Bob Struthers. 1984

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 turnpoint 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.

Bob Struthers