…. Dave writes in to convince us otherwise:-

The excitement was buzzing and the anticipation high as Karl and I headed out to Munjal to help Terry and Trent crotch about 9,000 lambs…oh and maybe a bit of flying. It is June and looks stable as but….Trent is a certified tug master. There is a trike in the hangar, and Munjal has a more than sufficient tow strip.

So put down the rusty knife Karlos, the lambs are going to have to wait. It looks good for a hep of tows and landing practice. So we went and set up while Trent sorted out some cameras for a bit of footage.

It was about my third tow and the air was smooth-as again so this time I thought I would just stay on tow until Trent waved me off. As we climbed out over Munjal, there was a blanket of cumulus type clouds to our north. Trent read my mind and headed towards them. As we got closer, I realised we were above the clouds. This was phenomenal. Trent waved me off and I was releasing higher than them.

I had a huge grin on my face as Trent and I headed single file across the top of the cloud blanket. The scenery was sublime. The top of the cloud was a shimmering incandescent white. I had a feeling of pure freedom to be gliding over the top of cloud like this in a hangie.

With the sun behind us I could see the silhouette of glider with a rainbow circling it cast against the clouds as they rolled and evolved slowly from the air movement underneath, and the drift from the prevailing wind. It was a 500ft thick white carpet with exists through vertical holes and valleys which I could see below to the paddocks and mountains, giving me know fear of being whited out. Sinking slowly I began to glide through the wispy tops of the taller stacks. I pulled on speed and dived through the cloud into the valley. With walls both sides and a clear view to the ground below, flying along this canyon of cloud, I was completely awe struck.

Trent was in front and flew left down the valley so I headed right headwind, gliding to the front of the clouds facing the south east wind. Near the end of the valley I cut the corner exploding through the cloud wall. Out in front the air was buoyant not enough to ridge soar but I got a small taste of this huge white wall as long as possible slowly descending. I cruised back into the valley gliding around surrounded by cloud, gravity slowly spoiling my unique experience. So I pulled the bar in for one final dive through the wall and out the cloud base. I was speechless as I headed back to the tow paddock. I took a look behind me at the surreal white playground. That was an experience I won’t forget for a long time.

These indescribable types of experiences are part of this awesome sport we do. And every time I think how lucky I am to fly I think of all the people involved to make it so great. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate the generosity and enthusiasm we all receive when flying at Munjal. Thanks Trish and Terry for letting monkeys share your place. And if it wasn’t for Trent’s time and passion for this sport, we wouldn’t get off the ground at all.

Cheers,
Dave