Almost Day one!

No, not really as the weather forecast was well in favour of drought stricken farmers rather than go getum, gunho competition glider pilots.

After an abbreviated briefing-no prizes, no tasks Stev Care ran a well received workshop on how best to teach Paddock landings. Being that we had a room full of expert(lots of landouts) pilots. The most interesting comment for your humble scribe was. The better I am as a competition pilots the less landouts I do and so when I do a landout it is a "bit of a worry".

Some of the more interesting observations were:
Making decisions ie make decisions and stick with them in the landout phase.
Currency, nothing beats being current at paddock landings even if the are simulated at your home field.
Experince doing approaches, picking paddocks etc. Recommended that 10-15 approaches in a motor glider are invaluable for begining cross country training.
Needless to say many opinions were expressed!!! What do you expect from a room full of competition pilots.

Ben Flewett has now departed after a very memorable, but short visit. Says he will be back next year with a container load of gliders fromthe UK(and of course half a dozen British lads) Rumour has it that one will be a Ventus with a jet engine. Wonder how the locals will react to that. Probably quieter than some crazy prop driven stuff!!!

The weather has been the determining factor I understand in inhibiting Terry Delore flying his ASH across the ditch up to Competition Central.

Local farmer arrived yesterday to say his strip was available and he looked forward to "our chaps" dropping in, anything he could do to help? At least two others offered to keep stock off their strips for the next 2 weeks. Refreshingly quite a different attitude to some of our South Island neighbours.

This afternoon an intrepid band of pilots went biking, most on regular mountain type bikes, not our Lyndsey....dragged out a dejected old dunger from the back of the hangar...no we have a pilot with a wrecked rectum...Well a rather sore "sit upon".

Another-"you heard it here first" rumour. Apparently someone has purchased an airfield near Wellsford with both sealed and grass runways and intends starting a glider training operation.
Keep tuned.

Let Tuesday and Day one arrive in style. Fingers crossed.

Keep it up

Roy