So ends 2011...

The most rain we have seen in 18 years (which is as far back as my records go).
2.6 meters, or 2600mm, or 105 inches (for those of you still in the prehistoric world).

What will 2012 bring...no idea.

No rain...bloody hell I hope not.

Another GFC perhaps??

A JS1?? Probably not.

And 2012 arrived with another 100mm's...damn it's wet.

Enough already...

Apparently this rain is due to clear in 2012...

Just in time for me to depart to Slipper Island so I can watch the sky develop from the comfort of a beach chair relaxed in the knowledge that no matter how good the sky looks I can't get anywhere near it...

And no doubt when I return to the mainland the anti-cyclonic gloom will set in just to complete the picture...

Why do I own a glider??? I ask myself this quite frequently...

We have the Nationals to look forward to. Entered yesterday...by way of a complex process of electronic payment but old style paper entry form...go figure.

Trying to get enthused to do a 300km out and return from Tauranga.
No-one has done one yet..although I'm sure some-one will claim "that's easy" did it years ago...well show me the track...


It requires either a track down the western side of Taupo to Taumaranui or down the eastern side to 22 kms past Lochinvar. Both will have challenges. It's quite "do-able"...it was probably achieve-able on Xmas eve if I'd been a bit better organised.

Pictures from the 24th.

In no particular order...including GKM's resting place...amongst the hobbits.
The panorama is from the top of Mt Tahara on Tuesday.
I got so excited when I got past Whakamaru that I forgot to take any shots...sorry, it was  great convergence line.
And, yes I know, it's a bit like being forced to watch Aunt Beryl's holiday snaps...

What did you do on Xmas eve??

I retrieved a glider out of a paddock...
This, of course, is a positive thing because it means we went flying...
Probably the best day in a while. Track below.
Having reviewed the track I see a 68km final glide fom the Waikato river to home with 1500ft to spare.

The forecast was "spot on"...climbs of 5-6 knots, bases of 6-7000ft. Light winds and a few convergences away from the coast. If we'd been a bit earlier we probably would have made National Park as they was a strong convergence running along the western lake edge. Still a 300km out and return to National Park will be a big ask...

I ran into some itinerant Auckland pilots as well.

Poor old Chch...

Yet again the earth moved.

Closer to home we did the "reverse ridge" today.
Put another way it was an easterly rather than the more mundane westerly...the Kaimai's worked but along the other side. The eastern side feels somewhat more challanging as the land-out terrain is more limited.
The added impediment was the lack of Chch ATC so most of the airspace was closed...I gather the controllers were hiding under their desks or had left the building...a bit like Elvis.

Tomorrow might be a "goer"...it'll be hard to call and if things do develop the sea breeze will be in like a robbers dog...get going early boys and girls.

The Duo returns...I have to keep reminding myself it's a club glider...12 months in and one wheel is missing a hub cab, and jockey wheel has been left down at some point, and I have no idea if all the lights work. And that's only the trailer...I didn't bother to look inside. Anyone like to forecast what it will look like in 10 years??
update - 7am. Looks like it will be a soarable day. Light winds. Bases 4000ft near the coast working their way up to 6-7000ft inland. Sea breezes. Not much O/D but watch the hills.

The real challange will be airspace.

A small window of opportunity...

It just might work today...
Bases will be a bit low around the coast (sea breeze) but quite good inland.
Very little wind so very few convergences expect on the west coast.
A little bit of O/D in the late afternoon.

I guess everyone is rushing about buying Xmas presents, mowing the lawns (me), or towing the duo back from Auckland...again.

Saturday doesn't look as good as wet air and showers move in from the west.

Striking back against the Empire...

Our local life member, treasurer, Contest director, tow-pilot, marketing manager, scholarship organiser, and all round good guy, struck back against the Empire...may the force be with you Luke...correction Baldman.

So what if it was only in the BaySun... at least it illustrates the total lunacy that is Part 115 (at least for gliding that is...)
Remember 3 years ago we voted for John Key cos he was going to remove "red tape" and "all that paperwork"...yeah right. Pen pushers 1 - National Party MP's 0.

So I got it slightly wrong...

Tuesday isn't the stunner I said it would be...but hold on...back the bus up a bit...
I'm looking out the window...7000ft cloud base, thermals as far as the eye can see, little wind, easily a 300km day...
Oh that's right...I'm in Taupo.
Sorry dudes...right forecast wrong venue...better luck next time.

Those who can should...

Look to go X-country on Tuesday.
Looks like a nice afternoon...bases of 6-7000ft, thermals of 5-6 knots and well marked Cu's.
Light Easterly winds so no sea breeze convergences but a good run down through the Waikato to Taupo.

The Up's and Down's of life...

First it was an "Up"...the weather was looking good for Sunday...and my diary was strangely empty...
Then it was "Down"...an essayist I enjoyed reading finally checked out...
Followed by an "Up"...I attended a very pleasant celebration of a double half century (2 people turning 50 or the same night)...
Then the inevitable "Down"...our CFI has resigned...pity cos he's a great all round chap who I have no problem taking suggestions/criticism or delegated authority from...but clearly others do. Besides, I can beat him the annual rankings list...
But there is always an "Up"...had a great red wine or two with a friend from the West Island...Sydney to be more precise...he'd brought a case of red wine from the Barossa...outstanding...hence any spelling/grammar mistakes are his fault and not mine...
But the greatest "Down" was Sunday's weather turned out to be total, unadulterated, complete, and absolute crap...bugger those forecasters...

AND guess what??? Tomorrow looks OK and I'm stuck back inside...damn those forecasters

The Hitch is no more...

Christopher Hitchens passed away from cancer this afternoon...sad really.
At least I have 5 of his books to re-read.

A taste of his wit - on George Dubya before he became President..."He is lucky to be governor of Texas," Hitchens said. "He is unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things."

Gosh we are good bast&%ds...

Free milk in schools...
The list of benefits we dairyfarmers bring to this country is amazing...like having your very own Bill Gates pumping out cash day in and day out...

Where will it end...
And another 20 cents added to our forecast milk returns (just another $700 million for NZ Inc)...it's raining, the grass is growing, the exchange is coming down, the kids are on holiday, the dog is asleep...it's too good to be true.

I'd almost get excited and rush out and buy a Ventus 2cT...but $205k pulled me up a bit short.
Still I need an excuse to put one of these new LXNAV vario's in a glider - looks really awesome (cos we use "awesome" to describe anything these days...once the Universe was awesome...now my kids tell me the latest hamburger at BK is totally awesome...go figure)...I'm rambling...time to go

The Spanish Inquisition...

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"...or so said Monty Python. However it's a weekly occurrence at the local Gliding Club.
The Catholic Church required the Jews and Muslims of Spain to "convert" or leave...(although the modern day version is playing out in Israel, albeit with the boot on a different foot) .
A press statement was issued to counter some of the "good news" BS that CAA has been putting about...all this "Part 115" is the greatest thing since sliced bread...the public will be much safer...all will be well in the world.
The fundamental problem is NOT for GLIDING. As a voluntary organisation who haven't injured a passenger since Adam was a Cowboy it just adds cost, work and bureaucracy.
So some-one needed to challenge all this propaganda in the newspaper, on National Radio and the like.
Fight fire with fire I say...but for some you'd think we issued a Declaration of War on the good folk of Wellington. Not so...

On to next weeks heresy...insurance perhaps...

There are rumours about...

That there is a new glider in the hanger.
At first I thought it must be the PW5 GZX having been re-polished.

Then maybe the Duo-discus having finally returned from Auckland having had the very complex electrical wiring fixed...for now.

I did wonder if some-one had seen the newly polished wings on GNM and get excited but no...

It's a JS1. Fresh from south Africa.
What can a JS1 do that other gliders can't? Go here to watch the results of the Sth African Nationals.. http://www.soaringspot.com/sanats2011/results/open/total/day1.html.

I'll post pictures when they come available...or you can go and have a look yourself...

If you can get into the hanger that is...what with changed codes for the security system and padlocks on the doors. Watch-out of the rabid attack dog lurking in the hanger...

Youth Development Camp.

Tauranga has a participant in the annual camp held in Mecca...whoops - Omarama.
This year Scott (and his Dad, who no doubt just went along for the ride...no chance of getting any gliding...yeah right) gets to really stretch his experience, confidence and langauge skills - you ask some-one down thataway to say "Bert put fert on the dirt"...

I instructed today...yeah yeah...I know...it's not a common event. Wasn't too bad either...some thermal activity in the hills, we even got out of the zone. With this wind the mount was working as well...

Wanta go gliding???

Wait until next weekend...the next 5 days will be a write off.
And that's all I've got to say about that...

JoeyGlide is underway in the West Island...sorry Australia.
A great idea to get young people into contest gliding.
http://www.joeyglide.com.au/

Over promising and under delivering.

Yesterday's forecast could fall into that bracket.
I take some comfort from the saying that "we only learn from our mistakes".
Although if the mistake is big enough the chance to learn is somewhat overwhelmed by our untimely demise...it goes with the saying "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger...". Yeah well maybe but probably not...

However optimistic forecasts can generate humorous outcomes...

A certain glider pilot who frequents Auckland (Lord only knows why...and even he might be forgiven due to his non-existence) was so motivated that he travelled swiftly from the Big Smoke to a smaller Puff (Tauranga) only to get a speeding ticket.
This was followed by a 4000ft tow into the blue (he being of a renowned frugal nature a 4000ft tow would have felt like a long dentist visit) and thereafter a hard grind at 3500ft feet only to get no further than Tokoroa.

I feel much better having been trapped in a meeting for the afternoon. Otherwise I might have taken my own advice and dragged GNM out into the sun.

Looking ahead the chances of any gliding out of Tauranga over the next week are next to very little...but then again this forecast could be wrong. Perhaps a dash back to Auckland might be a bad idea..

Only 17 sleeps until...

I can get some spare time of my diary.
Tomorrow (Thursday) look interesting.
But as usual I'll be confined to a meeting room looking out in envy...

Very strong consistent thermals especially in the Waikato and Taupo/Sth Waikato area.
Bases 6000ft over the Kaimai's rising to 9500ft west of Taupo.
Sea breezes getting very strong (enhanced by a slight E to SE wind) in the afternoon. Some late overdevelopment in the hills and in the Bay of Plenty.

If you can go...get going early, go south and west, and go far and wide.
Expect a long glide back into the sea breeze late in the day...you lucky lucky bastards...

Even the BOP can get a Cold Front...

Normally for those of us fortunate enough to live in the Bay of Plenty (emphasis on the "Plenty" bit...) we experience weather changes as a slow, mushy, indiscriminate flop from one system to another.

For my sins I once lived in Canterbury (for 4 years)...here the weather arrived as a great roaring, crashing, blundering event at anytime of the day or night. Nor-west winds, rapidly moving cold fronts blowing up the plains with dust, sticks and bits of grass pushed in front, temperature changes from 35 degrees to 14 in an hour...

But once in a while we here in the land of abundance get to see a new system arrive...
This from Bruce...a change from a sea breeze to a SE wind late in the afternoon.

I'm reliably informed the black smudge is the Duo (GXT) electrical system working at it's maximum...that or it's Brett's new Jet powered JS1 running at its economical best...