Another great weekend at Forbes. Sunday proved to be a real standout with 4 different triangles of greater than 160km being completed by the various groups of guys that gave it a bash.

Cirrus threatened to shut down the day but to our surprise there were still some great climbs under the high cloud even though the CU development had been somewhat suppressed.

A standout effort was completed by Guy. He stuck with the original course of Forbes – Grenfell – Marsden – Forbes (180km) despite the decorating conditions and made it around! A great effort Guy!

A fun day out for all involved.

Tracklogs up here

Barnsie is really in form these days and flew like a daemon last weekend to claim his latest PB!!! It’s just a shame that this one will be broken again this season …

Friday

After 2 weekend at home with bad flying weather, A 3 day weekend was coming up at Forbes.

Friday it’s Trent Dave Pete D and I. It was going to be windy so we set a bit of a zigzag task down to Woodstock. It was only 98k but knowing that the next 2 days were just going to get better it was a good starter. The air around the thermals was really ruff. I was working on fly these conditions a little safer, trying not to let the glider get pitched up, avoiding not spat out and searching around for the better air etc. I was nerves about the landing with the strong wind and ruff conditions, but in the end everyone landed safely, mine was a vertical decent all the way to the ground.

Saturday

You know your in for a big day at Forbes when you see Guy and Len are there setting up early. They’d set a 312k task NE to Mullaley. Wow I love a task that will bet my PB. Wind was a little less than yesterday, but it was still 30k up at the boundery layer to push us along. I found my self at the back of the que to tow. Steve did a grate job as it was one of the wildest tows. Strait though a booming thermal, we got through it and then climbed in some smother air before going around to drop me back in it and I was on my way. Everyone was already on task and it was a going to be another day of catch up. I tryed to get to Trent and Nath. Nath landed at parkes and trent took a more north track and landed on the other side of range to the NE of Parkes.

Once I got my self over that range, Dave Guy and Len where my next target. The thermals were very rough like the day before, but I was determined that that would not put me off. Dave landed around the 190k to go mark. So I decided to stay high, stopping for more climbs than I probably need too. Most climbs were only 5 – 6500ft. The ’stay high’ trick was working… I was slowly catching Guy and Len. It would be grate to finally have people to fly with after all this time, but it wasn’t not to be.

About 5pm and the day was starting to slow Len had called a town to the north of course line, It was right on 240k mark my PB distance. So I flew on another 8k before turning around and landing at the town.

Thanks to Dave (who was ment to be back in cannberra that night) and Anet (who was only ment to have to do a short retreive) doing the long retrieve to come and get us. We got back to munjal by 2am.

Flight here.

(after 5.5hrs and 248k)

Sunday

After yesterday I would have been happy enough to drive for everyone, but it was a light and variable day. Good for a triangle. Guy and Trent where well underway. We had 3 week-link brakes in the paddock. So by the time Len and I were climbing out we decided to take a short cut and meet up with them half way along the second leg. After a scratchy save at parkes mine we all joined up and went on glide to Trundle. For some reason I was finding some of the best lift lines on the way. Putting me on the top of the stack for quite a few thermal (this just never normaly happens, but improving my gliding is something I’ve been working on for quite some time). Being just weekend flying, I hung back at the top of the climbs for the others to climb up to me. This was probably a bad move coz later on, with only one really bad decision I was left behind. But never the less I still made it home and pulled of a text book landing to finnish off an awesome weekend. 14hrs in the air, a PB that’s taken me 5 years to brake and  440 some-thing ks, I’m a happy man

Flight here.

Stuck for ideas on how to impress the other half in the lead up to the big season ahead? Steve gives us the hot tips on how to really wrack up those brownie points…

High Flyer’s,

A couple of weeks ago my wife, Anet, asked, as we have never celebrated in any way our wedding anniversary over the last 21 years, if this year we could do something memorable – maybe go away somewhere ?   At once my romantic side got carried away as I told her it was already planned. I was already going away and she would be more than welcome to join me for a romantic 3 days in Forbes. Anet could not wait and promptly organised time off work.

Friday was a warm day with a North West wind when we arrived at the airfield at 10am.

As we were staying in Grenfell and Pete would be going home to Canberra the boys decided that a zig zag down wind run to Woodstock would be the go as this would give plenty of cross wind practise and keep them close to home.

Dave, Trent, Barnesy and Pete all headed off together after leaving me a list of turn points and goal co-ords. Anet hooked them up, did the ground marshaling and then drove Pete’s Land Rover whilst I drove Dave’s Nissan. Pete made Woodstock in the Atos then flew head wind back to Cowra. The retrieve could not have worked out better. With good radio contact we were able to track him down and then check out the landing paddock just ahead of Pete’s landing. The owner was very excited to have a practising Forbes competitor land in his paddock. Anet then got to ride shotgun with me in the Nissan for the next part of the adventure.

Meanwhile the other boys had also made Woodstock then decided to float around and check out the local farm land to look for a good hiding spot eventually landing in a paddock of very solid stalky Canola stubble next door to Fred Fayes massive Ag strip, just out of Cowra. This was great. When combined with directions from Trent, Anet and I finally got a bit of time together as we played hide and seek retrieves.

Saturday saw Nathan, Noma, Evgeniya, Michael, Len, Guy, Roger and Dave with the Millennium join us. As I did not know the little Russian girl, Evgeniya, I made her wait until late in the day for the air to settle down before I towed her in her new Litespeed 3.5. She towed and flew exceptionally well and was keen to join the boys for Sunday. It was great to see Michael has his Aeros all sorted and after a small adjustment to remove a left turn he was flying very well. Thanks also to Michael and Deb for helping out Noma after his car broke down on the way out to Forbes on Saturday.

With Saturday’s South West wind a task was set for Mullaley near Gunnedah. Anet was again Ground Marshall and Retrieve driver for Dave, Len, Guy and Barnesy who flew a new PB. What better or more memorable way to celebrate your 21st wedding anniversary than driving for this great bunch of hangies, on a romantic outback all day, all night adventure. 

Nathan flew over to Parkes to visit his rellos and the rest stayed local, landing back at the field.

Sunday saw very pleasant temps, light winds and the boys even returned my wife so she could enjoy more time at the field. Dave May had to go home, sacrificing the best day to be with his family. See I’m not the only romantic, considerate partner.

A rather challenging triangle task was set and completed by Len, Guy, Trent and Barnesy with Trent pulling off a tree top height save at the first turn point. Meanwhile, Nathan having had a very pleasant visit the previous day decided to fly to the rellos again on Sunday. The rest of the flyers set their own tasks and most landed back at the airfield. Michael and I did the retrieves giving Anet a bit of time to just hang out and enjoy the relaxing surrounds and great company that was to be found in the Dragon Fly hanger at Forbes air field. Although the thief was unable to be there and was sorely missed the other Dusties tried hard to make up for him with many great vanishing tricks of their own. Sending co-ords then hitching a ride to town or landing in difficult retrieve sites then moving. This was extra exciting for the retrieve driver who didn’t have a phone with him. On Sunday the disappearing trick almost backfired on Nathan as when we got back out to his glider, a local was just about to load it onto his vehicle, thus making a glider disappear.      

Thanks to Bill for the Dragon Fly, Anet, Dave Phillips, Michael and Roger for the retrieves and to all the guys that helped to make such a memorable 21st anniversary. A special thanks to Anet for the marshaling and keeping all the paper work records in order.  Finally a big thankyou to Terry and Trish for having us at your house yet again.

I hope to do it all again soon and may even let Anet come with me, even if it’s not an anniversary as every trip out with you guys is a very special time to remember.

Steve

A few pics from Nath to set the mood…

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Yet another top notch weekend has been had at Forbes as the fellas write below.

Barnsey Writes

180km triangle in October!

BOM had predicted light and variable winds with isolated showers and thunderstorms, so it was either going to be really good or OD and shit.

Guy turned up early with task in hand. He’d worked out how to keep us out of the any over development and set a 180km task. Forbes – Marsden – Grenfell – Forbes.

Guy and Len where already on task when Dave and I where climbing out. Our next thermal was nothing special and soon after I found myself scratching up out of a paddock with the aid of 2 big eagles. By the time I got my self back up, Dave was already at the top of the next thermal and on the way to catching up with Len and Guy… charging!!! So for the rest of the flight I spent playing catch up on my own. I got with in 6 km at the first turn point, but got slow on the next leg and their lead just got bigger. By the time I go to Grenfell they had 30k on me.

At around 5pm the guys were calling they were on final but I still had 40k to go and the day was slowing down and I was regretting not having had anything to eat since breakfast. I really didn’t think I was going to make it, so I took a cloud street toward Forbes town keeping the main road underneath my rather than following course line and landing in the boonies.

I got to the edge of town with not enough height to get over it. I called that I wasn’t going to make it and chose a nice paddock to land. But as so often the case, just as you’ve given up you find lift. It was only going up to 4g but that was enough to give me a 10/1 to the airfield. I landed 100m short in the next paddock but seeming it was just weekend flying the guys reckoned it was close enough to claim the 180k triangle.

Dave Writes

Well after Guys ridiculously precise forecast yesterday we all arrived at the airfield with anticipation of today’s task. Guy and Len sorted out another Triangle task of 150km. Starting off with light NW then apparently swing SW by the time we where on the final leg for a tail wind finish. Attila arrived to test fly his new Moyes LS5 and so too Gerolf, Katherine and Noma. So the towing began and I joined Guy, Pete, Geoff and Len at base which was only going to a blue 4500asl at this time. Pete getting used to the Moyes LS5 (hopefully converting from the Atos) stayed within glide to airport with the others to get some airtime up, while we thought as a gaggle we should set off on course as we had good searching power and a long flight ahead. With a Light X wind first leg we were going fast until clouds starting popping ahead, the inversion lifted leaving the ground in front to heat up from scratch and dumping sink in front of us. I got low with Len just above and Guy and Geoff a bit higher. Almost out of the race I was working some broken crap averaging zero. The guys above slowly climbed out in something a bit more solid and with enough height headed for the clouds over the hills. Still scratching low Len made me feel better by saying "well I’ll say bye Dave cause where off and we won’t see you again" thanks mate!!! But my persistence paid off and the thermal cracked building up to a 4.5m and going to 8000ft/asl. So I glided straight past the others to TP1 (how your day can change with one strong climb). Now we had clouds so from there it was a game of join the dots, the dots being beautiful Q’s at 8500asl and if you chose the right ones it was slow but steady X wind leg to TP2.

Just as Len and Guy said it would the wind had turned SW, so the light tail wind and nice lines made it a fast run home. Geoff smoked the last leg catching up to Len as they both made goal. Attila got round and almost chased us down after leaving later and flying on his own. Unfortunately Guy landed a frustrating 14km short.

Monday brought more pilots with Nick from Canberra and Jorg from Stanwell cruising up for day. Wind was also on the cards and hoping it would have north in it I planned to fly home and thanks to Geoff who after a fly would retrieve me on his way back to Canberra. But when Len told me his thoughts on the weather I wasn’t so confident. Len called storms to the south and with WSW wind. His forecasting had been spot on so things didn’t look great. But for Geroff and Noma it looked awesome as they planned to fly east so they some fun ahead. Geroff, Noma and I launched into a blue sky with a 5000asl base to get a head start on the over development, I headed X wind to the south with caution until the clouds starting forming lifting the base to 9500asl so I started pushing harder but with 25k wind form the WSW up high and overdeveloping ahead I could only stop for strong climbs and after pushing through some average lift I found strong sink between streets and quickly ended up on my ass 90km on course.

All in all it was yet another amazing Forbes flying weekend with everyone having an awesome time in and around the airport. The highlights for me were Barnsy’s gutsy effort to never give up on the 180k triangle flying it solo and making it round in more than 6 hours. Also Len’s dominating flying after a year on the side line. Guys precise forecast and task call. The great laughs and atmosphere with my flying friends.

And Steve’s endurance and skill in the dragon fly to get everyone safely in the air, with out the support of Moyes and Steve’s time, Forbes would be just another dusty paddock.

Our favourite tug pilot drops us a line after this weeks big turnout at Forbes!

Hi Flyers

Once again the Dusty Demons shared their tow pilot with all who wanted to fly.   Thanks to Bill Moyes who once again supplied the Dragon Fly’s, Forbes Aeroclub gave us use of the club house, an extra hanger for the gliders plus BBQ and facilities and Forbes Shire gave us use of the air field. 21 hangie pilots were towed and all had a great time including the group of new tow pilots who were training with instructor Curt Warren. All Curt’s students did very well with most advancing from the tandem to their own or one of Curt’s gliders over the weekend, Jonathan was amazing on tow, a real natural.

Michael’s patience and persistence has paid off. Bringing a borrowed Litespeed which he had test flown by Cameron and Curt, a few adjustments were made,advice on flying was sought, then he put in some excellent flights. It is always good to see hangies seeking and getting the help and assistance that they need to stay safe and be better pilots. Thanks for your help guys and thanks to all the helpers on the tow line.

It was great to see so many new people join us. We had flyers from the Newcastle group with Ebbs providing the transport. We had new Canberra, Blue Mountains, Stanwell and Mudgee flyers all join us for some fun flying, we even had two girls with Kathryn and Jorj showing that girls can not only fly hangies but can do it well and have just as much fun as the guy’s.

The towing was mainly with the 4 stroke Dragon Fly towing everything from the Fun’s to Moyes Litespeeds and the Atos, the tandem and the new Airborne REV which is a very nicely made glider, a real credit to both Al Daniels and the Airborne crew.

I must apologise to anyone who found me to be a bit aloof but when I’m towing I tend to get totally absorbed in what I’m doing especially when I have the pressure of looking after newbies, I take the safety of those at the other end of the line very seriously. I also apologise for the wait on the tow line as we got a lot bigger turn out of pilots than what was expected, thanks for your patience.

A big thankyou to Curt and Louise for looking after not only your students but also the other flyers and thanks Bill Murphy, Curt, Louise and all who contributed to feeding us or providing the gear and facilities that make these get togethers possible.

I dropped into the Apex Tourist Park on the way home and spoke to the owner who has advised me that he is prepared to do a special deal for hangies on all our towing weekends. He is offering camping from $12 per night instead of $25 and will throw in free power and use of the camp kitchen facility’s. Just let Neil or Jane know on booking in that your with the hang gliding group.

Check out the park at www.touristpark.com.au or email jane@touristpark.com.au

Ph 02 6851 1929  

Anyone with tow credits can use them next time or request a refund, email me.

As usual the flying stories will be posted on www.thebomout.com and at this stage the next flying weekend by demand looks like being the 26th and 27th of September

Regards and drive safely Steve

ps: can’t tell you how good Tuesday’s weather was in Forbes or your not going to stop crying till the next Forbes aerotow.