The task setters did send us somewhere new. Branches...or by its other name the Shotover Valley.
I'd never been in there before. A bit scary. Given that the thermals were broken and fairly shattered, we had to rely on ridge lift and bits and pieces.
Getting above 7000ft was a real challenge.
Needless to say we all got into and out of Branches ok. One pilot had a real struggle to get out. The prospects of landing in there are interesting...to say the least.
Most pilots got around the 400 km task...yours truely couldn't quite work out how to get out of the Ben Ohau valley/ridge and over in the Jolly for the last turnpoint. Wave was the answer...quite why I didn't think of that I'll never know. Seems so easy when you think of it. Local knowledge (of which I though I had a bit) does help.
Last day tomorrow. There are quite a few possibilities in the scoring...albeit a real disaster would have to befall a current leader. But that's what all good Nationals are about.
I see young Tim is climbing up the scoring board in Benella. Excellent. We are watching Tim...no pressure.
On the Airspace front drama with Airways continues. Now they want to take away the uncontrolled airspace overhead Mt Cook. Apparently because of the twice a week flight from Melbourne to South America. Just great...not only do we have our own desk jockeys trying to stuff our access to a public good but now the Lucky Country are in on the game as well. What's next? The pavlova was invented in Australia as well, Phar Lap was born somewhere other than Washdyke...perhaps Jondongwillagong...
On a positive note our National Airspace Officer (who I last saw disappearing on the Ben Ohau Range) has a cunning plan for the Waikato airspace grab. You might remember that we were subject to a possible violation of our airspace rights in the spring. The first advance of the desk jockeys was repelled...but they will come again. So to beat them to a solution a proposal that meets theirs, ours, and CTC's requirements will be suggested. It remains to be seen how open to ideas Airways are.
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