Recent News. February 9th & 10th. 2013

‘twas an interesting weekend we had.  Saturday kicked off with a snifter flight by Les Sharp with Peter Miller in the Twin.  The last-mentioned was replacing someone who had gone back to the hangar.  Lift was found/identified and used and then left so Les could bring the good news and the glider, back to the casually assembling earthlings.  One being Tim Hardwick-Smith who then disappeared into the fragmenting cloud cover and stayed away for about 3.45 hours.  He tried to push out east but not much to be had out there so stayed local the rest of the time.  A keen family group of trial flighters were flown in the Twin & K7.  I think they were happy with their experience and one or two will be back.  Viv Davy had a therapeutic 47m flight in DN – well- she trenchantly expressed that she needed that sort of flight.  Probably learnt something as well.  Ralph Gibson landed in the Hawera Technam, took the offer of a flight in Peter Williams’ Rhonsegler K6 and proceeded to plunder some nearby thermals, landed and then anxiously rushed off to Hawera hoping to be there before his wife who was travelling home by car.  Another flight for Peter Miller, one each for Brent Smith and Sam Tullett who had been retrieving all day long.  Fourteen flights for the day, a busy one for tow pilot Jim McKay and instructors Les Sharp and JohnTullett.

A bit slower to get going on Sunday.  Two flights of about 30m each for Justin Wonderlick, two of about 10 & 14m for new member Dennis Green.  10m for Viv Davy, four trial flights and one for Clinton Steele for about 36m.  Clinton is basing his glider at Stratford for the immediate future due to a current Wilga shortage.  Ten flights for the day, so twenty-four for the weekend.  Les was the Tow pilot and Tim and John T. were the instructors.  A big welcome to Dennis Green who is going gliding whilst a crook wing precludes his hang gliding endeavours.

Though there was thermal activity on both days, the thermals were rather scruffy due in part, I think, to the presence of stale warm air. Looking towards the central mountains, one could see where some towering cu had punched through the over-all strong inversion.

Below is a picture of westerly wave taken this morning, Feb. 13th at about 7.30am.


                            

                 Note the upper level wave is well forward of the rotor-topped wave adjacent the mountain.
                The local wind at the time was 8 to 12 knots.