February/March 2009

Date         Tow pilot      Instructor      Instructor     Duty pilot    Remarks
Feb 14     Connor         Tullett                               Arden
15           Connor         Tullett                               Arden
21           Sharp           Hdw-Smith                       Hopkirk
22           Sharp           Hdw-Smith                       Hopkirk
28                              Williams          Cook           Skene
Mar 1                         Williams          Cook           Skene
  7                             Hdw-Smith     Tullett           Jackson       NP ATC
  8                             Hdw-Smith     Tullett           Jackson       NP ATC
  9                             Hdw-Smith     Williams        Barham
14                            Tullett                               Walker
15                            Tullett                               Barham
21                            Williams          Cook          Arden             Hawera?
22                            Williams          Cook          Arden             Hawera?
28                            Tullett                              Hopkirk
29                            Tullett                              Hopkirk
    The tow pilot list will need some work on it. More info later.

Apologies:
Sorry for not keeping up with regular newsletters. The Recent News efforts are a bit easier to knock out and are up to date but maybe lack the gravitas of the monthly newsletter & roster. They tend to reduce the amount of material that I can use for a newsletter so you can help by giving me a story or two about your take on any event or your best flight so far.

Coming events:

We are scheduled to fly New Plymouth Squadron ATC cadets on Sunday March 8th. How many, we don’t know yet. Maybe a dozen or so.

A trip to Hawera is being planned. We haven’t been there for a while now and it has often been good fun in the past. On one occasion, both the Blaniks we had there, were flown to Stratford. The conditions were too good to miss. Ask Mike Gibson sometime, he was one of the pilots/culprits.
There may also be another trip up the Boo-ai, either Mangamingi or Te Wera, depending on how the landowners feel about the idea. (See later story.)

The weeks that were:

Difficult to know where to start, but there have been some quite good days, or days that were quite good at times. Peter Cook did OK by flying his Libelle out to Te Wera and back on a day when the conditions weren’t all that flash. Tim has covered a lot of ground in the Discus, revelling in its qualities as a glider. Nice to hear that. Having had the bionic work done, I’m nearly ready to find out how good it is!! The glider, that is.

Will Hopkirk turned in a couple of excellent solo efforts in JB with one of them clearing the QGP time requirement. Talking of the QGP, there will be a new round of lectures in the near future. Stay tuned.

Just before Christmas we flew a group of tilers, shouted a trip by their employer. What at first looked like an impossible day, relented enough to do the job and it was a happy group of jokers that headed off to a BBQ. Impressively, the first glider was rolling right on the time (9.30am) that had been decided, some weeks prior.

I gather that Glyn Jackson is now the proud owner of a Zenith micro-light aeroplane and a reduced bank balance. It’ll be a race to see which aircraft you’ll go solo in first, Glyn!

There has been a steady flow of trial flights and vouchers sold during the Christmas period. It would be fair to say that everyone we have flown has enjoyed the experience. The Twin Astir often the glider used. The value of word of mouth advertising is never to be underestimated and I often have enquiries from people who had enjoyed flights from German Hill many years ago.

A couple of weeks ago, we gave a trial flight to a gentleman who was not well, but his family intent on having him do a number of memorable and exciting things. Their tremulous gratitude at seeing him enjoying the occasion was quite moving.

We were pleased to welcome Ivan Evans, the Regional Operations Officer in early December who came, saw and had a couple of flights, one in JTA with Tim and one with Peter Williams in JB.

At the launch-point (or on asking nicely):

A driver parks his vehicle a bit close to the runway.

1st person: “Could you shift your vehicle please?”
Driver: “What did you say?”
1st person: “ Please move your truck back.”
Driver: “Whaffor?”
1st person: “You’re too close.”
Driver: “????”
Bystander:”Gerroff da ***#!!**!! Runway!!!!
Driver: :Certainly. Why didn’t you ask.”

And moves the vehicle back.

The moral of this story, for those who have morals, is that we should ensure that all vehicles are parked away from the runway and behind the potential swing area of a glider that is taking off. Duty pilots and instructors please note.

RECENT NEWS
Jan 31st 2009

Four flights at Stratford on the 31st January. A flight for myself and Peter Cook in WZ and three trial flights followed. One, for Mr Oakes with Peter Williams in JB was a special one for him and his family whose gratitude at the chance their Dad was able to have a glider flight was heart-warming to see. Ralph Gibson called in on his way to NP and did two or three tows. I suppose he did actually get to NP eventually.

Stats:

             Aircraft        Time        Flights
             WZ             58min      (2)
             JB              31min      (2)
            RWS           39min      (4)



The Te Wera Gliding Club

Some time back, Will Hopkirk mentioned that a farm that he and his wife, Sam, are leasing, had an airstrip on it. As a result, a fiendishly clever plot was hatched to have a gliding camp there.
Things were low-key. So low-key in fact that it was not until three days prior, that anyone knew we were going. Those attending were advised to bring all that was necessary for the weekend.

Initially the sky was rather clagged in but by the time people had got themselves and the gear sorted the overcast was burning off. Tim and Richard were off first in WZ followed by John in JB and Steve in TE. Tim had earlier taken John for recce flight in JTA to check out the airstrip which is opposite the former Te Wera Forestry Camp HQ. Les Sharp was on towing duties and Jim Finer also, with JTA, looked after getting TE out there.

The Te Wera airstrip. Sam Hopkirk & Tim have just landed in WZ. Photo: Peter Miller from JB with Peter Williams doing the flying.

In fact, Tim and Richard on arriving overhead the Te Wera airstrip, found things so good that they kept right on flying, landing some four hours later, having done a Tiki
Tour of the area, including a sortie out over Whangamomona (of Republic fame). John Tullett did the same having a two-hour flight. Having landed, he and Will took another tow and clocked an hour and sixteen minutes, getting great lift from a basin of cut-over pine tree forest. Steve having towed out behind JTA, soared here and there
for ninety minutes before landing.

Leaving Stratford. Richard Arden.



WZ over Whangamomona: Richard Arden.






Will Hopkirk and John Tullett

The group were accommodated at the shearers’ quarters and were, I gather, comfortably so. Will cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast next morning.





Tim, Steve and Les relaxing. Richard Arden.





The Te Wera monster aka John Tullett.





Commuting.



Arriving.









Steve had a scheme involving a flight to Hawera, which might just have come off but for a thermal absenting itself from where he’d hoped it would be.



Steve thinking.





Steve guards the PW5.









Sam Hopkirk had a flight in WZ with Tim and her father was treated to a Tiki-tour of the area by Jim in JTA. I had a couple of flights with Peter Williams in JB. Our GPS units were handy.
The airstrip disappears easily enough with nothing but sharp hills all around.




But overhead it is clear enough. The Te Wera lodge buildings at lower left. Saturday’s flight by Richard & Tim in WZ. Photo: Richard Arden.

Matthew Connor had been ferried in by JTA and so Les was able to have an hour’s flight in TE. Tim and Richard set off on a “short” flight in WZ that ended with them thermalling back home to Stratford. Will did a bit of circuit bashing with John before he and Peter Williams set out with JB for Stratford. The found things much to their liking there as did Les in TE with a cloud street running back onto the plateau and notching up an hour forty-seven and one hour ten, respectively.







Cloudstreet off the mountain with smoke.



JB with Peter Williams & Will Hopkirk off to starboard near Stratford.
Both photos by Richard Arden.

They were under an active cloud-street that extended eastwards from the mountain.
The sky out towards Te Wera continued to look good late into the afternoon.




The Yak section put on a great display.



Two of the Yaks in a power-dive over the airfield. A display not really for us but for a wedding group.

Stats:  

          Date        Aircraft      Time       Flights       
 
         Feb 6th    JB              3hr9m      (2)
                         WZ             4hrs         (1)
                         TE               1hr 30m  (1)
                         RWS                  29m  (3)
                         JTA                    15m  (1)

         Feb 7th   JB               3hrs 14m  (6)
                        WZ              2hrs 20m  (2)
                        TE               2hrs 29m  (3)
                        RWS            1hr  17m  (10)
                        JTA                     15m  (1)

All in all an excellent effort and some useful knowledge built up.

Stratford Feb. 15th:

This day turned out surprisingly well really. Things overdeveloped not long after flying began but later opened back up again and let a bit more heat through. There were five trial flights and all the TF’s enjoyed the experience. None more so than Sheree Menzies after aeros in WZ with Tim. And later, Malcolm Ainomome (from PNG) also in WZ but treated to some dogged scratching ( thermalling just above circuit height) courtesy John Tullett.

Will Hopkirk converted to the PW5 and on his second flight stayed away for 36 minutes


Will Hopkirk doing his checks.

Will on short finals.
Dave Drummond did his glider flights and then commenced towing duties in RWS.
Jim Finer had started the day with two launches in JTA and then Wayne Richmond in RWS towed until he had to go back to work.

Tim had earlier launched in the Discus with thoughts about a badge flight that vanished as the lift dissipated. John Tullett needed no second offer to try a good aircraft for size and clocked up an hour in thermals which Tim & I also shared in WZ.



John Tullett about to go Discus-ing.

Steve Barham and Richard Arden combined their talents and flew for half-an-hour in JB. Apparently not arguing who was Boss.

Statler & Waldorf, aka Richard and Steve, at rest.


And about to fly.

Stats:
                 Aircraft            Time            Flights
                 JB                  1hr 59m       (6)
                 WZ                2hr 47m        (4)
                 TE                 1hr 09m        (3)
                 XC                1hr 51m        (2)
                 RWS             2hr 53m       (14)
                 JTA                    18m        (2)
Bulk Flying:
Unless there is a subsequent directive, it applies only to those who have paid into the Bulk Flying Scheme. Where pupils under instruction are involved, if they have not paid into the scheme, then they pay tow and glider fees. Where a pilot who has paid into the scheme, shares a flight with another TGC Flying Member who does not belong to the scheme, then they should both split the total charge with the Bulk Scheme member paying half the tow fee and assigning his/her share of the glider fee to his/her account. The other pilot pays half the tow fee and half the glider fee. The Bulk Flying Scheme should not apply where another who is not a TGC member occupies the second seat. The tow and glider (or trial flight) fee is expected to be paid. Not to do so, means the club loses out on revenue and is anomalous with regard to those pilots not scheme members.

From time to time there are complimentary flights and where logged as such, there is no charge.
Incidentally, the cost has been raised to $600, this year included. There are some that need to pay the increased amount.


Though the Bulk Flying Scheme has merit, it should not be forgotten that its real intention is to encourage solo flying. And it does need to be fair to all parties.


Flight Sheets:

As a means of setting out the flying fees into a easily read account, we will try a tabular form whereby pilots will be able to read off their particular fees quite separate from another’s. Those logging the flights are going to have fill in some more columns though.

25 Years Back:

Dr. Louis Trichard of Hawera joins the club and solos during the Christmas camp at German Hill. These camps always good value.
Bob Struthers covers 170km in the Cirrus in the course of a 300km attempt from German Hill to Vinegar Hill Bridge and return. Landed near Bonny Glen. Jim Chaplin, his indefatigable retrieve crew.

The Skylark 2 glider, GCE, was sold for $5000 to Mr D Hampshire of Christchurch. This glider was later purchased by Keith Wakeman, also of Christchurch, who, in October 1957, flew this Skylark from Lees Valley at Oxford north over Cook Strait and landed at the Freyberg School grounds at Palmerston North. (The Super Men. Graham Alexander, J.S. Tullett.)

There was considerable discussion about what next glider to buy. The Grob 102 Astir as against the DG 101, the ASK 23 and the Centrair Pegase.

Bob Struthers, with wife Pat and Ivan Chinnery-Brown went off to take part in the Matamata Gliding championships. Bob came 6th out of 13 entrants. Had a bit of a scare when he landed in an apparently empty paddock but was soon surrounded by a mob of inquisitive cattle. A passer-by came to his rescue.

Well that’s more than enough from me. I hope this file is not too big for some of you to download.

Papa Mike.