12.30 PM: on December 31. First official training day.
One way or another I could not add more news to blog 4 ,so we just create a new one and continue here. Might have been too overloaded!!!
The gliders are launched right now. At 12.30 sharp the first club class gliders went up. 4 Tuggies available now ,so it goes much faster.
1.00 PM;
No clouds to be seen. Guess club class really has to work HARD the first hour!!!
Crews or TC’s coming in here in the club house look hot and bothered. Still a few at the grid, to be launched.
Some news;
About the airspace here :
According to Mandy it’s very simple and they feel very lucky with that. So they should!!!
Not as in parts of Europe, where you have to find your way through small corridors to go on track.
Tamworth is strictly for bidden. Pretty normal, big airfield.
Several Military Fields are open/ not active at the moment, as they are on a holiday.
As long as they mention that these areas are open ,you can enter them.It will be also mentioned on the task sheet.
So today is mentioned that R559ABCDE and R639CD are not active. But I presume you are not really interested in that.
Also important,…there is a zone of 60 km close to Gunnedah and that is totally unlandable,…so NOT safe .
Elevation of the field here is 1150 ft and the QNH 1011.
ONLY 6 weeks ,he is a member now from the club here , but he started flying in Switzerland, when he was 15 and went solo there. He found a “coupon” in a Magazine to fly for 5 Swiss fr.
He went to the club …. they did not know about the coupon but,…of course they took him for a ride.
For a while he was out of the soaring scene, but now he is full back in it, here in Lake Keepit!!!
Picture courtesy Pôle France Planeur
2 PM;
All glider pilots willing to fly seem UP in the air now, though I still hear some tuggies working hard. Clouds popped up over the mountains to the NNW. Pretty high!
The A tasks are on.
Did n’t go to the strip. Had to resolve a few issues with downloading pictures to my blog.
Back later.
5 PM;
Yesterday Diana was 1 of the pilots who flew the task. A lot gave up.
As it was a pretty long day for her, she is not flying today.
Guess today most of the girls will try to fly it.
They will land here in front of the club house at 14.
Maybe with a little bit of cross wind as they mentioned at briefing and a surface wind of 5 to 10 kts.
We are waiting.
The 4-wheel-drive to chase the kangaroos from the field just drove away,so there might some pilots on their way. I’ll have a look for you.
At 6 PM there is a TC meeting as well.
Back soon , but you can see the scores from this first official training day on www.soaringspot.com
5.15 PM;
When I opened the door I clearly heard the jet engine from 1 of the gliders coming back and trying it out. LOUD like a Citation leaving!!!!
2 Czech girls are back in ZE [Jana] and ZF[Eva] in 18 m. class. Also 51 [Liz from the UK] in 18 m.passed by ,when I waited at the field.
A few had just landed when I run up. All nice long straight- in- landings, as requested.
There are people in favor of the fireworks on the Bridge in Sydney and quite a lot against.
There is enough fire here in Australia already.
BUT,….The show goes on and when a million people will visit,they each can give money for the people suffering from the fires and for the fire brigade to assist them.
That ‘s the idea I heard on TV.
I am sure I speak for EVERYBODY from here, to wish you a SAFE, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS and HAPPY 2020.
CU next year in 2020.
Cheers Ritz
