Volume 40 No 4 Aug-Sept 1989.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE FLYER
MICK WELLS
Thermals, although plentiful, were weak and
broken initially and progress was very slow.
About half-way along the firsUeg cumulus began
to form but unfortunately it was all behind me! I
pushed on into the blue ,but although lift
improved, progress was not rapid enough and I
aborted the 'task just before the first TP to enjoy
myself under Ihe cumulus to the west.
At briefing the next morning 'the flow had
backed to the north-east and, with another promising
temperaturetrace on the board, Idecided to
attempt the same 1004km triangle. 'launch time
was similar at 1035 but the ea'rly lift felt better
organised and was certainly easier 10 use. About
one third of the way along the first leg small
amounts of cumulus started to form and I
experienced some good: climbs to 7000ft.
" ... I seemed to make contact
with a blue street and
covered a lot of ground . .."
The amount of cumulus remained small and
became nil just belore the first TP with the prospect
01 a lot of blue ahead'. The next leg was
almost directly into the north-east wind and conditions
remained blue for the first half. However,
the first part went very well and I seemed to make
contact with a' blue. street and covered a lot of
ground without having to stop very often,
Then the bollom tell out of my world and I fell
into all kinds of bad air. The terrain looked a good
thermal producer but all 'I could find was heavy
sink and the occasional broken thermal which
wouldn't develop,
Finafly I was down to 1500ft near Swan Hill
town and airfield and feeling distinctly underconfident
about a successlul escape. The air
gave tl;le feeling that there was a decent thermal
in the area if I could, only stumble into it.
Then I found broken 4kt lift which strengthened
to an average of 6kt and I could breath
again. Small amounts of cumulus were forming
near to track beyond the town and I was very glad
to see them as the,terrain became less hospitable
on the run in to the seoond TP. Rates of claim
were reasonable under the cloud and I elected to
stay high, operating in the 5000 to SOOOft
height band,
Being conscious that the last leg was 442km I
reasoned I would like to turn Hay by 1645 which
would give me 4hrs to last light at Waikerie. As it
happenedi I' turned at 1610, not that I could relax
too much as the cumulus were rapidly disappearing
to become thicker areas in the inversion haze.
Good landing options were still not plentiful so I
elected to accept reduced rates of climb and
stay high.
Shortly after I made contact with a couple of
beller blue thermals which boosted my progress
and I established radio contact with two pilots flying
a 1OOOkm z,igzag course from Waikerie. They
reported good' cumulus around the Waikerie area
and said that I should contact them in another
200km or so.
Four or five reasonable climbs pl:lnctuatedi by
long glides finally brought me within Sight of
cumulus, I then had the frustrating experience of
AugusV8eptember 1989
watching the first few clouds disappear as I
approached them. Tactically I wanted to stay hi{jh
at this time of 1he (fay; instead I found myself
approaching 3000ft as I darted between decaying
clouds.
Finally I' made contact with one that was build­
,ing and I was able to relax at 6kt to SOOOft. It was
nearly 1900hrswhen I resumed wings level flight
and the sky to the north-west over the scrub
looked superb with evenly distributed cumulus
that appeared '10 nave a base of at least 10()(X)ft.
Unfortunately things were not so good where I
was and I dumped all my water. I was not thinking
aboul speed at this stage and t gratefully accepted'
t 'hkt at5000ft about 80km from home. As I
climbed .better looking cumulus formed behind
me so I back-tracked a small way and centred on
a 3kt thermal. I' took it to 9000ft and enjoyed a
lengthy final glide to finish at 1938 during the
course of which I burned off the extra 2000ft I
didn'.l need - well I didn't want to risk a land out!
The post-flight beer was nearly as memorable as
the flight.!
Post-fligh.t analysis revealed that the 293km
first leg, affected by the crosswind and having to
use the first thermals of the day, was flown at an
average speed of approximately 9Skmlh. The
second, into wind leg 01 269km was flown at an
average speed of approximately 107kmlh which
proved that the excursion to low level hadn't been
to expensive in terms of lost time.
The last 442km leg was flown at an average
speed of approximately 127km/h, reflecting: the
contribution: 01 a quartering tailwind and a 30min
final glide. T'ne overall working height was in the
region of 5000ft to 7500ft with thermals during
the main part of the day averaging 6 to 7kt. The
forecast called lor a wind at flying height from the
north-east at 10 to1'5kl and that felt about right.
Navigation was not a problem due to the presence
of distinctive features en route and the
usual excellent Australian visibility.
To say that I enjoyed the fight would be a gross
und'erstatement! BUildinQ excitement when I
realised there was a good chance ot completing
lhetask gave way to elation as I centred in, the
,final' 3kt thermal and realised the final' glide height
was within reach. I learned quite a lot technically
from battling with the early thermals at maximum
weight -I' think it was worth keeping all the water
as the thermals improved quite quickly.
I learned a lot psychologically from being at
1500II in the blue a long way from home and from
haVing more than 440km to go at 1610! I was
also reminded how solitary an occupation long
distance non-competition flying is, but my Open
Class background helped me to cope with that.
Finally, although it was a good day it was not a
great day by Australian standards and it opened
my eyes as 10 what might be achieved on a really
goodd~
a
AUSTRA:LIA
~he 1990 Australian Nationals, with three
Classes, are at Benalla from January 6-20 and
international visitors are welcome to enter. There
will also be a team event with each country represented
by three pilots.
for more details contact the Gliding Federation
of Australia, Building 130, Wirraway Road,
Essend'on Air,port, Victoria, Australia. rei: 03 379
7411. Fax 033795519.
ADVENTURE
WITH A
PIRAT
Myapologies to those who have heard this
story before but I hope someone may learn
from it.
Some lime ago when the Pirat was new to us.
an.d the club hot ship, I was flying it at 3000ft and
thought I would try a spin to lose height. I tu mOO
to the right and banked, hauled off the speed and
as it neared the stall I applied a boot full 01 in-turn
rudder. I then tried picking the wing up with the
ailerons and whiz, away it went half a rotation,
then full opposite rudder arid out it came.
That was fun and as I still had 2500ft left I tried
a spin to the lelt. I used the same method 01 entry
as before and, whiz it went again. This time Ifeft it
forlwoturns, put onopposite rudder and the rotation
stopped but the nOse bunted down, apparenUy
past the vertical. All of a sudden I stopped
enjoying myself and felt scared, especially as this
was one of those few occasions I wasn't wearing
a 'chute.
I was diving at the ground and if I couldn't sort it
out 'I was going to be dead very quickly.
White knuckles
holding the
pole fully back
What had I done wrong I went through the
recovery again. Full opposite rudder, yes I had
done that. Centralise 'the ailerons, yes the stick
was central. Ease stick forward until the spinning
stops. I looked down to See white knuckles holding
the pole fully back.
Hell, I'd gal to try pushing the stick forward
even though I seemed to be in a vertical dive.
However,l would have tried an.ything to get out of
that mess and forced myself to push the stick
forward.
Almost instantly I felt the 'elevator biting ,the airf1ow.lf
started easing ,back on the pole again and
the Pirat zoomed out of its dive. I wiped the sweat
away from my brow and checked the altimeter ­
~400ft, so taking into account the fremendous
zoom up from the dive I must have bottomed out
at around 1OOOft.
In retrospect I was caught out by the nose
down bunt when I stopped the spin rotation and
so did not go through the full spin recovery
action. I sometimes think back and wonder what
the inquest would have made of it had I crashed
on to the Southwood golf oourse. No doubt the
verdict would have been pilot error and they
would have been right. a
171