moyes.I knew that my comp flying was badly inneed of improvement, so I was quick tosign up. At the start of the course, wecourse to hone our cross-country flying skills,under instruction from two of the top guns: JonnyDurand Jnr and Curt Warren.had pilots from all over Australia as wellas overseas, but the largest group wasfour of us from South Australia.The course started with the groupsplit up into two, to learn how to getmore out of our instruments – each halfusing the same make of instrument as ourinstructor. Before long, we were out toForbes airport for the first day’s task.Like in a comp, a cross-country taskwas set each day. Distances were generally80 to 100km. This gave us practicewith start gates, navigation, turnpointsand, for the best performers, making goalefficiently. Again, the class was split intotwo ’flocks’ – each using the same radiofrequency as our instructor.I must confess that I didn’t make anygoals during the course, but there werea few highlights for me – eg, climbingabove Jonny for a while (until he overtookme) and leading the field for awhile on a task to goal in Grenfell. WhenI started climbing well under a big darkcloud mass, Jonny, Attila and others sooncaught me up and left me behind. Myinstruments said I still needed 18:1 tomake goal, but I still attempted to followthem and find out how to achieve such aCourse participants receiving a pre-flight briefingfrom Jonny Durand. Nearest to the camera is Miguelde Jong (’Flying Dutchman’ from South Australia).On Jonny’s left, under the A-frame of the glideris Roelov Brits from South AfricaAbove photos: Jonny Durand Jnrglide. To cut a long story short, they madeit and I didn’t! It was also good to seeother ’student’ pilots in ’Team SA’ makingsome goals – including Gavin Myers,Miguel de Jong and Martin Sielaff.One bonus during the de-briefsessions was the opportunity to watchour flights as a ’horse race’ in real timeon Davis Straub’s PC – using ’See You’software on our tracklogs. Thanks to MrOz Report for this.Thanks very much to everyone whomade this course possible – including(but not only): Vicki Cain and Moyes DeltaGliders, Jonny Durand Jnr, Curt Warren;Rob van der Klooster (launch/goal marshall)and the tug owners and pilots,including Bob Bailey, Blaino, SteveMcCarthy and Bruce Crerar. And last butnot least, Steve Papai from SA, who gaveup his chance to do his aerotow endorsementin order to drive for ’Team SA’.At the end of the course, Vicki andGreg Cain invited us to their place for aMexican meal (and weak-link tying sessionfor the main comp). Bill and Molly Moyeswere also there and we found out thatit was their 60th wedding anniversary!We got to watch a DVD prepared by thefamily with plenty of footage from theold days of Bill flying Rogallos.I believe the course offered goodvalue and for me it was refreshing todo something new and have a chanceto learn from the leaders. What secretsto success did we learn? Well, that’sclassified, except for the tip which alwaysworks: “Get high and stay high!”The Company Which Produces High Quality Paragliding Wings And EquipmentWhich Sets NEW World Standards!OUR SPECIALfor this season,till 31 May 2011, we give a fantasticup to 20% off of a sold wing, and 10% offall rescue chute and harness equipment.GREEN (DHV 1) – the first DHV 1with finesse over 8 t 20% offBLUE (DHV 1-2) – wing for beginnersand advanced pilots t 15% offBLUE MT (DHV 1-2) – the ultra lightwing starts from 3,5kg t 20% offBLUE two – wing fortandem flights t 20% offRED (DHV 2) – a champion wingfor champions t 15% offDynamic has one name: BLACK (ACRO) t 10% offORANGE ST – the lightest manageable rescuesystem that can take up to 130kg of weightGREY – is a perfect multi functional harnessfor all body size and shapesMake your new wing your own in choosing your own liked colour – visit our website!Find out more details by visiting the AIRSPORT TEAM 5 Pty Ltdwebsite www.airsport-team5.com.au or email 6 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 7

H G F AH G F APilots at goalForbes Flatlands ’Steve Hocking’Hang Gliding Championship 2011Alexander CuddyPhoto: Jonny Durand8 J a n u a r y, D ay 1 , Ta s k 1There was no chance of overdevelopmentand thunderstorms according to the CAPEforecast, but weak lift in the afternoonand fairly strong winds in the morning,weakening by noon. Cloudbase wasto start around 5000ft and to get over7000ft later in the day.The task committee didn’t pay anyattention to that. They called 184.9kmsouth-west to Grong Grong, near Narrandera,with a turnpoint at Barmedmanto keep us out of the West Wyalongrestricted airspace.At 10:30am smatterings of mid-levelcloud with a few lower level cu’s madeit look like a very mixed day. As we setup the sky filled with cu’s and there wasshading from mid-level cloud. By the timelaunch opened all the fields for milesaround the airfield were shaded.Pilots on tow were searching for lift.My tug pilot took me to a nice thermaland I climbed to cloudbase at 6000ft. Nowthe task was to stay out of the clouds,base was low and there were few breaks.Photo: Jamie SheldenDavis Straub, OzReportSoon the sky filled with pilots, almost allat cloudbase and everyone trying to avoideach other and escape the clouds.Start time 1:20pm came and the racewas on. I was at 6500ft and went on a13km glide to find the next lift. Half thefields along the way were under water,but a small rocky outcrop was working,first 100ft/min at the outcropping, then460ft/min further SW to 6700ft – cloudbase.I was flying with Larry Bunner. Somedots of sun on the ground and blue skyabove appeared. Still a very congestedsky, but not totally blocked out like atForbes, workable. In a little over two hourswe covered 100km to the first turnpoint.As we approached Barmedman I sawshade ahead – it looked weak out there.Our first thermal was a good 370ft/min,then Larry dove into the shaded areato the south-west while I headed southalong the highway following a few spotsof sunlight and weak sink and weak lift.Larry got lower, I stayed high and workedweak lift near Ariah Park where Larry anda few others came in below me.Fifteen minutes later I left with 6400ftand headed 14km to a sunny forest. Oneglider was turning high over it ,so I wentin and caught the lift. Larry had workedup to 6000ft and joined me low over theforest. I climbed to 7200ft as Larry workedup below but lost the lift and left to glidelow into another shaded area where hesoon landed. I was able to climb againto 6300ft before heading on.Further west there was sun and somedark cu’s. I headed for a slice of sunlightwhich disappeared during the 10km glide,so I decided to go under the mashed cu’s.In the middle of the shaded area I founda well-formed core, 180ft/min from 2000ftagl. I was 25km from goal, so I stuck withwhat the day offered and climbed slowlyto 6300ft. With the 6030 telling me goalwas made, I went on a 60mph glide witha slight tailwind. There were a few pilotsat goal, Jonny won the day substantially.9 J a n u a r y, D ay 2 , Ta s k 2A chance of rain and thunderstorms wereforecast in the afternoon. RASP showed16kt winds out of the east at the top oflift. Cu’s would die in the late afternoonPhoto: Ricker Goldsborougharound Forbes. The task committee hadus go 179.4km west and start as early aspossible. The launch opened at 11:15amand the first start window at 12:30.It was sunny and blue over Forbes andthe airfield. The surface wind was strongand the start cylinder was set at 15km toaccommodate the wind level. No one waseager to launch at 11:15 with no cu’s nearus, but soon some started appearing overour heads. Pilots started lining up and wegot going. I launched a little after noon,got off at 1800ft agl and found the goingquite difficult.The lift averaged about 100ft/minwhen I found it and I was drifting quicklyaway from the launch area in the 10mphwind, often losing the broken cores. Iwent back toward the launch five times,only once getting over 4000ft. FinallyLarry Bunner launched and reported400ft/min over the launch area. I came inunder him and we climbed together toover 5500ft.The first start time had already passedand there was no way to get out to 15kmin time for the second start time. Our jobwas to just stay in the air. Numerous pilotshad already landed in the start cylinderand many were low.We were back at 5500ft two minutespast the second clock, but six kilometresfrom the edge of the start cylinder, sowe decided to wait for the last clock.Unfortunately, there was no convenientthermal so we headed out toward theedge and past it and now unable toreasonably make it back against the wind.There were plenty of cu’s and midlevelcloud now shading the ground infront of us. We worked what we couldand after a 12km glide found 400ft/minto 5300ft under a nice looking cu withAnother goal fieldPhoto: Jamie Sheldensunlit fields around it, yet most climbswere slower.We could see pilots turning ahead andcame in under a nice cu over a little hill.There was nothing, but we worked thesunny rocks on the back of the hill with aWedge-tail. We just needed a little moreto get to the next cu and left with 4400ft.I found 1200ft/min down on glideas Larry kept left of my line, gaining1000ft on me in a 4km glide. We joinedfour pilots climbing in the next thermal,a winner at 500ft/min, but being thelowest, I lost my flying partner and flewon alone, just hearing where he wasgetting lift ahead of me.There were large areas of shadeunder cu’s and mid-level cloud. The liftconditions were now improving and thecores were firm and constant. A largeshaded area ahead was edged in sunlightand made up of cumulus development soit was possible to fly with light sink underthe dark clouds. Larry was doing well justahead with Lukas and Blenky.I wasn’t looking back, but rain startedsprinkling at Forbes airfield an hour afterwe left. Forty kilometres out from goaltwo cu’s showed some vertical development.I found lift on the edge of one and rodeit to 7700ft making sure there was anescape if it got too strong.I left with 30km to go. The sky hadcleared a bit and more sun reached theground with little cu’s ahead. One last one13km from goal was enough to get me in.Larry had arrived about 15 minutesearlier. Twenty-five to 30 pilots madegoal, many landing after me. Comingback toward Forbes we saw a massivestorm with strong winds, blowing reddust and lots of rain behind us. It musthave been 100km wide. In one 20kmsection of highway we saw well over 1000birds that had landed due to high winds!1 0 J a n u a ry, D ay 3 , Ta s k 3Our forecast for the day was for 25ktwinds at 4000ft, light spotty lift, 4000 to5000ft cloudbase and scattered rain in theafternoon. No chance of thunderstorms.This is life in Forbes with La Niña.This day looked to be weak, with surfacewinds predicted at 16kt. But the windswere quite light with scattered upperlevel clouds – it didn’t look as bad as forecast.It seemed that things were betterthan predicted. After working well togetherthe task committee hit a snag and Trentand Carl replaced two missing membersfor today. Given the iffy forecast the newcommittee called a shorter task thanprevious days, west to Tullibigeal, 112km.Out at the airfield there are cu’s, butmostly upper level clouds providing shadeand thickening to the east. The windsabove are 15kt but light on the ground.Things looked pretty reasonable and safe.Peter Dall in his Atos gets towedup first to 4000ft agl and reports 400ft/min. I took off a few minutes before thefirst start time at 12:45 for a smooth towhitting no lift to 2000ft agl where I getwaved off. After a while I climbed slowlybut drifted WSW at 18mph, at 2600ft toofar downwind of launch to make it backif I wanted to.I hooked up with Larry Bunner andthree others and we climbed to 3500ft10km out from the start point, butstill inside the start cylinder. We justconcentrated on staying up.I lost the lift and four pilots I was withget a few hundred feet more. I decidedto head north-west, crossing the startcylinder at 1:20, five minutes after the1:15pm start time, the second last one.I head for sunlit ground with mistycu’s above and get down to 1000ft agl.There was lift, but so low it was quiterough in the high winds. I had no choicebut to hang with it. I climbed to 2400ft,then 6100ft over a grass runway 25kmfrom the airfield. A mere 90km to go!The north component of the ENE wind isblowing us all south of the course line.A small cu formed in front of me andI got 180ft/min to 5200ft. The ground wasmostly shaded from the high clouds. I headedfurther west and a bit north to makeup for the drift, staying between 3000and 4500ft. Thirty kilometres from goal Ifound lift at 3700ft and vowed to get tocloudbase. There were small areas of rainto the west and one 10km to the north.As I climbed it rained, then stopped,started, stopped again. To the south ofthe course line it began to rain. At 6000ftI headed to the dark long cu that lined upto get me back WNW and to goal.Twenty five kilometres out I got underthe cu and just kept going. I was on finalglide and kept going straight yet climbingto 6700ft. As I came out from under thecloud I was at 6000ft, 15km from goal. Ipulled in and made goal. Maybe 15 pilotsmade goal.A cell formed 20km south of goal aswe packed up. A little bit of rain camefrom a cell to the north as we drove outof the field. The conditions in the air weregentle even with the 18mph wind. It wasa day to hang on and drift when youwere low.1 1 J a n u a r y, D ay 4The weather was too iffy for a task today.Moderate breeze on the ground and40km/h (25mph) up at 3000ft. Rain duringthe day, clearing, then overcast. Nearbycu’s, but no lift over the airfield.We gave it a good go, but called it whenit got too late without a good chance ofimproving for a fair task.Final Results – TOP 101 Jonny Durand AUS Moyes LS RS 3.5 28002 Carl Wallbank GBR Moyes LS RS 3.5 24603 Trent Brown AUS Moyes LS RS 3.5 23554 Steve Blenkinsop AUS Moyes LS S3.5 22665 Yasuhiro Noma JPN Moyes LS RS 3.5 22466 Tullio Gervasoni ITA WW T2C 144 21567 Grant Heaney AUS Moyes LS S 3.5 20638 Davis Straub USA Moyes LS RS 3.5 19539 Conrad Loten NZL 194210 Roberto Nichele SUI WW T2C-144 1875Jonny Durand at goal8 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 9Photo: Jamie Shelden

G F AG F AZiggy with the glider and the SierraNevada range in the backgroundthe day.” I skipped the evening beer atthe Taildragger (okay, I had one but onlyone!), prepared everything and got upearly the next morning.The wave in Minden is never thesame. It can be nice, smooth and bluewith well defined and average rotorsor it can get brutal and unpredictablewith closing up clouds spitting outhail. So there are no rules. There aresome rules for the tow in case of radiocommunication failure though. Mike,who was towing me, said before welaunched: “I’ll tell you when it’s goodenough to release. In case we don’t heareach other there are three release signsso please don’t wait, pull the yellow knobimmediately if you see one of them: Iwill waggle the wings; you will see meupside down; or you will see me makingan abrupt 180-degree turn and flyingtowards you.” That’s how unpredictablethe Minden rotors can be.D - D ayThe winds started blowing early in themorning. Everything turned really hecticsince the prediction was the wave wasnot going to last for the whole day andthe wind would die down within two tothree hours. I had to get ready as soonas possible. There was nobody else flyingthe wave so I was the first one to exploreit. Off we went. The tow was bumpy butmanageable and Mike put me in a nicesteady lift at around 9000ft. Everybodyon the ground was excited and keptasking me for updates on the conditions.Well, what was I supposed to say? I wasclimbing in the wave!Considering my release altitude I knewI had to climb to about 27 000ft to beon the safe side and get my 5000m. I’dbeen climbing, enjoying the view andbeautiful cloud formations, checking theoxygen flow from time to time and…stopped climbing at 22 000ft. I couldn’tbelieve it, but the forecast seemed to beright – the wave was about to fall apart,soon. The winds aloft were already farfrom perfect regarding direction andspeed and there was no gradient withthe altitude. I had to be patient andfigure out a way to survive the crisis andeventually find somethingto give me the desperatelymissing 5000ft. The 30minutes of searching ata constant 22 000ft feltlike an eternity, but Igot rewarded. I hit oneof the last wavelets thatbrought me straight upto 27 150ft. The feeling ofbeing up there, knowingthat I made it, is hard todescribe. All there wasThe barograph traceleft to do was to pull the brakes, getdown and land.Easy enough I thought, till I got lowenough to leave the Reno approach frequencyand listened to the AWOS. Windson the ground were gusty, blowing upto 35kt and, of course, not down therunway. I already knew it was goingto be a tough one. The runway mostfavoured by the wind was the big ’jetrunway’16. I picked this one and set upfor landing. It always amazes me, but allthe landings in tough conditions usuallyturn out beautifully; probably because ofthe high concentration level. Mike andDevin were on the runway in no time andpulled me out with a golf cart. Tony, myofficial observer, took the logger out ofthe glider and ran to his office to check ifeverything had been recorded. He cameback shortly: “Congratulations Ziggy! Youmade it!”Some five cold beers after I stillcouldn’t believe that I had completedmy Diamond gliding badge, just fouryears after I restarted flying gliders aftera 26-year break. A truly great feeling.And it has been proven once more:Minden is really one of the greatestsoaring sites in the world. My next tripout there is already on my calendar: July2011. The goal for this one is to exploremore of Nevada’s desert including theOwens Valley with the beautiful WhiteMountains, and eventually complete a bigcross-country flight. Who knows? It is allpossible in Minden, NV.ThanksAlthough gliding is a kind of individualsport you cannot succeed without thehelp of others. I call myself very fortunateto have people around me who are realfriends. I am aware that my personalsuccess wouldn’t be possible withoutyou and therefore it is also your success.Thank you Bogdan Kraskiewicz and DarekPietraszkiewicz for letting me use yourglider, Tom Stowers for all the technicaland mental support, Tony Sabino forbeing my official observer, Mike Moorefor the great wave tow, Mike Harbisonand Devin Bergainnier for the wholeentertainment and all your support.I also thank all my other friends out therefor the great homey atmosphere and allthe fun. See you all again in July 2011.Sub-editor’s note: Hope to readall about your 2011 trip Ziggy!Waikerie Wanderings12 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 13John HudsonJ o e y G l i d e 2 0 1 0Following the successful 2010 SouthAustralia State comps in November 2010,the Waikerie Gliding Club was preparingto send a small contingent of membersto Narromine for JoeyGlide 2010, accompaniedby the club’s ASK21. A problemexisted in as much as the ASK21 trailerconstruction was complete – including thefittings for the glider – but the glider hadnot actually been fitted to the trailer.With only a few days before the scheduleddeparture for Narromine, a smallband of club members were at Waikeriecompleting the fitting on Sunday, 5December. Progress advanced until latein the afternoon when a thunderstormarrived, with heavy rain and wind, resultingin a localised power failure whichstopped work: no welder, grinder, lights.Later on Sunday evening Terry Cubleycalled to enquire whether the Waikerieclub could host JoeyGlide 2010, scheduledto start in less than a week on 11 December.A few phone calls were made to securethe necessary help and the commitmentwas made to host the Junior Nationals.Here we are now early 2011 and thetrailer still isn’t finished. The first Juniorentrants arrived on Wednesday, 8 December.JoeyGlide was a memorable event.We had the opportunity to meet a greatbunch of people, including Gus Stewart(Competition Director), Grant Johnson(Safety Officer) and Neville Donald, PaulMander plus all of the contestants. Aftertwo practice days there were six straightdays of competition.Ailsa McMillan at JoeyGlide 2010 held at WaikerieThe thoughts of the group at Waikeriewere regularly refocused back onto theeastern States where continued heavyrain and flooding was taking an increasingimpact on people, property and infrastructure;not to mention gliding activity.After a great week, Andrew Maddockswas declared the contest winner in atightly fought race. Congratulationsto Matthew Scutter and Laim Donaldwho got so close. Our congratulationsto all the JoeyGlide entrants for a greatweek. Around 65 people attended thepresentation dinner on Saturday evening.S o u t h A u s t r a l i a nC o a c h i n g W e e kWith a few days break for Christmas,the SA Coaching Week commenced on27 December. A group of around 12 sailplanesentered this event under thedirection of Cath Conway.Many pilots achieved their establishedgoals during the period with some firstcross-countries, attainment of 50kmflights and C certificates. Coaches forthe event included Bernard Eckey, CathConway, Swaantje Geyer, Dereck Spencerand Terry Cubley.The Waikerie Gliding Club has a largenumber of Japanese members who arrivedon 26 or 27 December for their annualpilgrimage. These members, who largelydo their own thing in respect of the flying,participated in the discussions and briefings.After a week of variable weather, coachingweek wound up on Saturday, 1 Januaryafter a great New Year’s Eve celebration.S A 2 0 1 1 S tat e G l i d i n gC h a m p i o n s h i p sSunday, 2 January was scheduled as a ’practiceday’ for the 2011 South AustralianState Gliding Championships; yes, soonafter the 2010 SA State comps.Monday 3 saw the competition getunderway in earnest, with the followingentrants/sailplanes,Graeme Parker (AS G29), Craig Vinall(AS G29), Colin Stauss (Mosquito), BjornRechinger (LS-3), Grant Hudson (LS-4),Greg Jackson (LS-4), Peter Paine (LS-7),Tom Leach (DG1000), Matthew Scutter(LS-4), Michael Scutter (Discus).Weather conditions for the competitionranged from mediocre to excellentresulting in some memorable flights. Thelast day was abandoned due to a showeror two of rain. In the eastern states,Gerrit Kurstjens and John Buchannan at Waikerie in January2011. John broke several National records during his visitPhotos: John Hudsonand particularly Queensland, the rainscontinued to fall in unimaginable volumesacross large areas.The impacts of the earlier easternstates rain is now evident in the RiverMurray at Waikerie and the towns downstream,all the way to the Murray mouth.Water now lies in areas where water hasnot been seen for 15 to 20 years.The scoring was again very capablyundertaken by Joy and Tim Shirley, towhom we extend our sincere thanks.Graeme Parker won the competitionand received the winner’s trophy. ColinStauss from the Balaklava Gliding Club wasawarded the most Meritorious Effort Trophy.V i s i t o r sThere were a number of importantvisitors to Waikerie during this period• Simon Hackett (Internode), the majorsponsor of JoeyGlide visited duringthe Junior Nationals.• Nev Donald and Grant Johnsonwith the JoeyGlide organisation.• Paul Mander, also with the JoeyGlide group.• All the JoeyGlide entrants, plus NickGilbert, Adam Woolley and thosewho attended in support.• Mrs Lee Badcock (whose fatherassisted with the construction ofthe Pelican in years past) visited anddonated photographs, press cuttingsand various items of memorabiliato the club.• Werner Van Euw and Dean Wardvisited for a week with their DG500from Camden.• Queenslanders Gerrit and Pam Kurstjens,and John and Pam Buchanan.• Mac McTainsh called in from New Zealand.Mac is a past member of the club.• Rob and Reg Moore.As we headed home after a busy fewweeks, our thoughts and concerns returnedto Queensland and Victoria. On behalfof all Waikerie Gliding Club members,and all of the South Australian glidingcommunity, I extend our best wishes fora speedy recovery from what must bea very traumatic period.

H G F AH G F ATwo to Tandem, Roast Lamb and CarrotsAre you ready?Not Yetman…Simo and Al highSimon HoustonWhy do we fly? I keep asking myself this questionto try and justify the increasing amount of timeI am spending flying, and I think the answer mayhave something to do with the unsolvable threedimensionalpuzzle of heating and fluid dynamics in the sky. Every time a piece of thepuzzle fits into place, one realises that the puzzle just gets bigger. When you are abeginner its all to do with flying the glider. When you get good, flying the glideris like driving the car or riding the bike, then you really can devote your electrochemicalCPU to the real task at hand… “what is the air doing today?”Ispent a week at Manilla around aboutthe time of the XC Camp and experiencedsome flights of epic proportions. I thinkI can safely say that it was the best flyingI have had at Manilla, probably anywhere.My mate Alan Deering, who hasrecently been signed off, came along tofly in the mornings and afternoons andI thought, what better way to explaincross-country flying than by example.Lets go tandem. Conditions looked reallygood, moderately unstable on launchand as I saw all the gliders climbing outfrom Borah, I wished I was in my Peak 2.Fortunately for me, Cranny had loanedAl with our Host and retrieve driverPhoto: Alan DeeringPhoto: Simon Houstonme his Sol Kangeroo 3 which is a DHV 2glider. It has quite a high aspect ratioand provides a lot of feedback. I wasvery impressed with its performance andhandling. Pity it wasn’t also Cranny’sharness as Al puked all over it!We flew with Cranny, JJ and Adamon and off. Myself and Al are not thesmallest in terms of mass, Al beingmore massive, so the wing was loadedup and when I let the trimmers off theafter burners kicked in. We were goingas fast as the 2/3s – it was a hoot. I hadmy first full frontal in a tandem in theturbulent thermals, she popped straightout. We observed JJ only 100m awaybeing shaken around like a rag doll. I wasletting Al fly periodically, but I snatchedthe controls back when we kept fallingout of thermals. I kept him occupiedwith weight-shifting, glider spotting andregular updates from the instruments.As the flight progressed, Al slipped intogoof out mode which is why I think hestarted getting motion sickness. It’s quitehard to get a passenger to puke at theappropriate time in the 360 and as aresult of his commitment to the flight,my harness and flying suit were suitablygarnished. I would have been cringing,but to be honest, I was more concernedwith pushing on.We eventually decked it north-west ofBarraba, nearly 50km linear distance fromBorah. I was not willing to drift low overa hill to snag a climb and risk having topunch headwind to the closest paddockwith passenger safety in mind. We gotdrilled, but landed safely. We were welloff the road and it was a very hot day.As Al gathered himself, I started to packup. A large tractor started making hisway towards us, so I prepared to thickenmy fine Irish accent and complement thefarmer on the prowess of his machinery,the copious volume of water in his damsand comment on the variety of shades ofgreen not seen in these parts for years.We slung the glider in the bucket, Ijoined the farmer in the airconditionedcab and listened to the ABC commentarydescribing the dismantling of our Nationaltest cricket team. We left Al clinging ontothe outside, just in case he decided toconduct another misdemeanour.We were ushered into the house,shown the renovations in progress andforced to drink cold beer. They must ofliked what we had to say about the latestadditions to their residence as we weresoon presented with cheese, crackers andsalted cashew nuts as a nice entrée tothe roast lamb dinner. If you think thingscouldn’t get any better from here, we gotdropped to the bitumen and only waited10 minutes for an old fella to pick us upin a Holden Statesman for a lift back toGodfrey’s with plenty of time for Al tohave a nice flight off the east launch.Little did I know that our actions overthe next few hours would put the icingon the cake for what was ahead thenext day.Dave Ramage and Michael Bass hadboth just flown PBs of 128km and 180kmrespectively and were stranded in a pubin Warialda. All they could do was drinkbeer, eat counter meals and were forcedto interact with the cute girl behind thebar. I volunteered our services to retrievethem and since I had already consumeda few beers while on the radio to Al ashe was flying, I nominated him as thedriver. I loaded up the esky with ice andbeer and off we set on our merry wayto Warrialda. About three beers laterwe arrived at the pub. My first analysisof the situation was that the two boyswere going to require plastic surgery toremove the smile from their faces. Wehad (another) beer and Dave offered hisservices for retrieve the next day. Thegame was afoot. There was not a momentto loose. We got back to Godfrey’s aboutmidnight and, yes, you guessed it, consumedmore beer whilst in transit.Now it’s time for me to enlightenyou on the prerequisite for a successfullong cross-country flight. Drink plenty ofGerman beer the night before. Marvellousrace, the Germans, great footballers,fantastic card players and innovativebeer brewers… not so hot at world wars.The ’Reinheitsgebot’, the German puritylaw of 1516 ensures that only the fournatural ingredients – water, hops, barleyand yeast – are in the aforementionedbeverage and as there are no preservativesto give you a hangover, you candrink as much as you like. Couple thatwith the fact that a case of OettingerGerman Pilsener was on special from BWSat $24 a case, and the more you drink,the more you save!I set up on launch early, my bodycleansed with German pilsner. I took offfollowed by Michael Bass and GarethCarter and got smoked by both of them.Things were not going according to planand dwelling on it was not helping.Straight into survival mode: Go UP. Ieventually cored a climb and got throughthat annoying progress inhibitor knownas an inversion. Base. Bar. Things werenow really starting to happen and I justskipped from cloud to cloud, thermallingwhen I had to and 1/3 bar the rest of thetime. When I arrived at the south endof the Bingra valley, out in front and lowwere about four gliders. They were scratchingover the big brown paddocks, but thewhole area was over-clouding big timeand shutting down. I was comfortable atbase around 2300m. Handbrake. I hung atthe downwind end of the cloud and as Iwatched all the gliders deck it, I was ableto climb out and around the leeward sideof the cloud and top up with an extra300m. Money in the bank. Spend it wisely.Munched on a carrot.I could see the clouds beginning todissipate by observing the holes in theshadows on the ground. I must have hungback for about 20 minutes or so. Time togo. I didn’t think the clouds were goingto be much help in their decaying state,but there were three good options ahead.First a brown paddock, no luck there.Second Bingra, obviously not my kind oftown. I wasn’t super high when I got tothe little hill on the ridge north-west ofBingra, but got a stonker back to base.After I got nice and snug in the lift, I startedprocessing other matters of morepressing urgency. Where’s the next climband what happens after that? Therewere good clouds over the west side, butthey were way off my course line. Theyjust looked too far and I didn’t feel likegetting low and having to work hard.Then, as if in a fairytale, I saw whispsforming out in front. (I wasn’t even wearingany of Godfreys fancy sunnies, whichI hear are highly recommended!) Time togo. Time for another few bites of juicycarrot to help me on the way.When I got north of Warialda, approximately120km out, I was not super high.There were plenty of landing options.There was cold beer below. I had a PB.I nailed 100km. I was mentally tired. Iwanted to land. It was so tempting. Itwould be so easy to give in, but I was stilldrifting in weak lift. Then I realised thatthis was the psychologically low point ofthe flight. This is what puts everyone elseon the ground. I quickly scoffed my lasthalf of a carrot and was joined by twowedgies. Hang in man, it can’t be thatbad if they are here. There was lots ofover-clouding behind and the cloud wasdrifting and catching me up. I was a bituncomfortable as the cloud shadowbehind me was huge and I could seemassive overdevelopment back south near2 0 1 1 A u s s i eP a r a g l i d i n gC a l e n d a r12 month full colour calendar . superbly photographed +professionally printed with stunning images showcasingtop pilots at our top sites . great giftsAll proceeds go to the Australian Team competing atthe 11th FAI world championships in spain in 2011the team is totally self funded + needs your supportorder at www.onesmallplanet.net/calendar$20 + postage14 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 15

H G F ATractor retrieveBarraba, but the clouds to the east andwest, while having a bit of vertical height,were not towering.I followed the brown paddocks north,getting climb after climb, not massivelystrong or high, but they just kept appearingdownwind. I only realised after theflight what was causing it. The shadow ofthe big cloud following me was causingthe temperature differential at groundlevel to trigger all these little suckersoff. On I pushed. I looked at my flightA Few Things To Keep In MindPhoto: Simon Houstoncomputer, I was 136km north of Borah.I could make 150km and so I did. Man,162km is 100 miles. I could make that tooand so I did.The day was winding down, cloudspacing was increasing and they were notvertically developed. The next cloud justseemed so far away. I was getting low.I went for a paddock that was as blackas the night. There was a little hill downwindof it. Text book stuff. I must havebeen 400m off the ground, but refused to• NEVER EVER give up• Have confidence in yourself• If you want to fly big kilometres you need to be in the air as soon as youthink you can stay up.• When you are very low, go into survival mode. Absolutely nothing elsematters except UP.• Have the confidence that the climb will be there. Search for it if its not.Have Plan B ready just in case.• Boot it under cloud streets, it’s a free ride. Only turn when you are low.• Slow down when it’s blue ahead and as the day winds down.• Eat on every transition. Carrots for me, juicy and robust.• Look everywhere. See everything. I learned recently that there is a bigdifference between the two.• Do task based comps or at least set yourself a task on every flight.You earn every kilometre flown on task.• When the real good guys talk and we all know who they are, listen.Ask them questions, you will be surprised how much they will share with you.• Fly lots, way more than you are flying now (Andy McMurray excluded).Giving up work and getting divorced may help… (You think I’m joking?)• Read and study.• Have fun, stay safe.think about that word beginning with ’L’that puts you on the ground every time.Then I jagged it, all the way to base.That was the last time I visited condensationlevel on this flight. I could seeYetman way out ahead, about 20km awayI reckoned and on the other side of aforest crossing. I headed downwind onceagain, picking up any scraps that were onoffer. I had a good look at the forest, itseemed like such a long way across asI was only at 1300m and ground level washigh. I spotted a little comms tower ona tiny hill and I milked about 170m off it.My Flymaster said I was 187km out – I’mgoing for it! So I commenced my finalglide of the day. I naturally headed forthe narrowest part of the forest whichwas cross-tail and my Flymaster was makingthat wonderful ’you’re in lifting air,try a bit harder’ sound between -0.8 and0m/sec. I was getting such a buoyantglide across the gum trees, that it wasn’tlong before I altered my course directlydownwind along the longest axis ofthe forest. End of forest. 197km. Out infront I saw marshes and cotton. I haveread a million times how thin layers ofwater in marshes are good sources inlate afternoon/evening and it didn’t takemuch encouragement for me to test thistheory. What a glide! Hands off controls,arms folded down inside pod, weightshiftonly, one eye on my glide angle andthe other on the linear distance: 199.6,199.7, 199.8, 199.9, 200.0. Better be sure.200.1. I must have had about 200m aglto spare. No acro over goal. I loaded herup and wound her down. My Pajero justpulled up as I touched down on the dirtroad. Al, Dave and Michael were all therewith smiling faces. I dropped my kit andreceived an ice cold beer. What a day!Seven hours, 200km, 28.5km/h.A huge thanks to Al, Dave, and Michael.Thanks as always to Godfrey for MtBorah and thanks to Coxy and FARQ.Congratulations also to Jason, Ivan,Wolfgang and Hans who all flewbig distances over 200km around thattime. Wolfgang spent the night sleepingunder his glider pestered by mozzies.You find details of my flight on thefollowing link: [www.xcontest.org/australia/flights/detail:simonhouston/23.1.2011/01:01].Rigging advisoryJohn ChapmanA couple of interesting total malfunctions were found during the reserve parachuterepack night held by the NE Victoria HG Club early this season. A total malfunction isone where it is impossible to either pull the handle, or to extract the reserve bag fromthe harness.One involved a old harnesswith mating Velcro on thetop and bottom flap ofthe reserve container. Thereserve had been left closed so long thatpulling on the handle could not separatethe Velcro on the flaps and the reservebag could not be extracted. This kindof assembly has long been out-modedin harness construction and is one goodreason to replace your harness with anewer model, at least every 10 years orso! A lot has been learned by harnessmanufacturers over the years and newerharnesses are better made and offerbetter protection. If Velcro is used onyour system for any part that needs tocome apart for the reserve to work, checkthat it operates with a peeling action andnot by shear, when Velcro can be really,really strong.The 2nd total malfunction involveda harness that uses two yellow cablesthat pass through the two closingloops. The long cable should only passthrough the furthest loop, and theshorter cable though the nearest loop.Figure 1: The handle correctly assembledWhen assembled correctly moving thehandle about 75mm pulls the cablessimultaneously from the closing loopsand releases the bag. There is also a clothchannel to protect the cables from beingcaught on something and being extractedaccidentally. (Correct assembly – seeFigure 1)The rig at the repack night had thetwo cables both routed through thenearest closing loop, with the long cablecontinuing though to the 2nd closingloop, as in fig 2. When the pilot tried topull the handle the link attached to thereserve bag came tight before the handlehad moved far enough to free the longcable from the near loop. This locked thesystem closed. Note also that the cableswere also routed outside part of theprotective channel.All modern harnesses carry a placardrequiring that after each repack thesystem should be test pulled to discoverexactly this kind of problem. If you feelconfident to pack and close your ownreserve container then it is a simple stepto test the operation by popping thehandle out and see the container open toallow the reserve bag to come out (youdo not need to pull the bag completelyout). Then reclose it using the samemethod as previous. If you already havethe packing manual (or download onefrom the manufacturer’s website) allthis is much easier. This is the simplestinsurance that you have a functionalreserve.After 15 years of running swing andfling repack nights, this kind of generalproblem (involving wrongly closing thecontainer, both HG and PG) is by far themost common cause of reserve failuresthat I have seen. The parachute willusually work if you can get it out there,but an easily avoided failure with thehandle operation can make a bad daymuch worse.Chappo has been packing parachutessince the late 60s and was the TechnicalOfficer of the Australian ParachuteFederation for 10 years.Figure 2: Both cables routed through the RH closing loop – wrong!H G F A16 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 17

G F AG F ASailplane NumbersThinking about Australia’sSailplane Fleet – Part 4Emilis PrelgauskasO v e rv i e wThis series continues to review the sport’scharacteristics reflected by its airframes.And to place beside these, the expectationswhich have been expressed aboutpast, current and emergent user sectors.More and more, the content of thesenotes arises from conversations whichthe thinking in previous notes has triggeredamongst others, for whose reactionsby contributing to these notes I amvery grateful.A i r f r a m e s a s a s s e t sIn Part 3, a diagram was offered, depictingthe gradual accumulation of airframesover the decades across the sport untilnow. In the process it ignored those airframesacross that time span which cameand went, restricting itself only to thecurrent asset cluster of airframes nowexisting overall.In this text (Part 4), the approachtaken is a different tack, and to do thisrecasts the previous diagram to emphasiseas shown: what are the assets which areseen as appropriate and meet solely theneeds of each particular era, as the sportmoves forward?The diagram in this note suggests:1940sFirst, at diagram left, in the self helpera, the airframe asset was perceivedas being built, used and disposed of; ineffect a baseline of ’zero’ in on-goingasset terms.Then next, in the mutual help erawhich followed, this mindset was turnedupside down. Every airframe was seenas building onward toward an on-goingoverall growing asset. Whereby operatingcare, maintenance, and inspection theBaselines to sailplane erashardware was kept as long life gear.Available then both for use by successiveowners and then forming, at the time ofsale, a partial payment toward the newerreplacement.The diagram suggests, however, thatthe available asset base which grewduring this ’golden age’ was more subtlethan simply ’all the bought airframes’.At the time, the sport had a broadwidely-encompassing view about itself,which permitted many of the airframesto be directed for effective use towardindividual sectors within the sport overall;or be re-directed from one category toanother as user-perceptions changed.Example: A new FRP ship might beginlife as a competitive unit, then devolveto a top-of-the-line club offering, thengeneral member hack, then first solooffering, and then not worth gettingout of the hangar.In effect, as a result the baseline forthe assets of that era moved up the scale,with the effective asset being the airframesaggregating above that line, where thesecould be put to those use categories.An interesting side matter is thatwhile this approach within the sport alsoaccepted the substantially increasing capitalcost of the replacementnew long service life individualairframes; across thesame period other newlyevolving aviation sports(HG, PG and trike) arose2010? which, instead, chose tofollow the past approachof lower capital cost for1960sairframes with shorteroperating lives.And inevitably, thereare within the sailplaning sphere thoseairframes which sit between these descriptions,neither short nor continuing operatinglives: those with stated maximumoperating lives, both metal and FRP.Toward a modern sportA modern sport, as characterised in previousnotes in this series, is the sportthe Federation has (knowingly or not)positioned itself.Emilis PrelgaukasThe thinking about modern airframessuited to consumer outcomes, when nowprojected forward, means the diagrambaseline needs to rise again to set asideall the airframes ’unsuitable’ to thatfocus, as the sport focus is cast narrowerthan in previous eras. In effect, theairframes below the baseline, whetherlong life or of stated operating life, arecast aside at zero value.The hope in the real world of courseis that there are other iterations ofsailplaning which will be interested inpicking up at least part of the asset bulkthus being dispensed with; as alreadycanvassed at the end of Part 2.But to stick to the preferred evolution,in the coming modern sport onlythose with current thinking level equipmentneed bother to apply to play.To quote a coach of my acquaintance:“now that we all fly at 40:1 or greater…”The baseline thereby moves up toeliminate below itself two-thirds of whatin our mind’s eye we assume is availableasset. At which point, the Federationreflects a much smaller remnant sport andits involved numbers of pilots (600?) andclubs (30?) than we may have previouslyconsidered our low point; or possiblyvanishing point.This does substantially reduce the reequipmentcapital costs needed againstthose assessed in earlier notes, where thethinking was about bringing forward themajority of the existing sport into thenew era.The prognosis continues, a fact alreadyunderway since 1984. As the Federationhas in the last quarter century declined inmember numbers, some of those peopleunsuited to the modern sport have movedto ’other’ pilots’ status.There is already evidence that, arguably,interested people numbers haven’tnecessarily declined per se, instead these’other’ pilots, as well as moving to otheraviation sports, are also in sailplaningsegments other than what the Federationis geared to look after.K e e p i n g p e o p l ei n g l i d i n gThe Federation has recently suggested achange in focus from new member recruitmenttoward existing member retention.In a previous note of this series, mentionwas made of the issues in retainingcorporate knowledge in the sport for handon to follow-on generations, where thatwisdom exits along with people leaving.This section of this note canvasses theother half of that matter: the barriers tothe current elder statespersons in thesport being able to hand-on knowledge.In a prescriptive focused system, thefocus moves away from ethic, understanding,and skill, and toward making thepaperwork look right. The former is abouta constant background interrogation ofsafety in conduct. The latter is about fearand domination.That latter emphasis trends away fromdispersing information and empoweringindividuals. Instead it might be characterisedin heraldry terms as ’egos rampanton a vermillion background’.So, along with the move toward amodern sport and the reduced participantnumbers outlined above, not only do coststo the individual rise, but there is a loss incorporate knowledge as people depart asport which doesn’t suit them, and theytake the expertise with them because nosuccession has been planned or implemented.Nor is there any repository in a sportfocused on rote answers for hard wonknowledge by real world experience.C o m p l e x i t y a n dc o r p o r at e k n o w l e d g eAt the same time as this exodus has beenunderway for several decades, sailplanescontinue to be more diverse with newtypes entering the asset mix. These nowrange from the traditional materials typesand construction/maintenance of interestto enthusiasts through to new emergentelectronic inclusions and complexity forwhich no routine processes have yetbeen developed.This creates a double headed barrier:loss of wisdom from the past at the sametime as innovation enters a system whichhas become prescriptive edict driven.F e l l o w s h i pThe reason to exist for the sport has nobusiness drivers, no ’releasing shareholdervalue’, no direct ROI.It is entirely triggered about peoplesatisfaction, nothing more. Every participant,from interested public looking to anAEF through to the seasoned competitor,is attracted by what the sport can providein human terms: fun, emotional responseto the sights and sounds, satisfaction inskills applied.Responding to these drivers, the descriptionof the structure of the Federationset in the late 1940s are paraphrasedhere, drawn from a transcript of a 1983public presentation by Jack Iggulden (mythanks to people who are following thisseries of notes and have pointed suchmaterial toward me).The Federation’s original structureencouraged goodwill and collaborationacross the layers of the sport: pilot, club,region and Federation because withoutthis, nothing would get done. Advice,mentoring and encouragement were thekey words.In heading toward a modern sport,while the word ’Federation’ is still used,the structure has progressively changed totoday to be a top down-driven edict andmandatory compliance based approach.Noticeable, out at the coal face, isthat there is now confusion betweenlayers of the sport, as to which variantof regularly amended mandations areactually in force. It is noticeable thateven Federation officers don’t keep clearin their own heads what is advisory andwhat is mandatory.From such confusion comes resentment.From the edicts, instead of adviceand encouragement comes resentment.From highlighting problems but not securingsolutions comes resentment. The mostblatant form of this is misogynism: “you’rejust a girl, what would you know?”That is quite a shift from not thatlong ago when robust discussion was ameans to establish acceptable commonground, because differing view pointsshared mutual respect and mutual willingnessfor the best outcomes for thesport as a whole.And thus people are leaving. Not justnew entrants repelled by the acrimonyand unconscionable conduct by peopleinside the sport and not just pilots unableto advance or achieve independent statusafter years within the sport where betterpaths are achievable in other adjacentaviation sports.The sport also is losing its elder statespeople,those with irreplaceable decadesof coal face learning which isn’t replacedby new rules and edicts, but simplyconstrain freedom of action which wouldguide appropriate to the individualcircumstances affecting safety.Edicts don’t work unless:• mutual goodwill is in force• all parties stay in fellowship mode• hierarchy and process remain subservientto fellowship and goodwill.Where readers feel this discussiontakes us a long way away from airframes,it is worth reflecting that the operatingand maintenance processes for theseindeed depend on the ethic and humanconduct which drive the airframe processes.■GLIDING FEDERATIONOF AUSTRALIA INCAirworthiness InspectionFORM 2 and C of A NoticeA Form 2 inspection is due. $165* paymentis enclosed■ The C of A requires renewal. $42* paymentis enclosed and the existing C of A documentis returned■ Initial registration package is required.$400* payment is enclosed* Fees include GSTPayment method:■ Cheque ■ Credit Card ■ Direct DepositFor internet payments, deposit into:BSB: 013-442 Account No: 304729562A) Documentation request■ Please send me a transfer of ownership document■ Please send me a change of registeredoperator documentAircraft Type................................................................................Registration marks VH – ............................................................Address to which documents are to be sent is:Name ..........................................................................................Address ...........................................................................................................................................................................................State......................................................Postcode.......................Forward to: GFA Airworthiness Secretary,Level 1/34 Somerton Road, Somerton VIC 3062.Email: Fax: 03 9303 796018 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 19

G F AG F AMap ReadingMatthew CameronThere is some debate as to whether map reading is an art or a science; personally I donot think that it is either, merely one of several tools to assist the cross-countrypilot to achieve the intended task. In this electronic age there is a tendency todismiss charts as an unnecessary piece of paper in the cockpit. There are several reasonswhy I do not agree with this line of reasoning.the river were green and everything elsein between was brown, yes the fine detailwas missing but at that stage it was notrequired. Almost all of the areas withinAustralia that are used for gliding havesufficient surface detail for glider navigation.Where such detail becomes a littlesparse we can improve our navigationalrequirements by planning to use the mostadvantageous standout surface features.Google Earth allows you to ascertainexactly what type of terrain you proposeto fly over, you can draw in the proposedtrack and measure the distance. The WACchart would not show the shape of smallerforests or patches of timber that can bean important navigational aid. The othervery valuable feature of Google Earth isthat it allows you to view your proposedroutes from various altitudes, this assistsin spotting standout features that willkeep your head outside the cockpit.There are a couple of other itemsthat provide both a safety check whenplanning and are of great use in the air.Many years ago I was taught to estimatechart distances and direction, the abilityto do so provides a backup to precisemeasurement of both items.where you are. Rivers almost invariablyhave trees on either side, in farmland,particularly during summer months; theystand out for considerable distances.In addition many major roads otherthan highways on WAC charts run in anortherly direction are in fact within oneor two degrees of magnetic north. Thesame reasoning can apply to fence lines,a large percentage of rural paddocksare square. People get lost because theysimply lose track of where they startedfrom and start looking for detail on aWAC chart that is simply not there.If you become unsure of your position(lost?) rule number one is climb as highas you can and look for large standoutfeatures preferable in the direction youare proceeding in. Secondly, at the planningstage you would have ascertainedthe magnetic direction of your initialtrack (you did I hope), steer in this directionon the compass. Now, if we cannotsee our next checkpoint; depending onheight, we must be either one aside orthe other in relation to our planned track.We either flew off track deliberately(thermalling) or the wind may be strongerthan forecast and has caused theproblem. We need to ascertain ourposition in relation to where we wouldlike to be. You have to proceed from oneknown position to the next, when over apositively identified feature you shouldbe aware of the next stand out groundfeature that may already be within visiblerange. This assists in keeping your headoutside the cockpit.Rivers/towns, the direction of majorroads and stand out features, ie, a rangeof hills, lakes, grain silos and the typeof terrain all provide some navigationalinformation plus a good dose of commonsense and logic. If for instance we wererunning parallel to a major road somedistance off to our left either we havecrossed it and it must now be on ourright-hand side or we have in fact driftedto the right to a distance where we canno longer see it, this may be because ofa reduced visibility. Most highways arebordered by trees so that the shape ofthe highway/road becomes very distinctand is visible at distance. The shape oflarge wooded areas should be noted onlaminates, they are invaluable, particularlywhen you are high. Remember, the higheryou are the easier to navigate.Some mental arithmetic is also handyin relation to speed. If we have donea long run without thermalling for liftthis can assist in the process; 60kt on theairspeed indicator is roughly equal to anautical mile per minute and ignoring thedifference between indicated and trueairspeeds we must be approximately thesame distance along track as the timefrom the last positive position (fix). Ifyou think in metrics for a rough distancein kilometres, double the distance innautical miles and subtract 10%, it’s notexact but near enough. This may be moreor less depending on the wind strengthand direction. Practice estimating chartdistances in the air and then check themwhen back on the ground.Mental arithmetic can also beinvaluable when you do not have accessto a calculator; know the performance ofyour glider and practice until you can dothe maths in your head. There is obviouslymore to map reading than what isencompassed in this article, however youhave to start somewhere. I am sure thatwith increasing experience your instructorwill encourage to proceed just a little bitfurther from your home aerodrome atevery opportunity, good advice, and don’tforget the chart!.Compare the use of maps to the physi- Charts can become expensive items Other than the aerodrome of departurecal task of flying a glider. When you if we do not look after them. Perhaps the other two turning points should bebegan your initial flying did your the simplest way is to laminate that easily identified; a largish town or a standinstructortell you to forget all the portion of the chart that you are likely out physical feature such as a large laketheory and just do it this way? Did your to use most frequently; an A4 sheet is or even another aerodrome. The nextinstructor ask you to do a 300km crosscountrya convenient cockpit size. Then you can step is to draw our triangle and ascertainflight after just a couple of dual draw on the laminate using china graph what standout features are available toflights? Do you really think that it would pencils or use a thin permanent marker assist us to navigate on each leg. At thebe possible to become a competent cross- that may be erased with acetone. I always planning stage all measured directionscountry pilot under this sort of ’training’? have a plain sheet of paper on the back and distances should be double checked.Like most of man’s achievements flight is inside the laminate to write relevantTowns of reasonable size whethera continual learning process that never external information on. What you write on track or not are valuable trackingends, we continue to build experience depends on our own requirements; using aids for pilots, particularly so for thoseI N T H E A I Rbased on exposure and knowledge. such a system the chart is re-useable. of us in gliders as we often divert fromAll the planning in the world is fine butUnfortunately with the rise of electronics Personally I note distances between the proposed track to find lift. In similarthe real problem arises in the air whenin all facets of today’s living there is a standout checkpoints, radio frequencies fashion roads depicted on WAC chartswe need to keep our eyes outside thegreat tendency to ignore the basics at and the shape of timbered areas on that parallel the proposed track arecockpit. How do we attain maximumall levels. This is fine until things go pear the ground. In addition the surface and invaluable; one quick look in flight isawareness and navigate at the same time.shaped, there is nothing to fall back on, upper winds are noted together with the all that is required. Many larger groundThe most important requirement is tothe accumulated experience and learning relevant heading (M) to steer on each features are visible at distance if you arenote the time when you pass over yourare missing.particular leg of a cross-country flight. high enough! It is often claimed thatstart point, it is not necessary to writeFor the purpose of the exercise let WAC charts are not sufficiently detailedit down but do remember it. Using theP L A N N I N Gus assume that our glider pilot is infor accurate navigation, I disagree. Youcompass (we’ll come to the electronicsMap reading is not rocket science and interested in spreading his/her wings and do not want the fine detail, what you arelater) steer towards your first checkpoint,is based on common logic, it is neither would like to become a proficient crosscountrylooking for is a standout feature(s) that isit should be visible from over thedifficult to learn nor with preparation doespilot. Most probably the first one easily recognisable.top of your home airfield and easilyit require excessive use in the cockpit at a or two of such flights would be with an As an example, in the area that I flyrecognisable, 25km or so is ideal.time when you should be looking outside. instructor on board. It is also possible that in there is a large lake, it is usually dryYou should not need to refer to theA very famous glider pilot once told me bigger clubs run specific cross-country but because of its size, 12 by 6km, it ischart on the initial part of the first leg.that the secret to a successful cross-country tutorials. The starting point has to be the visible at long distance depending onIf you have to deviate off track for liftflight was intense preparation, a statement selection of the task, is it out and return your height and the visibility on the day.the preferred option is to divert on thethat I fully agree with.or a triangle? How far do we want to go? The first checkpoint along this 80km legupwind side. Knowing the wind directionThe first area that people fall down It is unlikely that you would tackle 300km is a town 26km distant from my homefrom the forecast or your navigationalon with maps and charts is that they first up. Perhaps a smaller triangular task aerodrome, shortly after passing thisdevice will tell you where you will driftdo not take the time and effort toabout 100km or so, at the planning stage, town the outline of the lake is in viewwhen thermalling.understand the various symbols on the exactly what are we looking for?from at least 30km away. No need toLet us assume that your planned trackchart. The WAC charts that we use inI suggest that the first requirement refer to the chart any further. The lake isindicates that you should pass within aaviation are very specific in this regard. is to select the flattest terrain available, a point of reference whether we are oncouple of nautical miles to the right ofYou should know instantly what each preferably over an area with good outland- track or have diverted to find lift. Manya well defined dry lake/town/storagedifferent symbol or mark stands for, the ing paddocks, remember the old stanza: if larger rural cities or towns are built ondam, etc. Possibly chasing lift or maybedifferent signs, symbols and markings are you fly cross-country you will outland! rivers; the tree lines associated with themthe wind has drifted you to the left ofprinted along the bottom of each andPerhaps our triangle should have sides are visible at vast distances.the same feature, obviously a correctioneveryone. Time learning what each stands that are roughly equal, about 35km each On a cross-country last summer I couldis needed but you do not necessarilyfor is time well spent.or one side that is 50km or more to quali- see a major river from some 70km awayhave to scramble for the chart to seefy for the Silver C distance requirement. simply because the trees on the edge of20 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 21

H G F AH G F ABreakneck Ridge Lake St Clair– History, Upgrade and Fly-in 12-13 MarchJohn HarriottAccess road upgrade: First switchback remediedView of the spacious landing zonePhoto: Javier AlvarezParaglidersat the lakePhoto: HaydenLeekeLake St ClairPhoto: Jeff TerryBeautiful Lake St Clair is located 20 minutes fromSingleton in the Hunter valley and was formed in 1983by A dam. It provides a 285 million-litre water supplyto Singleton, along with recreational space, andis regularly restockedwith Bass, Perch andnaturally occurringawesome thermals.Rated as safe for novices (subjectto conditions on the day), thisinspiring site has been flownwhen road conditions permittedfor more than 30 years. Theaccess road to launch has recently beenupgraded thanks to funding from theNSWHPA and the pilots of the CentralCoast Sky Surfers and Newcastle HangGliding Clubs.Take-off ’Breakneck Ridge’ is severalkilometres long and delivers extensiveridge lift in light to moderate westerlies.In summer the site is thermic, heightsof 8500asl and flights to the upper andlower Hunter and back to the coast havebeen reported. The expansive landingzone is in full view from launch andreached in an easy 3:1 glide.The upgrade access track is strictly4WD, but is now suitable for lower clearancevehicles such as Subaru and Honda.We negotiate and retain permission tofly this site with the State bodies, ownersand lessees based on their trust in ourcommitment at club level to manage itsuse. To fly you must be a current HGFAmember, sign a waiver and be accompaniedby a CCSS or NHGC member.Accommodation is available in Singletonor you can take advantage of the lowcost, excellent family camping at Lake StClair Recreational Park with full amenitiesand only five minutes from the landingzone. You can camp next to the water,swim, build a fire and tell great storiesabout the day’s flying. (For campingbookings call Marie on 02 65773370.BYO food, drink and firewood.)Welcoming all wing types, para andhang gliding, this month we are organisinga free to all fly-in on 12 and 13 March.We ask you to pre-register your intentionto attend for logistics, safety and cateringpurposes. Sponsor prizes from Moyes andAirborne have been donated, we hope tohave a spot landing contest and informaltasks, a potential thermalling clinic, demowings and a few personal bests! Go to[www.centralcoastskysurfers.com] forregistration, contacts, more informationand on Thursday 10th 7pm a go/nogo decision on weather conditionsfor the event.Our thanks for encouragementand funding go to:Widening the slippery sectionSecond switchback widening at 3kmPhotos: John HarriottGorgeousviewsPhoto: JavierAlvarezBreakneck Ridge take-off22 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 23Photo: Javier Alvarez

H G F AH G F AJocky Sanderson DownUnderShanta WoodhallHe was entertaining from the word go… all night he had us flying from our seats.He made you feel the wisps of clouds above your wing as you thermalled to cloudbase,everyone weight-shifted in their seat as he described recovering from Asymmetrictucks, twists and stalls. The ’he’ I talk of is paragliding film guru, SIV instructorextraordinaire and top rated world competitor and paraglider pilot Jocky Sanderson.Jocky arrived fresh faced, but limping offan international flight into the HarbordBowling Club on the Northern Beaches inJanuary. He met 50 enthused pilots fromall over Sydney, the Blue Mountains andCentral Coast at the Northern Beachesmonthly paragliding soirée. He says “Iam fond of life, adventure, people andplaces.” His limp was the result of hislatest adventure of ice climbing, but itwasn’t curbing his keenness to get up andflying on his next course in a couple of days.The international guest appeared tonot suffer a fraction of jet lag as he kepthis audience hooked and entertainedwith flying stories from all over the world,each story with a lesson to be learnt. Like,if you have an emergency tree landingand you set off a flare, make sure thesurrounding area you are hanging overisn’t going to catch alight when the flarereturns to earth.His knowledge and description oflaunch sites kept everyone enthralled, wetravelled from the UK into France, acrossto Brazil and back home to Godfreys doorstep Mt Borah. Jocky exclaimed, “Borahis such a surprising launch, from maps itdoesn’t look like much… but when youfly there it offers so much to all pilots.”He was talking about flying the flatlands,the heights and distances you can go areastounding. Jockys trip to Australia wasn’tto simply come talk to the mere mortalsin Sydney, but to take students crosscountryon the Manilla flatlands, he says“it’s a perfect and versatile little site.”During his stay in Manilla he enjoyed11 out of 12 flying days with flights of20km in 30 minutes and booming toa base of 8300ft.Jocky has an immense amount ofenergy and his calendar is sky high withcourses every month across the world.It also includes a couple of monthsof adventure touring for children inBorrowdale, “Britains most beautifuloutdoor adventure playground,” anJocky Sanderson on Mt Borah launchenjoyable and rewarding camp educatingkids in respect for the environment andadventure challenges in canoeing, mountaineeringand survival training. Thoughhis next destination wasn’t to Borrowdalebut across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil,Valadares, internationally known forWorld Paragliding championships heldat Ibituruna Peak. This peak rises 1123mabove sea level and is known to be oneof the best places in the world for hanggliding and paragliding.Whether you are flying in SouthAmerica or Australia, if you get to flywith Jocky you will see his passion andenthusiasm is contagious. Many pilotsscramble to launch at the same timeas him, or others look on in awe as hegracefully launches off the south sideof Mt Borah and up, up and away.Photos: Shanta Wallace24 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 25

G F AG F AThe Blanik SituationDafydd LlewellynConcerned Blanik owners and users maybe interested to know that there hasbeen an answer to the Blanik fatiguelifeissue for the last 32 years, in theform of the modification designed andgiven a CASA Supplemental Type Certificatein 1979. I am at a loss as to why somany people are running around like headlesschickens over the matter; the problemsare administrative, not technical, since applicationof this modification would addressthe current concerns about fatigue lives.I write this as the original designer ofthe modification and current STC owner,keen to see a resolution of this groundingin a fashion which assures continued airworthinessat a reasonable cost.By the way, I’m an authorised Australianaircraft design signatory, under CivilAviation Regulation 35 (since 1974).H I S T O R YIn 1978, the Czech authorities let it beknown that the calculated safe life of theL-13 was 3000 hours. This caused absoluteconsternation in Australia, because wedid not ignore fatigue issues with lightaeroplanes or gliders; and had at thattime one L-13 with 7750 hours, one with5500 hours, and a number between3000 and 4000 hours. As a result of thesquawk from Australia, the Czechs thenperformed a series of endurance testsof portions of an L-13 airframe, whichallowed them to extend the life to 4000hours. This did nothing worthwhile toease the situation in Australia, but it dididentify the critical locations.The Motor Blanik modification that was done by Bill Rileyat Tocumwal (David did the structural design), flown by BertPerssons, with wool tufting on the side of the engine cowlto try to locate the source of buffeting on the vertical tail.Bill Riley was flying the camera aircraft and David took thephoto. Unfortunately, the added mass of the engine wouldhave halved the fatigue life of the aircraft. However, it wasan absolute delight to flyPhoto: Dafydd LlewellynSo the importer, Riley Aeronautics (BillRiley), asked me to design a life extensionmodification; and since it was obviousthat there was little difference in thelabour content of modifying the aircraftfor a life of 8000 hours, to modifying itfor 12 000 hours, we chose to do the latter.The rest of the world took no notice;for the most part the rest of the world,at that time, did not consider fatigueissues for light aeroplanes, let alone glidersas such matters were thought to besignificant only for airliners.This was a rather illogical point ofview, because almost all aircraft materials,except wood, are subject to fatigue (a progressiveloss in strength due to repeatedloading cycles), and even wooden glidershave metal fittings in critical locations.The Blanik, like all gliders and most lightaeroplanes, is a ’single load path’ structure,for which the concept of a ’safe life’applies. The ’safe life’ of an aircraft wasin those days based on a probability ofavoiding failure of 99.9% (or, putting it inmore understandable terms, the chanceof a fatigue failure will have risen to onein 1000 per flying hour at the point atwhich the aircraft is retired from service).The simple answer to the currentBlanik problem is that the designer didnot put sufficient material in certain criticalplaces, to give an adequate life forany usage other than the original one, ie,a fairly short-life military trainer. There aretwo critical parameters in regard to thefatigue life of an aircraft wing, they are:(i) the per-G stress level in the tensionload path of the main spar; and(ii) the loading spectrum to which theaircraft is subjected.Aerobatics consume the fatigue lifeat something like 10 times the rate ofnormal flying.The original design had approximately6000psi per G tensile stress in the lowerwing spar cap; and it assumed thataerobatic usage did not exceed two percent of the total flight time (figured onthe basis that the whole of any flighton which aerobatic manoeuvres occur iscounted as aerobatic flight time). Thismeans, in effect, that the Blanik may beused for spin training, but apart fromthat one should use an L-13AC or a gliderexplicitly designed for aerobatics, if youwant to let off steam. The Austrian crowdwho do mirror flying two-up in Blaniksare, frankly, suicidal.To extend the fatigue life to 12 000hours, on the same assumption that aerobaticusage did not exceed two per centof the total, it is necessary to add materialto the lower wing spar cap at the criticalpoint, such that the 1-G stress level isreduced to less than half its originalvalue. Obviously, that means adding morematerial than was there in the first place.Also, it is not sufficient to consider onlythe wing; it is just as lethal if the tailplanefails or the fin falls off, so all the criticalareas identified in the Czech report haveto be addressed.This is not a small job, and it needs tobe done under controlled conditions, by aqualified aircraft maintenance shop, withaccurate jigging to get the new wingroot fittings in exactly the right place. Itis not, therefore, a case of purchasing amod kit and installing it in the back ofthe typical gliding club hangar. The costof it needs to be assessed against the costof a new replacement training glider.We are currently in the process of (onceagain) setting-up a shop for this work inAustralia; the best present estimate ofthe cost to fully modify an L-13 for 12 000hour life is around $25 000.For that you get a known safe life ofthree times the current permitted fatiguelife of an unmodified Blanik; ie, currently12 000 hours (11 250 hours if launchedmainly by winch), less whatever the aircrafthas already flown. This compares favourablywith, say, a new Puchacz, I believe.The Blanik mod went through the supplementaltype certificate process, andthe STC was duly issued in 1979. Eightaircraft were modified at the time, howeverthe cost was considered too high backthen (we did not have CNC machining, fora start), and the drawings etc simply sat inmy drawing cabinet ever since. Ownershipof the STC has since passed to me, as RileyAeronautics no longer exists.T h e c u r r e n t s i t u at i o nThe cause of the current consternationis that the Austrian Blanik failed at whatat face value appeared to be about 2300hours; ie, well short of the predicted4000 hour life. That may be due toexcessive aerobatic use or to inaccuratelogging of flight time (or both); howeveron the face of it it sheds doubt on thevalidity of the 4000 hour Czech figure,and the EASA authorities presumablyneed to satisfy themselves on whetherthe failure was anomalous or whetherthe permitted fatigue life needs to bereduced. The generally poor standard oflogbook keeping in some parts of Europeis evidently also a concern.When the current problem erupted,I dug out the paperwork, and found thatthe silverfish had not eaten it (well, notmuch), and I set about attempting tohave it accredited by EASA and the FAA.I have also (on 9 November, 2010) appliedto the Australian authority, CASA, for itto be accepted as an AMOC (AlternativeMeans of Compliance) against the EASAAirworthiness Directive, for the eightaircraft that were modified back in 1980.That has been interrupted by the festiveseason, however I have paid CASA’s costrecoverycharges and expect the AMOC tobe approved in the not too distant future(depending on whether any more QantasA-380 engines blow up, I suppose).The difficulty with EASA and with theFAA, lies in the area of bilateral airworthinessagreements between EASA andCASA, and the FAA and CASA. Australiasimply does not have any bilateral agreementwith EASA, so there is no regulatorySpeed Week 2011Paul ManderHaving just come back fromBenalla Club Class Nationals,I can report that all Speed Week2010 alumni who competed acquittedthemselves wonderfully in the event.Congratulations to Alan Barnes andTobi Geiger, who flew like champions anddeserved their first and second placings.But loud cheers to Richard Frawley whogot himself onto the podium in his veryfirst Nationals. Well done, from all of usfellow Speedsters.Richard and all the other alumni werevery gracious in mentioning that theirspeed week experience had helped theirperformances. Thanks for that.And so, energised by the excitementand goodwill, it’s time to look ahead.Next season’s ’Speed Week’ has been setfor 16 October, at Lake Keepit, runningfrom that Sunday through the followingFriday, 21st with a wind up dinner thatI hope we can persuade Jan Dircks todo again; last year’s was so good.mechanism by which they can accreditan Australian STC. I sent a data set to theEASA structures man, Laurent Pinsard,who found it ’impressive’, but that reallydoes not help. To get the mod intoEurope, I would have to go through anEASA-approved aircraft design organisationand they would have to submitthe package to EASA and obtain an EASASTC, at which point I would totally losecontrol of the situation. I’d prefer tosell the European rights to it outright tosomebody over there, but they all seemto be waiting for LET to pull a rabbit outof the hat, or something.Given the nature of the problem, Iconsider it unlikely that LET will produceanything worthwhile. One would hopethat common sense must eventually prevail,and low-time aircraft will presumablyhave the AD lifted; however, this seemsto be taking an inordinate time, and wedo not know what conditions will apply.The situation is almost as bad withregard to the USA, however Australiadoes have a bilateral agreement withthe FAA, which covers FAA acceptanceof Australian STCs for both Australiandesignedand American designed aircraft,but not for aircraft designed in Australianor America. If you can make sense ofthat, I’d be pleased to hear about it, inThe timing is aimed at making this anentrée to competition for the less experienced,and a season starter for the old hands.I’m excited to announce that Ingo andJudy Renner will be our guests for theweek, and Ingo will bring his glider andfly with us.The theme is ’how to’ fly competitions,and we’ll follow a regatta format.Mornings will be taken up with formalpresentations. Marshalling and flying thetask (all AAT) will take up the middle of theday and early afternoon. Flight analysisand scoring will take place from about 5pm.Evening meals are planned to be collective,we’ll organise that, so that we canhave evening discussions. I’ll do MichaelParkinson, no, I think David Frost, andguess who will make the first guest appearance?Evenings with Ingo, sounds good,doesn’t it along with questions fromthe audience.The interest has already been substantialand I can see numbers being limitedthe meantime, American Blanik ownersshould not burn their Blaniks, but shouldlight a fire under the FAA instead.So, I have been waiting to get theAMOC from CASA for the original mod,as the first step. As soon as I get that I willsubmit a slightly updated data package,for a new STC under the current Australianregulations, which will allow a productioncertificate to be issued to the companywho is interested in manufacturing theparts, and the process of modifying AustralianBlaniks will be able to re-commence.In order for a Blanik to be eligible forthe modification, it must be accompaniedby valid and accurate log books, completelyup-to-date. The initial process of themodification is an inspection to checkfor incipient fatigue cracking in the wingspar cap angle; if cracking is found, thewing will not be eligible. The risk ofthis obviously increases with the totalflight hours, however the highest-timeexamples originally modified had 7750hours and 5500 hours, and they testedcrack-free, so provided the aircraft hasnot been abused by aerobatic usage, thechances appear to be quite good.So there is some progress, at leastfor Australian Blanik owners, but thebureaucratic wheels turn slowly.by tug availability.Ian Downes haspromised (right,Ian?) three tugsagain, so 18participants soundsensible, possiblystretching to 21.We will probably Speed Week 2010 participantutilise the super Richard Frawley took out theNovice trophy at the 30th Clubwinch to augment and Sports Class Nationals 2011things and providea bit of interest.Newcomers to competition areparticularly welcome, but we’re pitchingat experienced pilots too. The onlyrequirement is to have an IndependentOperator’s certificate.I’m budgeting for $150 per pilot.First in best dressed, firm entries onlyplease. Maybes accommodated if there’sspace at the end. Contact Paul Mander,, ph: 0417 447974.26 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 27

HGFA News • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Safeskies Seminars To FeatureAt Airshows Downunder 2011At the invitation ofAirshows Down Underand as a lead up to its2011 Conference inOctober 2011, SafeskiesConferences Australiais to deliver a pair ofshort seminars at the Avalon Air Show onthe mornings of Thursday 4th and Friday5th of March 2011.In recognition of the 90th Anniversaryof the formation of the RAAF on 31March 1921. Thursday morning will bedevoted primarily to GA issues, withpapers presented by Mr Roger Weeks,CASA Manager of Flying Standards andby Captain Steve Tizzard AM, CEO of RAAustralia, veteran military and civilianflight instructor and former CASA FOI.Friday morning seminar will havea strong military component with apresentation by the Directorate ofDefence Aviation and Air Force Safety.There will also be a paper by a seniorATSB air safety investigator.These seminars, free to all Air Showattendees will start at 10:00 and finish at11:30 on each of the two days and willnot impinge on attendees’ time for theindustry exhibitions nor on the afternoonflying programs.Program for the Safeskies seminarat Avalon.Thursday 3 March 2011:10am – Introduction by Mr David Forsyth,Safeskies Chairman (Chairman AirservicesAustralia)10:15am – Presentation: Dr Stuart Godley,Manager Research Investigations and DataAnalysis, Australian Transport Safety Bureau(ATSB) – ’Civil Aviation Safety Trends’10:45am – Questions, Interval & Introductionof next speaker: Mr Geoff Gwilym,CEO, Transport and Logistics Industry SkillsCouncil (TLISC)11:00am – Presentation: GA Safety/Training:Captain Steve Tizzard, OAM MAP JP,CEO RA-Aust – ’Back to the Future’11:30am – QuestionsFriday 4 March 201110am – Introduction by Mr David Forsyth,Safeskies Chairman (Chairman AirservicesAustralia)10:15am – Presentation: GPCAPT AlanClements RAAF, Director of DefenceAviation & Air Force Safety (DDAAFS)– ’DDAAFS: Current Role & Direction’10:45am – Questions, Interval & Introductionof next speaker: tba11:00am – Presentation: Flying StandardsMr Roger Weeks, Civil Aviation SafetyAuthority (CASA) – ’Flying InstructorTraining and Standards’11:30am – QuestionsAny program updates will be publishedon the Airshows Downunder website[www.airshow.net.au/avalon2011/]Ray Pearson, Executive Officer, ASACSkywings ’Wings Over A Cloud’Award WinnerOur congratulations to Helen McKerralfor this overseas acknowledgement forher article ’Let Nothing Stop You’ whichappeared in Soaring Australia, October2009, under the title ’Letter To A NewFemale Hang Glider Pilot’ and has beenawarded the 2010 BHPA’s ’Wings overa Cloud’ award as the best Skywingsfeature article of the year. Here’s anexcerpt from Skywings editor Joe’s email:“The ’Wings Over A Cloud’ winner forthis year is awarded for a very differenttype of feature. ’Let Nothing Stop You’by Helen McKerral is, I believe, a veryimportant contribution to safety andthe enjoyment of free flight. Written intwo parts, primarily for women hangglider pilots, it has universal significancefor both men and women hang gliderand paraglider pilots. It is the sanestand most helpful advice to pilots whodon’t consider themselves to be sky godsthat I have ever read. Thank you HelenMcKerral.”The award, in the form of a silverbrooch, was originally initiated to encouragegood writing in Skywings by pioneersailplane pilot Ann Welch who was thenHonorary President of the BHPA. Anndied a couple of years ago, but her awardlives on.Congratulations! Although I havenothing to do with making the award,I heartily endorse it.Joe Schofield (Editor, Skywings)5th Encuentro Amistoso CarnivalThe 5th Encuentro Amistoso is all set totake off on 17 March 2011 and continueflying high until 20 March. The event willbe held in Cuba’s second capital, Santiagode Cuba, famous for its musicians andcultural life, but more importantly oneof the best flying areas in Cuba.This carnival of flying brings togetherpilots from all over Cuba and also offersa warm welcome to all visiting pilots fromoverseas. Following in the tradition ofprevious events, this is an opportunityto meet old friends, make new ones,compete in a spirit of friendship and havefun! You don’t need to be a skygod orhave the latest equipment, but you doneed to bring a passion for paragliding.The festival starts on the 17th witha non-competitive day of XC flying. Thefollowing day there will be two tasks andon the 19th a groundhandling skills eventfollowed by non-competitive, relaxedflying around the Puerto Boniato area.The award ceremony and prizegivingtakes place on the morning of the 20thfollowed by even more flying!So if you would like to join us at ourFree Fly party, let us know. You’ll lovethis event and don’t forget to bring yourparty clothes!More information at [5ea@fcvl.de]and [http://fcvl.de].N e w P r o d u c t sAdvance Releases New IntermediateClass Sigma 8 – LTF 2With A First Ever 10:1 Glide!Advance (Switzerland) has just released itsground-breaking new fully certified LTF2intermediate sports performance gliderto take a clear lead in the class. It is thefirst ever in this class of paraglider thatachieves an L/D of 10:1. Very importantlyit is not a ’hot’ LTF 2 glider like manyothers and achieves this exceptional performancethrough extensive R&D and amodest aspect ratio of 6.0! As a result ithas the highest level of passive and activesafety possible.The Sigma 8 comes after two yearsof intensive R&D from two of the world’sbest designers at the helm, ThomasRipplinger and Bruce Goldsmith. Bothwere assisted with test flying by Worldchampions Chrigel Maurer and AndyAebi. It combines sportiness and dynamichandling, paired with performance,enriched with the latest technology, allreduced to minimum weight.The Sigma 8 is a true three-liner withmuch less drag and the best possiblecompromise of performance/handlingand aspect ratio. The noticeable balancedpitching quality allows the glider tooperate at a glide ratio of 10 and a topspeed of 55km/h even in turbulent air.The reduction to three-line levels alsomeans that the Sigma 8 can be moreeasily and efficiently accelerated.The origin of the sporty handlinglies in ideal lift distribution combinedwith the specially selected new profile.This also makes the Sigma 8 behavemore quietly in pitch and roll as well asproviding nicer turning and improvedcircling. The result is more direct andprecise manoeuvering in all dimensions.The newest technology is includedinside the Sigma 8. An analysis ofthe structure, with a focus on weightreduction and the inclusion of Nylonleading edge wires, make the Sigma 8the lightest of its class. The end resulthas many flow on benefits – less canopyinertia, therefore even better pitchcontrol and ultimately more passivesafety. It also partially uses the uniqueAdvance hybrid line concept, and hasthe well used SPI (Speed PerformanceIndicator) and 2-Phase-Speed system.The Sigma 8 is built to industryleading quality standards with attentionto the smallest details. For example, theunique specially developed hybrid microlines are all double coated and sheathedat the loops to ensure longevity – typicallysaving the pilot $1200 plus over the lifeof the glider. Available in four sizes forweights 65 to 130kg, the Sigma 8 is readyfor any test flight by suitably experiencedpilots.For more info contact the Australianimporter: Manilla Paragliding, GodfreyWenness. Ph: 02 67856545, email. For tech infoand a video on the web [www.advance.ch].The Zion Speedwing Puts An EndTo ParawaitingRecently released by world-renownedparaglider manufacturer Niviuk, the Zionspeedwing delivers freedom like no otherwing on the market today. Now, whenthe conditions make it impossible tolaunch your paraglider, you can pull outyour Niviuk Zion and launch into someserious fun.Designed for pilots who are looking forthe next challenge, the Zion is the result ofan evolution in the modern flying world.The wing will appeal to those drawn toexpanding their flying experience andpartaking in the expressive nature of flying.The Zion offers extreme stability andprecise flying. It is the ultimate wing forthose pilots addicted to the real pleasure ofspeed and maneuverability.Available in three sizes; 15, 17 and 19m2, the Zion will satisfy the most versatileof pilots and will broaden the horizons forthose pioneering new experiences in theworld of extreme sports.The Zion from Niviuk is in stock atCentral Coast Paragliding, who are basedone hour drive north from Sydney. Formore information contact Paul Cox on ph:02 43342222 or visit [www.ccparagliding.com.au].Nova Release Its First Harness,The N-10The N-10 is constructed deliberatelysimple, but highly functional andversatile. When groundhandling, it allowsplenty of freedom of movement. Afterlaunch, the pilot slips automatically intothe ideal position. And during flight, theN-10 supports the back, delivering plentyof comfort for many XC hours and nicelytransfers the feedback from the wing tothe pilot. The Nova N-10 offers a verywide range of use – from instruction toambitious XC flying.A new feature is the innovative 3Dmulti-blade rescue container. It is locatedunder the seat boardand works with verystrong magnetsinstead of Velcro.Due to the magnetsand the 3D-cut of thecontainer, the pilot canpull and throw his rescuesystem in several directions –(unlike a Tube container system.)Other Features:• 17cm foam safety protector, tested tothe latest EN/LTF standards with highpassive safety• Easy access to rear storagecompartment• Clear arrangement of all lockingcomponents• Lightweight and secure PT-lockbuckles• Two side pockets with easy accessduring flight• Integrated return system for theaccelerator• Two sizes: S/M (to 1.80m) and M/L(1.80 to 2.00m)• Weight 4.9kg (Size S/M)One might wonder why Nova hasn’tstarted earlier with harnesses. CEO WolfiLechner explains: “In the past, we exclusivelyfocussed on paragliders. Now, wehave become very professional with ourCFD simulations (Computational Fluid Dynamics)so we are able to provide resourcesfor other projects. Additionally, we havemore manpower and, of course, plenty ofnew ideas on harnesses.”The Nova N10 is available in black/redor white/black at paragliding schools,dealers and international Nova distributors.It retails for approximately 660 Euro(suggested retail price; which may vary indifferent country due to customs and taxregulations). Find out more at [www.novawings.com].30 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 31

Soaring CalendarA U S T R A L I AVictorian State Gliding Comp6 to 13 March 2011Ararat Airfield, VIC. Maximum 40 entries. Furtherinformation in a future Soaring Australia and on theVSA website [home.vicnet.net.au/~vicsoari/events/events.htm]. Contact Maurice Little on 03 93510964.Women With Wings II7 to 11 March 2011Bright, VIC. A fun, inspiring skills clinic for Aussiewomen HG and PG pilots of all experience levels,registration on the evening of Sunday 6th. Mentorsinclude Brian Webb, Andrew Horchner, Tove Heaney,Craig Collings, Tony Barton and Olli Bathemeles.Flying in the Ovens and Kiewa Valleys. Cost: $95earlybird registration; $120 late. Information, paymentsand registration [http://womenwithwingsclinic.blogspot.com/] or contact Helen McKerralon or 0427 656545.Breakneck Ridge LakeSt Clair Free Fly-in12 and 13 March 2011Lake St Clair, NSW. Come along to the fly in 20minutes from Singleton in the Hunter valley. Thisevent is designed to attract all wing types andpilots from novice to advanced rating. Come along,be mentored or be a mentor. Motorised, sailplaneand microlighters have been invited. Take-off’Breakneck Ridge’ delivers extensive ridge lift inlight to moderate westerlies. In summer the siteis thermic – heights of 8500ft asl and flights tothe upper and lower Hunter and back to the coasthave been reported. Senior safety officers (HG andPG) will be available for support and advice onlaunch, in the air and in the LZ. Format for the twodays: Morning briefing at campground for weather,road and carpooling 9am sharp, mandatory waiversignature and helmet sticker issue for use of thesite, an informal task around the lake with scoringadjusted for wing types, a spot landing contest,first to launch and last to land, a low cost BBQwith drinks at the campsite, T-shirts to celebrate theevent. The recently upgraded access track is strictly4WD but now suitable for lower clearance vehicles.You must be accompanied by a CCSS or NHGCmember to use the track. Accommodation: Stayin Singleton or use the low cost, excellent familycamping with full amenities available at the lakeitself, five minutes from the LZ. Bring the family,camp next to the water, swim, build a fire and tellgreat stories about the day in the air. For campingbookings call Marie at Lake St Clair RecreationalPark 02 65773370. BYO food, drink and firewood.Please visit [www.centralcoastskysurfers.com]to register and for further information and confirmation/cancellationadvice based on weatherthat week. A go/no go decision on weather willbe made and posted by 7pm, Thursday 10 March.Requirements: HGFA current licence (to be sighted),novice or above with some inland experience,recently packed parachute, UHF radio, signed waiverand display of helmet sticker. Pre-register yourintent to attend for planning and catering at [www.centralcoastskysurfers.com]. Contact: John Harriott0412 442705 .• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Australian QualifyingGrand Prix19 to 25 March 2011Lake Keepit, NSW. Further details from Ross Mclean.2010 NSW State GlidingChampionshipsRescheduled: 26 March to 2 April 2011Lake Keepit Soaring Club, NSW. All classes includingClub Class. For further information see [www.keepitsoaring.com].Dalby Big Air 201110 to 16 April 2011Dalby Airport, QLD. It is on again! Conducted fromthe luxurious Dalby Hang Gliding Club hangar.Practice day Saturday 9 April, comp days Sunday10th to Saturday 16th (seven-day comp). Entryfee: $150, tow fees (including practice day) $200– total $350. AA Rated, Category 2 Civil Rating.What do you get? A free presentation dinner underthe stars and the legendary “Barfly” T-shirt; bigcu’s, big distances, “Big Air Time” and a permanentsmile on your dial; the opportunity to improve yourflying with terrific blokes in a fun environment.It is important for you to register by 30 March, doso via , all entrants will benotified and updated with the pilots list prior tothe comp. Our website is presently down. Anyonejust turning up on the day without prior registeringby 30 March will tow at the end of the line allweek. You must be a member of the HGFA, holdyour aerotow endorsement and currency, ie, if youhave not towed in three months, please makeyourself known to the organisers, so we can assistand assess. Contact: Comp Director, the lovelyAnnie Crerar, email ,assistant Daron ’Boof’ Hodder , phone 0431 240610.GQ Easter Competition 201116 to 23 April 2011Hosted by the Caboolture Gliding Club at Dalby, thistraditional event caters for Sports and Club Classentries in a friendly comp for pilots at all levels. Entryfee is $250 until March 16, then $300 for late starters.Details, including expressions of interest and entryforms, at [www.glidingcaboolture.org.au/Easter11].Skyhigh Easter Fly-in22 to 26 April 2011Bright, VIC. Skyhigh’s annual Easter fly-in – extralong weekend this year! Team flying, landingfield games, paragaining, film/photo festival andsocial events. We’ll be staying at and operatingfrom The Outdoor Inn (Camp Krusty). See [www.skyhighparagliding.org.au/index.php?p=1_21].Paragliding State of Origin22 to 24 April 2011 (Easter)Mt Borah, NSW. A great way to get into comp andXC flying in a fun and safe way. The comp is basedon flying five pilot teams: one adv, two nov pilotsand two other pilots, so get your crew together.Handicapping is used for scoring. C-grade (pending).Reserve, UHF radio and at least three hours XC arerequired. XC course recommended. Comp fee $20.Register at Oz Comps. Contact: James Thompsonon 02 49468680 or , [www.hunterskysailors.org.au/soo] for info and pilot pack.NZ vs Australia PPGChampionship22 to 25 April 2011 (Easter)This comp alternates yearly between Australia and NZ.Trophies: Best NZ and Best Australian Pilot. The winningcountry takes home the Anzac trophy. Thecomp will also serve as the National Championshipsfor each country. Information: [www.ppgaustralia.com/AussieVKiwi/Aust_V_NZ_PPG.htm]. Only membersof the NZHGPA & HGFA/PICO may compete insanctioned events. Tasks: foot drag, cloverleaf, slow/fast, take-off, power off landing, power on touch &go landing, kite war, bomb drop, ball scoop & drop,beam walk, efficiency, economy race. Contact: BrettCoupland 0409 162616.Gawler Easter Regatta– A Fun Flying Regatta22 April to 26 April 2011 (Easter –five days – Anzac Day inclusive)Adelaide Soaring Club, Gawler Airfield. Club andairfield information at [www.adelaidesoaring.on.net/]. Good accommodation is available inGawler township and some camping is availableon the airfield. Catering and entertainment will beprovided! Contact Andrew Wright on 08 83034648,0427 976779 or .2011 Flatter than the Flatlands22 to 26 April 2011 (Easter)Birchip, VIC. Hang glider pilots are invited to the19th Flatter than the Flatlands cross-country towingcompetition. The event will be conducted overthe four-day Easter long weekend and Anzac Day.Entry fee is $80 and includes map, daily prizes,presentation BBQ, scoring, goal beers and lots offun. GPS and parachute required. Discount availablefor teams with a first time pilot. Contact: Wesley Hillon 0408 305943 or .O v e r s e a s5th Encuentro Amistoso17 to 20 March 2011Santiago de Cuba. Famous for its musicians andcultural life but more importantly one of thebest flying areas in Cuba. This carnival of flyingwill bring together pilots of the Cuban Free FlyFederation from all over the country and offera warm welcome to all visiting overseas pilots.Following in the tradition of previous events, thisis an opportunity to meet old friends, make newones, compete in a spirit of friendship and have funtogether! You don’t need to be a sky god or havethe latest equipment but you do need to bring apassion for paragliding. The festival starts with anon-competitive day of XC flying. On the followingday there will be two more tasks and on the 19ththere will be a groundhandling skills event followedby non-competitive, relaxed flying around the PuertoBoniato area. The award ceremony and prizegivingwill take place on the morning of the 20th followedby even more flying! If you would like to join usat our Free Fly party, please let us know and don’tforget to bring your party clothes! More informationat [5ea@fcvl.de] photos and video at [http://fcvl.dehttp://foto.fcvl.de] and [http://video.fcvl.de].International events can befound at [http://events.fai.org/].Review: PlayGravity 2 –The Other SideAdam StottTHE WINNER OF THE COUPE ICARELAST YEAR AND THE SEQUEL TOTHE BEST-SELLING ’PLAYGRAVITY’.Ifind when I talk to paraglider pilotsthat they are pretty interestingpeople. I cannot think of a time ata party full of pilots that I got stuckin a conversation about interest rates,house prices or office politics. Pilots arepretty interesting, most of them havea parallel interest in, surfing, skydiving,speedflying, kitesurfing or something thatmakes them interesting to me.’PlayGravity 2 – The Other Side’ isabout interesting people. It delves intothe lives of extreme sports athletes andgives us an insight into what drives theseunique people to take their sport to thenext level.PlayGravity2 is the work of UeliKestenholz an Olympic snowboarder andLorenz Roten the brother of the lateMathias Roten who created the originalfilm ’PlayGravity’.The video is a beautifully shotmontage of paragliding, speedriding,snowboarding, skydiving, BASE jumping,surfing and kitesurfing. The camera workmakes full use of modern HD cameras togive the viewer a pilot’s eye view of theaction, whether it is from a BASE jumper’spoint of view in those seconds beforeexit or a speedrider touching down onthe face of a ridiculously steep slope, themovie manages to convey that vertigofeeling which is so familiar to paragliderpilots before launching into big air.While some of the interviews inthe movie may have had me coughing’wanker’ under my breath, most arehonest insights into the motivations ofthese people. Some comments, like thoseof skydiver Fred Fugen, are downrightinsightful and strike a particular chordfor us as pilots: “If you think about flying.Go Fly! And don’t wait! It’s going to takeyou a lifetime to explore anyway. You’relate already…”PlayGravity2 is a video for pilots. Sooften you unwrap your new DVD, but arethen forced to sit through a 20-minutelecture about how thermals work andwhat a paraglider is. I have videos thatI only ever watch from halfway through!This whole movie is watchablebecause it was made by people likeus for us.Orders are available online from[www.xcshop.com] for £24.50. A trailerand out takes are also online for viewing.H G F A32 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 33

GFA NewsNew Australian Gliding RecordsOn 7 January 2011 at Waikerie, SouthAustralia, John Buchanan of KingaroySoaring Club completed a 300km triangleat 150.73km/h in his ASG29/15m.He has claimed the following records:Open Class and 18m Class Nationalrecords, formerly held by Harry Medlicottat 149.18km/h; 15m Class National record,formerly held by Terry Cubley at 143.32km/h.These records have been homologated.Pam Kurstjens, Records OfficerAustralian Qualifying Grand PrixDue to the continuing poor weather inQueensland the decision was made to movethe 18m Australian Qualifying Grand Prixvenue from Boonah in Queensland to LakeKeepit in NSW and run it the week immediatelypreceding the NSW State GlidingChampionships (to be held at Lake Keepit).Lake Keepit will provide a spectacularvenue for the grand prix and you areencouraged to apply for a spot in thecompetition. Entrants are limited to amaximum of 20 aircraft and the top twoplacings are guaranteed an entry to theFAI World Grand Prix. Further information[www.glidinggrandprix2010.com.au/].WAGA 2011 State GlidingChampionshipsBeverley, WA – 4 to 14 January 2011First 15 placegetters from 29 contestants:Results1 Don Woodward 9 Allan Phelps2 Greg Beecroft 10 Kevin Saunders3 Dave McManus 11 Paul Oakley4 Daryl Mackay 12 Ashley Boyle5 Dave Wellington 13 Chris Runeckles6 John Orton 14 Dick Sasse7 Rod Carter 15 NGNA/J Arthur & Kenny8 Dennis MacneallO v e r s e a s N e w sNews from the Schleicher factoryDespite the well known reduction indemand for new gliders the Schleicherfactory is as busy as ever. Strong demandfor the ASG 29 and the new ASH 31 Miguarantees a high workload for the foreseeablefuture. Currently almost two aircraftper week are being dispatched fromthe Poppenhausen factory in Germany.Michael Greiner is Schleicher’s recentdesign recruit and can’t believe the enormoussuccess of his first design. ASG 29pilots are occupying the podium of almostall major competitions. The first eight placesof the French nationals went to ASG 29pilots and a similar picture emerged at• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •The ASH 30 Mi prototype in the factorythe British championship where sevenASG 29 pilots finished in the top 10. Butalso the last few World championshipsand numerous National championshipswere won by pilots flying the ASG 29 –often with unprecedented margins. No wonderthe demand for this glider remainsvery strong indeed. The combinationof a recent design upgrade and a newwing construction method has reducedthe shrinkage in the area of the wingspar to an absolute minimum. Extensivetests, measurements and comparisonshave confirmed that the new design hasresulted in wing stability second to none.As a contribution to safety Schleicher,is now offering anti-collision lights in theleading edge of the fin. This location avoidsany aerodynamic penalties and still providesa powerful visual warning especiallyin critical near head-on situations. Thelight intensity of the latest generation ofLED-based flashlights has now reached apoint where they can be compared to conventionalaircraft strobe lights despitetheir comparatively low power consumption.In conjunction with optionallyavailablesolar panels this new technologycan now make a real contribution toenhanced safety in our sport.The new self-launching ASH 31 Mi iswell on its way to match the popularityof the ASG 29. This glider not only offerstotal independence but it also providesunrivalled flexibility by allowing pilotsto compete in two different classes. Inthe standard 18m version the glider canbe entered in any 18m competition butafter the fitting of longer outer wingpanels the wingspan is extended to 21metres. This makes it possible to competesuccessfully even in open class. In factearly European competition results haveconfirmed that the ASH 31 Mi can matchit with any open class gliders currentlyon the market. This is quite remarkablegiven that the glider has six or even sevenmetres less wingspan. The advantages interms of ground handling are obviousbut the agility of the ASH 31 and theproven performance of the new wingsection even allows this new aircraft tocompete with much larger gliders onequal terms. It features the same outerwings that have proven so successful onthe 15m and 18m version of the ASG 29and a very powerful fuel injected rotaryengine. Several fast 1000km flightshave already been performed in centralEurope. Production is sold out two yearsin advance but several Schleicher agentshave booked slots on the production lineand can offer much shorter deliveries.Late last year the new open class twoseaterwas finally assembled for the firsttime. It is called ASH 30 Mi and by thetime this article goes to press it will haveundergone its maiden flight. Comparedto the ASH 25 the cockpit is significantlyroomier and very comfortable in bothfront and rear seat – even for the tallestof pilots. Forward visibility is furtherimproved by an enlarged front canopyand easier access to the rear seat is alsoensured. Automatic control connectionsthroughout the aircraft are factorystandard and so are winglets and a PUpaint finish. The maximum all-up weightwas increased to the current JAR 22 limitof 850kg giving pilots a much widerspectrum of wing loadings and enablesthem to fully explore the performancepotential by an easier adaptation todifferent conditions.The photo shows the ASH 30 prototypeafter it was assembled for the first time inthe factory. Although the aircraft will beavailable as a pure sailplane all fuselageswill already be prepared for an engineretrofit at a later stage. Readers of thismagazine are one of the first to knowthat the aircraft will be equipped withan improved and even more powerfulfuel injected rotary engine from AustroEngine. This new engine has a power outputof 75hp (55kW) and will make theASH 30 Mi the most powerful self-launchingglider ever built. A new tailor-madepropeller will also contribute to givingthe ASH 30 Mi impressive take-off andclimb performance.The ASK 21 remains an evergreen– especially since the motorised versionwas introduced. Several clubs around theworld are setting a new trend and trainnew glider pilots by making exclusive useof the aircraft’s self launch capabilities.Recent sales in Australia and New Zealandhave increased the number of ASK 21s inthe region to over 25. It is still as popularwith students and instructors as it wasNew flashlight integrated in the leading edge of the finwhen first introduced more than 20 yearsago. It also remains the only glider onthe market certified for 18 000 hours ofservice. As such, the resale value is secondto none and the ASK 21 is clearly themost cost-effective trainer in the mediumto long term. With a measured glide ratioof 35:1 it might not be in the running fortoo many world records but it is alreadythe most successful and most popularfibreglass two-seater ever built.In recent times concerns were raisedby a large number of glider pilots inregards to an involuntary service contractforced onto customers by another manufacturer.Because it was wrongly claimedthat their competitors will also adoptthis approach it has become necessaryto clarify the Schleicher policy on thismatter and publicly state that Schleicherhas no intention to introduce any formof service contract. This applies regardlessof whether a glider is relatively new orwhether it was built over 60 years ago.Provided the necessary materials arestill available Schleicher undertakes tomanufacture and supply spare parts for alltheir gliders in an attempt to guaranteea continued operation and allow low costflying for young pilots andaverage income earners.Accelerated productdevelopment has long beenSchleicher’s answer to agradually shrinking marketand we can look forwardto more exciting designs infuture. Please stay tuned tothis channel. Best wishes toour ever growing number ofcustomers for ongoing success,lots of sheer gliding pleasureand always smooth landings.Bernard EckeyFA I N E w sFAI Gliding Badge Report to 31January 2011B BadgeFaithfull, Douglas LloydJennings, KristofferC BadgeAlbrech, ChristopheHoch, Ladislav Karel11594 NSW Air TC11612 SA Air TC11622 GCV11081 CabooltureA, B & C BadgeSheeran, Cean 11624 GCVHerrmann-Wyk, Sandra 11652 Southern CrossYoung, Phillip Allan 11653 Southern RiverinaTalbot, Ben11654 Mt BeautyWillis, Daryl11655 NarroginTaylor Burdow, Samuel R 11656 Adelaide UniversityEbeling, Thomas Charles 11657 Alice SpringsMcDonnell, Steven Robert 11658 CanberraLloyd, Stephen John 11659 GC of WAHoward, Tom11660 BendigoSilver C BadgeAdda, ChristopherGold C BadgeEvans, Andrew JohnShearer, David CraigDiamond Goal BadgeEvans, Andrew JohnShearer, David Craig38 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 394750 Geelong1166 Mt Beauty1167 NarroginMt BeautyDiamond Height BadgeVilliers, David AlanCanberra GCFAI SailplaneGrand Prix 2011Winner of the FAISailplane Grand Prix2011 held in Santiago,Chile from 22 to 29January was SebastianNagel from Germany.Second place wastaken out by ReneVidal, Chile, followedby Thomas Gostnerfrom Italy.FLARM MandatoryUpdateA mandatory Flarm updateis due at the end of February2011.If you have not updatedyour Flarm firmware by thistime your Flarm will be inoperableuntil you do.Please visit the [www.swiftavionics.com.au], or [www.flarm.com] for details.Safe flying, Swift AvionicsWeather StationAustralian Agentfor Davis Instruments.ECOWATCHUnit 5, 17 Southfork DriveKilsyth VIC 3137Wind, rain,temperature,humidity,barometer,plus more…Ask for yourFREE catalogue.Phone: (03) 9761 7040 Fax: (03) 9761 7050email: web: [www.davisinstruments.com.au]

Guy HardingH G F AB u i l d i n g A P i c t u r eO f T h e D ayIt is important to come to grips with howthe day is working as soon as possible. Ifyou know certain things are happening,good or bad, you can use the informationto make more accurate decisions. It’s likea game whose rules change every timeyou play, and the sooner you becomeaware of them the better you can play.Some of the changes are things like:• cloudbase height,• expected thermal strength, howsmooth or rough they are, sharp ormellow edges,Going Cross-countryGuy Harding, reprintd courtesy of Airborn NZNew Zealand pilot Guy Harding identifies areas for pilotswho want to improve their cross-country skills• distance between thermals (especiallyif it’s a blue day and you’re on flattishterrain),• how long the thermals last,• what the cloud associated with agood thermal looks like,• does the lift taper off close tocloudbase or is cloud suck likely,• does the wind change with height,• is there streeting,• is a seabreeze likely,• is it only working in the hills orare the flats working too, etc.There are many more, but the importantthing is to make sense of the day ASAP!To S top F or L i f t Or NotTo S top; A n d S e a rchingAs I have mentioned above, experienceteaches us when it’s worth stopping tosearch a promising chunk of air and whenit’s not. What I’ll try and do here is give youthe benefit of what experience I have andadd some info from of the books I’ve read.The most reliable tool to tell youwhether to stop and search when you’veregistered a few beeps on the vario isyour subconscious memory. At least whenyou have one to draw from. Every timePaul Stuart flying Moyes RS at Rex Lookout, North Queenslandwith cloud forming over the Great Barrier Reefyou fly you add to it. The inputs you felt,what happened to the glider as a resultof them and whether they had a positiveor a negative result. Every time it happensit goes in the ‘potential lift’ folder of yoursubconscious memory.After a while your subconscious startsto recognise similarities in the textureof the air over multiple experiences andbegins to tell you whether it’s worthstopping for a look.To begin with there’s not much info todraw from so it may start out not all thatreliable. But as it’s added to, it becomesmore and more reliable. It begins torecognise the air you’re flying through(as it’s been there before) and gives youa probability (a gut feeling) of whetherto make a search or not. The short ofit is that the more flying you do thebetter you will get at whether to searchor carry on gliding. I am very envious ofthe pilots who have many hundreds ofhours under their belt. They have so muchsubconscious memory to draw from, andso have a greater probability of gettingthe ‘to search?’ question right. (Of coursethey still have to decide to recognise whattheir subconscious is telling them and useH G F Ait.) But the moral is; get out there, go flying and start building onyour experiences!The other side to this coin is to think of things is a more logicalway. In practise we probably use both. Each pilot will use intuition(the subconscious) and up front logic in different proportions.So here’s the logic of it. You’ve been on a glide for a while,you’re half way to the deck and something that resembles liftwould be really nice. Here are a few basic scenarios of what canhappen on glide;• You start flying into greater sink but it very soon gets better andkeeps building until you fly smack into the middle (or side) of awall of rapidly rising air that has you stuffing the bar to stop fromflaring your glider at 3000ft. If I have to tell you what to do hereyou may as well sell your glider now!• In the midst of a long glide and a general sink rate of 200 to300ft/min the vario suddenly beeps at you a few times, thenfalls silent again going back to the previous 200 to 300ft/mindown. In this situation I will normally keep on gliding. WhatI have come to associate with this (as the result of generallyfruitless searches in such a situation) is an isolated and verysmall pocket of lift that will probably be gone by the time youcircle round to fly over it again, and will probably result in anet loss of altitude.What we are looking for, if not a solid core is a general areaof turbulence in otherwise general sink. Hopefully (and it’s nevera certainty), it will mean one of two things. The first; that there islift in the general area and the second that you are above a risingcore of lift and have to actually wait for it to reach you. More onthe second later.In the first instance the turbulence may begin with the varionot even beeping. This may mean we are further from the core oflift or that it is only weak lift. We will only find out if we search.If you are high you might forego the search and glide on forsomething more solid. It will depend on the day and what thethermals have been like up to that point.You’re more likely though to find lift if you get positive upsurges (the vario beeps at you) in amongst the general turbulence.In Oz I began to recognise an area of turbulence sometimes lasting10 seconds while gliding before I would hit the core of the thermal.In Oz because the thermals were quite strong (1000ft/min plus)the turbulence around them could fool you into thinking that thiswas the actual thermal or core, albeit a ratty one. You could thermalup in this ratty thermal and remain ignorant of the beautifullysmooth and powerful core not far away. What you had to do wasfly straight through the turbulence and into the core proper.If you don’t get a wing lifted in either direction I will oftenbegin by gliding straight through the turbulence until I eitherhit the core (hopefully) or fly out of it. In which case, if it seemspromising, I will go back and initiate a search pattern. Flying throughthe turbulence slowly gives me time and enables me to feel thetextures of the air.If a wing gets lifted at any stage through the turbulence, Iknow which way to turn to begin the search. I may just turn theglider 45 to 90 degrees and continue gliding on the assumptionthat this new course is more likely to find the core. Or if the winggets lifted strongly and I feel this may be the core I will of coursekeep tightening up.This brings me to quite an important point when first findingthermals; when you first find that shot of lift that you decide isworth turning in; bank the glider in aggressively at a reasonablysteep angle. In the first turn or two you are not necessarily tryingto max your climb but find the centre of the core.40 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 41

H G F AH G F ASam Clark launching from CityView, Geraldton WAPhoto:Mike AnnearWhen you have the core you canflatten the bank to optimum and slowdown (carrying extra speed initially limitsgetting chucked out of a thermal). Bybeginning aggressively you are less likelyto lose the core. This is especially true ifthe day’s thermals have been strong andtight (this is common when under highpressure systems).One technique for getting into thecore when you have one wing lifting andyour weight-shift is not really doing thetrick (the wing is sticking), is to push outslightly while weight-shifting, then pullingback in once the wing has ‘unstuck’. Howmuch you can do this depends on howclose to stall you are and how confidentyou are that you’re not going to fall outthe side of the thermal. If you do so, youmay deeply stall the wing and loose a lotof height in the process. You are also moreprone to a tumble if you get some nastyair at this moment, so use it with caution,especially when low!Most newer pilots don’t bank theirglider enough in a turn. It only takes asmall flattening in bank to dramaticallyincrease the radius of a turn.I read an interview with RohanHoltcamp who says he is able to detectbig thermals up to one or two kilometresaway. The wayhe does this is tobe very aware ofhis yaw/roll andpitch motions. Youneed to have alight grip on theglider, so it mustbe tuned to flyperfectly straight(several world classpilots emphasis thispoint in detectingthermals). If youare constantlyfighting a turnyou will neverfeel these subtlemovements. Alsothe slower you aregoing the moreyou can feel thesemovements. Athermal does notjust effect the airdirectly above orbeside it but quitea way from it, thebigger the thermalthe further awayits effects can befelt.The way Rohan thinks of it is asimagining a small model glider on a tablecloth on a table. Now if you were to holdthe centre of the table cloth and lift it fromthat point (like a thermal pushing throughthe air) the glider would yaw and rollslightly away from the lifting table cloth(thermal) while drifting sideways slightly,toward the centre. In reality, if you feel this,you are in a portion of air that isn’t part ofthe thermal, but in nearby air that is beingentrained into the thermal. It is obviouslyeasier to detect the sideways drift whencloser to the ground, but the good pilotssay they can sense the motion even higherup. This is a point I’ll have to work on!Next time you are at a thermal sitebut not planning to go anywhere, tryleaving the thermal early, fly away fromit for a short time then turn aroundand aim to miss the thermal by 20, 50,100m,… to see if you can detect thisentraining flow and in general to feelwhat the air is like around a thermal. Youmay just add a very important sensationto your subconscious memory. Instead ofhaving to fly straight into a thermal, youmay be now able to detect them fromoff to the side.A question relating to searching forthe core that I have become more awareof, is whether to be satisfied with whatyou’re in or whether to initiate a bigsearch pattern (A big search pattern isgoing further afield than centering onyour current core).On any given day thermals tend toexhibit similar characteristics to one another.Provided you remain in the same airmass (don’t pass through a front) andremain over similar terrain (don’t go frommountains out to the flats). This is becausethey are pushing up through the samelapse rate (the rate at which air coolswith altitude) with similar ground basedheating potential. So as you encountermore thermals on a given day you shouldform a picture of what to expect.If you have been getting 500ft/minclimbs in reasonably smooth cores forexample, and you come across a weakerclimb in a broken core, you should be morewilling to search around the area for abetter core. This is all part of ‘buildingthe picture’ that I’ve mentioned earlier.L o w s av e sOne of the more tense situations pilotscan find themselves in, is coming acrossbroken lift when low, say under 1000ft.The lower you are the more tense thesituation! The big decision to make iswhether to search or glide on.Obviously there are endless situationsto find yourself in, but here are a fewgeneralisations to think about;If you’re down really low, say 500ft,there is obviously not much further toglide. So if you come across broken liftat this point, unless there other very likelythermal triggers within the short glideradius you have, you are probably bestto search the broken lift.You are very unlikely to come acrossa solid core at such a low altitude, so beprepared to constantly shift your circlesto stay in the best lift. Quite often youmay get a couple of circles with a netgain which then disappears, forcing youto search again.Generally start your search in thedirection of the strongest portion of liftthat you were circling in. Sometimes youhave just got to flatten your circle rightout and cover some ground.Something I tend to do in thissituation is fly a little faster becausethings are tense, and I have to keepreminding myself to slow down. Byloosening my grip a little on the base barto help me slow up (you can feel the pitchpressures of the glider better) it actuallyhelps me to relax at the same time.While trying desperately to finda decent core you should be buildinga mental map of what the particularthermal is like. Where the bubbles are,how long each bubble lasts, where thegeneral hot spots are. And try to keepin mind where you are in relation tothem as you move about. Even if youare not climbing for some time, you arestill getting a better picture, enhancingyour chance of finding the lift and finallyclimbing. So don’t give up!Most people have a point at whichthey accept that they are too low toget back up again, even in the brokenlift situation. They focus on the landingpaddock. As soon as you divert yourWheeled Operations CorrectionIn my last report I discussed the legalityof wheeled operations for aircraft underHGFA CAO exemption, in the commentaryI inadvertently included trikes operatingunder CAO95.32. This was an error, weightshiftmicrolights registered with HGFAand operating under CAO95.32 are legal.I apologise for the confusion and thankthose pilots who rang in for clarification.Wheels UpdateI am advised by CASA the amendedCAO95.8 legitimising wheeled operationsfor many HGFA pilots is close to finalisation.This piece of legislation will providenew legal certainty around HGFA operationsand remove many ‘grey areas’ thathave emerged over recent years throughbetter aircraft design and materials.The new challenge within the HGFAis to develop in a timely manner relevanttraining and certification standards for thevarious combinations of aviation activitythat the new CAO will generate. Someof this work has already commenced inattention to the landing paddock, thegame is over. I think that early xc pilots‘give up’ at a lot higher altitude than theyhave to. (I know I certainly used to, and Ithink it ended some flights prematurely).I’m not talking about compromisingsafety here, but of organising yourself toallow the maximum amount of altitudeto search. Each person will have their ownlimits, the more experienced you get thelower you can go before setting up anapproach. The biggie is to have a paddockand an approach sorted out thoroughlyso you can then concentrate totally onthe search.You need to do this ideally whilegliding. Believe me, when you are verylow you will need absolute concentrationand a strong will to get up. I think moreHGFA Operations Manager’s Reportthe form of a ‘Powered ParaglidgingSub-committee’, this sub-committee ismaking a valuable contribution to futureOperation Manual amendments.A similar sub-committee will assesswheel-based and powered hang gliders,I would be happy to hear frommembers interested contributing in thissub-committee.Operation ManualAs reported last month the OperationManual will be submitted to CASA forapproval mid February, there is verylittle change in this amended submissioncompared to our current Manual. However,the objective over the remainderof 2011 is to incorporate elements ofISO standards and CASA Self RegulationStandards and comply with contemporarymanagement practices. It is worth notingmany of the requirements and privilegesdeveloped over many years of HGFAexperience will not change, rather themethodology the HGFA manages processeswill alter.Special Thanks...Would like to acknowledge and thankDawson Brown for his work re-formattingour on-line membership renewal pages.The project is well underway and theobjective is to ensure all pilots enter theirhours flown to complete the renewal process.Dawson has already done considerablework and there is more to do!often than not, the difference betweenone person getting up and the otherlanding, when in the same piece of air, istheir determination to continue the flightand think ‘UP’, rather than having a 50/50attitude. Don’t underestimate it! It reallyis no exaggeration to say that when verylow you have to fight to stay up.If you have climbed 100ft or even50ft, that is a reason to be positive, andto shift your mental attitude to one ofbacking yourself to climb out.If there is one thing I have learnedfrom the interviews I’ve read of goodpilots, it’s that the mental side plays a farlarger role in flying than the mechanics ofit. And attitude plays a large role in themental side.…to be continuedMembership RenewalsPlease remember, if you do not have yourmembership card and you renewed online, the card is probably in the officewaiting for your ‘hours flown’. Pleasecontact the office and let us know yourhours for the last financial year, it isneeded to release member cards andmeet our obligations.RAAHGFA recently commenced discussion withRA-Aus aiming to develop a Memorandumof Understanding between the twoorganisations to address elements suchas certification, training and variousstandards. The objective of the MoU willbe to assess our respective standards andprocedures, merge where appropriatethose elements in common with RAAand eliminate disparity between ourrespective operations.Office NewsFour years ago on 13 February Trenestarted with the HGFA. During thattime Trene has seen many changes and‘comings and goings’ yet has been ableprovide solid office support for all HGFAmembers. Thank you and well done!John OlliffHGFA Operations ManagerJohn OlliffMobile: 0417 64463342 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 43

Contact AddressesG FAAustralian Gliding Museum2 Bicton St, Mt Waverley VIC 3149,03 98021098.Gliding QueenslandC/- Treasurer, 67 Glenora St, Wynnum QLD4178, 07 38348311, 0417 762621.NSW Gliding AssociationThe Secretary, 44 Yanko Ave, WentworthFalls NSW 2782, 02 68892733, 0268891250, Trs: 0407 459581.South Australian Gliding AssociationPO Box 65, Millicent SA 5280, 08 8733421,0427 977218.Victorian Soaring Association4/139 Roberts St, Essendon VIC 3040,03 83835340, 03 93355364.Vintage Gliders Australia22 Eyre St, Balwyn VIC 3103, 03 98175362.WA Gliding Association Inc.59 Wellington Pde, Yokine WA 6060,08 93282511, 08 94449505.NSW Gliding Association (NSWGA)327 (Gliding) Flight, AustraliaC/- R Sheehan, 176 Macquarie Grove Rd, CamdenNSW 2570, 0427 977127, 02 46553171.Bathurst Soaring ClubPO Box 1682, Bathurst NSW 2795,02 63371180 (weekend), 0427 470001.Byron Gliding Club IncorporatedPO Box 815, Byron Bay NSW 2481,02 66847627.Canberra Gliding ClubGPO Box 1130, Canberra ACT 2601,02 64523994, 0428 523994.Central Coast Soaring ClubPO Box 1323, Gosford South NSW 2250,02 43639111, 02 43844074, 0412 844074.Cudgegong Soaring Pty LtdC/- Matthews Folbigg, Level 7, 10-4 SmithSt, Parramatta NSW 2150, 02 96357966,02 96357966.Grafton Gliding Club16 Fuller St, Mullaway NSW 2456,02 66541638, 0403 088551.Hunter Valley Gliding Club Co-op LtdPO Box 794, Singleton NSW 2330.Lake Keepit Soaring Club234 Keepit Dam Rd, Lake Keepit NSW 2340,02 67697514.Leeton Gliding ClubPO Box 607, Leeton NSW 2705, 02 69533825.Narromine Gliding Club Inc.PO Box 240, Narromine NSW 2821,02 68892733, 0418 270182.Orana Soaring Club Inc.PO Box 240, Narromine NSW 2821,02 68897373, 0418 270182.RAAF Richmond Gliding ClubRAAF Base, Richmond NSW 2755,02 45873214.RAAF Williamtown Gliding ClubC/O Mr G R Lee, 10 Federation Dr, MedowieNSW 2318, 02 49829334.Scout Association NSW GlidingC/- Bob G Balfour, 80 Malvern St, PananiaNSW 2213, 02 96951100.Soar Narromine Pty LtdPO Box 56, Narromine NSW 2821,02 68891856, 0419 992396.Southern Cross Gliding ClubPO Box 132, Camden NSW 2570,02 46558882, 0417 705997 (emergency).Southern Tablelands Gliding Club57 Munro Rd, Queanbeyan NSW 2620,02 62973504.South West Slope Soaring P/L181 Fishers La, Bendick Murrell NSW 2803,0488 531216.Sydney Gliding IncorporatedPO Box 633, Camden NSW 2570, 0412 145144.Temora Gliding ClubPO Box 206, Temora NSW 2666, 02 69772733.Gliding Queensland2 Wing AAFC School of Aviation Inc.201 Squadron Air Force Cadets, PO Box 647Archerfield QLD 4108, 07 38791980, 0415150965.Barambah District Gliding Club2 Yellow Gully Rd, Wolvi QLD 4570,07 54867247, 0412 719797.Boonah Gliding Club Incorporated164 Depot Rd, Boonah QLD 4310,07 54632630, 0408 016164.Bundaberg Gliding IncorporatedPO Box 211, Bundaberg QLD 4670,07 41579558, 0417 071157.Caboolture Gliding ClubPO Box 920, Caboolture QLD 4510,0418 713903.Central Queensland Gliding ClubPO Box 953, Rockhampton QLD 4700,07 49331178.Darling Downs Soaring ClubLevel 1, 1 Swann Rd, Taringa QLD 4068,07 46637140, 0409 507847.Gympie Gliding ClubPO Box 722, Cooroy QLD 4563, 07 54835380.Kingaroy Soaring ClubPO Box 91, Kingaroy QLD 4610, 07 41622191,0438 179163.Moura Gliding ClubPO Box 92, Moura QLD 4718, 07 49973265,0428 360144.North Queensland Soaring CentrePO Box 3835, Hermit Park QLD 4812.Pacific SoaringPO Box 259, Caboolture QLD 4510,07 54994997, 07 54994805.Southern Downs Aero & SoaringPO Box 144, Warwick QLD 4370, 07 38348311.SA Gliding Association (SAGA)Adelaide Soaring Club Inc.PO Box 94, Gawler SA 5118, 08 85221877.Adelaide Uni Gliding Club IncorporatedAdelaide Uni Sports Assoc, The University ofAdelaide SA 5005, 08 88262203, 0412 870963.Air Cadet Gliding ClubPO Box 2000, Salisbury SA 5108,08 83805137, 0429 805137.Alice Springs Gliding ClubPO Box 356, Alice Springs NT 0871,08 89526384, 0417 530345.Australian Junior Gliding Club67A Balfour St, Nailsworth SA 5083,0417 421650.Balaklava Gliding ClubPO Box 257, Balaklava SA 5461, 08 88645062.G FA M E M B E R S H I P F e e s 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1Membership: Normal FamilyNSW $225 $183Victoria $230 $188South Australia $232 $190Queensland $230 $188Western Australia $230 $188Student membership: Full FamilyNSW $136 $94Victoria $141 $99South Australia $143 $101Queensland $141 $99Western Australia $141 $99Short-term membership: 1 Month* 3 Month*Queensland/Victoria $62 $79New South Wales $67 $84South Australia $74 $91Western Australia $72 $89*Note: Once only purchase to Australian residents,thereafter 12 months membership to be purchased.International postage for Soaring Australiato be added to membership fees:Zone CountryPrice1 New Zealand $512 Singapore $513 Japan, Hong Kong, India $514 USA, Canada, Middle East $745 UK, Europe, SouthAmerica, South Africa $74• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Barossa Valley Gliding ClubPO Box 123, Stonefield via Truro SA 5356,08 85640240, 0488 841373.Bordertown Keith Gliding ClubPO Box 377, Bordertown SA 5268,08 87521321, 0409 693027.Millicent Gliding ClubPO Box 194, Millicent SA 5280,08 87333421, 0427 977218.Murray Bridge Gliding ClubPO Box 1509, Victor Harbor SA 5211,08 85543543, 0409 677677.Northern Australian Gliding ClubPO Box 38889, Winnellie NT 0821,08 89412512.Renmark Gliding ClubPO Box 450, Renmark SA 5341,08 85951422, 0417 890215.Scout Gliding Club22 Burford Crescent, Redwood Park SA5097, 08 82895085, 0418 815618.Waikerie Gliding ClubPO Box 320, Waikerie SA 5330, 08 85412644.Whyalla Gliding ClubPO Box 556, Whyalla SA 5600,08 86452619, 0413 127825.Victorian Soaring Association (VSA)Albury Corowa Gliding ClubPO Box 620, Wodonga VIC 3689.Beaufort Gliding Club41 Ruby St, Essendon VIC 3040,0431 702175.Bendigo Gliding ClubPO Box 846, Bendigo VIC 3550, 03 54423459.Bothwell Gliding ClubPO Box 288, Sandy Bay TAS 7005, 03 62267615.Corangamite Soaring ClubKurweeton, Kurweeton Rd, DerrinallumVIC 3325, 03 55939277.Geelong Gliding ClubPO Box 197, Bacchus Marsh VIC 3340,03 93385925, 0409 212527.Gliding Club Of VictoriaPO Box 46, Benalla VIC 3671, 03 57621058,0429 950580.Grampians Soaring ClubPO Box 468, Ararat VIC 3377, 03 53525710,0417 514438.Horsham Flying ClubPO Box 158, Horsham VIC 3402, 03 53823491,0427 315845.Latrobe Valley Gliding ClubPO Box 625, Morwell VIC 3840,03 51221081, 0407 839238.Mangalore Gliding ClubPO Box 208 Nagambie VIC 3608,03 57985512, 0428 635717.Melbourne Motor Gliding ClubPO Box 278, Dingley Village VIC 3172,0418 511557.Mount Beauty Gliding ClubBox 486, Mt Beauty VIC 3699,02 60591417, 0402 075131.Murray Valley Soaring Club LtdPO Box 403, Corowa NSW 2646, 02 60335036,0400 244578.Soaring Club Of Tasmania34 Clinton Rd, Geilston Bay TAS 7015,03 62437508.South Gippsland Gliding ClubPO Box 475, Leongatha VIC 3953, 0437 454986.Southern Riverina Gliding ClubPO Box 32, Tocumwal, NSW 2714,03 58743052, 03 58742914.SportAviation Pty LtdGate 10, Babingtons Rd, Tocumwal Airport,Tocumwal NSW 2714, 03 58742734,0427 534122.Sunraysia Gliding ClubPO Box 647, Mildura VIC 3500,03 50257335, 0448 293927.Swan Hill Gliding ClubPO Box 160, Nyah VIC 3594, 03 50376688.Tumbarumba Gliding ClubC/- Judds Engineering P/L, PO Box 5283,Wagga NSW 2650, 02 69251642, 0428 251642.VMFGGPO Box 1096, Melbourne VIC 3001,0402 281928 or 03 98486473 (h).Wagga Wagga Soaring Club Inc.PO Box 613, Wagga Marketplace, WaggaWagga NSW 2650, 0427 205624.WA Gliding Association (WAGA)716 Flight Australia Air Force Cadets7 Wing HQ, RAAF Base Pearce BullsbrookWA 6084, 08 95717800.Beverley Soaring SocietyPO Box 136, Beverley WA 6304,08 94595719, 0437 377744.Gliding Club of Western AustraliaPO Box 6231, East Perth WA 6892,08 92212164, 0417 992806 (weekends).Morawa Gliding ClubPO Box 276, Morawa WA 6623, 08 99723022.Narrogin Gliding ClubPO Box 232, Narrogin WA 6312,08 98811795 (weekends), 0407 088314.Stirlings Gliding ClubC/- Peter Hardy-Atkins, 8 Parker St, Lockyer,Albany WA 6330, 08 98428816, 0408 842616.H G FAAll correspondence, including changesof address, mem bership renewals, shortterm memberships, rating forms andother administrative matters shouldbe sent to:HGFA National Office4a-60 Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park VIC3042, ph: 03 93367155, fax: 03 93367177,, [www.hgfa.asn.au].HGFA Operations ManagerJohn Olliff 0417 644633 .Information about site ratings, sites andother local matters, contact the appro pri ateState asso ciations, region or club.Board Members 2008 to 2010Pres: Alex Jones 08 97344531 , 34 McAvoy Rd, AllansonWA 6225.V-Pres: Rob Woodward 0408 808436, 38 AddisonRd, Black Forest SA 5035.Sec: Martin Halford 0434 427500.Board Members:Chris Drake 0466 005967 , PO Box 988, Noosa QLD 4567.Benn KovcoGreg LowryLee PattersonBrian WebbStates, Regions& Special Interest GroupsACTHPALPO Box 8339, ANU, Acton ACT 0200;[www.acthpa.org]. Pres: Matthew Smith 0402 905554;V-Pres: Nic Welbourn 0422 783763; Trs: Kristina Smith 0407 905554;Sec: Nic Siefken 0418 421683; Committee: MiguelCruz 0432987819, Andrew Luton 0404 254922; Public Officer:Barry Oliver 0407 825819; Meetings: 1st Thu/month7.30pm Yamba Sports Club.Hang Gliding Association of WA Inc.PO Box 146, Midland, WA 6936. Pres: Peter South; V-Pres:Alex Jones ;Trs: Greg Lowry ;Sec: Mirek Generowicz ; Trs: Colin Brown 0407700378, .NSW HG and PG AssociationPO Box 3106, Bateau Bay NSW 2261,[www.nswhpa.org]. Pres: Bruce Wynne0417 467695, ;V-Pres: Brett Coupland ; Sec: Ray Firth ; Trs: Graeme Cran 0414668424, ;Committee: Nir Eshed, Tony Sandeberg, Andrew Polidano,Tony Dennis and Curt Warren.North Queensland HG AssociationPO Box 608, Kuranda QLD 4881. Pres: Bob Hayes0418 963796 ; V-Pres: Daniel Keech ; Sec/Trs: Tracey Hayes, PO Box 608,Kuranda QLD 4881, 0418 963796 .Queensland HG AssociationPres: Greg Hollands , PO Box 61, CanungraQLD 4275 07 38448566.South Australian HG/PG/ML AssociationSAHGA Inc, c/O PO Box 6260, Hallifax St,Adelaide SA. All email: . Pres: Stuart McClure 0428 100796;Sec/Trs: Rob Woodward 0408 808436.Tasmanian HG & PG Association[www.thpa.org.au]. Pres: Stephen Clark 0419997550, ;V-Pres: Pete Steane 0407 887310, ; Sec/Trs: Simon Allen 0438086322, . NorthernTAS info: Richard Long (Burnie PG pilot), 0438593998, .Victorian HG and PG AssociationPO Box 157, Northcote VIC 3070, [www.vhpa.org.au]. Pres: Phil Campbell 0438 428569; Sec: Nick Abicare0418 104506 ; Trs:Stephen Leake 0409 553401 ; SO: Kevin Grosser 0419 022225 ; Sites: Mark Pike 0408801356 ; Committee:Hugh Alexander 0417 355578 , Jan Bennewitz0423 139923 ,Tony Hughes 0417 379847 , Anthony Meechan 0407 163796.The Pico Club (National Paramotor Club)Pres: Brett Coupland 0409 162616; V-Pres:Rob Van Riswick 0428 290462; Sec: GrantCassar 0416 269894 , 59 Empress Terrace Bardon QLD 4065;Trs: Chris Drake 0414 505452.NEW SOUTH WALESBlue Mountains HG Club Inc.[www.bmhgc.org.au]. Pres: Kacper Jankowski; V-Pres:Gregor Forbes 0421 376680 ; Sec: Alexander Drew 0423696677 ; Trs: AllanBush (HG SSO) ,0407 814524; Comps: Mark Stewart (PG SO), 0421 596345,Comp: 2nd and last Sunday of each month.Meetings: Contact committee.Central Coast Sky SurfersPO Box 3106, Bateau Bay NSW 2261, [www.centralcoastskysurfers.com]. Pres: Frank Warwick0409 468337, ; V-Pres: Anthony Scurrah 0427 000410;Sec: Philip Wheen 0414 357928, ; Trs: Geoff Bednal0418 468065, , SSOs: Paul Cox 0417 355897, JavierAlvarez 0418 116681. Meetings: 1st Thu/month,7:30pm, Erina Leagues Club, Ilya Ave, Erina.Dusty Demons Hang Gliding Club6 Miago Court, Ngunnawal, ACT 2913. Pres:Trent Brown 0427 557486, ; Sec: Peter Dall 0428 813746,; Trs: Michael Porter0415 920444; SSO: Peter Dall 0428 813746.Hunter Skysailors Paragliding ClubPres: Bob Lane 0422 744285, ; V-Pres: Brent Leggett 0408826455, ; Sec: AlbertHart 0421 647013, . Meetings: Last Tue/month, 7pm,Hexham Bowling Club.Illawarra Hang Gliding Club Inc.27a Paterson Rd, Coalcliff NSW 2508. Pres:Frank Chetcuti 0418 252221 ; Sec: John Parsons; SSO: TimCauser 0418 433665 .Kosciusko Alpine Paragliding Club[www.homestead.com/kapc]; Pres: MichaelPorter 0415 920444 ; V-Pres/SSO: James Ryrie 0417 491150; Sec: Mark Elston0428 480820 .Manilla SkySailors Club Inc.PO Box 1, Manilla NSW 2346, [www.mss.org.au]. Pres/SSO (PG): Godfrey Wenness 0267856545, , V-Pres:Matt Morton , Sec: Suzi Smith ,Trs: Bob Smith , SSO(HG) Patrick Lenders 02 67783484 , SSO (WM): Willi Ewig02 67697771 .Mid North Coast HG and PG ClubPres: Nigel Lelean 0419 442597; SSO: LeeScott 0429 844961.Newcastle Hang Gliding ClubPO Box 64 Broadmeadow NSW 2292; [www.nhgc.asn.au]. Pres: Dawson Brown 0429675475 ; V-Pres:Gary Herman 0401 772289 ; Sec: Don Bremner 0421346997, ; Trs:Allan McMillan 0400 637070 ; SOs: Coastal – Tony Barton 0412607815, Inland – Scott Barrett 0425 847208,John O’Donohue 02 49549084, PG – JamesThompson 02 49468680; News letter: DavidStafford 02 49215832 .Meetings: Last Wed/month 7:30pm SouthNewcastle RLC, Llewellyn St, Merewether.Northern Rivers HG and PG ClubPO Box 126, Byron Bay NSW 2481; [www.nrghpgc.net]. Pres: Jan Smith 0438 876926; V-Pres:Brian Rushton 0427 615950 ; Sec: Marco Veronesi 0405151515 ; Trs:Paul Gray 0407 738658 ; PR: Cedar Anderson 0429070380 ; Sites:Peter Wagner 0431 120942, Col Rushton0428 751379 ; SSO (PG): Lindsay Wooten 0427 210993; SSO (HG):Andrew Polidano 0428 666843 . Meetings: 2nd Wed/month,7pm, Byron Services Club.Stanwell Park HG and PG ClubPO Box 258 Helensburgh NSW 2508; Pres/Trs: Peter Ffrench 0403 076149 ; Sec: Johnathon Kinred 0457 299893; Committee: FredSmeaton 0402 808031 ; SSO: Mark Mitsos 0408 864083, .Sydney Hang Gliding ClubPres: Dean Tooker ; V-Pres: Martin Wielecki ; Trs: John Selby 02 93447932; Sec: Bruce Wynne0417 467695 or ;Dev/Train: Owen Wormald 02 94667963; SO: BillMoyes , Doug Sole, KenStothard; Web: Glen Kimpton; Comps: VickiCain; Training: Shannon Black. Meetings: 3rdWed/month, 7:30pm Botany RSL, Botany.Sydney Paragliding & Hang Gliding ClubPO Box 840, Mona Vale NSW 2103 [www.flysydney.org]. Pres: Peter Rundle ; V-Pres: Brett Coupland 0409162616, ; Sec:Kirsten Seeto 0405 887857 ; Social Sec: Shanta Wallace0416 938227 ; Committee: Graeme Cran , Sandy Thomson, JeffWoodhall .Meeting: The Mascot RSL,1271 Botany RdMascot every 3rd Wed/month at 7:30pm.NORTHERN TERRITORYAlice Springs HG and PG ClubPres: Ricky Jones 0406 098354, , contact for paramotoring,PG ridge soaring and thermal flying.QUEENSLANDCaboolture Microlight Club50 Oak Place, Mackenzie QLD 4156. Pres:Derek Tremain 07 33957563, ; Sec: John Cresswell 07 34203254,; SO: Graham Roberts07 32676662, Cairns Hang Gliding ClubPO Box 6468, Cairns QLD 4870. Pres: BobHayes 0438 710882 ; V-Pres/SO: Brett Collier 0431 151150; Sec: LanceALL CLUBS PLEASE CHECK DETAILS IN THIS SECTION CAREFULLYCould all Clubs please ensure they maintain the correct and current details of their ExecutiveCommittees and contacts here in the magazine. Specific attention is directed to the listing ofSSOs and SOs for the Clubs. Please ALL CLUBS and nominated Senior SOs and SOs confirmALL SSO and SO appointments with the HGFA Office to ensure thatthose holding these appointments have it listed on the Membership Database and can receivenotices and correspondence as required. Appointment of these officers is required to beendorsed by Clubs in writing on the appropriate forms. Sometime in the future if confirmationis not received, those listed in the Database where no current forms or confirmation is held,the appointment will be taken as having expired.General Manager, HGFAKeough, 31 Holm St, Atherton QLD 4883,07 40912117; Trs: Nev Akers 07 40532586.Canungra Hang Gliding Club Inc.PO Box 41, Canungra QLD 4275; [www.chgc.asn.au]. Pres: Phil McIntyre ; V-Pres: Lee Patterson; Sec: MarkKropp ; Trs: BrandonO’Donnell ; Ed:Cameron McNeill 0419 706326; Gen-Exec:Greg Hollands ; SSOPG:Phil Hystek 07 55434000 (h), 0418 155317; SSO HG: Lee Patterson0417 025732 .Central Queensland Skyriders Club Inc.’The Lagoons’ Comet River Rd, Comet QLD4702. Pres: Alister Dixon (instructor) 0438845119, ; Sec:James Lowe 0418 963315, ; Trs: Adrienne Wall 07 49362699,; Events: Jon Wall0427 177237, ; SSO: Bob Pizzey 0439 740187,07 49387607. Towing Biloela: Paul Barry07 49922865, .Conondale Cross-Country Club[www.conondaleflyers.asn.au/] Pres: DenisDavis 0428 130375; V-Pres: Paul Underwood0407 177793; Sec: Andrew Dobinson; Trs: SteveStocker 0411 226733.Dalby Hang Gliding Club17 Mizzen St, Manly West QLD 4179. Pres:Daron ’Boof’ Hodder 0431 240610, ; Sec/Trs: Annie Crerar 0418711821, ; SSO:Jason ’Yoda’ Reid 0424 293922, .Fly Killarney Inc.Pres/SSO: Lindsay Wootten 0427 210993,; V-Pres:Alistair Gibb 0414 577232, ; Sec/Trs: Sonya Fardell 0415 156256,.Sunshine Coast Hang Gliding ClubPO Box 227, Rainbow Beach QLD 4581;. Pres: GeoffreyCole 0408 420808, 07 5455 4661; V-Pres& SSO (HG): David Cookman 0427 498753;V-Pres (PG): Tex Beck 0407 238017; Trs:Gary Allen 0417 756878; Sec: Chris Ferreira0420 980572 ; (HG):David Cookman 0427 498573, 07 54498573;SSO (PG): Jean-Luc Lejaille 0418 754157,07 54863048.Wicked Wings ClubPres: Peter Schwenderling 0427 461347; Trs: Craig Dunn, Sec: Sonya Fardell0415 156256, SonyaFardell, 260 Postman’s Ridge Rd, Helidon SpaQLD 4344.Whitsundays HG ClubSec/Trs: Ron Huxhagen 07 49552913, fax:07 49555122, .Tasmania (see States & Regions)VICTORIADynasoarers Hang Gliding Club; Pres: Dale Appleton0408 382635; SSO: Rob van der Klooster0408 335559. Meetings: 1st Fri/month, venuesee [www.dynasoarers.vhpa.org.au].Melbourne Hang Gliding Club Inc.PO Box 5278, South Melbourne VIC 3205[www.melbourne.vhpa.org.au]. Pres: GabrielToniolo 0407 544511, ; Sec: Scott Rawlings 0409675408, ; Trs:Noel Bear 0425 801813, ; SSO: Peter Holloway 0408 526805,, Committee:Glen Bachelor & Peter Cass. Meetings: 3rdWed/month, Tower Hotel, 686 Burwood Road,Hawthorn East VIC 3123.North East Victoria Hang Gliding ClubPres: John Chapman 0412 159472 ; Sec: Bill Oates 0466 440049 ; Trs/M/ship:Greg Javis 0407 047797; Committee: BarbScott 0408 844224, Bill Brooks 0409 411791;SSO: Karl Texler 0428 385144; Meetings:[www.nevhgc.net/].Sky High Paragliding Club[www.skyhighparagliding.org]; Pres: Steve Leak, 0409 553401; V-Pres: Alister Johnson 0418 323692 ; Trs: Phil Lyng 0421135894 ; Sec:Frank Adler 0408 264615 ; M’ship: Loz Pozzani 0421 389839; Nov Rep:Mike Armstrong 0412 329442 ; Web: Frank Adler 0408 264615 ; Safety:Hamish Barker 0437 137893 ; Committee: Dave Frecheville.Meetings: 1st Wed/month 8pm RetreatHotel, 226 Nicholson St, Abbotsford.Southern Microlight Club[http://home.vicnet.net.au/~stclub/]. Pres:Mark Howard 0419 855850 ; V-Pres: Ken Jelleff ; Sec/Ed: Kelvin Glare 0421060706 ; Trs: DeanMarriott . Meet ings:2nd Tue/month 8pm Manning -ham Club, 1Thompsons Rd, Bulleen.Western Victorian Hang GIiding ClubPO Box 92, Beaufort VIC 3373, [www.wvhgc.org]. Pres: Anthony Meechan 0407163796, ; V-Pres:Greg Beglehole 0419 889153, ; Sec: ZhenshiVan Der Klooster ; Trs: Richard Carstairs 0409 066860,; SSO:Rohan Holtkamp 0408 678734 . Meet ings: Last Sat/month, The Golden Age Hotel, Beaufort, 7pm.WESTERN AUSTRALIAAlbany HG & PG ClubSSO: Simon Shuttleworth 0427 950556; Sec: JohnMiddleweek 08 98412096, fax: 08 98412096.Cloudbase Paragliding Club Inc.Secretary, 12 Hillside Crs, Maylands WA 6051.Pres: Colin Brown 0407 700378 ; V-Pres: Eric Metrot 0407003059; Trs: ColinBrown 0407 700378 ; Committee: Shelly Heinrich 0428935462 , RodMerigan 0439 967971 , Clive Salvidge 0402 240038 , Julien Menager 0423 829346 ; SOs: John Carman, NigelSparg, Colin Brown, Mark Wild. Meetings: LastTues/month, 7:30pm, Osborne Park BowlingClub, Park St, Tuart Hill.Goldfields Dust Devils Inc.[www.dustdevils.itaustralia.org]. Kalgoorlie:Pres: Toby Houldsworth , 0428 739956; Trs/SSO: Murray Wood, 08 90215771;Sec/SO: Richard Breyley , 0417 986896. Perth: SSO:Mark Stokoe , 0414 932461.Hill Flyers Club Inc.. Pres/SSO: RickWilliams 0427 057961; Sec/SSO: Gary Bennet0412 611680; SSO: Gavin Nicholls 0417690386, Mike Ipkendanz 08 92551397, DaveLongman 08 93859469. Meetings held on siteduring club fly-ins at York, Toodyay.Western Microlight Club Inc.Pres: Brian Watts 0407 552362; V-Pres: KeithMell 08 97971269; Sec: Paul Coffey 0428504285; CFI: Brendan Watts: 0408 949004.Western SoarersPO Box 483, Mt Hawthorn WA 6915; [www.westernsoarers.com]. Pres: Michael Duffy; V-Pres: Jason Kath; Sec: Cyril Eliopulos; Trs: Greg Lowry; SSOs: Shaun Wallace,Gavin Nicholls, Matty Coull, Rick Williams,Michael Duffy. Meetings: See [http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/western_soarers/].44 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 45

Classifieds • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •G FANOTICE TO ALL GFA ADVERTISERSAll advertisements and payment can be sent to:The Gliding Federation of Australia Inc/AdvertisingLevel 1/34 Somerton Road, Somerton VIC 3062.Ph: 03 9303 7805, Fax: 03 9303 7960Email: Advertisements may be emailed in high resolution(300dpi at 100% size) using TIF or EPS formats.Photo graphs may be pro vided in either photo printor slides. Low resolution digitals are not suitable.Photo graphs, slides or disks may be returned. Pleaseinclude a self-addressed and stamped envelopefor the return of any promotional material.All GFA advertisements must be paid for prior topublication. (Payment by cheque, money order orcredit card). Don’t forget Classifieds deadline is the25th of the month, for publication five weeks hence.For current advertising fees, go to [www.gfa.org.au].Single-seater SailplanesASW 17 VH-YKL. Complete enclosed trailer &instruments now in Australia, $35000. Ph: BradEdwards 0427 202535 or 02 67711733.ASW 28-18 new 2007, 252 hrs, solar cell on fuse,two component paint, B400, Xcom VHF, Flarm IGC,oudie, Komet Euro light trailer, tow-out gear, oneowner $120000 ono. Ph: 0403 788278.Cirrus 75 VH-GQT, 2550 hrs, 1220 landings. wingtip extensions, new canopy, good trailer, Form 2completed Aug. $19000. Ph: Tony 07 46614090.Discus BT Owner Retired, 55 hrs TT. Solo sustainermotor 8.5 hrs. Form 2, full panel, Borgelt B100system, coupled GPS. Joey Slimpack parachute, taildolly, wingwalking gear. Tinted canopy with cover.New batteries, Dittel boom mic. Winter barograph,new oxygen equipment. Martin trailer $90000. Ph:John Hilton-Wood 03 97871326, fax 03 97871308.Discus 2b in top condition, 2 pack PU paint finish,winglets & straight tips, MH oxygen, limit switchesadded on U/C and airbrake, large screen Altair navrunning XCSoar, Flarm, Vega & B40 varios, voicewarning software, Garmin GPS & Cambridge 20logger back-up, Dittel FSG70 radio with boommic, National parachute, three new 9Ah batteries,Cobra Al trailer with hydraulic jack, 15min unrig.The Discus 2 is the top Standard Class glider ininternational comps and lovely to fly. 1500 hrs,$108000. Ph: 0429 429539.Hornet GEY with winglets, basic insts, B20,720ch radio & U/C warning. Trailer & tow-outgear incl. This aircraft has been professionallyrefinished & will be sold with a fresh Form 2 incl.the 6000 hr inspection. Price $20000 ono. Ph:Bruce 0407 795412.Jantar Std 2 VH-IZT 1850 hrs, 1100 landings. Goodclean condition. Microair radio, Borgelt instrumentation,canopy hinge. Well thought out trailer & alltow-out gear. Competitive Standard Class performance,price negotiable. Ph: Paul 0404 851876.Kestrel 17 VH-GXC in excellent order, 42:1 glideratio, 3600 hrs, c/w enclosed dual axle, weatherproof trailer, wing & canopy covers, parachute,tinted canopy, tow-out gear, Cambridge datalogger,S-Nav glide computer, current Form 2 (Nov 2011).Delight to fly, no vices will go the distance. Moredetails: [www.brookmanonline.com]. $22000 ono.Ph: 08 87565019 or .Libelle 201B serial no. 454. 2900 hrs VH-GCJ, newcanopy, new panel with Borgelt vario, LX20 GPSlogger, radio & Flarm. New water bags & c/w towoutgear & a good trailer. Wing covers & fresh Form2, $16000. Ph: 02 66243999.LS8-18/15 + aluminium Cobra XL, price REDUCEDto 110k, glider & trailer bare or fully equippeddepending on buyers requirements. Ph: Miles Gore-Brown 07 55789904 or .Nimbus 2 VH-GEL, 20.3m with winglets, L/D 49.2210 hrs Great condition, always hangared. Trailer& tow-out gear, Flarm, Borgelt computer/vario,Microair radio, 2 batteries. T-hangar available atBathurst if req. (neg), $35000. Ph: Chris 0437 050604 or Serge 0414 958923 or .Pik 20B VH-GVF Good condition, winglets, fibreglassfactory trailer, oxy, many Pik spares, recentlycompleted Form 2 & ready for the soaring seasonwith all tow-out gear. $23000. Integrated L-Nav isavailable (neg). T-hangar available at Bathurst ifrequired (neg). Ph: Geoff 02 48614284 or Andrew 0419 479392.Std Cirrus GOX Excellent condition. New gelcoat,winglets, Flarm, Microair radio, tow-out gear, VGenclosed trailer, $20000 ono. Ph: 03 97437605 or.Std Cirrus 75 VH-ZKH, located at YBLA. Excellentcondition. Flarm, Nav, Becker radio, tow-out gear,enclosed trailer, $19000 ono. Ph: 0424 724313.Ventus 2cx 18m, NNA, sell aircraft incl. trailer,available for inspection at Warwick airfield, Qld. Verylow hrs, asking price $139500. Ph: 0438 371145or to discuss further.Self-Launching/Motor GlidersDimona H37 Mark 2, owner retired, TT 247 hrs.Limbach L2000 motor 212 hrs, fresh Form 2, allmods done, Borgelt system B20-21-4 artificialhorizon. Dittel radio, headsets, new battery, Winterbarograph. Nothing to spend, excellent condition,modified propeller system, 0 hrs, $90000. Ph: JohnHilton-Wood 03 97871326, fax 03 97871308.Touring Motor Glider G109A Great condition& low hrs, 1800 hrs TT, only 160 hrs on new, eng& prop fitted 2007 by Grob in Germany. A/H, D/I,transponder & GPS100, $75000. Glide 30:1 plus85kt, TAS at 15l/hr. Ph: 0457 811627 (NSW) or .SF25 B Scheibe Jabiru 2200 Motor FalkeVH-HNO, TT 2275 hrs, engine 215 before topoverhaul, 32ltr tank plus 10ltr long range tank. Basicinstruments, Microair radio, new tyres, spare prop,etc. 187kg cockpit load, $38000 Ph: 03 95510965.Ventus cM Self-launcher $15000 PRICE DROP!Be Quick! First to see will buy! 17.6m, ~800 hrs TT.Eng. 5 hrs, Altair, Vega, Dittel, Flarm, Cobra trailer.Refinished 2008. Fresh Form 2, perfect, beautiful.Just fly it. Now only $95k, GST incl. (possiblynegotiable). Ph: 07 38793005 .Ventus CT In excellent condition with Cobra trailer,Cambridge L Nav, good radio, etc. Outstandingperformance for price. A$98000 FOB Auckland. Ph:Allan Cameron +64 9 2948117 or or Julian Elder .Silent TARGA Fuel Inject[www.alisport.com]Highly optioned new demo unit, < six launches &test hours for CofA only. 1 man self-rig package(20 min), steerable tail wheel, super COBRA trailer.Pure fun & independence. Price negotiabele.Ph: Greg 0400 114747 or .Gliding PublicationsAirborne Magazine: Covering all facets ofAustralian & New Zealand modelling. The best valuemodelling magazine. Now $60pa for six issues.Plans & other special books available. PO Box 30,Tullamarine, VIC 3043.Free Flight: Quarterly journal of the Soaring Associationof Canada. A lively record of the Canadiansoaring scene & relevant international news &articles. $US26 for one year, $47 for two years, $65for three years. 107-1025 Richmond Rd Ottawa,Ontario K2B 8G8 Canada, email: .Gliding International: The new internationalgliding magazine edited by John Roake. Specialisingin being first with news from every corner of thesoaring globe. A$60 p.a. Personal cheques or creditcards accepted. Contact: Gliding International,79 Fifth Avenue, Tauranga, New Zealand. Email:.Sailplane & Gliding: The only authoritativeBritish magazine devoted entirely to gliding. 52 A4pages of fascinating material & pictures with colour.Available from the British Gliding Asso ci ation,Kimberley House, Vaughan Way, Leicester, England.Annual subscription for six copies £17.50.Sailplane Builder: Monthly magazine of the SailplaneHomebuilders Association. $US29 (airmail$US46) to SHA, c/o Murry Rozansky, 23165 SmithRoad, Chatsworth, CA 91311 USA.Soaring: Official monthly journal of the SoaringSociety of America Inc. PO Box 2100, Hobbs,nm88241 USA. Foreign subscription rates (annu ally):$US43 surface delivery; $US68 premium delivery.Technical Soaring/OSTIV: Quarterly publi ca tionofSSA containing OSTIV & other technical papers. c/oT U Delft, Fac Aerospace engineering, Kluyerweg 1,NL-2629 HS DELFT, The Netherlands.Vintage Times: Official newsletter of Vintage GlidersAustralia, edited by David & Jenne Goldsmith, PO Box577, Gisborne VIC 3437, Mem ber ship $20 pa.H G FAClassifieds are free of charge to HGFA membersup to a maximum of 40 words. One classifiedper person per issue will be accepted.Classifieds are to be delivered to the HGFA officefor membership verification/payment by email, fax: 03 93362177 or post:4a/60 Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park VIC 3042.The deadline is 25th of the month, for pub li cationfive weeks hence. Submitted classifieds will run forone issue. For con secutive publication, re-sub missionof the classified must be made, no advance bookings.When submitting a classified remember to includeyour contact details (for prospective buyers),your HGFA membership number (for verifi ca tion)and the State under which you would like theclassified placed. (Note that the above does notapply to com mer cial operators. Instructors mayplace multiple classified entries, but will becharged at usual advertising rates.)All aircraft should be suitable for the intendeduse; this includes the skill level requiredfor the specific aircraft being reflective ofthe pilot’s actual rating & experience. Allmembers must adhere to the mainte nancerequirements as contained in Section 9 ofthe Operations Manual & as provided bymanufacturers. Secondhand equipmentshould always be inspected by an independentperson, an Instructor wherever possi ble.Advice should be sought as to the con di tion,airworthiness & suitability of the aircraft.It should include examination of maintenancelogs for the aircraft. It is unethical& a legally volatile situation for individualsto provide aircraft which are unsuitablefor the skill level of the pilot, or aircraftthat are unairworthy in any way.Hang Gliders & EquipmentNew South WalesSting 3 154 ’Like new’ 17 flights/27 hrs. Boughtit new in February 2010. Includes spare DT & allweatherbag, asking $5100. Located in Newcastle.Ph: 0429 039006.Aeros Topless 119ft 2 . Very few hrs, looks like new,Stealth II with Combat L sail cloth, carbon battens,etc, 29kg. Its ability to glide truly amazing. Greatbuy for small pilot. Ph: Maggie 02 66858768 or.GeneralConcertina BagPARA SUPPLY / Cocoon3 concertina bag,PARA SUPPLY / Cocoon3 concertina bag,PARA SUPPLY / Cocoon3 concertina bag,PARA SUPPLY / Cocoon3 concertina bag,www.parasupply.comPoliglideKangookThe latest range of Kangook paramotors,Dudek Reflex paragliders, trikes, flight decks, spares& your reserve parachute equipment all on ourwebsite for your inspection with prices. Ph:Ben 0418 753220.Press To Talk SystemPARA SUPPLY / PTT sys, PARA SUPPLY / PTT sys,PARA SUPPLY / PTT sys, PARA SUPPLY / PTT sys,PARA SUPPLY / PTT sys, PARA SUPPLY / PTT sys,www.parasupply.comCall for HGFA SoaringAustralia ContributionsWritten and cover photocontributionsto YOUR magazineare dropping off again.Please send in any items youfind worthy of sharingWe all have had experiences andadventures worth sharing, no matterhow many hours we have in the logbook,so get writing and send articlesand a few pictures to your editor:HGFA SchoolsPARAGLIDING CENTREWe are based in Bright, NE Victoria, widelyrenowned as Australia’s best flying region.Bright has been host to numerous Australian &international competitions.Feel confident that you are learning with thebest, our CFI Fred Gungl (six times AustralianParagliding Champion) has been involved inparagliding since 1990 & instructing for over10 years.Courses• Introductory & HGFA licence course• Thermal & XC clinics for all levels• SIV courses• Tow courses• XC tandem flights• Equipment SalesWe are now conducting SIV courses.See website for details.Dealer for all major glider manufacturers, Charly reserves,Insider helmets & various accessories.Active FlightFred Gungl, ph: 0428 854455www.activeflight.com.au46 Soaring Australia March 2011 March 2011 Soaring Australia 47VICTORIAVICTORIA• • • • • • • • • • • • •established 1988Why come to North-east Victoriato learn with Eagle School?• Apart from being fortunate enough to have themost consistently reliable weather for trainingin Australia…• Australia’s longest running Microlight school.• Our person centred approach means that wevalue feedback and individually tailor our trainingmethods to suit the student’s needs.• We specialise in remedial training when you getstuck in your present learning environment.• We are interested in seeing you achieve yourgoals and make your dreams a reality.• You will receive ongoing support afteryour licence• We aim to shape you into a safe and confidentpilot by encouraging you to challenge yourselfin a safe and supportive environment.• If you are already a Hang Glider, Paraglider orGlider pilot you’ll learn for half price!We look forward to assisting you to mastera new set of skills which will take youto new heights in every respect.NO PRESSURE SALES!!! BUY IN YOUR OWN TIMEFeel free to contact us, we are happy to chat with you.STEPHEN RUFFELS CFIMail address: 16 Hargreaves Road, Bright, 3741(03) 5750 1174 or (0428) 570 168email Look up our website:[www.eagleschool.com.au]download our’Learn to Fly’ brochurefor what’s involved, plus costs.