April 2010 newsletter

   Date      Towpilot      Instructor       Instructor         Duty Pilot
  April 2    McKay         Tullett                                       Arden
          4    Sharp          Williams                                    Hopkirk
        10    McKay                                                          Walker
        11    McKay                                                          Finer
        17    Sharp                                                           Engelbrecht
        18    Sharp                                                           Campbell
        24    Drummond                                                   Arden
        25    Drummond                                                   Hopkirk
  May 1    Gibson                                                          Walker
          2    McKay                                                          Finer

I understand that David Drummond is available only on the afternoon of the 25th. Would everyone please arrange your replacement if you can’t do your roster spot.
No complete instructor roster to hand. Will advise later.

The month that was:

Taranaki Anniversary Weekend one out of the box for the Saturday with superb local soaring conditions in fresh SE airflow and a reasonably high cloud base. Richard Arden covered more ground and for longer both WZ with Tim and then by himself in TE. The only other good weekend saw Stratford taken over by a micro-light rally, though we could (and should) have flown on the Sunday afternoon. The last weekend in March was spoiled by a SW airflow which was too rough for prudent flying save for a trial flight which showed it was too rough for prudent flying.

Wash that glider and fly right:

Glider wings pick up quite a bit of bits and pieces, both in flight and whilst hangar-ed, that is not good for laminar airflow, create drag and thus reduce the performance of the aircraft in flight. Following the daily inspection (DI) give the gliders a wash and wipe clean. Be careful with the canopy, make sure that the cloth (chamois) is clean and don’t use a circular scrubbing motion. All that is needed for this task is on hand.

It was noticeable when we started, that the wings of TE felt very rough and were much smoother after waxing and polishing. Another such treatment would probably be indicated. Then there is WZ.

Some sheets are available to cover the wings of both (hopefully) TE and WZ when in the hangar and keep them clear of bird droppings.

Quite simply, some TLC to the aircraft before flying can contribute to a better flight for you and demonstrate the club’s pride of ownership.
















Will Hopkirk and Richard Arden busy polishing the wings of the PW5.

Competition pilots have gone to the trouble of having bug wipers fitted. Whether they are effective or not, I don’t know. Variometer/flight calculator systems nowadays can provide a readout of the effect of bug degradation on glider wings. Could be significant, on a final glide after a long flight, to know what the story is.

A photo from way back:

In 1969, the Upper Valley Gliding Club paid a visit to Stratford for a weekend during which there was some good flying. The visit culminated in the purchase of an Olympia 463 ZK-GDJ which served the club well until 1972 when it was destroyed in a take-off crash along with our towplane, an Auster J1b ZK-AXL.
Clive Sherman’s launch in DJ was a sight to behold. DJ had a sensitive elevator!
The TGC then visited Upper Valley over Queen’s Birthday Weekend at their Whiteman’s Valley airfield where Bob Struthers and Colin Gould did their five hours on the ridge and I did my C Certificate 30 minute flight. An Upper Valley pilot’s wife nervously enquired of us, “is that young man who had the drinking contest with my husband at Stratford, here?”
He wasn’t.


















Upper Valley’s Piper Super Cub ZK-BTL and their K8 ZK-GEW lining up for take-off at Stratford. EW was lost, some years later, in a crash into bush north of Wellington.

Trial Flights:

We sell three categories of trial flights: 2500ft   $160  20 min
                                                          4000ft   $220  30 min
                                                          6000     $320   60 min
Essentially, what has been purchased is an aero tow to the nominated height above ground level. So, 2500ft agl at Stratford is 3500ft above sea level. When the vouchers are sold, the duration listed is not guaranteed. A 2500ft voucher is described as of “about 15 to 20 minutes”.

There have been occasions when the duration of a 2500ft flight has been from 45 minutes towards an hour. This in effect destroys the value of the 4000ft & 6000ft flights and opens the club up to a legitimate protest as to unfair pricing.

Pilots should adhere to the height and duration profiles advertised. Tow to the height nominated on the voucher. If the nominated flight duration is exceeded, then they should pay the extra glider time themselves.

Where our two-seaters are involved in pair or shared flying, the Bulk Flying Scheme only applies to Flying Members of the Taranaki Gliding Club.

Trial flight sales are down this year with an immediate impact on revenue.

From the Treasurer - Future costs:

We should not be surprised to find that the Govt. will increase GST from 12.5% to 15% in the near future. Since our membership and flying fees are GST inclusive, some adjustments will need to be made when the increased GST inputs and GST outputs take effect irrespective of any other considerations that might demand fee increases. Hangar fees inadvertently escaped GST this year but won’t next year. Apart from the above, an increase in membership fees should not be ruled out.

25 years back:

Well, it is actually 26 years for this one but it is the best x-country flight out of Taranaki by a TGC pilot and naturally, it was Bob Struthers who made the flight.

January 1984.

Bob Struthers' account of a flight from German Hill to Bonny Glen. In the Standard Cirrus, GHP.

Second attempt 300km. The weather forecast for Friday December 30th looked promising and Les Smith and Mike Gibson had both made noises about having a go at their five hours. So the night before, I did the paper work, jacked up a tow pilot and Jim Chaplin to retrieve. Next day after seeing the Skylark struggling to stay airborne overhead, I launched at 12 noon and made a bee-line for the mountain. I got my first good thermal over the bush and happily wound up to 5000ft (asl) and cloud base. From there I maintained height, flying more or less straight to five miles east of Eltham at about 12.30pm. From here on, the coastal country was all blue but from the edge of the tiger country right over to Ruapehu, the sky was filled with lovely, well spaced cu's.

It was, therefore, a case of working the rather rough thermals coming off the first up-slopes of the tiger country, trying to ignore the one and two knotters and only stopping for three knots or better. Now down to 3000ft, passing Waverley at 1.20pm. After what seemed an age, I was three miles inland of Wanganui at 2.05pm. For a while it seemed that my flight would end near the meandering Wanganui river and was busy trying to decide which of two nice looking paddocks I should land in, when I blundered into lift of a steady four knots. Soon back at 3000ft, I headed more inland, skirting the vast blue hole, which enveloped practically the whole of the Manawatu area. Progress was slow until I ran into the daddy of the day, a four to six knotter which hoisted me rapidly to 4500ft. From there, a ten minute dash and I had photographed the Vinegar Hill bridge turn point over the Rangitikei river.

From here, eastwards over the Ruahine Range to Hastings, the sky was booming but thinking of Jim, I pushed temptation aside and turned back towards Taranaki. The end came swiftly now, for I was flying into a ten knot headwind and I landed on a farm strip at Bonny Glen. A distance of 170km.

At 11pm, we unhitched the trailer at German Hill. Thanks again Jim. *

...........................................................

And so with that, there is a challenge for the rest of us. Roland van der Wal has flown from Wanganui, onto the mountain and returned to Wanganui twice, now. We have a bit to do!

Papa Mike


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