A break in the weather...but not here...

The Australian Qualifying GP finished on the weekend.
Looks like things are returning to normal over the ditch. The X-country speeds on the last day were 134kph. Not bad...not bad at all.
JS1's took out 1st place and 5th...out of nine.
The track shows 1st and 2nd on the last day...won by an ASG29.
ASG's made up the bulk of the fleet.
And after the GP it rolls straight into the NSW State champs.

Task was 350 kms...winning speed 134kph...or task completed in 2 and half hours.

Note how close the tracks are to the task...must have been a good day...that and the task setters know where the cloud streets will be.

Don't expect anything approaching this over the next 6 months.
This SE wind looks set to destroy Wednesday. Maybe SE wave in the Waikato but I suspect the southerly component will be too strong.

What's special about this Discus?

Well it is for sale for starters....asking price US$88,999...yip that's NZ$120,000. And if you add on freight and GST...$150,000...you may as well buy the Discus2cT that is for sale locally.
Even I'm somewhat floored...I know they are a great glider but US$89k???...surely not...

Weekend Weather...

To state the obvious...it ain't looking too flash...in fact it's looking downright awful.
Actually the next 10 days don't look very promising...unless you are a dairy farmer who wants some rain. However by this time next week I think even I will have had enough rain.

Starting to look like the end of the season to me...maybe a wave flight or two over the winter but otherwise I think GNM's next outing might be for an Annual in Drury. And here was me hoping to be the first club member to land-out in the Duo...

So I guess it's time to look forward to next season...which will be here in Tauranga despite what one member may have been hoping...although I might look for hanger space in Matamata come spring...although if some-one has a $100k spare I'd be willing to part with the mighty Discus.

I see the airfield database has taken on a life of it's own...it's now 22mega-bytes in size...it took so long to load on my computer I would have landed out waiting to find out where to land-out...
Lots of effort going in....all good stuff although the usual caveats need to apply...if you arrive at a marked airstrip, and it's covered in cows, it ain't the farmers fault.

I'm confused...

Some of you won't be surprised about this...however I will press on.
Tomorrow's weather...given that it's a Wednesday and some-one might want to go flying.
The RASP is suggesting it'll be rather poor but the squiggly lines say otherwise.
The "fly in the ointment" is the high cloud.
The NOAA forecast has a vail of high cloud drifting across NZ.
I'm picking moderate SE winds...so there might be low level SE wave off the Papamoa hills...which will confuse the thermal development around the city. And of course the ridge won't work.

Thermals to 5000ft over Tga and higher in the Waikato...especially if the forecast temperature of 25 degrees is reached. It might slowly "blue out" during the afternoon...especially in the Waikato.

Let's have more rules...that'll work...not!!!

Here's a question...what does a long-time contest pilot flying at the Taupo Nationals, myself, a pilot of the club's Duo, the Club's CFI, and most other glider pilots have in common??? At some stage they have forgotten to lower the main wheel before attempting to land...

One of the people pictured below recently made this mistake...

But now I hear that there was a rule created (although I'm yet to see it advertised) to fine the pilot $500 for a wheel-up landing...how ironic that it may have been pushed through by the very person who did the first balls-up...but I'm not sure...
I'm willing to accept that the pilot concerned pays half the engineers inpection...

It goes together with the earlier nonsense about having to inspect any club glider that "lands-out"...because all the landings on the airfield are OK...and all landings in a paddock are not...yeah right.

It seems we have forgotten the carrot part of the "Carrot and stick" learning process. We should resist the temptation to make endless rules.

Why...because if you make enough rules no-one remembers what rule covers which aspect of flying...have you seen how long the current list of club rules is???
Why...because the more rules you make the less incentive members have to go flying...
Why...because rules create mini-dictators that spend more time enforcing rules rather than encouraging the development of better flying skills...
Why...because rules and fines are an incentive for people to under-report incidences...ie - if no one saw me do it - why report it and incur the fine and big stick from the rule enforcer mentioned above???
Why...well in this case we have a rule already - it's called downwind checks SUFB...remember
Why...because rules are rarely the best way to solve a problem...education and training is...

The whole Duo rating process has been over-engineering. We currently have a Duo rating (at least 3 flights apparently), a seperate X-country rating for the Duo, a turbo rating (I don't know how many starts are required but at $10 a pop it adds up), and I heard something about a "Tail dolly" rule...and now we can expect a wheel down check, or rating or rule...
This is the primary reason I've stayed well clear of the glider since Xmas...
I vaguely remember being given a Duo rating based on 1 flight (a circuit at that) at Omarama. The locals sensibly realised that ratings are based on competency and a Duo is very similar to other gliders...if you pull the stick back the nose tends to go up, if you pull the airbrakes out you tend to come down...

Time to put the genie back in the bottle...

Time to leave Tauranga...

And go to Piako...for the day.
Why??  Firstly, the airspace issues flying out of Tga have gotten to be a real pain. The last 2 times I've launched out of Tga it's taken upto half an hour to get a clearance out of the zone.
Secondly, the ridge was working and it's just easier to tow to 1500ft from Matamata and get going.
And thirdly, the forecast looked like it would "blue-out" on the Tga side...and so it did. Just look at the photo's taken at about 2pm.
Oh, and the glider was in the trailer from the last land-out.

Looking back towards Tauranga...blue blue blue.



Looking towards Matamata...5 knot thermals as far as the eye can see...

A quick 250km flight...just because we could. I was joined by GOI, GXA, and GRY for parts of the day. Also ran into a couple of Auckland gliders debating how to get home...

Got a tow from Tracey Gore...on her first day as a tow pilot...Piako wins the "Best looking" tow-pilot contest...hands-down.

We also had company on the airfield...5 or 6 mini Mustangs, a Harvard, a Beaver, and assorted Micro-blighters. A busy day.

What looks like a website but isn't???

Both the local club's website and the national website seem to be suffering from an extreme case of depression. No updates, articles of interest, news, or zing (for want of a better word) for days or weeks.

Now I understand that the local webmaster is away...that's fine (these things happen) but he is clearly suffering from a lack of material...a point I made some 3 months ago. No photo's of the new flash piece of glass, no news updates since October last year, the last newsletter loaded was December...
Given that all the photo's were supplied by yours truly, as were the newsletters, and half of the news stories, it might be about time a few others stepped upto the mark. Remember the website is probably the first point of call for potential new members. No longer do potential members drive all the way out to Belk Rd...whoops the airport...to find out about gliding. They Google "Tauranga Gliding" or similar...

As for the GNZ site...the man "in charge of being in charge", that right wing Mazda driving, ASW20 flying, retired Contest director'ing, newly reinstated life member needs a dose of good old fashioned left wing nanny state direction. Get on with it...that site hasn't been enthused for a couple of weeks either...

It's raining - I feel better now.

Has the season finished??

Beginning to look like it.
I thought Saturday might be use-able but probably not. Sunday might be OK for training. Update...Sunday might be OK for some limited X-country flying...and wouldn't be know it, I'm committed to do another task...Farm Day - a Federated Farmers inspired exercise to get city folk onto a farm for the afternoon. Last year 400 turned up.
Looking further ahead next week is a write-off...and by then we're close to April.

Hasn't been a stunning summer...most contests were disrupted by poor weather with the exception of the Drury Contest...well done there.

Looks like I will have spent 61 hours airborne this year...vs 88 hrs last year, which is down on the peak years of 100 plus hours per season.
Only 2 land-outs this year...both were simple, no fuss affairs...Tokoroa airfield during the Club class contest and my own strip last week.

Noticed the Duo pass overhead on Wednesday whilst I was pottering about in the Orchard. Subsequently discovered it was Roy getting his motor rating...to add to the Duo rating, the X-country rating, the tail dolly rating, the canopy cleaning rating, etc etc. I'm guessing there is a rigging/de-rigging rating...guess I will get mine when I land it out...
In fact I'm wondering whether my main task should be to make the first land-out in the flash piece of glass...

Why you need to hurry....

when you fly from a coastal gliding site...

Sea breezes add a challange to the mix.

Wx Thursday

Today looks like a repeat of yesterday. Good thermals, cloud bases up around 6000ft and maybe better to the south. Sea breeze will be in at lunchtime so don't dawdle...

Friday looks like toast...
Not sure about the weekend....Saturday - marginal, sunday maybe be ok.

Yesterday we photographed airstrips...today I used one.

And with a sky that looked full of promise...Taumata Rd strip (second strip on the post "Various strips around Tauranga"). I could have aero-retrieved but GNM needed to be put back in the trailer for another day. My good wife came and got me...isn't that nice... Land-out number 35...only the third this season. I landed here last year on the 10th April...so a month earlier - don't know what that means...

Shows what happens when you don't keep your mind on the job...too busy looking at the damage Jan's rain events did to the gully's around our place I lost track of my height. By the time I thought about a climb we were 1200ft above the ground and running out of options. It really didn't work well below 2500ft. Admittedly I flew to our strip because I knew it was clear of stock and the grass was short.

What would I have done with a Turbo??? ...landed out cos I fought it out down to 300ft AGL before giving it up on base leg.

Answer to the quiz..

Don't believe me...the photo below is the strip in action.

NB...strips are often covered in cows...

Don't believe me...look below...look carefully - it's got Angus cows all over it...

Various Strips around Tga...

Upper Taumata Rd...was U/S'ed but looks OK at present. Land towards the small buildings on either vector but my advice is not to use the one that starts in the trees...I haven't landed on this strip although rumours abound that one glider pilot did and had to pay for a dead sheep...

Taumata Rd. Owned by a grumpy farmer (me) but otherwise excellent. I've landed here twice...possible aerotow but would need a steady sea breeze or northerly. Land uphill towards the trees...don't land in the other direction or else I'll be picking bits of glider out of the fence for years to come...

Burd Rd. Another good spot although often covered in stock. I've landed here...can aero-retrieve. Land towards the buildings.

A quiz...

Where is the airstrip in this photo??
Would you be prepared to land there?

Double click to geta bigger, clearer shot...

Tuesday

Appears yesterday turned out fairly much as forecast.
Today - it'll start out quite blue but temperatures should get higher enough to give us bases of 6000ft around the coast and 8-9000ft inland. Light winds and a sea breeze convergence around some of the coasts.

Expecting thermals of 4-6 knots and maybe a few much stronger in areas where air gets trapped.

Today, tomorrow and Wednesday

Very cool morning.
Today will probably look quite spectatular but the SE will make it a bit of a challange.
Cloud bases over 6000ft locally and upto 9000ft down country.

Tuesday looks almost as good but Wednesday might have a few showers about the east coast causing a few complications.

Update 3.30pm. Bases look to be at least 5000ft. The wind this morning was the best part of 25 knots on the ground up at the farm...and it stills looks at least 15-20knots now.
Tomorrow still looks like a cracker...not so sure about Wednesday...it'll be patchy with showers.

OK Gliding fans...

This could be the last good week of the season...Tuesday is looking quite good, as is Wednesday and things may hold on for Thursday...although by then the inversion will have set in and I'm guessing we'll struggle to get enough heating to bust through.
Updates nearer the time...might need a tow pilot for Tuesday...

Youth Glide...is it worth the investment???

Or put another way...do we want youth in gliding?
We should be mindful of these questions as the outcomes of the considerable time, money and enthusiasm invested by clubs and individuals start to bear fruit...or not.
It would be easy for older generations to view the Youth glide movement as a not inconsiderable inconvenience with little to show at the other end.
Questions like..."Where did they all go??"
"Why didn't these youth gladly become Duty Pilots forever?"
"I can't get access to the club gliders I want because these spotty young people are using them?"
And so on...

Will they all slope-off into the wide world never to return...I not sure?
However I clearly remember half my university year heading overseas and the doomsayers predicting they would never return. All that taxpayers money invested in a 4 year degree only to benefit the London financial trading houses, or oil drillers in western Australia. Oddly enough many returned to NZ in later life...raising kids in inner London does have it's downsides, or you can only earn large amounts of cash, drink most of it and live in Kalgoorlie for so long.

Will all these teenagers we are training as glider pilots add to the sport in the future?? Think John Coutts, Ben Flewett, Dane Dickison perhaps. Or believe that some of these new pilots will return once time, money and family allow...I believe we won't have seen the back of them.

How to spin out....

This from Phil Plane...
I've been fiddling in some idle moments while the weather hasn't been the greatest and have written a program to convert IGC files from loggers into Google Earth files to play back flights. http://slim.xinqu.net/kml/index.html accepts a IGC file upload and converts it to KML for display by Google Earth.

Have go...makes you dizzy after 10 minutes or so...however, if you pick a track log from a ridge day, you can illustrate the fun of 100knots, 100ft off the tops...

Might be soarable late today...winds going from NW round to S during the day.
RASP forecasting some thermals later to day.
But it will be short and sharp...probably not enough to encourage me to drag GNM out of the box.
However Tuesday and Wednesday are a whole different ballgame...

It's raining...yay and double yay...

Good for grass growth...more rain equals more grass, more grass equals more milk, more milk equals more revenue for NZ, more revenue will equal more gliders...yipeee.

And I got the weekend forecast right...although I would rather have gone to Taupo..

Here's the proof...

Bring back that loving feeling...

Or more precisely how do we assure the membership of our Gliding Clubs.

We are not winning at present…but then again we haven’t been winning for some time now, perhaps the last 20 years.

I was fortunate enough to sit in on a discussion about this very subject last weekend.
Club representatives from roughly a third of NZ’s total gliding community raised the  2 most important challenges in front of their club, and individually, for them as pilots.

Perhaps most interestingly was what wasn’t raised as a challenge rather than what was…Youth glide, lack of toys or gliders, tow planes, club politics, not enough instructors, airspace, or even the weather.

So what are the big issues???

Lack of a clear, concise and co-ordinated Marketing Plan and/or Promotion Push for Gliding in NZ.

Alongside this is “How do we retain the members we already have?”

I won’t bore you with all the details suffice to say that I’m sure you will hear more about this in the near future.

However there are many views surrounding those challenges…for example here is one opinion raised this morning…(excuse the spelling…I assume it was typed quite early this morning with the lights off); NB I have removed any names but I’m sure you can work some of them out for yourself…

"All this chat and concern about declining membership is getting a bit rich.  *******  blog  comments are a joke - as he and ******s have been behind a number of destructive campaigns in an attempt  gain "control" that have left the Tga club divided - even the current CFI is calling the culture if the local club Dysfunctional!!.

"Life members" attacking, to date at least 3 senior members, sometimes quit aggressively, inlcuding a club Patron and past IGC President, apparently over a $30 disputed bill,  the current clubs President, and of course myself.
I might add that the "life membership" things was set up.

So why is the membership declining? and club flying declining?  My experience is that there is no club life - in fact I will not go there and hang around as I cannot stand the bulllshit poilitics of it - it seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the thing - so much so that I am seriously considering ditching the sport..

You poeple need to grow up and bit and understand that you shit does stink.  The ego of the poeple involved in amasing - there seems to be nothing else..

Im fucking sick of it ... this is why poeple leave and go do other things - funs things.....of course Im not involved because the hot heads are already in and exercising their all too powerful right of Vito - the CFI seeming to be unable to exercise his "chairman" responsibilies...

Not to mention of manipulative Australian tactics.."

Looking past the weekend (cos this weekend is toast).

This forecast is in it's infancy...but (and this is a big butt) Tues-Thursday next week looks like it might be one of the last good spells before we start the spiral into winter.

Working on another blogsite at present...a planned joint effort to share X-country ideas, tasks, weather stuff, and available tow planes etc etc. Still thinking of a name...

Will be handy for those who can down tools, hinch up their glider and be somewhere fast...watch this space...or any space as tomorrow the world is suppose to end, according to some religious crackpot - who differs from most religious crackpots by being a bit more specific with a time and date...although if the good folk of the US of A vote in Ms Palin the world may end sooner than we think...and now I'm rambling...

So you want it to rain???

Hold a gliding event...
The club had organised to go to Taupo for 2-3 days...excellent idea...but it would appear the forecast has put paid to that...

However there are some larger problems facing the club, and other club's as well I suspect...

At this rate by 2019 we will be doing no club flying at all...
This is not good...

I had this response to the last post...about the contest flying fee changes...so clearly there are a range of views out there about the value, or otherwise, of gliding contests. Certainly the number of pilots entering contests is slowly diminishing...although a re-jig of the structure (Club Class Nationals) has brought a brief respite...

Gidday David,

Re your latest blog post.

 

And that is the nub of the problem worldwide. Contest pilots with very few exceptions are no longer valuable club members. There is no tomorrow for these guys who hop in their ASWnimbodisco racer and disappear. The contest philosophy has to change from straight racing to interclub to try and provide members with a skills based contest using whatever the club owns. Home and away series so you travel to see how the other half lives. North Island and South Island leagues with a grand final turn about for each island. No landouts, minimal risk Club activity that fosters community.
Cheers
Paul

Showers Today

No surprises there...

Seems the club has a doubled booked day coming up (not the first time, and won't be the last)...lots of flights to get through before lunch. ATC and another group. We need to satisfy both...we have the resources to do so...2 tow planes, and 3 tow seat gliders plus the Duo.

Actually one bright spark suggested we do a mini "Big Day Up". Get lots of members down there and get stuck in...

But herein lies a bit of a challenge!!

Is the flash piece of plastic available for trial flights???

If it's not being used for X-country flying (as is likely to be the case in the morning) should it sit idle while the other 3 two seaters are busy? Does it make money, save money or cost money if it's not used for trial flights?? I'm not sure this has been thought through yet...

Apparently we are charging it out to club members at $1.15 a minute...whereas the other tow seaters are 50cents. I suspect this might be out of reach for some...

And oh dear, oh dear...don't get me started on the new charges for club gliders at contests...

I guess the basic questions is - does the club wish to support contest flying or not? Many of our current members are only X-country pilots only because of the challenge of contest tasks...something they mightn't have done on their own.

Change is in the wind...

Club Trip this weekend...

Not looking good at this stage...I know forecasts can be wrong but it would take a lot to change this outlook...

Metservice..

Friday through Sunday MetVUW forecasts...