The big snow.

That was one of today's highlights. Quite a lot and really low for Jan. Meridian are spilling water from the dams...looks really impressive from the air. There should be no power shortages this winter. All the mountain fed rivers are in flood.
The other interesting points were;
The fastest winning time was 130 kph...about 15 kph faster than anybody else.
Brett managed to get his tyre repaired, refitted and launch, still manage a second place and was probably the only glider without ballast.
On the other hand I spent an hour getting out of the Maniatoto.
Looks like a good day today.
I can't get photos from my camera to this IPad thingy...that'll have to wait until I get home.

It's raining, it's pouring...

The old man is snoring....

This is starting to feel like a Nationals in Matamata.
As I look outside its raining and 12 degrees. I'm picking that'll mean snow on the hills in the morning.
The Ahuriri River is in full flood.
Campers in tents have abandoned their sites and headed for home.
The West Coast is no longer a round trip as the only road bridge in Hari Hari has been washed out.

And I've been to Oamaru again...for a nice lunch with friends.

So what about gliding???

Tomorrow we hope. Actually it's looking quite good for the next few days...but I'll believe it when I see it.
We have a sponsor for this years Nationals. Mt Cook Alpine Salmon. Yum salmon.
Also because the locals don't use Soaring Spot ( a mistake in my humble opinion) you will have to get the link to the results off the GNZ site .... Gliding nz.co.nz I think.
Also we have a new Facebook page...the link is on the contest web site...like it and that'll help keep the sponsors happy. Maybe next time we can get some more cash.

And the gossip....there is plenty.
The first land-out of the year happened 1 km short of the airfield...in rain and strong NW winds.

The Tauranga Club is very thin on the ground this year. There are more from Auckland...5 I think.

More later...

In da house...

And what a house it is...overlooking the cloud hills and up into the Ohau's.
It's good to back in the Mackenzie...
It only takes 1200 kms, 16 hours in the car, 4 hours on Cook Strait, 12 cups of coffee, $200 of fuel, and 8 CDs to get here.

Spent yesterday in Christchurch. I might have spent 4 years in the Garden City but its now really hard to find your bearings. So many buildings are gone...really sad.

Wave and high cloud in Omarama today. Rain tomorrow by the sounds of the forecast so it'll be a chance to do something else.

However it sounds like rain almost anywhere you go in NZ tomorrow.

The Heika Parata approach to consultation...

There is a nice little parallel between the bumbling performance of the Minister of Education and my local clubs High Command...
Try to ignore the issues and maybe they will go away over the Xmas break...fat chance sweetie's...

The public won't forgive the Minister and she'll be for the chop sometime in the New Year whilst we and all the reporters are at the beach...
And I'm not about to let this change in club direction from promoting activity to counting beans drop.
And I'm not a solitary aggrieved, single issue, grandstanding, loony (well maybe a few of those) but I'm not alone...so thanks to those who have noted these strange goings on...

And while I'm on farcical, out of touch organisations...the National Rifle Association believe arming teachers and putting armed police officers in every American School is the solution to their out of control gun culture...
If they want the constitutional right to bare arms...take your bloody shirt off you total nutters...

I'm still here...just.

So the Mayan's got it wrong...it's the 21st and we 're all still alive. Problem is the Mayan calender doesn't say whether it's the 21st GMT, or NZST, does it allow for daylight savings? And if they were so good with their predictions then why did they cease to exist as a civilisation???

However here in Tauranga my patience is being tested by the local High Command.
In October I communicated to the then club president that I would subscribe to the Club's option of taking a hanger space for 6 months at the listed price - $120.
Now I've been told the deal has changed mid-way through the term. The last 3 months have been cancelled and the price per month has gone up 4 fold.
Clearly they are struggling with the Fair Trading Act, Contract Law and maybe the concept of integrity as well.

Whilst the sum of money isn't material to either the club or myself, this goes to the bigger issue. Should the over-riding thrust of the club be left in the hands of "bean counters" or activity promoters?? Along with the hanger rental increase, the tow charges have been increased, and despite a number of members suggesting the Duo charges are a major dis-incentive to people flying said aircraft no reductions could be expected.
I suspect the "bean counters" main arguments will be;

1) we need more revenue to balance the budget - true but more activity always delivers a better outcome for all...but raising charges will just decrease activity. In fact the best profit outcome for the club is to have no activity at all...but remind me why we are here, and why we are a club??? It's also worth remembering that we generate a surplus of $50-60k each year from the shops...so we are hardly "strapped for cash".
2) we don't like spending on promotion because we can trust to trial flights to bring new members - a strategy that has failed to work for 20 years and won't work post Part 115
3) the charges at other clubs or hangers about the airfield are higher - irrelevant because we aren't competing in that market, its about what works for us.

Alas things are not well...sadly.
The upshot of this new policy regime is I have removed my glider from the hanger therefore the club will get;
a) no more rental income, and there isn't a que of other aircraft waiting for space so little chance of a replacement
b) less tow income as I now have GNM in a trailer and may choose to fly elsewhere...the benefactors are likely to be Piako, Taupo or Omarama.
c) the possibility of no annual subscription either as this total lack of integrity means it would be best if I shifted clubs. I also know a few others contemplating a similar move as well..
d) no newsletter editor...although I suspect one of the "bean counters" is dying to take over this role...

I guess it's not too late...an apology from the High Command might be a start.

Given that the total membership continues to decline, general activity per remaining club member also continues to decline, and there is no plan for promotion and fostering gliding, then can the last person out please turn off the lights...

Is this my last post???

The end of the world is nigh...yeah right.
Although the concept is quite interesting...

Is it worth buying Xmas presents?
Sorry...but why am I bothering to mow the lawns???
If you only 6 days left what would you do?

Go buy a gun and shoot up the local school...when will that country learn that whilst the National Rifle Assn claims that "guns don't kill people...people kill people"...THE GUN HELPS...you have to wonder about the collective IQ of "greatest democracy on earth"...oh well, I guess a country that finds it acceptable to launch drone strikes against schools in Pakistan isn't going to put much effort into stopping disturbed kids getting access to Uzi's.

Unfortunately we won't need to sweat these decisions...or maybe we should...

Top of mind at present is where is my Spot Tracker??
If the world ends I want the big fellow to be able to track my movements...
Actually it seems I've misplaced it...bloody thing, you'd think being bright orange I could find it in my office...I suspect this reflects on the state of my office as much as anything...

Gearing up for Omarama.
Glide is packed...then unpacked cos I forgot to remove the batteries, then repacked, then unpacked cos I decided to put the parachute and stuff in the cockpit etc etc
Airspace and Navpoint files up to data...spare radio, hat and so on.
Getting slightly nervous...I haven't flown in those mountains for 2 years...
But no Spot...bugger.

I watched the club's LS4 launch yesterday into a strong sea breeze convergence. Turns out it was the Bald One...it looks like he made it home...unlike last year.
We launched into a great sky last Xmas Eve...only to have to spend the evening travelling around the Matamata area trying to find wally...sorry Roy.

 

And I should sign off now as this is starting to sound like a Facebook page...

See you on the other side...of Cook Strait that is...

What a great day...

It turned out fairly much as forecast.
Launched at noon. The sea breeze had already started in Tauranga and had moved 10 kms inland. A tow to 3000ft (cloud base) and a dash inland resulted in a 4 knot climb in front of the convergence. Bases inland were 6000ft but slowly got higher and were 8000ft by the time we returned home.
Best climb was 8 knots but most were 3-5 knots.
My colleague got into a spot of bother near Bennydale and we had to wait while he struggled back up.
The plan had been a 300km out and return (as far as I know no-one at Tauranga has done one in thermals...wave is cheating). We didn't quite make the bottom T/P.
However saw a few others out and about...a Ventus from Auckland and a LS6 from Taupo.

Airways vectored a A320 between myself and Roy at Tokoroa. Here I was looking out for a Q300 and this really big piece metal cruised through. I'm guessing the heavy metal guys were worried. However they were at 7000ft...I'm at a loss why they would want to be any lower over Tokoroa...which raises the question why Airways feel the need to control the airspace all the way down to 4500ft. If you were a A320 pilot heading into Rotorua would you really want to be that low over tokoroa flying into rising ground and 40 kms out from Rotorua Airport???

Sunday. Looks as good albeit with less cloud. Plenty of strong climbs however the sea breeze will move quickly.
GNM is in it's trailer ready for the trip to Omarama.

It's a long long way out...But...

Saturday looks like a decent badge task day. A good 300km thernal flight should be possible...and maybe even a 500km...Maurice.

I'll update late tomorrow.

However if it's looking ok I pull GNM out for a practise/badge flight.

Update - Saturday - not looking quite so good...there will be thermals about and once you get into the high country cloud base is expected to be 7-8000ft. However the instability will allow some quite heavy showers form in the afternoon.
Therefore an element of chance will enter the equation...

The space we need...

Not the bit between your ears but the bit between the ground and outer space that we need to operate in.
I got the sense late last week that various members thought we had successfully seen off Airways for ever...think again young grasshoppers...
This from an editorial I wrote in our club magazine in 2008...

Changing subject for a moment and in reference to a previous editorial regarding Airspace, it is regrettable the once again our CFI has had to fend off Airways totally misguided attempts to increase the regulation of a public resource – airspace. The folly of Airways approach is that with limited resources and controllers they seem convinced they need to control more and more of the skies. Logic would suggest controlling less and less airspace would allow better management of those areas left under their control. But logic and bureaucrats don’t make good bedfellows…

 

And later that year I also made these somewhat prophetic comments;

 

Experience the freedom of gliding…yeah right. Not when Airways are involved. The gliding movement has lost its attempt to preserve unfettered airspace up to 6500ft in the Waikato for the enjoyment of the general public rather than be at the behest of commercial IFR training and airline organisations.

The changes may not directly affect local flying in Tauranga but it will impact on those attempting to fly out over the Waikato, and especially those going south beyond Te Poi/Tirau. Whereas all airspace up to 6500ft was uncontrolled in the greater Waikato basin, now that level has been reduced to 4500ft. In a concession the airspace above and North of the Waharoa airfield can be opened to 6500ft on advise (i.e. you call ATC and they have 15 minutes to open it – no exceptions), but the area south is on approval. And we have all experienced what “approval” means…any busy days, any glitches in radar coverage, or any other pseudo excuse will result in problems.

Can we live with this?? We don’t have much choice, but clearly the established practise of meeting with Airways on their terms during airspace reviews doesn’t appear to be very

fruitful. Our leaders in the gliding movement attended lots of meetings, and we should thank them for their time and effort, but maybe a more “political” approach might be required next

time…headlines that read “Government body seeks to remove public freedom” might be a better method. And will there be a next time??? You bet there will be. If one looks at the new airspace map you can predict next airspace theft will be to lower the whole region to 3500ft in line with the airspace around Rotorua and Hamilton airports. This could also impact on areas Alpha and Bravo. What can we do???

Use the new upper areas in the Waikato as much as possible. Go cross-country as often as possible. Always open GAA 255 and GAA 254 when you intend to go west of Area Bravo,

document the reasons (busy, lack of staff, bad hair day etc) that Airways deny access to GAA 255 (the approval airspace south of Tirau).

If we don’t use it we are going to lose it…

We will need to be on guard for the next infringement on our Airspace.

Like...whatever...

The forecast suggested a nice afternoon. Certainly it looked great at 12 noon. Light westerly, clouds that looked like they marked 6 knot climbs, very little high cloud...it should be great...Yeah right.

It was a struggle to get over the hill...which is where I wanted to be.

It took me three attempts.
The first ended at 1800ft out of glide range of home...bugger. Surprisingly, and thankfully, and luckily I bumped into a 5 knot climb but by then I'd drifted all the way back to the city.
So try try again...or so said that Scottish chap - Robert Bruce.
Attempt two ended in the bush about 4 kms short of the ridge with a dash back to the Poripori strip (which I checked was clear of stock)...followed by a very poor climb to stay airborne.
At this point I was about to give up and go home, mow the lawns...however I heard both GOI and GKM launch. So pride, ego and mana was at stake.
Surprisingly attempt 3 was a piece of cake.

Once over the hill it was OK only.
However the trip back was interesting. I left the ridge at 4500ft. 20 kms later overhead the airfield we were at VNE still at 4000ft.

For the first time in living memory the Northern Regionals had a fully flyable week. It might have been ridge based without a truely great thermal day or two...but I can't remember a regional contest that didn't involve sitting about telling stories.

Gliding is happening in Omarama...how do I know this??? If put your glasses on...and stare at the picture below...

North then South

The latest issue of "North and South" has a great article on our local hero, long time club member, swimmer, surf life saver, skier and all round good guy....SupaSid.

Well done old chap...

The article closes with a sentence about being young of mind...not of body.
Reminds me of another club member, and my fellow partner in some crimes...the "bald one".

I need to remind myself when the crap piles up...every day is a new chance...

We won the battle...

Against the infringement of our airspace by Airways NZ.
Well done to the 18 glider pilots who submitted against this nonsense. The "Heat Map" developed by Tim deserves special mention...excellent stuff.

But will we lose the war?
Our freedom to operate in the Waikato area has been retained for the present but I expect Airways to "come again" sometime soon.
These cardi-wearers have little regard for their mission statement "Freedom to Operate" for anyone other than commercial interests.
So they will "re-group" and have another go in a changed format that sets out to achieve the same outcome. Less airspace for us, but more for them to control with less staff...a visitor from Mars would see the obvious...its totally flawed logic.

Today looks too blue to do much. I might trundle down to the local club and drag GNM out for a spin. GYL is out of action for a week or so.

Scott...if you read this blog...I'm being bombarded with bogus e-mail messages from your Facebook account. Take heart...from time to time some-one hacks my Xtra e-mail account and sends messages out of our "Vacation response" option. Bastards...you'd think there would be better things to do...

A Day at the Races

Despite not entering the Regionals I did manage to get over for today. No one had planned to fly GYL...so what was one to do???

I enthused my daughter to be the passenger, navigator, and ballast all rolled into one.

 

It turned out to be a blue thermal and ridge day. It started with some marked thermals and weak ridge. By the time we headed out towards Maramarua it was very blue, hazy and daunting. 3 of us tipee toe-ed out from 3200ft at Thames for the 18 km run to the 20 km circle around the turnpoint.

The solitary thermal we found on the return journey got us back to the hills and heading south.

As we approached the bottom circle my passengers need to pee was greater than her need for speed.

All and all a nice day.

The other issue of note was a landing out incident by a glider with a turbo installed. To early to be really sure yet but it may fit the pattern of late...turbo/self launchers getting into trouble as the pilot gets distracted.

Unfortunately it further proves the point I made a few weeks back about BFRs and whether the focus on spinning might be misdirected.

Pictures to come...

A Family Affair

After years and years of trying I finally got some my family up in the air.

 

 

 

In to a paddock they went...

Just a stones through away from Tatua. The highest paying Dairy Company in NZ...cos they steal cheap milk from Fonterra...but that's a whole other debate.

I am reliably informed that the winglets and tailplane were removed after the landing and not during...

U get what U ask 4...

Apologies for the txt language...there's nothing much more depressing than an older fellow trying to look young and hip...think John Key. However the full spelling doesn't fit...

I asked for a copy of an old photo of the Port of Tauranga area...and within hours a photo turned up.
Thanks JR. Taken in 1977.

Going further back below is 1943...thanks Bruce.

No harbour bridge, no container terminal and associated wharf, no timber storage, no Hewlett's Road, no marina...oh and no Gliding Club. We were still in Belk Rd.

South Is Results

You wouldn't know it but the South Island Regionals are on....
Why wouldn't you know...because for reasons I don't understand the results are not published on Soaring Spot.
I know Soaring Spot is a site owned and operated by Naviter and therefore plastered with ads etc...but so what. It's where the vast majority of contest results are published and it's where most go to follow contest that are in progress. Come on guys the modern world awaits you...just look north.

So I have belatedly found the site for the results...
http://www.glidingcomps.42.net.nz/sireg2012/index.php

They are already 4 days into the contest with 30 or so competitors. It's very close at the top of the Standard/15 meter class.

Hopefully all are having fun...which is what it's all about.

Locally the X-country course continues over the hill at Matamata. Looks like reasonable weather for training with a mix of sea breezes and thermals.
Next week is the Nth Is regionals. I can't free my diary up enough to compete but should at least head over for a day or two...either in GNM or GYL (ballast will be required).

Looking for ballast...

Flying by yourself is lonely...so I needed some extra ballast yesterday. The first ballast bag took the shape of Bill Mace. And the second trip I used Pieter Bronkhorst...a new Piako member with 9 hours on the clock. Pieter had a flash iPhone thingy...hence -

A warning to any unsuspecting members found loitering about...expect to become ballast at short notice...

 

28 knots at 258 degrees...not bad for a ridge day. Doing 90 knots and still going up...120 knots tended to result in no loss or gain of height.

 

Awww...a nice sunset

 

Sooner or later it had to happen...

I finally got myself organised and went flying in our Duo - GYL.
It's not new...being a rebuilt Duo after a mishap in Omarama.
However that means the wings are new, as is the canopy.
It turns out I had flown the glider in its old configuration as GYY in Omarama 5 years ago.
The 4 differences that I can ascertain between a Duo and a Duo XL are;

The roll rate is slightly (only slightly mind) slower...
The view from the back seat is slightly less...although not looking forward but rather when you try to look behind.
The lack of landing flaps does affect your approach angle and touch down speed.
The smaller wheel locks up on wet grass...

The plus is I can add heaps of water...which is virtually impossible in the turbo version.

Strong ridge lift today. We did the Kaimai Speed Challenge in 32 minutes (as best as i could tell).
187 kph.
I'll download the track later in the week.

X-country course starts this week. Lots of activity this afternoon as gliders were being rigged etc.

Complexity...and clubs

A cocktail that doesn't always mix very well.
The issue of spinning and the requirement to demonstrate this in a basic training glider has clearly exercised the minds of our local instructors.

At first glance it appears an easy issue...
Stalling and spinning an aircraft close to the ground can be terminal...for the aircraft and its pilot. So we should know how to recognise a pending stall situation and how to recover from it...all good so far.

The complex bit is that currently the leading cause of gliding mishaps is land-out mistakes. And especially that of managing self-launching/turbo gliders when time is running short.

However not all our pilots go X-Country so are unlikely to face this problem. Further, some of our instructors only do "trial flights" and it is arguable that issues around managing passengers is the biggest risk they face...weight and balance for example...which may have caught out the pilot of the parachute jump plane in Fox Glacier last year...

We have pilots who may never fly the training aircraft each year but are required to do a BFR in one...one wonders whether it would be advisable to use a two seater more closely related to their most frequently utilised aircraft (if you can follow that convoluted sentence...)...

So I don't mean to be critical...BUT...surely being too prescriptive may have a counter-productive result. The words of the newly created rule "...an annual check flight in which flying skills including spin recovery competence are demonstrated..." might be better worded as "...an annual check flight that has regard for the likely flight skills that will be required by the pilot to be undertaken".
Stalls in turns or thermals can be demonstrated without the huge loss of height that spinning entails which then allows more time (and altitude) to demonstrate other skills...raising the turbo on the Duo perhaps...

However, with the imposition of Part 115, the airspace invasion about to happen in the Waikato, and the declining membership this whole issue might become a moot point...

Tomorrows forecast holds the possibility of westerlies and ridge/wave conditions, and perhaps some thermals added in to boot. I think the time has come for me to venture forth in GYL...or GNM...too too much choice...

Part 115...it just keeps giving...

We were assured by CAA (last year) that Part 115 would be cheap and easy implement. The Minister at the time wrote to us and confirmed it should be no more than $300 for our club to register.
Medicals for a Class 2 would be a minor issue. All was well...

Yeah right...

This from the facebook page of a sole operator who takes people flying in a Bi-plane.
"If you are over 40 the medical cost for each pilot will be $1326 per year. The annual audit maybe $3000 per year but probably more, and the Part 115 certificate about $20,000".
What CAA and the Minister choose not to tell us last year was all the underlying CAA costs were going up after the implementation of Part 115. How honest was that!!!!

Two days left at the Aussie GP. Brett's in 4th place. Will need to pull out all the stops to move up the leader board. Go go...

I've read a number of submissions to CAA regarding the attempted theft of our airspace by Airways.
All make good points. However will it fall on deaf ears?? I must admit that the modern process undertaken by Gov't and Local authorities of consultation is really code for..."this is what we intend to do...we will listen to your squawking for a while but will otherwise proceed anyhow...".

Go Brett Go

A second on Day 1 of the Australian GP...well done. And only 1.5kph behind the winner on a 320km task. Well done...well done indeed.

http://www.soaringspot.com/2012gpkeepit/results/18-meter/daily/day1.html

This is a bit late...but...

Timelapse and track from last Sunday (4th Nov)
It was a great day. Passed a number of gliders from Taupo on their last day of the Central Contest.
Light westerlies with well marked thermals.
The timelapse shows the blue hole over Tauranga filling in by 1pm.
266km 3 point triangle...although had I had declared a 300km it would have been a piece of cake to do another 40kms. I got bored by the time I got to Tirohia and headed home. Lazy really.

 

Brett Hunter and his JS1 are competing in the Aussie GP starting today.

Go Soaring Spot for results.

I'll see if I can find a better link.

Today I'm flying something...

Haven't decided whether its a big discus or a little discus but judging from the forecast anything and everything will stay aloft today...

This forecast is as good as it gets folks...
Bases of 6-8500ft depending where you are.
6-8 knot thermals.
Light winds...maybe south but with a little west influence.
Not much overdevelopment....maybe a little in the strong areas...hills etc

Yippeee

Days are getting longer...its getting warmer...

Right???

WRONG

Omarama Airfield this morning...