SoaringNZ Issue 35

new zealand’s premier soaring magazine

central plateau south island regionals collision avoidance airworthiness • club news i s s u e 3 5 D e c e m b e r 2 0 13 /J a n u a r y 2 0 14

Fly the best

Two JS1B Revelation 18m sailplanes (with 21m wing and jet options) are being delivered to NZ in 2014.

An opportunity has arisen to secure a third sailplane in this shipment.

This is a limited opportunity to own one of the best open/18m class sailplanes in the world.

Contact Brett Hunter 021 927 626 hunter.b@ihug.co.nz

contents

december 2013/january 2014

features 13 Sinus Flex 14 Central Plateau Soaring Competition 18 South Island Regionals 24 The OLC wants you!

25 As good as it gets 30 Competition Enterprise Omarama style 34 Mt Cook Airspace is Free 35 The big winch Rebuild 38 Pressure transducer conversion

18

14 39

for the Cambridge L-Nav 39

My introduction to competition aka The Waipuk Experience

40 44 46 50

Collision Avoidance

51

Thermal Rotation Interview with Ulrich Kremer Yvonne Loader awarded FAI Tissandier Diploma Roger Read – recipient of the 2013 Greg Vujcich Memorial Award (GVMA)

52 Outlanding from hell

regulars 6 Log Book 36 Vintage & Classic: Restoring Double Foxtrot

36

Advertising, editorial and subscription enquiries

Publisher McCaw Media Ltd

Editor Jill McCaw soaringnz@mccawmedia.co.nz

Annual Subscription Rates New Zealand Australia/South Pacific Rest of world

$75 $112 $135

McCaw Media Ltd 430 Halswell Rd Christchurch 8025 New Zealand soaringnz@mccawmedia.co.nz Tel +64 3 322 5222 John - 0272 804 082 Jill - 021 1261 520

51

53 54 54 55 56 57 58 66

Printer MHP Design Rgb Design & Print Ltd Proof Reading Melanie Henrikson SoaringNZ is a quarterly publication produced

by McCaw Media. Advertising statements and editorial opinions expressed in SoaringNZ do not necessarily reflect the views of McCaw Media Ltd unless expressly stated.

Youth Glide News Airworthiness A Question of Safety GlNZ News Umbrella Trust GNZ Awards & Certificates Gliding New Zealand Club News Classified Advertising

©SoaringNZ is subject to copyright in its entirety.

The contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the owners.

All material sent to SoaringNZ will be assumed to be publishable unless marked not for publication.

SoaringNZ invites contributions but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material.

ISSN 1178-4784 December 2013 3

from the editor december 2013/january 2014

W

elcome to the first of our new, supersized, summer editions. There will be three magazine issues over the summer, and then, in the depths of the dark and gloom of the winter, you will receive another fat, fun-filled magazine to whet your soaring appetite and see you through until spring time. SoaringNZ is now quarterly.

We have a real range of articles this issue, from instructional pieces designed to help you fly better and safer, through contest reports, articles about equipment and articles about exceptional people, to what I think is my favourite piece this issue: a contest report like no other; Dane Dickinson was one of three Kiwi pilots flying (and placing) in the Mediterranean Cup in Italy. Dane tells a wonderful story full of derring-do. How much of it actually happened the way he wrote it, I’m not sure, but if definitely falls into the ‘don’t try this at home’ category.

It is an absolute delight to have the space to run stories like Dane’s without having to abridge them to fit into a limited number of pages. The new, four issues a year regime allows so much more flexibility in timing as well. As I write this editorial, I am sitting at Omarama and have been working, timing the launches for the South Island Regional contest. I’ve allowed pages for the contest coverage and once it’s over, we can go to our final proofing and to print, no stress, no worries. No having to meet a print deadline set months in advance. Many thanks to our printers, MHP Group in Auckland, for allowing us to set our own deadlines and for making the printing process so easy.

There has been a lot happening since my last editorial. I thought my fledglings had just about flown the nest, but no, they’ve decided to come back home. The attraction is our new house. About the time you’re receiving this magazine in the mail, we’ll finally be moving into our new, rebuilt home in Christchurch.

It’s been a long three years since our house was broken in the first of the Christchurch earthquakes, but the new house is fabulous.

We’re on the same site as before, with foundations that would hold a skyscraper steady. The new place is completely different to the old original sixties bungalow, with a boomerang shape designed to optimise the sun, make better use of the garden, and block out the ubiquitous Christchurch easterly. I’m really looking forward to the fact that it will have an office. A real office. I will no longer be working from a desk in the corner of the dining or living room.

I am, of course, also looking forward to all the mod cons of

new zealand’s premier soaring magazine

central plateau south islanD regionals collision avoiDance airworthiness • club news i s s u e 3 5 D e c e m b e r 2 0 13 /J a n u a r y 2 0 14

4

December 2013

Tauranga Gliding Club's Puchacz over Tauranga. Photo Derek Wagstaff.

Nearly completed, thoroughly earthquake proof, new house.

double glazing, full insulation, gas fire, gas cooker and shower heads with decent pressure. I will be close to exploding with sheer joy when I finally get to unpack my books and other goodies that I haven’t seen since packing them away nearly three years ago.

In the meantime, Robert is leaving school. Alex has gained a degree. Alex is flying this Regionals contest and making a good showing, and is heading to Australia again with Nick Oakley and Philip Dunlop to compete in Joey Glide. John’s working hard, the summer is his busy season as he works with grain and seed farmers, but he’s managed to get some gliding in from time to time. And of course, he’s been taking photos where ever he is. I’ve

next issue

revised magazine deadlines

North Island Regionals. Multiclass Nationals, Enterprise Omarama, advances in ultralight gliders.

Deadline for Club News, articles and pictures is 18 January and 28 January for advertising.

subscription form Name:_______________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Postcode ______________

Photo Jill McCaw

Phone _______________________________________________________________ Email_________________________________________________________________ Annual Subscription Rates - four issues a year New Zealand (All GNZ members automatically subscribed)

been getting in a little bit of single Astir flying myself – now and again.

The Youth Soaring Development Camp is coming up at Omarama, followed by Xmas camp and the new Enterprise Omarama contest. The Club Class Nationals will be in Nelson in February. Lots of soaring activity happening in our neck of the woods. I hope your summer is looking as good. From our family to yours, enjoy the holidays, Merry Xmas, and stay safe.

Jill McCaw

$75

Australia/South Pacific

$112

Other overseas

$135

Payment enclosed $ _______________________________ (All cheques made payable to McCaw Media Ltd) Credit card facilities available Post today to McCaw Media Ltd, 430 Halswell Rd, Christchurch Tel +64 3 322 5222 Email soaringNZ@mccawmedia.co.nz

gif t subscriptions Recipients Name:___________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Postcode ______________ Email_________________________________________________________________ Gifted by:____________________________________________________________ Contact phone:______________________________________________________ Credit Card Number

Card Expiry Date____________________________

Name on Card_______________________________________________________

logbook december 2013/january 2014 NZ 2014 World’s Team Chosen GNZ has announced that the pilots representing NZ at the FAI 33rd World Championship in Lezno in Poland are: 1. Steve Wallace 2. Patrick Driessen 3. John Coutts 4. Alan Belworthy 5. Brett Hunter 6. Julian Elder We will be profiling these pilots in the next few issues.

Tasman Trophy Pilots The Sailplane Racing Committee has announced the contenders for the two Tasman Trophies. Alan Belworthy is our contender in 2014, while Alex McCaw will compete for the Youth trophy at Joey Glide in December this year.

CASA says

GoPro on Wing is a Mod. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced that: "Attaching anything to the external surfaces of an aircraft, whether it is the wing or not, is considered a modification".

"Depending on what is being attached, it may have an effect on the aerodynamics, structure and depending on its location, it can affect the airspeed/altimeter readings, etc. Therefore, the alteration to the aircraft needs to be justified against the applicable airworthiness standard.”

GNZ has recognised that problems could occur through the use of these and other devices on gliders. Airworthiness Officer Martyn Cook will be issuing an advisory circular on the subject.

Please read the Airworthiness column on page 54 for more information.

Sunseeker Duo wins Berblinger Prize The Sunseeker Duo - which featured in our last issue - has won the prestigious Berblinger Contest. Since 1988, the town of Ulm in Germany has been awarding the Berblinger Prize as a tribute to the work of Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger, and his attempt to fly across the Danube in 1811. This prize is awarded for special efforts, developments and innovative ideas in the construction of aircraft in the field of general aviation, whereby the focus of interest is on safety, environmental sustainability,

aerodynamics, construction design and economy.

SoaringNZ has been following Eric and Irena Raymond of Solar Flights’ Sunseeker projects for several years. According to its makers, the Sunseeker Duo is the fastest solar-powered aeroplane ever built and is the first solar powered aeroplane to offer a seat for passengers.

As SoaringNZ readers will remember, it looks an awful lot like a glider with solar panels all over its wings.

The Berblinger jury said, “The Sunseeker Duo is the logical

The Sunseeker Duo is the logical next step in the development of solar-powered aircraft…

6

December 2013

next step in the development of solar-powered aircraft.

The project combines a large number of great ideas in a sophisticated overall design and is based on its designer's many hours of experience flying solarpowered aircraft.”

logbook

december 2013/january 2014

Google enters into Partnership with Solar Impulse It was announced in September that the Silicon Valley based internet company becomes Solar Impulse’s official Internet Technology Partner. Solar Impulse was also featured in the last issue of SoaringNZ. This formal partnership is an important step in bringing Solar Impulse closer to its ultimate goal of flying around the world using only solar energy (2015). According to Dr. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, co-founders of Solar Impulse,

“this partnership is a unique occasion to promote mutually shared values like pioneering spirit, innovation, engineering excellence and clean technologies, allowing us to protect natural resources. With Google on board, our reach with the public, younger generations, media and political and business decision makers will be significantly enhanced.”

Google+ will be Solar Impulse’s preferred social media channel and Google Hangouts broadcasted live during flight missions will bring the public closer to the pilots.

SoaringNZ Backcopies Now Available Online Our new website is up and running, with the first three years’ issues (i.e. Issues 1 to 18), now available, complete, in PDF form. The following three years have ‘teaser’ issues available. These contain the editorial and feature article, along with the contents page, to let users know what they’re missing. Hard copies of back issues are still available for most issues and subscriptions are available through the site. Reaction from the worldwide soaring community has

been great, with recommendations on Facebook for articles and great feedback from people who had not seen the early issues.

Next challenge: Create a linkable index of articles.

Spidertracks Doing Well in the US.

Reported by Jim Herd

The NZ company Spidertracks has enjoyed great success in the USA with power planes, and particularly in Alaska. I did have a Spider for a few months and it worked very well in my glider, as well as my Bonanza. Jennifer loved it because it reports altitude and speed, so she could determine my flight status easily while out on course. There is a new service with Lockheed that allows an automatic SAR callout in an emergency (USA only). Previously, each Spider owner had to set up his own emergency call-out protocol through family, friends, or colleagues.

This service brings added credibility to the concept and the Spider company.

out for a stroll Wellington photographer Dean Baines was hiking at the Paekakariki view point when he spied the Wellington Branch DG1000 in action.

Dean took some fabulous images (see page 65 for a couple) and subsequently spent time tracking down the glider pilot.

Dean writes "This was a spectacular day by the way, when by chance I came across this gilder flying close to the Paekakariki Hill view point. I had music playing in the background whilst I stood on the trig and snapped eagerly at each fly-by – very joyful. After searching on the web for who owned the glider, I forwarded the photograph links and was given a free flight for them … how wonderful was that!"

December 2013

7

logbook december 2013/january 2014

DG FLUGZEUBAU Involved in Velocopter Project

DG has been working on the complex development of the fuselage and rotor plane of this extraordinary, futuristic aircraft.

DG was also in charge of the manufacture of the first prototype structure, with all prototype parts manufactured at the DG Factory in Bruchsal, Germany. You can see a video of its maiden flight on You Tube – ‘VC200 First Flight’

Red Bull Air Race The FAI will partner the Red Bull Air Race management and provide safety specialists for the Championship which will start in February 2014.

The World Championship will consist of seven races staged in six countries on three continents, starting with Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 28 February 2014.

8

December 2013

Race Calendar • Abu Dhabi, UAE - 28 Feb. /1 March • Putrajaya, MAS - 17/18 May • Gdynia, POL - 26/27 July • Ascot, GBR - 16/17 August • Dallas/Fort Worth, USA - 6/7 September • Las Vegas, USA 11/12 October • China - 1/2 November

© Red Bull Media House

Back on Stage in 2014

Gavin Wills

M O U N TA IN SOARING SCHOOL Internationally acclaimed Soaring Courses and individual private coaching

The world's largest fleet of Duo Discus's including X's and the new XL

Crystal clear amongst the Southern Alps

"You absolutely must go to GlideOmarama!

No, really, you must go! Sell whatever it takes to get there, but go!"

Tremaine Callier – Lasham GC, UK

ADVENTURE SOARING FLIGHTS

Inquiries and Bookings free phone 0508 58 55 88 | phone +64 3 438 9555 | www.glideomarama.com

Bernard Eckey's

revised and extended third edition This definitive guide to advanced soaring is beautifully illustrated with photos by New Zealand's own John McCaw plus wonderful images from around the world.

"The first two editions of this book have already helped thousands of newcomers to advance their gliding career ‌this third edition expands on a wide range of topics and will be even more beneficial to the many followers of our captivating sport"

Michael Sommer World Champion 2006, 20087, 2010

$90 plus $8 p&p within NZ Available from McCaw Media: Tel +64 3 322 5222 Email soaringNZ@mccawmedia.co.nz www.mccawmedia.co.nz

December 2013

9

logbook december 2013/january 2014 GNZ Competition Rules have been tidied up and redefined. See the Sailplane Racing Committee page on the GNZ website for details.

Stemme Under New Management.

The German manufacturer of the Stemme motor glider has a new management team and new owners for 70% of the company. The company, founded in 1984

by Dr Rainer Stemme in Strausber, is now managed by Belgian Paul Maschelein.

Maschelein has engineering training and experience as a manager for a large aerospace supplier. The company has produced the S6 sport aircraft and the touring motor glider S10, in which Klaus Ohlmann achieved a series of gliding world records. (from Aerokurier)

Stick Shaker/Stall Warning Device for Gliders?

Friedel Weber of DG has written a very well thought out article on the subject and comes out firmly in favour of the idea. He says, “Every simple Cessna and the like has a stall warning system. We have none. Why? More exactly, why do many pilots think a stall warning device is ‘unfashionable’ and don't want one? Everyone knows that among all of the causes of accidents, ‘stalling near the ground’ is the most common and often ends in death. A complete avoidance of such accidents is, of course, impossible. But the question must be asked, in any case, whether an obligatory stall warning system would drastically reduce their number?”

Read the full article on the DG Website in the Safety Reports section.

What are NZ pilots’ thoughts on the idea? Let your editor know.

SPOT3 There is a new version of SPOT Key Differences:

SPOT 3 vs SPOT 2

• Longer battery life - more reliable • Smaller size - easier to travel with • Internal vibration sensor to only send tracking messages while moving • Vibration sensor also enables SPOT to provide the new Unlimited Tracking service giving the ability to transmit indefinitely • New Movement Messaging - theft alerting capability • Variable rates in Track Mode (30 min, 15, 10, 5, 2) - more customisable

10

December 2013

• Inserting OK or Custom messages into a Track session, no longer blocks Track Messages from being sent for ~30 minutes, more reliable • USB connection for upgrades, as well as feature manipulation (enabling Unlimited Track, varying the rate, etc.)

• USB connection for line power - indefinite life span • Device will run off of Energizer NiMH rechargeable batteries (USB power will NOT charge the batteries, they must be removed and charged separately) • LEDs visible while pressing the buttons, more confidence in the functions • Easier to press buttons with tactile feedback, more user-friendly • Loops on top and bottom provide mounting options instead of requiring a carrying case, easier to travel with/carry

Neuseela

FUTU 10 A West SOU

eckey Phon Mobi

logbook

december 2013/january 2014

Pregnancy and Flying The NZ Association of Women in Aviation (NZAWA) have been corresponding with John McKinlay, Manager Personnel and Flight Training representative of CAA, with regards to standardising regulations and recommendations regarding pregnant GA and professional pilots. NZAWA has pointed out that: • Pregnancy is considered a “medical risk” which places the pregnant pilot into the category of restricted professional pilot privileges.

• A clear concise inclusion for pregnancy research needs to appear in the CAA website within the “A to Z Topics .”

• Syllabus of Aviation Law should include pregnancy requirements.

• CAA needs to maintain a professional approach to all pregnancy enquiries.

Among other things.

As far as I am aware, there are no restrictions on glider pilots flying while pregnant, but anecdotally I can report that

symptoms of hypoxia occur at a much lower level and that motion sickness can really ramp up the nausea of pregnancy. Gliding instructors/CFIs need to be made aware if a woman is pregnant, but only in the same manner as they watch pilots for situations that may temporarily affect their piloting ability. ‘May affect’ would be the mind-set I hope they would take. Personally, I wouldn’t want to squeeze into a glider when eight months pregnant, but if a woman is healthy, can use the seat harness safely and can effectively use the controls, it should be no more dangerous than driving a car in the same condition.

MEMBERSHIP There’s a new link to membership in the opening menu of www.gliding.co.nz Home page, making it easier to find Contributions to Logbook are welcome and access. from all of our readers within New Zealand Follow this link and you can now view your Club’s and internationally. membership list and contact details. While there, check Email your news snippets to: your own data and update your contact details; especially soaringnz@mccawmedia.co.nz. if your postal address has changed and you want to Please put "logbook" in the subject line. receive your SoaringNZ magazine. Any problems logging contact membership@gliding.co.nz Neuseeland Anzeige:Layout 1 29.06.09 07:57 in, Seite 3

ALEXANDER imply S SCHLEICHER est S A I L P L A N E S the b

ASH 31 Mi FUTURE AVIATION 10 Antigua Grove West Lakes 5021 SOUTH AUSTRALIA eckey@ internode.on.net Phone/Fax: + 08 84492871 Mobile: + 0412981204

• • • • • • •

ASK 21 ASH 26E ASW 27 ASW 28-18 ASG 29 ASH 30 Mi ASH 31 Mi

in NZ please contact: 2-seater - with or without engine Theo Newfield 18m Self Launcher L/D = 50:1 71 Penruddock Rise Top Gun in Racing Class Christchurch 18m unflapped glider (also with engine) New Zealand 18m flapped with and without engine Tel: (03) 3388362 December 2013 11 new Open Class 2-seater Fax: (03)3388374 Mobile: 0274326015 self Launcher with 18 and /or 21m wingspan

logbook december 2013/january 2014 Cessation of Operations at

Cambridge-Aero Instruments, Inc.

By Roger Sparks, NZ Agent, Cambridge Aero Instruments.

This affects a lot of Kiwi pilots. NZ had the highest sales of Cambridge gear in the world, on a per capita basis. This was largely driven by the successful introduction of their previously untried GPS recorder for scoring at the Omarama 1995 World Gliding Championships. A bold decision by John Roake and his team at that time.

I can confirm that we still have a good stock of spare parts and anticipate being able to keep these instruments going for many years to come. Rod Ruddick is well advanced in the design of a new type of sensor board for the LNAV (see page 38) which will replace the older thermistor technology. If this works as planned, it will breathe new life into these 20-year-old veterans!

In NZ, we have two excellent service technicians, both are glider pilots: Rod Ruddick. Wellington.

0212579783 rodruddick@clear.net.nz Adam Cumberlege. Auckland.

0212021047 adam@nzdisk.co.nz From a personal perspective, I wish to thank the many pilots who have entrusted me with their instrument purchases over the last 35 years. It has been an honour and a privilege to work with you.

FAI NEWS

Past President FAI Andre O. Dumas has died.

Frenchman Pierre Duval, 50, is the new President of the FAI Environmental Commission (EnvC). He was asked, “What are the three biggest challenges that air sports are currently facing, in terms of environment and sustainability?”

First and foremost, we must manage our image in these fields.

Even if we are only responsible for a tiny fraction of the damage to the environment, the general public, the local population and the authorities expect more from us than from most sports because we are visible and less protected than in the days when aviation pioneers were held in high regard.

We must demonstrate that we take seriously the problem of noise pollution, that we evaluate new fuels and that we reduce as much as possible the impact on the natural environment wherever our activities take place.

… However, the most important thing is to convince the new generations of young enthusiasts to spend time with us; the authorities to let us use the aviation space that we need and to protect us against lobbying by local groups of all kinds.

12

December 2013

The FAI has recently lost one of its most eminent members: Andre O. Dumas, who presided over the Federation from 1972 to 1974. He died on 17 September 2013, at the age of 90. Dumas’s eventful and busy life was marked by his passion for and devotion to aviation, a world to which he rendered great services for many years, within several organisations beside the FAI.

Polish Event Completes GP Series.

The 5th Sailplane Grand Prix series was completed in July this year, with the successful event at Zar in Poland. All the results and news of the events can be seen on the new Sailplane Grand Prix web site at www.sgp.aero The new SGP web site has been developed during the last SGP series and all future events can be found on this site. The SGP team is now turning its full attention to the 5th SGP final to be held at Sisteron in France, in May 2014. A full list of the qualifying pilots can be found on the SGP web site.

Sinus Flex

new innovation – plus 60:1

Long tips

The famous Slovenian aeroplane maker does not stop surprising the aviation world. Pipistrel is introducing the Sinus Flex model.

The Sinus aircraft has been known for its versatility, offering the customer three aircraft in one: a fast and economic crosscountry cruiser, ideal training aircraft and an efficient glider.

Supplied by Alan Clarke, New Zealand Agent for Pipistrel

With a very small addition, the Flex wingtips, the buyer will be able to get another one.

The Sinus Flex model is identical to the standard Sinus, with the added bonus of interchangeable wing-tips. The outer 5-foot portions of each wing can be easily taken away and replaced with short winglets of a Virus model.

You can't decide if you want a Pipistrel Sinus or a Pipistrel Virus? Now you can have both: a thermal-soaring Sinus motor glider, which you can quickly and easily (about 5 min of work) transform into a small and fast Virus cruiser, which can fit into any hangar!

A standard wrench is all you need to transform your Sinus into a Virus and back: the tips slide easily into the wing and back out, and all it takes to secure them is about 10 turns with the wrench.

While pilots are enjoying their flying with one of the models, the wingtips for the other one are resting securely in the madeto-fit leather bags, which protect them from getting scratched or dirty.

Also, the existing owners of Sinus aircraft can just buy a new set of Flex wings, which include both sets of exchangeable wingtips.

Pipistrel will take the old set of wings as part exchange, and thus you get another whole aircraft for the price of a set of wings.

Plus it can have amazing glide ratios.

60:1, 50:1, 40:1.

How? Simple. Maximum rpm is 5500, delivering 80 h.p. The engine idles at 1800 rpm. It maintains level flight at 50 kts at 2800 rpm (guesstimate 30 h.p.). It has a super quiet, silky smooth 4-stroke Rotax 912 (no screaming 2-strokes here).

60:1 engine at 2500 rpm 2 litres per hour 50:1 engine at 2300 rpm 1.5 litres per hour 40:1 engine at 2100 rpm 1 litres per hour 30:1 engine off A purist will no doubt scoff. But on a weak lift day, I used to be a purist and go home. Not anymore.

Pipistrel NZ www.lightsportaircraft.co.nz

Sinus flex

Short tips

Purist: A person who has very strong ideas about what is correct or acceptable, and who usually opposes changes to traditional methods and practices – pedantic even.

December 2013

13

Central Plateau

Soaring Competition ... the competition

14

December 2013

u

etition that nearly was!

2–9 November 2013 The new soaring season started with a positive outlook, with 22 competitors entering the 2013 Central Plateau Soaring Competition held at Centennial Park in Taupo in November.

By Trace Austin

T

his time of year the weather is normally favourable, however, the weather Gods had other ideas for 2013.

Most competitors arrived on Saturday the 2nd, which was programmed as a practice day and Centennial Park quickly filled up with gliders and trailers. The glistening sleek white chariots of the sky stood out against the lush green backdrop of the airfield as they were lined up and secured.

Some pilots elected to take to the skies and check out the local area, while others reacquainted themselves with fellow competitors and friends. The CPSC is not a GNZ sanctioned contest but rather a friendly week of flying fun. It also allows pilots to dust off the cobwebs of winter and encourages newly trained cross country pilots like Joe Ward (Taupo) and Steve Foreman (Aviation Sports) to taste the challenges of cross country and competition flying.

Saturday – Practice Day There was no task set for the practice day but the sky had unlimited options. The sun was shining, the ground heated up nicely and there was a slight breeze from the southwest. Most flights initially took off and headed up the Reporoa valley and into the Kaingaroa forest area, before turning around and heading out towards Titiraupenga and the western side of the lake. It was an excellent day for those who took the opportunity to fly around and enjoy what Taupo has to offer.

December 2013

15

CPSC

Sunday – Day One Sunday started out as another great looking day. Gliders were prepped and readied and everyone was keen to fly but before any flying could commence, the mandatory safety and site briefing had to be completed. During the morning session it was decided that there would be two classes, Open and Club, but all tasks would be the same for both classes and the majority of the tasks for the week would be AAT’s.

Once the initial briefing was completed, the weather forecast was provided by David Jensen, who assured us that we were in for a good day, although there would be overdevelopment in the high ground to the East, South and West.

With this weather prediction in mind, the task setters set the first task of the week as: Start A → Galatea (20km Cylinder) → Poronui (20km Cylinder) → Tokoroa (20km Cylinder) → Lake Rotokawa → Home.

Distance to the centres was 272km.

The over development didn’t arrive as expected, although there was rain back in the Kaimanawa Range, back down and behind Poronui. The area between Poronui and down the Reporoa valley was mostly blue, so a reasonably long glide back to Taupo was had by all, before getting a climb to take them up to Tokoroa.

Not everyone made it around the task today and there were a couple of engine starts over the Kaingaroa forest area and one landout at Atiamuri. At the end of the day it was a great start to the week and everyone had fun.

The results for the day were: Open class 1 Trev Terry/Rob Lyon (TT) 2 Bill Walker (HW) 3 Tim Bromhead (XP)

Distance 306.1km speed 122.4km/h Distance 264.4km speed 105.8km/h Distance 274km speed 105.6km/h

Club Class Trace Austin (NM) 1 2 Peter Cook (IA) Adam Cumberlege (DF) 3

Distance 232km Distance 229.4km Distance 191.6km

speed of 86.2km/h

The evening was enjoyed with a quiet drink and BBQ and of course, the banter about the day’s events.

Monday – Day two Graham White was elected as the weather forecaster as David could not be here today, and Graham’s prediction was not ideal. A low pressure system was hanging off to the west of the North Island and was almost stationary, bring moist air into and around Taupo.

16

December 2013

Loading the task for day two.

Setting a task with the forecasted conditions was always going to be difficult but with much optimism a task was set and the gliders were gridded onto 04.

The first six of the club class were launched and within 20 minutes they were all back on the ground. With very little lift around no one could get to the start line, so it was decided to cancel the task for the day. Nonetheless, some pilots elected to go free flying in these conditions and surprisingly, there were a couple of good local flights achieved.

Tuesday – Day Two A Wet! Time to go to the movies!

Wednesday – Day Two B Wet! More movies.............When will this low move away?

An evening dinner was had at the club and there was more chatting about gliding.

Thursday - Day Two C Still wet! What to do today? The low has started to move away and tomorrow is looking good.

Friday – Day Two D The expected better weather conditions did not eventuate as predicted, which meant that the weather was still not good enough to be able to set a task.

With lift around and a cloud base of around 4500’, the task setters made the decision to have another free day. This time, the traces would be put into the OLC and a day winner would be decided, however, none of these flights would count towards the competition points table.

CPSC

The results for the day were: 1 2 3

David Jensen (YL) Conal Edwards (TX) Brett Hunter (VM)

Distance 202.5 km point score 241.11 Distance 194.55 km point score 223.08 Distance 202.59 km point score 222.86

Saturday – The actual Day Two At long last the low over the North Island finally moved on and everyone was excited about the weather prediction. David was back in the seat as weather forecaster, and the forecast was for 8000’ cloud base, slight winds and strong thermals.

A great Taupo day was about to unfold and the task setters had a trip to National Park in mind. The task was: Start A → Galatea (20km Cylinder) → Tokoroa (20km Cylinder) → Mangatepopo (30km Cylinder) → Lake Rotokawa → Home.

Distance to the centres was 321km.

It was going to be a fantastic day………..but!

Cloud base started off about 6000’ when the club class launched and by the time the last of the open class got up the area was over developing. What started off as a fantastic day quickly deteriorated.

Down through the Reporoa Valley the lift was becoming hard to find and a few pilots found themselves digging out of holes and those with iron thermals made use of them and returned to Taupo.

A number of the earlier launched gliders managed to get away from Galatea and head up to Tokoroa, only to find a paddock or strip further into the task. There were five land outs around Atiamuri, Tokoroa and Poihipi.

The results for the day were: 1 2 3

Karl Barrie (XA) Trace Austin (NM) David Jensen (YL)

Distance 144.6km Distance 129.4km Distance 128.9km

On a plus side, Vaughan Ruddick came to visit on Saturday and by taking off 60 minutes ahead of the grid and completely ignoring the task, completed an excellent flight from Taupo, down the eastern side of the lake to Poronui, around Turangi and up north of Bennydale before returning home.

The final results for the week, comprising of two competition flying days were: Open Class 1 Trev Terry / Rob Lyons (TT) 2 Bill Walker (HW) 3 David Jensen (YL)

1159 pts 1118 pts 1105 pts

Club Class Trace Austin (NM) 1 2 Colin McGrath / Karl Barrie (XA) Steve Foreman (KP) 3

1032 pts 685 pts 557 pts

Sunday Typically, the weather improved after the event and a number of pilots elected to stay around and fly on the Sunday to make the most of it. Others, of course, had to pack up and head home and some had to get ready to head off to the South Island for the Regionals.

Summary As all good things come to an end, so did the CPSC for 2013. The week’s weather was disappointing in respect to flying, but all those who attended this year’s competition still had an enjoyable time.

For those entering their first competition, the CPSC week has been beneficial. It has allowed them to gain further experience of cross country flying and has allowed them to be able to set new challenging goals for themselves. For the experienced pilots, it has been a good opportunity to get ready for the sanctioned competitions of the soaring season.

It takes a lot of ‘behind the scenes action’ to put on a contest and a special thank you must go out to all of you who assisted to make the competition successful. As for those of you that participated in the flying, thank you for attending. We hope to see you all again next year.

There is a rumour that the weather next year will be brilliant!

Cheers Trace

Saturday Night Presentations and awards were held on Saturday night after dinner, along with a few more quiet drinks. There was a fireworks display from the front of the clubhouse and Adam Cumberlege proved that he can fly better than he can put on a fireworks display, after trying to set fire to the deck. It was a good night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Left: Mavis – the lovely voice at the end of the radio. Right: Jen what would you like for lunch?

December 2013

17

south island

regionals

By Jill McCaw photos geoff soper

Daisy and Abbey

Photo John McCaw

Grid marshall Hugh Turner

Contest Director, Geoff Soper

18

December 2013

Visiting helpe

The 49th South Island Regional contest is over. It was a great contest. The weather gods were kind, the pilots had a great time and the younger generation made a really good showing. Wilson Ellery won the Club Class and Nicholas Oakley the Standard.

Nick was duking it out in the 15m/Standard against Alex McCaw who, fortunately for Nick, landed out on the first day. Very familiar names won the other trophies. Pilots came from far and wide, including Wellington, Taranaki, Auckland, Australia and Balclutha.

There were many tales of good flights but this story isn’t about them. This story is about the people that made it possible for the pilots to fly and have such a good time. This is the story about the people on the ground who made the contest possible.

T

his is the seventh consecutive year that the competition has been run by a team from the Canterbury Gliding Club and most of the organising crew have been involved every year. I was part of the original Canterbury team who decided we wanted to ensure the Regionals was a fun and friendly contest. We might have toned down the entertainment a little since our first year (and that is a good thing) but we’ve certainly consistently managed friendly and fun.

Contest Director: Geoff Soper Every year Geoff slides into his role as if it’s something he does far more often than once a year. The pilots see the affable bloke who gives them stick at briefings, tells them the tasks and pulls their heads in if they need it.

Behind the scenes, Geoff does a tremendous amount of work ensuring that all parts of the plan come together. He is particularly concerned with safety and is very well prepared for the event of a serious emergency.

There is a sealed ‘Emergency Folder’ with all the information and responses required in the awful event that it is needed. Geoff is quite happy to call Emergency Services and put them off should they not be needed. He is absolutely committed to making sure that all his pilots come home every night.

Photography is Geoff’s other passion, as most pilots have noticed. The photos for this article are his.

Geoff is the obvious person to put at the top of the list, but I don’t know who to put in which order for the rest. How do you decide

who is most important when the whole thing would fall over if any of these people were missing? So, randomly, here are the people that made the contest happen.

Scorer: Lex McPhail He’s a bit of a geek and if it’s broken he can probably fix it. If your logger won’t boot, log, load, accept turnpoints or spit the information out at the other end, Lex will make it go. Lex spends hours and hours and hours, long after the pilots are all home and having their dinner, loading traces, noticing penalties and making sure the scores are calculated correctly.

In his contest down-time Lex can be found playing cards or board games in the campground kitchen. Rum is his poison of choice, but he, of course, cannot be bribed.

Grid Marshal: Hugh Turner, with Abbey Delore in training Hugh spends as much time at Omarama as he can, in between his work in hotel management, both here and in the UK. Hugh takes to Air Traffic Control … er…

Grid Marshalling, like a true manager. From checking that the cones are laid out and the pilots know where to put their gliders, to radio wrangling the complex air movements of up to six towplanes launching thirty gliders, Hugh is the man.

After launch, Hugh likes a cup of tea to refresh and then often throws himself into the air, this season helping newcomers from Marlborough to learn about mountain soaring.

Visiting helpers with Hugh Turner December 2013

19

south island regionals Wing Runners This year we had Jono Wardman, Robert McCaw, Abbey Delore and her co-opted friend from England, Daisy Strange. Some visitors also helped out during the week, notably Vance from America and Schleicher agent, Bernard Eckey. Four runners seem to be the optimum number for smooth launching. It’s hot, hard work and not a job for the unfit or those with a nervous disposition. There are multiple towplanes and other hazards. If a person hooking on a rope doesn’t duck and roll under the wing, the glider may well run them over. If a runner loses one of Hugh’s rope hooks, the consequences will be really dire.

Blokarting (land yachting) was one of the extra curricula activities of choice for the core group.

Met man/Chief Tow Pilot: Lemmy Tanner Lemmy is a familiar face at Omarama working for Glide Omarama doing Met, glider instructing and tow piloting. He’s the ultimate useful person. Lemmy is the person who braves the briefing each morning with news on the weather. Always well prepared, he is an expert at interpreting the complex data available and giving the type of forecast the task setters and pilots need.

As well as doing the weather, Lemmy was also chief tow pilot - something probably akin to herding cats. We had six towplanes flying during the contest, from Glide Omarama, clubs and private owners, with many more than six different pilots. The launches went smoothly, with the only mishaps being mechanical. (Bravo to French pilot Levy, who landed the Pawnee PPA safely when his fuel cut out in flight – thankfully not during a contest launch.) Well done, not just to Lemmy, but all the tow pilots for your brilliant work.

I don’t know what Lemmy does for fun. I don’t think I ever saw him not working in one capacity or other.

Chief Task setter: Jerry O’Neil Jerry comes to the contest each year fresh from coaching his annual Cross Country Course. He’s current, keen and canny, and he knows the course. Jerry, with help from Lemmy and, over the years, a team of assistant task setters, both experienced and new to the job, work out provisional tasks for the day before most pilots are awake. Jerry’s knowledge of the area and the vagaries of the Omarama weather mean he consistently sets enjoyable tasks, with just the right amount of challenge to keep everyone happy across the

20

December 2013

south island regionals

classes. Jerry is hoping to promote others to put him out of a job in a few years’ time.

Task nutted out, Jerry can be found fishing down at the Omarama Stream or other local site, returning in time to finalise the task before briefing. He then prepares his DG 808b and flies the task, although he didn’t compete in the contest.

Safety Officer: Gavin Wills Safety is paramount in a gliding contest, and Gavin has years of experience in complex gliding situations. This year he encouraged pilots to discuss ‘The Push’, that feeling you get when something isn’t quite right. With the awareness that an accident usually has several contributing factors and usually a snow ball effect of compounding errors, recognising ‘The Push’ and changing the behaviour/action/event right then can stop a bad situation developing. Pilots were encouraged to share ‘Push’ situations and action was taken as needed. This worked very effectively.

In his spare time, Gavin, who runs Glide Omarama, was actually running off home to work in his garden and play with his dog.

Time keeper: Jill McCaw I don’t think I did much but Money Man, Dave Tillman said what I did was very important. I stood on the side lines during the launch and recorded the take off and landing times of the tow planes, along with which tow plane went

with which glider.

I also donned the red devil’s wig and chased up the criminals… err… naughty pilots… err… I collected the daily fines.

In my down time I drank tea with Hugh, tried to read The Luminaries and tried to prepare this magazine. I vastly overestimated (again) my ability to work effectively at Omarama. That could have something to do with the late bed times from the kitchen gaming evenings.

Radio/Flight Following: Neil Allison When Canterbury first started running these contests, Neil was the Money Man. Now he’s doing something equally as challenging. Neil was a first-timer to this job this year and he really enjoyed it. He sat there all day, from first launch until last glider back, providing information on start gate times, weather and wind on the ground, flight following and being ‘The Voice’ of the contest. There are two frequencies to monitor, and while SPOT and Skylines mean the job is much easier than it used to be for flight following, it still eases the Contest Director’s mind to know that someone knows when gliders were last heard from. With GPS, SPOT and other technology, it could be that one day the radio operator’s role in a contest will be obsolete. It isn’t yet.

In his down time, Neil also joined the gaming crowd in the campground kitchen.

December 2013

21

south island regionals

Skyline – it’s like SPOT but better

I

Tim Hardwicke-Smith with Gavin Wills

Money Man, Dave Tillman He used to be a mortgage broker, so Dave’s really good at this job. He was the man that untangled the time sheets and made sure that everyone’s bill was correct and ready to be paid in time for the last day of the contest.

Dave volunteered to chaperone the younger pilots should they wish to visit the lady strippers who performed at the Pub one night. Sadly for Dave, none of the youngsters felt they needed to spend the entry fee for themselves, let alone him.

Airspace and general Gofer, Kevin Bethwaite.

Kev, as President of Canterbury, has been part of the team from the beginning. His role in Airways means he’s the go-to person

22

December 2013

for everything airspace related and he’s instrumental in getting sponsorship from that organisation. But as well as that, Kev is a fantastic person for spotting things that need doing and matching them with the correct person to get them done.

Kev flew the club’s LS4 in the Club Class but had really awful technical difficulties which left him way out of contention, for this year at least.

The Tow Pilots: myriad.

Technically not people on the ground, but certainly within the group of people without whom the contest could not happen.

Many, many thanks to all of the people who make the contest possible. It was a great For results please refer to page 45. week.

n the South Island Regional’s the Aussie pilots Ivan and Steven Evans brought a little trick to show us. Alex McCaw and Nick Oakley gave it a go, and as a follower of the boys’ flights, I found it wonderful. So did flight follower Neil Allison.

Skyline is a free mobile phone app. It works on XCSoar on mobile phones and sends tracking information to the Skylines flight sharing project in real-time, which includes graphic display of altitude and terrain height. https://www.skylines-project. org/ When Alex was using it, his father John got a worried phone call from Alex’s Uncle Hamish in Wellington because Alex was really low over Thomson’s Track. He managed to climb away. Over the space of 12 hours it uses (apparently) around 3kb of data, so really small and not expensive. When Ivan and Nigel landed out at the Glentanner airfield in NS, the Skylines display quickly showed they were on the strip rather than some other landout field. It helped the team identify when the glider was on tow, as the towplane radio was not transmitting clearly.

They could then see when they exited the Mt Cook MBZ and contacted them to arrange for the tow pilot to drop NS and collect another competitor, TA, on the Pukaki airfield.

There are drawbacks. It is very hungry on battery and the phone needs an external power pack. These are inexpensive and easily obtained. With know-how, I’m sure a provision could be made to use the glider batteries.

The other major draw-back is that it only works where there is cell phone coverage.

It’s no good in the back blocks. Watching the traces at the Regionals, it would appear the gliders had stopped when they got outside the coverage area. When they came back into coverage, the trace would jump to the new reading, leaving a straight line.

Most of the time it wasn’t a problem. The SPOT tracking site was very slow during the contest and several days the pilots were home before SPOT had them at the top turn, so the real-time reporting from Skylines was very useful. Skylines won’t be replacing SPOT as an emergency locator, but for realtime following of a flight it was brilliant.

NZ Agent Roger Sparks 0274 956 560 r.sparks@xtra.co.nz December 2013

23

Club Captains and CFI’s, you need to make the OLC a compulsory part of your club culture!

By steve wallace

E

xperience at my club (Auckland Aviation Sports) has seen a magical transformation from aimless local flying to motivated, goal setting pilots who are actively planning and completing regular cross-country flights.

This winter alone, the club has completed more cross-country flights, more land-outs, more silver and gold badges than it has done in the last 30 years. Thanks to Glyn Jackson we actively compete and communicate with Taranaki Gliding Club for OLC Club points.

It is only beer at stake at present but I can see a trophy in the wind…

According to the contest’s own rules, the goal of the Online Contest (OLC) is the rapid registration of cross-country soaring flights, without the requirement of a flight declaration, in order to enable comparison of current flight performances.

The documentation of these flights is aimed at enhancing the visibility of gliding as a sport and to serve as a motivation for crosscountry flying.

Is it easy and fun to use? You bet ya!

Simply go to the OLC website address and once there you can start by immediately getting distracted and reading one of the

24

December 2013

OLC magazine articles about some of the more interesting gliding flights and events from around the world. For example, John Coutts’ South African thermal flight on the 5th November this year, of 1,240km at 162kph!

Once you have finished being distracted, click on the ‘Gliding’ tab. To get yourself registered you need to ‘Sign In’ (below ‘Claim Flight>>’ and ‘Support OLC>>’) and fill out your details in the registration window that opens up. Most NZ clubs are already registered, so you should be able to find your club in the ‘choose club’ search box. Once registered, you can log in and claim flights whenever you go flying. Note, to receive OLC points you must claim the flight no later than 48 hours after landing.

But I’m not a competition pilot and I don’t have an IGC flight recorder in my glider, I hear you cry! You don’t need to be a competition pilot, the OLC is for everybody and use your Smart phone, dummy, is my answer to your protests. Naviter have a free app called SeeYou IGC Flight Recorder, and Slipstream Development have a very cool app for $13.99 called Glide Path, which can

directly submit your flight to the OLC from your phone. How easy is that!

Now you can compare your day’s flight with those of your buddies in your club, nearby clubs or the world. No more being out-classed by the bar stories of the guy next to you, who did the first 100km of his 750km flight before the first thermal started by following the heat trail of discarded cigarette butts down the main highway.

Simply go to the OLC-Scoring tab, select the Statistic you’re interested in from the drop down, then use the Worldwide drop down filter to the left. Want to have a look at the best OLC club in NZ or the World today? It can all be done.

So the message is simple, the OLC Wants You. Stop procrastinating and get some fun back into you soaring. Sign up today!

For those who don’t know

OLC stands for Online Contest and it can be found on the web a www.onlinecontest.org

Rieti – as good

as it gets

By Dane Dickinson

The Coppa Internazionale del Mediterraneo (The International Mediterranean Cup, or Med Cup for short) is an annual gliding competition held in Rieti, central Italy. Dane Dickinson recounts some of the action from this year’s event.

December 2013

25

Kapang. The sound of the first hailstone unsettles me.

“Coutts, are you still with me? Look out mate, there’s hail.”

I

t’s Day Two of the Med Cup and cumulous development is disrupting large parts of the task area. In 15m we’re on a 407 km ‘Rieti Classic’, while in the Standard Class, Ben Flewett and John Coutts have a slightly trickier 390 km over flatter terrain.

I’ve just managed to meet up with Coutts at around the half-way point of our tasks. We’ve just shared the 12kt thermal de jour and now we’re racing northwards along the edge of a thunderhead. But our path is about to be cut-off by a developing CB from the west, that is merging with the main cell. Only a small gap remains between the showers and we’ve decided to try to slip through the middle before the door shuts completely.

“Yeah I’m just getting hit now.”

“This could get interesting.” Coutts’ observations are always on-point.

Within seconds, the noise is totally deafening. Then it becomes louder again.

The glider is plummeting and it’s looking marginal whether I’ll clear the next ridgeline. As I pile on more speed, I begin to wonder about the hailstones cracking the paintwork or smashing the canopy. Those curiosities are quickly outweighed when two intimately close lightning bolts bring some piercing clarity to the cockpit.

This is what I call a ‘Rieti Moment’: A fleeting instance in time where your stomach flutters like a hummingbird, your heart skips many a beat, and you get a surge of feelings welling up inside you – exhilaration, anxiety, adrenaline, awe, uninhibited rapture, terror – all mixed together under a sharpened sense of awareness and intense concentration.

There’s nothing that quite compares to the ‘Rieti Moment’. It’s only in this brief period of frightening ecstasy that you let your mind comprehend the entirety of the situation in which you find yourself: the absurd reality that you – nothing more than an insignificant mid-sized landmammal – are piloting a motorless lump of plastic over a 400 km invisible racetrack in the atmosphere. And now you’re caught in the middle of a hailstorm on the edge of giant thunderstorm, barely in control and completely detached from your comfy

26

December 2013

earthly origins, all because of some incomprehensibly insane desire to go faster than your equally insane competitors. Just fantastic!

Then, as soon as it began, the Moment is past. The imagination settles, the noise abates, the air smoothes out, and the sky gets brighter. The vario slowly rises off the lower stop and the speaker begins to sing.

I’m through. I’m over the sunny ground and rising fast.

“Right. That’s done. Don’t slow down now.” I put the flaps full negative and let the ASI needle find redline… …150 km later I see Coutts again. This time I’m on final glide, skimming along the ridges. Coutts is thermalling just above a crest as I slide by 300 ft underneath.

‘What’s happening Johnny? Are you trying out the oxygen system up there?’

No response but he’s clearly motivated, as he dives off to sit just above and to the left. We’ve got 45km to run and the glide computer says 2300 ft under glide.

A couple of minutes later we enter into the ‘Valley of Death’. This so-named valley is a long winding gauntlet with an unlandable gorge at its base and a 500 ft gushing waterfall blocking the bottom exit.

There is nowhere we can escape to entering at this height.

It’s always a little nerve wracking when you enter the Valley for the very first time.

This explains Coutts’ initial dithering. The modus operandi is to enter low-level and

then use the afternoon anabatic breezes to deliver yourself safely home and away from the doom.

Coutts is still with me when we arrive on the first western faces of the Valley. It’s bubbling just enough to hold level and we start contour flying. The next thing I see is Big Bad Johnny’s smug grin, as he dives off his extra height and then cheekily tries to muscle his way between the terrain and me. This is hardly the time for a game of chicken; I’m not even racing in the same Class as him. But it’s game-on all the same and we start dodging rocks and trees in an effort to best one another.

A couple of kilometres later we are facing the first set of powerlines. As I speed up towards them, I get a glimpse of Coutts going hard left towards a saddle further up the spur. “What’s he doing? That’s not the way. He’ll never clear the pylons on that saddle.” I lose sight of him as I sail across the wires.

A minute later, he pops out 500 m in front of me from the top of the next valley, somehow having squeaked and puckered his way across the higher section of ridge.

The Midas touch of a World Champion, I guess. I push forward to 130kts in an effort to close the gap but there’s not much time left. After a projectile flight path over the second set of powerlines to clear the final ridge, he’s still 300 m ahead. Now the airfield is in sight and all that’s left is a terrain hug through the hilltop villages at

“Right. That’s done. Don’t slow down now.”

I put the flaps full negative and let the ASI needle find redline…

Air to air.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Gridlock chat

VNE for the final 10 km. Coutts has got me with his antics. Even with the flaps, I can’t quite get him and trail by 30 meters across the line.

“What a flight!” Coutts is beaming.

“That’s nothing.” I reply grudgingly.

“Wait till we get some decent weather.”

Sure enough, a few days later, conditions are drier and the excitement level goes up another notch. This time it’s Flewett who’s raising the stakes.

I’m headed north on the ‘milk-run’.

This is the classic route on the eastern mountains when the Adriatic sea-breeze convergence establishes itself against a moderate westerly flow. I’ve just joined Flewett in a thermal with one other glider; it’s Angelo Gritti, a Rieti veteran. Together we follow the convergence line north until the cumulus thins away. Today the

convergence is stopped by the huge Gran Sasso d’italia.

The Sasso is a mountain plateau protruding from the surrounding earth and holds the highest mountains in Italy outside the Alps. It is the site of Mussolini’s famous WWII imprisonment and subsequent air-commando rescue. To a glider pilot, the Sasso is a remarkable boon or barrier, depending from which side you look at it.

Today we’re looking from the wrong side. We’re on the SE, while the wind is WNW. As we climb up in a broken thermal under the last cloud in the line, I wonder if the lowly 8000 ft cloudbase will be high enough for us glide around the southern side of the Sasso and onto its western faces of joy.

I don’t get to find out. At 7100 ft Gritti leaves the thermal and heads NW, straight

towards the middle of the Sasso. It doesn’t make any sense: the terrain goes uphill to at least 7000 ft and there’s a 10kt straight headwind. There’s no more cumulus and no escape route, except backwards from whence he came. It’s insanity or suicide, hard to tell which.

“Where’s he going?” I ask anxiously.

“I’ve no idea, but I’m going with him.”

Flewett is off in pursuit.

I’ve got 50 ft on them both, so I join the party, figuring that I’ll live longer whatever the outcome.

10 km on and we’re still on Gritti’s tail, still gliding into wind and still into rising ground. We’ve found nothing we can stop to climb in. Every instinct I have is telling me to turn around and sacrifice the day. I can see Flewett’s head desperately twisting inside the cockpit, looking for a third option.

There isn’t one. By now, we’re only 500 ft above the upward sloping land and we’ve got at least 10 km to go to pass the final crest. It just looks like a complete dead-end.

To the right is even higher ground and to the left are small ridges beginning to cage us in. Below is an undulating moonscape of rock and sunken gullies, just waiting to eat three gliders. Astonishingly, despite the wind being against us, every time we come over slightly higher terrain, the vario kicks up just enough to carry us further forward and delay our impact another minute. It defies all logic but we’re somehow now at 7300 ft. Further uphill we go.

A few minutes later, things are tenser.

Gritti is still in front, barely 200 ft above the dirt, going about 80kts and not even considering turning. Flewett is the same level, 100 m back and I’ve got about 70 ft on them but 200 m behind again. By this point, I don’t think it’s physically possible to turn around anymore. We’re tightly confined between two little ridges and still on the upslope. But even if I could turn around, what then? 20 km backtracking over the same terrain isn’t exactly going to fix my current psychosis. Looking ahead about 2 km, a U-shaped notch in the plateau is visible. An exit? It looks like we might just escape if there is no sink.

On cue, Gritti loses 100 ft, then Flewett, and now me. The air feels horrible and we’ve still got a kilometre to go. I pick the speed up to about 90kts with whatever height I’ve got left, but the horizon on the other side is still going higher not lower. I am now certain we won’t make it and we’ll be momentarily flying into the

December 2013

27

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

In Rieti there’s never a shortage of comedians to provide pre-launch entertainment.

Antipodean winners. John Coutts, Ben Flewett, Dane Dickinson.

Tactics

ZN and 2a oblige the control tower with a formation finish as per local procedures.

Rieti is the “centre of Italy”.

28

December 2013

15M Class podium: Dane Dickinson (2nd), Leigh Wells (1st), Ricky Brigliadori (3rd)

mountainside. My brain goes into overdrive; it’s another ‘Moment’.

During this particular occasion of unbounded trepidation, I find myself revisiting a fleeting conversation from earlier in the day. Angelo Gritti had been much less prominent in this competition than in previous years, yet I hadn’t given much thought as to why. This morning I happened to overhear that he was currently recovering from chemotherapy. My mind didn’t put these two pieces of information together until now. The revelation is horrifying. How can it be that the pilot whom Ben and I have been impossibly following at ground level for the past 15 km is in the midst of chemo treatment? And what am I so worried about?

With Gritti’s unwavering dedication in mind, I steel my nerves and pass into ground-effect on the rounded lip of the Sasso. Soon the ground is falling away and I can see thousands of feet down to the valley floor in front. Nice! Seconds earlier, I had watched the shadows of Gritti and Flewett flicker over the rocks as their gliders disobeyed gravity with an impossible pull-up, just inches above the crest. But there is no time to fathom the miracle I’ve witnessed; Gritti is already racing along the windward faces, heading towards the north side of the Sasso where the sea-breeze front restarts. Onwards we fly in pursuit.

Such is the flying at Rieti. Whether it’s flying through the middle of a CB, dropping into the Valley of Death, or chasing a doublehardened veteran over the Gran Sasso, Rieti provides unrelenting and exhausting excitement. So much so, you can never quite truly appreciate the sheer awesomeness of what you’ve just experienced because you’re too busy confronting the next surge of adrenaline.

Located at the centre of Italy, in the heart of Apennine Mountains, Rieti is perfectly situated to make use of the soaring opportunities. The mountains are rounded and mostly range from 4000 to 7000 ft. This type of terrain interacts perfectly with the searing heat of the Italian summer to make a seriously fun playground. Admittedly, as gliding sites go, the landscape and conditions do not leave much in the way of exploratory flying, and the area is simply too small for it to be considered a soaring rival of the Andes, Alps, or Omarama. However, as a competition venue, it beats all others by a handsome margin.

Rieti is Racing Heaven.

Most importantly, the weather is hot, consistent,

AS GOOD AS IT GETS and predictable. Even in a bad year, you’ll fly 8 days out of 11. Speeds below 120 kph are considered slow (this year the 15M cracked 160 kph), and cloud bases below 6000’ warrant a day spent lounging by the pool. Airspace is not a serious issue and most of your time is spent dashing along sun-drenched ridges or in extensive convergence systems. Sometimes it goes blue, sometimes it storms, but there’s always 10kts to be had.

On the basic level, Rieti isn’t a difficult place to fly – flatlanders cope just fine. But raise the pace to competition level and it becomes exponentially more challenging and fun – that is the true beauty of the place. And it doesn’t take much. As a rule of thumb, tasks from Rieti involve only two turnpoints (a southern one followed by a northern one), although the odious FAI Sporting Code mandate for competitions to have at least 1/3 Assigned Areas have unfortunately started to upset this fine tradition. Happily though, Rieti still manages to retain a beautifully simple finish line in front of the control tower, to ensure all finishes can be officially observed.

The other thing about Rieti is that it doesn’t involve many of the unpleasantness often found on the ground at gliding competitions. You see, the sky provides all the complications anyone could possibly want; there is just no point in creating more. Take-offs are always to the north and landings to the south – the concept of tailwind doesn’t exist. There is no culture of incessant grid squatting and re-briefing – that way is just too hard. Instead, the done thing at Rieti is to cancel the day the night before if the weather looks poor. And you never need fuss over exactly how much

Outlanding is a big no-no at Rieti; the retrieves are just too hard.

water ballast to carry, because nothing less than the maximum will do. In fact, your biggest worry on the ground is perfecting your exit time from the pool to reach your glider at just the right moment for take-off.

You won’t be mollycoddled at Rieti.

They neither preach lengthy safety sermons nor give sanctimonious lectures about airmanship. There is no need. At Rieti, the utmost pilot responsibility is a prerequisite for being allowed through the airfield gate.

What a breath of fresh air!

Outlandings are not a regular occurrence either. This is partly due to the good soaring conditions, but more so because in large sections of the taskarea there is simply nowhere to safely land. Initially, this nowhere-to-land-thing is troubling, but after a time it becomes paradoxically comforting. In some ways it’s nice not having to constantly think about where you can land, because you can’t.

Pilots are thus not tempted, and instead put in extra effort on getting home!

And after all is done at the end of an exhilarating race day at Rieti, you can soak in the comfort of the Mediterranean climate, while enjoying some of the world’s finest cuisine. What more could you ask?

I first went to Rieti in 2007, for the Junior Worlds. Ben Flewett and I then flew together there at the proper Worlds in 2008.

Those were sharp learning periods, filled with much frustration. After a couple of years respite, Flewett went back to face his bugbear and last year he convinced me to do the same. This year, Coutts was the latest Kiwi to be recalled, since his successful one-off solo recce in 2002. Also propping up the NZ brand is Andy Perley (ex-Auckland Gliding Club) who has been

helping raise the average speeds in the Med Cup Open Class for the past two years.

In addition to the NZ contingent, this year our ensemble of ‘Commonwealth pilots’ included six esteemed ‘Englanders’ – Jay Rebbeck, Geoff Tabner, John Gorringe, Afandi Darlington, Leigh Wells, and Jon Gatfield – and Australian newbie Owen McCormack. Amply supported by friends and family, the competition was tremendously enjoyed by us all. Even Afandi, a newcomer to Rieti, went home ecstatic and fully committed to returning next year.

This despite the fact he spent several hours de-rigging his once pristine ASG 29 from atop a farmer’s chicken shed with the aid of a crane and a spar-cutting-angle-grinder on the last day of the competition. That is the type of unquestionable devotion we like to see!

Although the Med Cup is a friendly competition, Rieti is so good it attracts many of the best pilots away from the more prestigious gliding events on the European calendar. This year was no exception, with at least seven current or previous World and European champions on the attendance list. After 10 days of intense racing, the final results were quite a coup for visiting pilots, with 10 of the 15 podium places going to non-Italians. The Commonwealth did particularly well, with Coutts and Leigh respectively securing 1st in the Standard and 15M Classes, while Flewett and I both had to settle for 2nd to the former World Champions. Jay finished 3rd in Standards and Afandi traded his all-but-certain 2nd in the 18M for 4th , after coming up 50 m short of the finish on the last day. Tut-tut-tut…

Driving home, already buzzing at the prospect of going back next year, a passing comment from Jay sticks firmly in my mind: ‘Rieti is as good as gliding gets.’ It’s pretty hard to disagree with that.

As always, many thanks are owed to all our support crew, who enabled the pilots to get into the air this year. Also, to the competition organisation team in Rieti, for again putting on a great event and providing warm Italian hospitality.

Finally, on behalf of NZ glider pilots, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the Brigliadori family and to the entire Italian gliding fraternity over the untimely passing of Leonardo earlier this year. A true gliding legend and Champion of Rieti, he will be sorely missed.

Results website: http://www.soaringspot.com/cim_2013/results/

December 2013

29

competition enterprise

Omarama style

By Gavin Wills

Photos by Marty Taylor/Gavin Wills with pilot Gabriel Briffe

Inspired by Phillip Wills in the 1970s, Competition Enterprise was directed by John Fielden for 25 years. It ran mainly in the UK but with outliers in Australia and France.

This year, I was lucky enough to compete in the 40th Competition Enterprise at North Hill, Devon, where it was directed by my cousin Justin Wills. Not for a long time have I been so challenged and had so much fun with all my clothes on, and in a glider!

A

s you will see, it’s the perfect contest for Omarama conditions. What’s more, we plan to find out who is Omarama’s best mountain soaring pilot this summer, by running Enterprise Omarama from December 28 to January 5 (with a day off on New Year’s Day). Directed by Clive Geddes, and with task setting by Lemmy Tanner, Justin Wills and others, we hope to encourage Omarama cross country pilots with a range of experience to join us and fly against such illustrious visitors as Uli Schwenk, John Gorringe, Justin Wills, G Dale and many more.

Unfettered by FAI’s conventions and rules, Enterprise is a simple, minimum rules game to see who can score the most enterprising flight of each and every soarable day. If it’s safe to soar, then an appropriate task is set. The tasks challenge pilots from the least to the most experienced and yet, overall, the best probably wins.

There is only one class and all gliders are handicapped. Most tasks are distance based, with substantial bonuses for meeting certain requirements; for example: getting home, flying over the sea, or going around a certain mountain. Following a pilot selected launch time, tasks start directly off tow. Enterprising flights are encouraged, including personal goals, badge and record flights.

Less experienced pilots will enjoy not having to endure the standard FAI starting procedure, with its inherent dangers from manoeuvring gliders. There are no glider gaggles, as there is no advantage in gaggle flying. Every kilometre you fly counts for scoring and as there are no devalued days, you can really evaluate yourself against the best pilots.

In conventional FAI speed contests, the pilot who does the least amount of flying generally wins. At Enterprise, the winner will

30

December 2013

nearly always be the one who has flown the most, not the least. The winner will take the Omarama’s Cup for 2013, with day prizes from Ostler Wines.

In his forward to the UK Competition Enterprise Handbook, John Fielden writes: “… I have had to find a formula which keeps faith with Philip [Wills’ philosophy], and at the same time leaves the pilots with freedom to choose how to exploit the day from each different perspective. That is the fundamental background to the idea of ‘no rule’ when trying to set tasks and assess scoring at the end of each day. The winner is always meant to be the one who has beaten the greatest obstacles; the task setter, the weather, the rules, himself.

Thus and ONLY thus is freedom maintained? BUT....Like all freedoms, it brings with it a real need to understand the division between the responsibility to one’s self and the responsibility to the rest of society... or [at least] the rest of the competitors.”

My favourite day at North Hill Enterprise 2013 was a day we nearly won! At briefing it looked unsoarable, with 15 knot winds and total cover at 2,000 feet. The late afternoon forecast was for the wind to increase a bit, with possible weak wave slots to form in the cumulus. In other words, a difficult day, even for England! The task was brave; a Compass Rose based on Tiverton, a known wave entry point about 20 kms up wind of the airfield. The Compass Rose task allows pilots to make four separate out and return flights from one point, in this case Tiverton, providing each out and return is in a different quadrant of the compass. Points are awarded for each kilometre flown, but in our case, there were two twists; bonus points were to be awarded for every 100 feet gained above 2,000 feet and

unusually there was no bonus for getting home. So obviously the task setter was expecting pilots to make some short out and returns in weak thermals and/or weak wave and to gain additional points by making height gains in the wave.

Just before launch, Justin asked if I had appreciated that there was no bonus for getting home. This was a clue. So when Roger Davis and I launched in his DG 1000 and could see no sign of wave anywhere, we elected to forget about wave but go to Tiverton and then make a down wind dash.

Rounding Tiverton, we told our faithful crew to get on the road, while we set off floating down wind using the weak thermals. The climbs averaged half a knot. We never got above launch height (1700 feet) but the thermals were numerous and close together. Amazingly, we made steady progress, albeit slowly. After three hours on task, the last thermal died and we landed at Downton Village, 135 km from home. I felt like my gliding forbears must have done, after drifting low-level across the beautiful English countryside in their old wooden ships, eyeing up the cows on the hillsides and peeping into people’s private lives! We did well to achieve an average speed of 42 kph and second place for the day – several pilots found wave and the winners managed to climb to nearly 7,000 ft! But the undoubted highlight for us occurred near the end of our flight, when an RAF Hercules crossed underneath us. Fortunately we were almost 1000 feet above the ground!

Most pilots scored this day and everyone enjoyed the challenge of dragging points out of what seemed like unsoarable weather. An FAI contest would never have even considered launching!

At Omarama, I can imagine a variety of out and return tasks being set (with optional turn points) along our coastal convergences or through the mountains, perhaps with a bonus for going around, say Mt Brewster or D’Archiac. On excellent wave days long flights are possible, with the top pilots flying as much as 1000 km, while less experienced pilots achieve 400 or 500 kms. There may be added points for altitude gains and, of course, bonus points for getting home. Indeed, tasks are set to challenge each pilot’s level of experience.

John Fielden has the final word: “Philip Wills’ legacy of a gliding movement free of bureaucratic interference, promoting self-determination, reliance and responsibility remains even more relevant today than it was 27 years ago [1973]. Enterprise represents that philosophy and tradition, which benefits the whole gliding community. We have inspired and achieved numerous UK records; we have had innumerable adventures.

Above all, we fly whenever possible, and have tremendous fun.

Come and join us.”

Enterprise Omarama 2014 28 December 2013 – 6 January 2014

(with New Year’s Day day a non-contest day)

Contest Director, Clive Geddes Task Setter, Lemmy Tanner and others International Guest competitors, Uli Schwenk, Justin Wills, G Dale and Gabriel Briffe Entry fee $150 for the contest or $30 daily Entries on line – GNZ web site Minimum requirements Silver C or as for a Regional contest.

Further Information Gavin Wills, gwills@GlideOmarama.com December 2013

31

Vertical Sunset. Photo by Marty Taylor/Gavin Wills with pilot Gabriel Briffe. Â

32

December 22013

December 2013

33

Mt Cook

Airspace is Free

By Jill McCaw

Nearly a year after the gliding movement started fighting to maintain the freedom to climb to altitude above Aoraki/Mt Cook, the CAA reversed its previous decision to control the space above FL 245. For the present time, the airspace remains unrestricted. It nearly wasn’t so.

T

his time last year, the gliding community was busy writing submissions against the proposal to control airspace over FL 245 in the Mt Cook region. It was argued that General Aviation pilots, particularly glider pilots, would only rarely wish to fly this high and, as the likelihood of having an IFR flight in this area was also rare, we could assume that Airways would issue a clearance for a glider wanting to fly above this. However, GNZ and many individual pilots saw this as another thin end of a wedge. CAA also stated that it was giving consideration to lowering the floor of this airspace to FL 175, which is obviously well below the levels that gliders commonly operate in wave conditions.

In reply to the proposal to change this airspace, Trevor Mollard, on behalf of GNZ, stated: “The uncontrolled airspace at Mount Cook is unique. The consultation document completely underestimates the impact controlled airspace at Mt Cook would have on the gliding community. We view it as an aerial extension of the National Park which lies beneath it and an area worthy of World Heritage status. This strong emotional response occurs because the area is very special, with just the right combination of mountains, wind and sun to generate enormously powerful lee wave systems on a regular basis. The availability of uncontrolled airspace at all levels; a safe operating

34

December 2013

environment located within a politically stable country makes this area unique in the literal sense.”

And also: “It is in New Zealand’s economic interest to retain the Mt Cook uncontrolled airspace.

This unique combination of features attracts glider pilots from all over New Zealand and the rest of the world, and makes a very real contribution to the local and national economy, far in excess of the alleged benefits to be derived from the proposal. Imposing controlled airspace would materially harm this wonderful aeronautical asset and diminish its economic value to the nation.”

Mention was also made of the safety aspect involved with having multiple gliders traversing the Class C airspace, increasing the work load on the controller and making our normal flight following difficult.

A huge amount of work from many people went into preparing this document and it addressed all concerns raised regarding commercial operations in and through the area.

There were only two proposals in favour of the move (Qantas and Airways NZ) versus seventy against, but in October we learnt that the proposal had gone ahead.

Glider pilots were furious GNZ President Nigel Davy approached Graeme Harris, the Director of CAA,

asking him to personally review the Qantas and Airways submissions versus the GNZ submission and the airspace policy document. The Director agreed to do this, but we didn’t know what the time frame would be. A publicity campaign to raise awareness among GA pilots was started, with an article in Kiwi Flyer. Then, in November the Director of CAA came through. The airspace change has been reversed.

In the meantime, the new maps have been printed with the changes noted.

Ignore the lines. There are NOTAMs and AIP supplements printed to reverse them.

Nigel Davy tells us to, “Go forth and use the area to whatever height you want.” I’m sure plenty of people will do so over the summer, and hopefully post their traces online, so we can all see.

I would like to pass a huge vote of thanks for all the behind-the-scenes work that our executive did on our behalf. This is a victory for people power and common sense.

Stop Press CAA has announced that the decision to reverse the need for Mt Cook Airspace to be controlled above FL 245 is temporary only and that it has been put out to consultation - again.

GNZ has met with CAA and is hopeful of reaching a satisfactory solution..

the big winch

Rebuild

The Piako Gliding Club decided in May 2011 that the winch needed major work. The drum axles were starting to slip in the diff splines and the wire cable was continually breaking, with the associated birds nest. The ride was full of vibrations as the drums were not quite balanced and there were jolts as the joints went through the sheaves to the drum. All this meant that the winch was sitting in the hangar, unused.

By Bill Mace

N

eil Raymond bravely put his hand up and said he would look into it. To start with a new diff was required, which meant a rebuild of the back of the winch. Neil said if we were going to do that we should look at a complete rebuild. So he came up with the plans, largely a copy of the English Skylaunch design.

This involved:

•• a rebuild of the chassis, so it has a dual axle instead of the steerable double axle set up,

•• extending the chassis and relocating the diff back to allow for the bigger truck diff,

•• setting it up so the diff ran forward, not in reverse as the old diff did,

•• shifting the engine sideways and relocating the gas tank to the back, away from the engine,

•• And

putting the cab access in front of the seat, not from behind, but still allowing room for a trainee driver to be in the cab.

Consequently, it became a major project that Neil consented to take on.

The big expense and change was to go to Dyneema cable for its lighter weight, better life, greater strength, better visibility, and no stretch characteristics. We worked together with Nautilus Braids for the rope design and they did a special run of two 1500m lengths of 6mm Dyneema, with an orange polyester cover to protect it from

wear and UV, although the Dyneema itself has UV protection. Rope diameter is now a fraction over 6mm.

A test run showed that a redesign of the pulley block was required. With this done, we now have had 75 launches off the winch. One day we had 15kts wind on the ground and 25kts gusting 30kts at the top, all done with no drama.

We have noticed that we are consistently getting more than 200’ more height with each launch than on wire. The best we have managed is over 1800’AGL. Launches are smoother and the jerking of the wire rope has been eliminated. The feeling is less harsh when there are gusts as the lightness of the rope allows for this to be taken up in the rope sag and so far we have had no weak link breaks.

The engine is significantly less stressed as the light rope has little friction with the ground on the initial part of the climb. Because of the expected longevity of the rope we are pricing in replacement cost at $1 per launch. At the moment, we are charging $15 per launch to GNZ members and invite anyone who wants a winch rating or a launch at Matamata to get in touch.

The club recognizes the great effort by Neil Raymond and the assistance of ex- Nationals Sports Class Champion Cameron Wine (Cam’s Engineering) and the co-operation and assistance of Nautilus Braids.

Incidentally, Nautilus Braids have break strain testing equipment and would be happy to build specially made aero tow ropes in a bulk lot for clubs or GNZ.

December 2013

35

VINTAGE & CLASSIC

restoring

double foxtrot – paint stripping and repairs

By Andy Benton Jude with fuselage.

In our last issue, we started the story on restoring the K6E FF (Double Foxtrot). In this issue, Andy tells us about the work involved in taking a wood and fabric glider, stripping it back and rebuilding it.

G

iven that FF had been an unloved club glider for many years, and had become increasingly dilapidated, I felt that it would be a good plan to assess the underlying structure before re-covering and painting. Mike Strathern suggested that I should start with the tailplane and see how keen I was to continue after that!

The tailplane is skinned in 1mm ply, and I was very reluctant to use sandpaper on it, but didn’t feel a lot better about paint stripper.

My subsequent research on paint stripper indicated that some of these solvents are REALLY BAD. I went with Resene Strip-off, and Citristrip, with the precautions of thick gloves, overalls, and eye protection.

I had optimistically hoped that one layer of paint-stripper would fizzle the paint right back to the wood, but alas this just softened the top layer to the point that it could be scraped off, and more stripper had to be applied to each of the SEVEN layers beneath it.

It was very slow and exacting work. The tailplane itself took 40 hours to strip to bare ply, but the structure felt much lighter. From model glider flying I know that weight is really important, and I was hoping to improve the already marvellous thermalling performance, of this oversized model aeroplane.

I am sure this would not be everyone’s idea of a fun winter

Fuselage stripped.

Fuselage done upside down.

36

December 2013

VINTAGE & CLASSIC

Elevators with water damage.

Dad with standard part.

Gluing elevator D box.

Finished elevators and tailplane.

Me and skylark elevator.

activity, but I quite enjoyed taking one bit of the structure at a time and stripping it back to the wood. I found that you can be quite rough and work reasonably quickly. Scrapers are effective on flat surfaces, but steel wool and scourer pads work well on convex areas.

I am fortunate to have had a very long garage, and the freedom to make as much mess as I wanted!

I got speedier over time, the second wing taking 13 hours less than the first, but it is fair to say that by the time I was working on the fuselage, I was ready for this to end!

I took lots of photos, so that it could all be put back together, logged the hours, and had Mike Strathern and Arthur Jordan examine each part. While the paint had been tatty, the underlying structure was in very nice condition, and generally only required removal of paint, a light sand, and sealing with thinned nitrate dope.

When the covering was removed from the elevators, we found water damage to the elevator D box, which necessitated replacing the inboard section of plywood.

This is a well-known problem on the K6, and there is an A/D about it. The damage could well have occurred after it was removed from service, but I was very glad at this stage to have done such a detailed overhaul.

Sometimes things happen with uncanny timing; the Australian Gliding Museum at Bacchus Marsh ran a wood inspection and minor repair course, and a fabric application course in the two weeks following my best mate’s wedding in Melbourne. As I was about to work on the elevators and then recover a whole K6, this was an amazing opportunity.

The wood inspection and minor repair course was very similar to the GNZ class 2 course, but was more hands-on, with each of

Wing clean no covering - abit dark.

Moulds.

us building a ‘standard part’, which involved laminations, different types of gussets, splices etc, and at the end it was broken to see how well it had been constructed. We also examined various damaged structures from the museum’s collection and had a go at fixing these.

Again, the people on the course were a great resource, with one guy building a replica Salamandra, and Ian Bogaard restoring a Jaskolka, the tail of which has been totally destroyed with water damage. I came to realise that double Foxtrot was in beautiful condition and that I was very fortunate to be simply doing cosmetic work such as a re-cover.

The fabric application course was run by Russel Darbyshire of Aviaquip, the Australasian distributor of Ceconite and Polyfibre. Russell gave a thorough talk on the background of these different systems, and the key differences between them. He then demonstrated applying polyfibre onto an Auster rudder. We were allocated different structures to recover, and I got to recover a Skylark 4 elevator.

Back in NZ, we had a repair plan from Schleicher for the elevators, and obtained aviation grade plywood through Lianne Bergin at Aviation Performance Parts. I made moulds for the elevator D box, and then steamed the ply to fit.

The old ply was removed, templates cut, and the new sections of ply glued in place with aerodux, and a huge number of clamps! This work was all done under Mike’s meticulous supervision.

That was a real turning point, and I felt we were definitely on the home straight! The paint stripping and repairs had taken about 230 hours from June 2012 to Feb 2013, which wasn’t bad going, and my dad was coming in a few weeks to help with the recovering.

To be continued...

December 2013

37

pressure transducer conversion for the

CAMBRIDGE L-NAV

By Rod Ruddick

Modified L-NAV with a second transducer board alongside.

A

s one of many pilots still using the Cambridge L-NAV as my primary variometer and final glide computer, I have enjoyed its accuracy and convenient screen presentation. I have been less happy with its total energy compensation, as I do not have a total energy probe on my Cirrus and a capsule compensator does not work well as an alternative. For some years now, I have been providing calibration and repair services for Cambridge instruments and decided this year to consider building a pressure transducer replacement for the thermistor sensor assembly of the L-NAV, using modern temperature compensated pressure transducers. This has coincided with Cambridge Aero Instruments ceasing future

38

December 2013

support of their soaring products.

The new sensor board provides both airspeed and exact total energy height for the variometer function, which gives absolute total energy compensation without the need for a total energy probe.

The L-NAV main PCB requires two small modifications to disable the temperature correction for the thermistor sensors, and provide stabilized voltages for the pressure transducers. Power drain is reduced by about 20 milliamps from the thermistor version and all gain adjustments can be preset as part of board manufacture. Only Pitot and Static pneumatic connections are required and the L-NAV capacity and TE probe connections are unused. I use the instrument statics rather than the airspeed

statics for my installation, as the airspeed statics provide a slight negative pressure, giving slight overcompensation. Most aircraft tend to over-read airspeed at the high end for safety reasons, but the forward instrument panel statics tend to be better for varios. L-NAV on-screen configuration and calibration procedures are unchanged, although the slow HW/TW and fast HW/TW wind calibration offset values may change substantially from your previous settings, due to non linearity of the thermistor bridge sensors that is still compensated for in the software, but no longer required for the new board. All other software adjustments are as per the L-NAV manual.

Pricing for the upgrade is $520 including return postage in NZ

my introduction to competition aka

The Waipuk Experience

by Trace Austin

Trace, whose real name is David, gained his nickname in the Navy. He originally started gliding in 1986 but had to give it away due to too much time living in non-gliding areas.

Once discharged from the Navy he got back into gliding in 2003. He did his cross country training in Australia and has an instructor rating and Silver and Diamond Goal badges. One thing he hadn’t got was much experience with competition flying.

B

ack in February 2012, I was flying at Matamata with Trev Terry during the Matamata Soaring Contest. I had never wanted to be a competition pilot, however I did want to get back into doing more cross country flying. As much as I enjoy being an instructor, instructing does compromise your own flying, so when I was given the opportunity to fly with Trevor at Matamata, it was too great an opportunity to miss.

One evening during the week, Tony van Dyke told me that I was going to Waipukurau.

I looked at my wife Jen and she was nodding her head in agreement.

The Central Districts Championship was only two weeks away.

I never wanted to fly competitions. I thought about a comment that a mate of mine in Australia had made some years ago.

He said that he didn’t fly in the comps to be competitive, but to fly cross country with other glider pilots and to have fun. I embraced this statement.

Being only a couple of weeks out, there was a lot to be done.

I needed a car to tow a trailer, or to put a tow bar on my wife’s car, as my car was not up to the task. I needed to enter the competition and most importantly, I needed a glider. First things first: I applied to the Taupo Gliding Club committee for the use of the Jantar. I was then

fortunate enough to discover a new listing on Autotrader for a used Nissan Terrano, which I viewed the following day and drove home that afternoon, and I completed an entry form for the competition. So things were set.

The weather for the 2012 Waipukurau contest wasn’t flash and task setting was difficult. At the end of the week we only had the one contest day, but we were able to do some local flying. Trev, Tony and Graham passed on valuable knowledge to the three new kids on the block - both on the ground and in the air. On the only competition day, we experienced wave conditions which were brilliant. Unfortunately, I made an incorrect decision and fell out of the wave and eventually thermalled my way into the ground, landing out in a deer farm.

I had come close to landing out on previous cross country flights in Australia, but this was actually my first ever land out. I was surprised how inquisitive the deer were, as they all came up to the fence of the paddock that I landed in, to have a look. A couple of hours later Jen, (this was Jen’s first retrieve and I knew then that there would be more) Trevor and Rolland arrived and we put the Jantar in the trailer and away we went. What a great day!

Due to a wet summer, it was a pity that we didn’t have great flying weather in 2012, but in all it was a fantastic week, for both learning and fun.

This year, 2013, had spectacular weather.

We had tasks on five out of the seven days.

The other two days were great days, but not for gliding, so on one of these days, we went to the beach. I did manage to land out once again, this time at a dairy farm in Dannevirke, but what I gained out of this week was again invaluable.

Mentoring from experienced pilots such as Trev Terry, Tony van Dyke and Graham White was fabulous. They willingly passed on hints, suggestions and encouragement. For the new cross country pilot, the Waipukurau experience enhances and further broadens the knowledge gained from completing a cross country course.

The atmosphere during the Waipukurau competition is relaxed and fun. The tasks set are planned to enable all contest pilots the chance to get around - regardless of experience. The region itself is friendly to glider pilots and also offers things for the family to do and see.

So, if you have just completed a cross country course, or wish to get back into cross country flying, or you are an experienced cross country pilot, then bring yourself, your family and a glider to Waipukurau. I cannot recommend the Waipuk experience highly enough.

See you there next year!

December 2013

39

collision

Avoidance

‘Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down,’ is a line I recall from Coronation Street (my mother was a fan). Collisions are another means of nature getting that same little message through to you.

40

December 2013

In terms of having that plan, ask yourself: Do you wear a parachute? Do you know how to use it? Has it been repacked according to its maintenance schedule?

Do you have a plan for getting out of your aircraft, bearing in mind that it may be tumbling through the sky? Do you practise that exit by getting out of your glider while still wearing your parachute?

Attitude and preparation are key parts of staying alive. In a paper on reducing vehicle accidents, an economist once wrote that the best solution would be to install a row of sharp spikes on the dashboard. While it wouldn’t do anything but harm in the event of a collision, it would concentrate the driver’s mind wonderfully.

Are gliders really at so much more risk?

Statistics tell the story. In the UK, from 1987 to April 2004, there were 28 collisions involving gliders, 12 resulted in fatalities. Eight of the collisions involved a glider and a General Aviation (GA) aircraft, of which six were towing aircraft. One other involved a collision between a glider and a free fall parachutist and the other 19 (i.e. about two-thirds) were glider-glider collisions. These gliderglider collisions occurred predominantly while thermalling, with 13 of the collisions occurring during these manoeuvres. As a general comparison, there were 20 collisions between GA aircraft over the same period.

The photo below may be familiar to some; an ASW-27 and the Hawker jet met while the glider was thermalling. That’s part of the glider’s wing embedded in the nose of the jet. The jet made a wheels-up landing, while the glider pilot parachuted to safety.

It could easily have been another multiple fatality accident.

While we may be disparaging about power pilots, it’s pragmatic to appreciate that – as they don’t have to find their own energy source for flight – they are more likely to engage their attention inside the cockpit, looking at the moving map on their iPad or talking to the passenger seated next to them.

Collisions are arguably more hazardous in gliding than field landings; they’re part and parcel of our recreational activity and have to be considered and mitigated against.

Photo Jeremy Zawodny

I

f you think that this is irrelevant to you personally, then you may not know what many famous and not so famous glider pilots – Reichmann of cross-country book fame included – have in common: they were all killed in mid-air collisions. If you’ve never felt you were potentially in the path of an aerial ‘coming together’ while you’ve been flying, it may simply be that your lookout was inadequate and that you were – unwittingly - the hazard.

Once you’ve become a statistic, your own opportunity for learning is over.

Hopefully, by examining how other people have either met, or nearly met, untimely ends may help you avoid yours. This also highlights the value in reporting nearmisses, which are commonly described as ‘free lessons’.

However skilled you may be (we are all above average drivers, so probably selfassess similarly for flying), you may one day be an unwilling participant in an accident that had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the actions or decisions of the pilot of the aircraft which has just struck yours. The quote attributed to a US soldier in Afghanistan - “Be polite, be professional and have a plan for killing everyone you meet,” - is worth living by (skip the killing bit; keep the bit about having a plan).

Hawker with glider spar.

So far, nothing new, other than hopefully making you appreciate that pilots great and small alike have succumbed to this risk. Let’s consider a few more accidents and the subsequent reports, to see what may happen, in what circumstances / environments.

SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS ➊ Around the airfield Insurance actuaries note that most accidents occur in the home. This doesn’t mean that homes are necessarily dangerous: they’re simply where you spend the most time.

At and around a gliding club, training, local flying and returning cross-country pilots share the same airspace much of the time. While the circuit has a defined pattern, the other flight paths are unpredictable, requiring heightened vigilance, which may be a challenge: whether at the end of a long cross-country flight or an early student with a tired instructor.

There have been reports (from the UK and Canada) of collisions between gliders thermalling in the vicinity of the airfield and towplanes with gliders on tow. I have, one fine day at Matamata, come nearly head-tohead with a Cessna climbing up along my downwind leg: one of us hadn’t done any radio calls (and it wasn’t me). Allow for the unexpected; if it’s possible, someone will do it.

An American report into a collision, after release, between a glider and tow plane (so

it can happen) puts forward the ideas that:

•• The glider pilot has an obligation to do some sort of a clearing manoeuvre immediately after release that will enable him to locate the tow plane and assure that it is not doing something unusual.

•• The

tow pilot has an obligation to maximize horizontal separation, most likely by flying at a constant heading directly away from the release point for at least 30 seconds.

•• Both

pilots must remain alert and be aware of the fact that there is an impending altitude conflict, which is likely to occur within the first few minutes of release.

A UK report talks about a Vega which, having achieved only 1,000’ off the winch, then climbed to 1,500’. Assuming he was clear of the winch, he overflew the winch and was very surprised to come close to meeting a K-13, which had an excellent launch traversing lift. While clubs routinely tell pilots not cross the winch line, it is less common for an absolute altitude to be specified.

Landing can present hazards also.

Another Vega was low, so joined the downwind leg about half way down and continued on a low circuit. Both he and an Astir pilot were surprised (though fortunately uninjured) when the Astir struck the Vega from behind and above. When

we sit in the cockpit of modern gliders, the design goal of minimising drag via reduced frontal area, while still providing adequate crashworthiness, means that we sit low and almost supine in a bathtub-like cockpit. This severely restricts vision below the horizontal in the forward and side directions.

➋ Thermalling The sight of a glider going up in a thermal attracts others in the same fashion as a seagull with a dead fish finds himself as the centre of the flock. Pilots may be focussing more on centering than on the possibility of others following them into the thermal.

Thermalling is not dog-fighting; you’re not trying to get on the tail of the other glider – this position should be actively avoided.

Equally, joining an already-occupied thermal by pulling up at speed may see you meeting new people, but you won’t be making friends with them!

Gliders will be banking between 30 and 50 degrees, often adjusting the bank to remain centred in the thermal. Speed control and thermalling abilities are highly variable, so flight paths are likely to be elliptical rather than circular.

As a consequence, gliders are frequently only a few seconds from collision, potentially with more than one glider, for considerable periods of time. As you join, a brief radio call to the other glider will alert them to your presence.

A Canadian presentation aptly puts it

December 2013

41

collision avoIdance

as: “A glider must always join the thermal in a visual position for other gliders (180° opposite for 2 gliders, 120° for 3, 90° for 4)”.

➌ Cruising in a Gaggle – in the same direction When several gliders are cruising between thermals at similar heights, many situations are possible. The following is not perhaps typical, but does graphically illustrate the type of situation which will face glider pilots from time to time.

Glider A is cruising at the same speed (typically 80 – 120 kts) as a target glider 500’ lower and 0.5 km ahead to one side.

The target glider is visible to glider A with a visual target size at arm’s length of ~ 3 cm wing span. This target glider should be visually acquired by the pilot of glider A. Target glider cannot see the glider A. The target glider strikes lift and pulls up into a turn towards glider A. If no action is taken, approximately 10 sec later the target glider will pass close to or collide with glider A. Other gliders may be close.

The target glider will be able to see glider A once the initial turn is under way – requiring a lookout scan directly overhead – as for thermalling. The target glider will be visible to glider A throughout. Both gliders will have considerable apparent motion.

Visual acquisition should be achieved by one or both pilots BUT a continuous external scan is required as defence against such scenarios. The opportunity for glider A to be alerted to this turn by the target

42

December 2013

glider via a cockpit display given the short time between initiation of the turn and conflict is negligible. The target glider may well consult a visual cockpit display before commencing the turn and may derive some advantage from such a device. However, the pilot of the target glider must react quickly or miss the lift and is concentrating on internal and external indications of lift, deciding whether to take this thermal, flying the aircraft in a steep climbing turn and, as it is not appropriate to rely on the cockpit display, a lookout directly overhead.

The opportunity for this internal visual scan of the cockpit display and the reliability of such action is at least questionable.

Many similar but normally less critical situations to the above, occur regularly and, while these would normally leave more time for visual acquisition and avoidance response, ongoing vigilance and external visual scan is required when flying in close proximity with other gliders.

➍ Competitions and turn points Around areas of converging courses: whether turn-points, launch points, mountain ridges or merely the downwind leg, there are likely to be more gliders than there are sources of lift, so there’ll be a higher potential for disaster.

➎ Meeting while going in opposite directions A French accident report investigating the collision between two gliders, resulting in one fatality, provides a useful summary of

common causal factors. It described causes of the recent collisions in France (in 2004 & 2005 alone, there had been six collisions and four deaths) as:

•• the

lack of contrast between the glider and the sky

•• the

absence of relative movement between aircraft on collision courses

•• a state of lessened vigilance during cruising flight

•• being

pre-occupied with cockpit instrumentation, at the expense of lookout: an increasing state of affairs as the amount of data offered increases

•• an elevated workload •• failure to use the radio.

In the case of this French collision, the gliders were in straight and level flight, travelling in opposite directions and only slightly laterally displaced. Though equipped with wing marker bands, these were not readily visible at the shallow closing angle.

The surviving pilot had been scanning the sky looking for the group of gliders with which he had been flying, at the expense of noting the presence of a single glider: in other words, he failed to see something other than what he was expecting to see.

The pilot killed had also been flying with another group: these two groups, though flying in the same area, were using different frequencies – the failure to use a common frequency to assist in mutual proximity

collision avoidance

awareness was described as another contributing factor.

These views are supported by an Australian review, which made the point that – while technology such as FLARM has the potential to act as another proximity warning system – anything which is not entirely aural and requires the pilot to shift attention inside the cockpit – further reduces the limited time available to identify the hazard and take avoiding action.

Maintaining a good lookout is a skill which can and should be taught. The Soaring Association of Canada has a presentation on ‘Lookout and Collision Avoidance’, which I recommend you download and view as a Powerpoint presentation. Parts of it may surprise you, particularly its graphic demonstration of how the brain ‘fills in the gaps’ in your vision.

Overseas studies, extrapolated to gliders, show that the time for collision avoidance action is around five seconds. Ask yourself: “How much can you manoeuvre an 18m ship in that time?”

➏ Collisions on the ground Collisions may not only occur with other aircraft: hazards identified are hazards which can be mitigated against. The report into the fatal crash of a motor glider in the UK (both pilots killed) revealed that the glider snagged a winch cable which had been laid out for the next launch in accordance with that site’s standard practices, resulting in slow acceleration and, finally, a test of

strength between the aircraft and the cable, with the cable a clear winner.

➐ Defences and the introduction of inadvertent hazards The UK report on collisions also commented on the use of technology, making the same observation that FLARM-style devices had both value and limitations. It suggested that devices such as strobes could be useful, while noting the limited electrical power available in gliders. A point made by one pilot who had survived a mid-air (the other did not) was that he made a habit getting out of the glider after landing while still wearing his parachute, so that – when the need arose – he had rehearsed the sequence of opening (or jettisioning) the canopy, undoing his straps and extricating himself.

The aircraft itself may prove to be an obstacle to the survival of an escaping pilot.

One UK investigation of a fatal collision, in this case the aircraft from which the pilot did not survive, noted that the aircraft had been fitted with electronic equipment, including a logger, GPS, and palmtop computer. These had been attached to the glare shield and canopy frame, and were connected to other systems in the glider by a series of electric cables. These cables were secured to the canopy frame and to the structure behind the instrument panel with cable ties. Had the canopy jettison sequence been completed, it is probable that the wiring to the components installed on the canopy frame and glare shield would

have prevented the canopy from separating and the pilot may not have been able to leave the glider.

It would be easy to be complacent on all of these risks, both as individuals and as clubs, on the basis that, ‘It hasn’t happened so far, so it won’t happen’. History is a poor predictor of the future; it would be a great shame – almost a criminal one – to be reviewing the experience of others as provided here – after an accident.

Stay safe this season.

References: Section 3 contains information I cannot find the source for. I apologise and invite anyone who recognises the author to inform the editor directly so attribution can be made in a following issue.

Mid-air risk: From BGA reports 1116 and 3259-5 French collision report: Bureau D’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA) report into the collision between D-0032 & D-8881 - 11 mars 2005 Tow plane and glider collision: Soaring magazine, October 2008 Installed equipment hindering exit: Collision between aircraft S8-2006 HGM and GDP; EW/ C2006/10/02 Soaring Association of Canada presentation on “Lookout and Collision Avoidance”: http://www.sac.ca/index.php?option=com_docman &Itemid=74

December 2013

43

thermal

ROTATION

By Rod Ruddick ILLUSTRATION ANGELA OLIVER

Wellington pilot Rod Ruddick first started gliding in Australia some fifty years ago. He always understood that thermals rotated and found it surprising in later years, when teaching new pilots the art of soaring, that all of the standard soaring references seemed to assume that vertical movement only was involved. This was especially surprising when observation of any visible thermal carrying dust or ash shows that rapid rotation is the norm. This article is an attempt to correct this view.

L

et us start by considering the best known visible types of thermal and what they tell us of their structure and properties. The tornado and its cousin the waterspout are the most fearsome of thermals, and their visibility tells us much about their inner workings, which we can apply directly to the thermals that we use. The second common visible thermal is the dust devil, (or willy-willy if you are Australian) often seen on dusty airfields at gliding contests.

Tornados descend from cloud towards the ground in the form of a funnel, whilst the dust devil starts as a swirl on the ground and develops upward. Both forms rotate rapidly, with increasing rotational wind speed toward the centre. The funnel cloud shape shows the pressure distribution within a tornado, i.e. pressures lower than that found at cloud base are present at ground level within the rotating column.

Indeed, it is the vacuum within the column which causes buildings to explode when the column touches them. The low pressure

44

December 2013

is maintained by the integrated centrifugal force within the spinning air mass.

The conclusions I draw from this are that all thermals rotate, and the stronger the thermal, the more rapid the rotation.

Rotating wind component, vacuum and lift strength all increase towards the core of the thermal. This is of direct benefit to the glider pilot turning against the rotation, as his

inner wing has added airspeed and stronger lift. As a result, the aircraft does not tend to increase bank as it would turning in still air.

In fact, controls remain essentially neutral.

Since the thermal rotation adds to airspeed, this allows a reduced circle diameter for the same angle of bank, and all these effects combine to improve your climb rate when you are turning the correct way.

If you are familiar with your aircraft and current, it should be obvious from the control balance when you are circling against the rotation. Centering will be easier, it will be easier to fly with more bank for the same airspeed and climb rates will be significantly better. For a 6 knot thermal, the difference is generally around 2 knots.

Flying in the same direction as the thermal rotation makes everything worse, as the thermal rotation gives an increasing tailwind component as you move toward the core. To achieve the same bank you need the same airspeed, so your circle diameter is increased by the tailwind component and your inner wing has lower airspeed, higher lift with increased angle of attack, giving reduced stability. Do this in a really strong thermal and a spin is more likely.

I like to establish the direction of thermal rotation as a first priority each day that I fly, and have found that it generally remains the same for the whole day. Some contests have a rule requiring one direction of turn within a fixed distance of the airfield, and if this is the case, you have to put up with the inconvenience of turning the wrong way but at least you know how to fix the problem when you are out on track.

In mountain terrain, the thermal rotation direction can be influenced by the thermal, the wind in the valleys or ridges which have initiated them and this may be quite different from one valley to the next, so it pays to be very aware of subtle changes.

With a well-compensated variometer and sensitive seat-of-the-pants, the pilot should be very aware of surges or gusts in the thermal. These are commonly caused by a brief increase of airspeed, which your vario will register as an increase in total energy (increase in lift) but is too short for your ASI to register, although your seatof-the-pants instrument will have noted the change. My reaction to these gusts is normally to reduce bank, in order to extend my circle toward the stronger lift. If the lift immediately drops again then I resume the previous bank and continue the circle. When the same effect repeats two or three times around the circle, I know that I am turning the wrong way and need to reverse my turn.

The misleading gusts are caused by flying from higher to lower tailwind on the outside of the thermal and the initial energy change

... all thermals rotate, and the stronger the more rapid the rotation.

resulting from the increase of airspeed is not sustained. If you are turning against the thermal rotation, the same pilot reaction to gusts will help you to centre the thermal, although if the lift continues to increase after you have reduced bank, allow time to penetrate further into the thermal before tightening your turn again.

For thermals below three knots, the effects of rotation are much reduced, and height that would be lost in changing turn direction must be considered also. If you are low, safety should be your first consideration, as the thermal is likely to be small and easy to lose. Waiting until you have a little more height before changing direction may be the best option.

Lastly, watch the birds - their instrumentation has been perfected by evolution over millions of years, and their survival is dependent on their understanding of the gliding environment. They are experts at thermal soaring and worthy of your study.

South island regional results Open/18m Class - Overall Results.

Pilot Grae Harrison Theo Newfield Charlie Tagg 15m/Standard Class - Overall Results.

Pilot John Gorringe Nick Oakley Steven Evans Club Class - Overall Results.

Rego CH CW ZA

Glider type Ventus 2cxt ASG 29 LS 8

Hcap Day 1 Day2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 110 897 824 958 893 847 818 111 1000 678 1000 930 736 834 100 879 897 714 487 1000 1000

Total 5237 5178 4977

Rego HL LB YF

Glider type LS 6c 15m ASW 19b Discus cs W

Hcap Day 1 Day2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 102 938 1000 1000 701 1000 662 93 1000 750 589 771 808 935 99 943 698 788 799 694 821

Total 5301 4853 4743

Glider type Hcap Day 1 Day2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Standard Astir 89 904 1000 836 245 75 608 ASW 19b 93 615 684 303 533 833 677 LS 4b 96 405 176 363 392 414 1000 Ventus 2a 104 662 667 0 99 0 0 DG 800b 103 381 0 697 53 0 0

Total 3668 3645 2750 1428 1131

Pilot Rego NG Wilson Ellery Brian Savage KD CC Kevin Bethwaite Glyn Jackson VV Kerry Greig UP

December 2013

45

interview with

Ulrich Kremer Earlier this year, Mr. Ulrich Kremer (MD of Schleicher) was interviewed in Germany and our contacts kindly translated this interview for SoaringNZ and Gliding Australia.

Q:

Your decision to only attend AERO every second year seems to be the consensus amongst all major manufacturers but it raises the question of how they are coping with falling demand and how they got through the recent period of economic downturn. Can you elaborate on this, and tell us how it has impacted on Schleicher, please?

A: As the world’s oldest glider manufacturer, we have certainly seen a few ups and downs in our company history. We were all concerned about the financial turmoil that affected almost all major gliding countries, but it turned out to be ‘business as usual’ for us.

Some years ago, we established new agencies in countries where we had not been represented in the past, and I’m pleased to say that we are now enjoying a steady flow of orders from these regions. We 46

December 2013

were also lucky that we were able to offer new models at this critical point in time. But it must be said, our satisfactory workload is also due to our wide range of products. As you know, we not only offer competition models but we also have a basic trainer in our program.

The ASK 21 enjoys an enviable reputation for being a reliable workhorse and still contributes greatly to our steady workload. The motorised version is also in great demand. Our customers like the option of having fully independent training operations without need for the usual gliding infrastructure. As such, it seems to be pointing the way to gliding training in the future. We are also getting reports of very high utilisation rates, due to the aircraft’s versatility. On weekends the glider is used for training, and on other days it serves for sight seeing flights, mutual flying by members and even for introducing new people to our sport.

quite some time. We are soon going to celebrate the 100th ASH 31 Mi, and I think its popularity comes down to two reasons. The first one is that it allows fully independent operations, with a modern and dependable power plant. But an equally important issue is that it can be flown in two different classes, simply by exchanging the outer wing panels. Recent feedback from Open Class competition pilots indicate that it can more than match bigger wingspan gliders, which are also far more expensive.

Q: That leads me straight to the next question. What can you tell us about the ASH 32 Mi? When will this new 20 meter two-seater become available?

A: We have deliberately stalled any announcements on the ASG 32 until the AERO trade fair in spring. We wanted to ensure that the ASH 30 delays do not surface again with our new 20 meter two-seater. Therefore, we decided to wait until the design was fully finalised and the fuselage was able to be shown to the public. Now we are at a point where we can remove the prototype wings from their moulds soon, and we still expect the maiden flight very early next year. Series production is scheduled to commence around the end of 2014 and the first orders have already been taken, for delivery in 2015.

Q:

It is now public knowledge that the ASG 32 will have an electric propulsion system. What can you tell us about that?

A: That’s not quite right, because the ASG 32 will be available in three different versions. In addition to the pure glider, we will offer the ASG 32 Mi, which is the self-launching model with rotary engine technology. These two models will be built first. I might add that in future, all our self-launching gliders will come with fuel-injected engines and automatic altitude compensation technology. These slightly modified engines have not only proven to be more reliable but are also more powerful.

Q: It is good to hear that Schleicher is still as busy as ever, but isn’t it fair to say that the delay with the introduction of the ASH 30 has disappointed some of your loyal customers?

A: There is no point in sugar-coating this issue. You are right; it took much longer than expected to get the ASH 30 Mi to the series production stage and there were a number of reasons for it. As you know, the ASH 30 is a brand new development and it is certainly fair to say that we underestimated not only the time required to bring it to series production stage, but also the costs involved. Fortunately, these issues are behind us and we are now going full steam ahead.

In my previous response, I was primarily referring to the ASG 29 and the ASH 31 Mi. Both models are still in great demand and their competition records seem to ensure a continuation of this trend for

But back to the electric version now. You are right; the EL version is in the final stages of development and will come on the market in the second half of 2015. The ASG 32 EL will not have self-launching capabilities but our calculations point to a range of over 100 km under power. The concept is slightly different from other electric powered gliders, as the batteries will not be carried in the wings.

The entire drive unit will be located within the engine bay, which includes the batteries. It not only solves the problem of very heavy wings, but it also eliminates the big diameter cables and heavy duty power connectors between wing and fuselage.

Our customer’s expectations are exactly in line with the brief given to our design department. We aim to introduce a maintenance free and extremely reliable propulsion system, that only requires the replacement of batteries after approximately 100 engine hours. Right now, the car industry is spending unbelievable amounts of money on research and we are already seeing a vast improvement in capacity, combined with a huge reduction in weight. In other words, batteries are not only becoming much better but also cheaper. The long term operating costs of an electrical propulsion system should therefore be very similar to current combustion engines.

Q: 100 km under power seems to be more than enough, but the big question is how suitable such an aircraft is for normal club use?

December 2013

47

interview with ulric kremer

ASG 32 fuse on display.

A: This is indeed the critical issue. Right from the beginning we decided to develop a drive unit which is so easy to use that even low-hour pilots without prior experience in motorised gliders can handle aircraft and motor with ease. We have selected highly reputable partners for all major components, and we are soon going into an extensive test phase. In any case, the ASG 32 EL will be the first powered glider that can be regarded as a true club machine. All you need is a power point for recharging the batteries!

Q: That sounds very interesting indeed. What else can you tell us about the new ASG 32?

A:

Although the ASG 32 is a brand new design, I must say that it borrows heavily from the ASH 30. The front section of the fuselage is almost identical but the tail boom was shortened and the entire tailplane is also brand new. For the first time, we can now offer a fully retractable tail wheel, which operates in conjunction with the main undercarriage. It is also steerable, for ease of taxying under power. The retractable tail wheel even comes with a door, for an undisturbed airflow around the tail section, which will be especially beneficial in the upper airspeed range.

Q: I think this is the first production glider available with an optional retractable tail wheel. But so far you have not said anything about the wing. What can you tell us about that?

A: Of course, we had to start from scratch here. Designer Michael Greiner employed the same design principles that he used on the ASG 29, with considerable success. We were also able to take advantage of experience gained with the ASH 30, but the design brief was for a clean wing without kinks and a minimum of corners along the leading edge. Michael managed to achieve that, even without resorting to a little nose wheel. Wind tunnel tests and comparison calculations with other gliders make us confident that the ASG 32 can more than match similar gliders on the market.

48

December 2013

Q: Please allow me to come back to the engine of the self launching version. Why are you now fitting fuel-injected engines?

A:

To avoid any confusion, gliders ordered with sustainer engines – such as the ASG 29 E – are still equipped with a conventional Solo two-stroke engine. However, all self-launching gliders come with fuel-injected rotary engines built by Austro Engines. Previous versions of this power plant have already been installed in close to 500 of our gliders. The fuel-injected engine is even more user friendly and the automatic altitude compensation system ensures that the nominal power output of 41 kW or 56 hp is hardly compromised at altitude. When these engines are tested, we often find that the real power output is around 60 hp, which is more than enough for even the biggest of gliders. But rotary engines offer many other advantages over conventional two-stroke technology. Their power-to-weight ratio is superior, they are more reliable and they don’t require special fuel such as AVGAS or two-stroke mixture. Their vibration free running, their low noise level, very low fuel consumption, and the absence of regular maintenance requirements have made them ideal for aircraft of this size. They also feature a very simple engine management system and a mechanical propeller stop, which eliminates the need for sensitive electronics, sensors and switches. All in all, they are a big step ahead of the two-stroke technology of yesteryear.

Q: But there must be disadvantages, with such a list of positives. What are they?

A: Of course, there are other points to consider as well. Like every other aircraft engine, the rotary engine doesn’t like long periods of inactivity – especially not in a wet or overly humid environment.

Under such conditions, the oil film can break down and corrosion can occur. Customers who run their engine almost every weekend never seem to have a problem. Some of them return their glider to us for the annual inspection. In some rare ASK 21 Mi cases, they

interview with ulrich kremer

Wing of new ASH 30 being load tested to destruction.

already have more than 400 hours on the engine, but we usually put them straight back into their glider after a short test run. A humid environment with long time spans between engine runs, and the absence of proper engine preservation, is the problem here.

Therefore, we now advise our customers to run the engine at least every month or preserve it strictly in accordance with our manual.

This engine preservation is easy – it only takes a minute or two.

Q: So far we have not discussed the ASG 29.

What can you tell us about this glider?

A: Well, I think I have touched on it already and there is not much more I can say. In the next few weeks, the 250th ASG 29 will come off the production line, which demonstrates that we are still building them as fast as we can. There is hardly a single competition where at least two ASG 29 pilots don’t occupy the podium. At the Uvalde world comps, the entire podium was full of ASG 29 drivers, and there were seven ASG 29 pilots in the first 10 places. No wonder the ASG 29 is selling itself, and remains a first class contributor to our satisfactory work load.

The only thing I can add is that we have modified the manufacturing process of the wings. In the past, our wings were often criticised for developing ‘spar bumps’ after a year or two. This was clearly just an appearance issue and never affected the performance at all. However, it had to be fixed and today I can confidently say that this problem is well and truly behind us. Now our customers acknowledge that they can no longer see any difference when they compare the aging wings of different manufacturers.

Q: Uli, what can you tell us about Schleicher’s plans for the future? Are there further developments in the pipeline?

A:

Lately that’s become a frequently asked question and when it comes up I always ask people to keep in mind that we have released three new models in a relatively short period of time. The fourth

one is the ASG 32, and the electric drive unit is another significant new development. It shows that we have invested heavily in new models, but that doesn’t stop us from constantly thinking about our production program a few years down the track. However, I must avoid creating unrealistic expectations or speculation here. What I can say is that Schleicher will continue their tradition of offering highly competitive aircraft for every FAI competition class, with the exception of ‘World Class’.

Q: Uli, let me ask you a final question. I have long been wondering why Schleicher seems to have a large pool of very loyal customers. To what do you attribute this loyalty?

A: That is another good question and I wish I had a definite answer for it. For several decades, our policy has been to avoid hasty product releases and instead aim for an unrivalled longevity of our designs.

Customers seem to like that very much, as it ensures a good resale value of their gliders. We also want to be seen as a dependable partner, with an after-sales service second to none. This is also greatly appreciated by our customers and has contributed to their tremendous loyalty. We want to build on this relationship of mutual trust and respect and retain it as one of our guiding principles.

Far too many glider pilots have been let down by far too many manufacturers in the past, and many of these customers are still suffering from it today. I’m sure that quite a few glider pilots have placed orders with us because they value our dependability over anything else. And when the next economic downturn arrives we can depend on the.m. I’m confident of that!

Q: Uli, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. We look forward to talking to you again.

A: You are most welcome.

December 2013

49

Yvonne Loader awarded FAI Tissandier Diploma

This Diploma, established by the FAI in 1952, is named after Mr. Paul Tissandier, Secretary General of FAI from 1919 to 1945. It is awarded to those who have served the cause of Aviation in general and Sporting Aviation in particular, by their work, initiative, devotion or in other ways.

Y

vonne Loader is a well-known and loved glider pilot, tow pilot, instructor, mentor and fundraiser extraordinaire.

In 2012, GNZ recognised her lifetime of selfless involvement in the sport by awarding her the Angus Rose Bowl, New Zealand’s premier gliding award. They then went on to nominate her for the Tissandier Diploma via the Royal NZ Aero Club.

The citation for the award reads: Yvonne Loader has been a glider pilot and a tow pilot for 40 years. In January 1988, Yvonne achieved a gain of height of 10,212m, which remains a Feminine World Record today.

Not only is Yvonne an accomplished glider pilot, tow pilot and gliding instructor, she is a volunteer extraordinaire, and she does it all with grace, humour and a big smile.

For most new members and many airfield visitors, Yvonne is the first contact with the club, welcoming everybody open-heartedly and introducing them to the other members.

50

December 2013

She has been Secretary for two gliding clubs, simultaneously, for many years and during that time has been extraordinarily successful in raising funds for purchasing equipment for the club gliders and the development of club facilities. In the last three years, Yvonne has been pivotal in securing sponsorship for the Youth Soaring Development Camps, recently inaugurated, and in actively assisting with their administration.

At national and regional gliding competitions, Yvonne will generally be one of the tow pilots launching the grid each day, and sometimes acts as a crew member for a competing pilot.

During her entire gliding career, Yvonne Loader has devoted her personal time to administration of the sport, usually to the detriment of her own flying time.

That citation was prepared by GNZ who only had details on Yvonne’s gliding history but she had been very active in aviation outside

of gliding as well. Her aviation voluntary service started at the Canterbury Aero Club in the early 1970s, serving on the Members Services Committee, Executive Committee and as Club Captain over more than ten years.

She also spent a number of years on the NZ Airwomen’s Association (now called the NZ Association of Women in Aviation) Executive and served as the President for three years.

She was also Chairman of the committee that organised the first international aviation event to be held in NZ In September, Yvonne travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend the FAI Awards ceremony and collect her diploma in person.

For more information on Yvonne, see Issue 29 of SoaringNZ, where we ran a five-page spread on her achievements and her amazing life in aviation.

It is wonderful to see international recognition for all the hours of work that Yvonne puts into our sport.

Roger Read

is the recipient of the 2013 Greg Vujcich Memorial Award (GVMA) for Excellence in Aviation Instruction Roger Read is known within gliding circles as the instructor behind Youth Glide Canterbury and the Youth Soaring Development Camps. Outside of gliding, he is an Air New Zealand 777 co-pilot. His efforts in gliding have been rewarded by this prestigious award from the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association (NZALPA). This is a fabulous recognition of not just Roger, but his work for Youth Glide among the wider aviation community.

Roger with two participants during the Youth Soaring Development Camp 2012

B

ackground to the Award: Captain Vujcich was an Air New Zealand B747 Captain, and an instructor who had spent many years training pilots, passing on his knowledge in an enthusiastic, informative and enduring manner. After his untimely death in 2007, the NZALPA wanted to ensure that Greg’s contribution to the industry and to the wider membership of NZALPA, was not forgotten, and to recognise other instructors who are worthy of receiving this award in the future.

The following is the citation read out when Roger received his award.

Roger Read has a long history in aviation, having flown for the RNZAF, including instructing and being a part of the Red Checkers Display team and is currently a B777 co-pilot for Air New Zealand. Roger is a glider pilot and it is in his work as an (unpaid) gliding instructor that he really shines. Roger passes on the high standards expected in the Air Force and commercial aviation in everything he does. He sets the highest safety standards.

A few years ago, Roger recognised that the sport of gliding would die out if more young people did not become involved. To help remedy the problem, Roger started Youth Glide Canterbury, under the umbrella of the Canterbury Gliding Club.

Youth Glide Canterbury started with nine members in 2006 and has since grown to twenty four young people under the age of

twenty. Youth Glide New Zealand (YGNZ) has been established as an Incorporated Society under the umbrella of Gliding New Zealand (GNZ) and has been successful in establishing gliding for educational NCEA credits and Gateway funding.

Roger has been a huge part of the success of Youth Glide and he was instrumental in persuading Richie McCaw to be the patron. He was also behind various fundraising activities including ‘Breakfast with Richie’, Indian Curry nights, sausage sizzles, organising a group to clean and set up the Omarama Soaring Centre camp for which YG received $1,000, corporate gliding events and sponsorships.

Roger is a fantastic role model for young people. “He’s a pilot who enjoys his flying and loves to share the joy.” Roger has had a positive effect on many people and on

the Youth Glide members. Youth Glide has grown from three small groups in Omarama, Canterbury and Wairarapa, to a nationwide organisation.

As well as flight instructional training, he gives aviation medical lectures on hypoxia and high altitude flying, and has arranged for glider pilots to experience the effects of oxygen deprivation through the Aviation Medical Unit decompression chamber at the Hobsonville Air Force base.

Roger passes on his knowledge to other instructors and is involved in training some of the Youth Glide members and other club members to be gliding instructors, when time permits.

When we asked the youth members what they thought of Roger they said: “He is brilliant”.

Roger says,

“The award came as a delightful surprise for both Kim and I, and I include Kim as my work with gliding and training has only been possible with her input, patience and support. We both have a strong commitment to the survival and growth of the sport, and it was an honour to be recognised by my peers in ALPA. It highlighted to us that there is recognition of the flow-on effect from introducing young people to the wider opportunities there are in aviation, and that gliding is a successful pathway for many to be a part of the wider aviation fraternity. It also highlighted for us that my military and commercial pilot background have given me the opportunity to develop the training skills I use to help people enjoy learning more about how to safely and enjoyably participate in our sport.”

December 2013

51

outlanding

from hell

By Kerrie Claffie

Pilliga, but not the paddock in question.

As the NZ soaring season kicked off, so too did the Australian season. The NSW State Championship at Lake Keepit seems to have been the source of multiple epic landout and retrieves. The stories are great, including this one by Kerrie Claffie. New Zealanders can manage retrieves every bit as difficult as this, but probably not as bad as the one Adam Woolley reported when he returned to base at 2.40 am having been unable to find the glider he was supposed to be retrieving, or the gate into the paddock it was in.

Kerrie describes her day 3.00pm just clip the first sector, escape from rain, lightning & pestilence, then head for the sun.

3.30pm outland in said sunny paddock in 20 kt wind from said storm, in the only cultivated paddock in the SE corner of the Pilliga scrub, 93km SW from Lake Keepit.

Scared a flock of other flightless birds (emus) on landing, otherwise good paddock.

No response on radio, no phone coverage, not even for text, no civilisation within sight.

Tie glider down in SE corner of paddock, walk perimeter looking for track out.

Find track on SW corner of paddock, follow track south, then east, then north.

4.30pm

walk north abeam glider only 300m away through thin scrub.

Find track to east. Follow that to dead end at clearing with machinery.

5.00pm return to point abeam glider.

Starting to think I may have to return to glider, call 121.5 to cancel SAR and stay with glider for water and shelter (from impending storm). Realise that my text with lat/long has now changed from ‘queued’ to 52

December 2013

‘sent’. Phew. Continue north along poorly defined track. No sign of emus but plenty of kangaroos.

5.30pm

find shack & vehicle, both locked and covered in cobwebs, but track improves to vehicle standard. Receive text from Tom, TomTom won't accept lat/long because there is no road (no kidding!). Keep walking north. Receive voice call from Tom, "Why did you outland? Why don't you have road directions?" Tom gets help to enter lat/long in ipad format (decimal degrees). I say it's ok to bring the Commodore not Land Rover, as paddock and track are firm.

6.00pm hear traffic noise (as distinct from wind in trees noise). Walk over rise, see Oxley Highway - yaaaay! Find gate – padlocked. Call Tom, “Bring bolt cutters.”

He unhooks trailer to go back to club for bolt cutters.

6.15pm

try to hitchhike to Mullalley (30k east) to wait in shelter for Tom. Most traffic heading west, about 5 cars heading east but none stop.

7.15pm

rain finally comes. I'm soaked and freezing. A woman finally stops and I beg a ride to Mullalley. Rain becomes torrential.

Just before we arrive, of course, a blue Commodore and trailer the other way. Flash lights. Run Commodore. At least I missed the the rain.

we see heading back to worst of

7.45pm get through the gate and head down the track. Past the shack it becomes a torrent. “Why didn't you tell me to bring the Land Rover?" Drive the long way round to the glider, not game to take short cut through scrub as it's the only bit I haven't walked.

8.15pm

derig glider in dark between sunset and moonrise, but at least the rain has stopped. On exit take shortcut through scrub okay. Track has now dried out a bit.

Rebuild gate on departure.

9.50pm arrive Gunnedah just before the servo and noodle shop closes. Phew. Imagine how grumpy the crew would be if he went home hungry. Eat noodles at roadside rest stop because we're too hungry to wait.

11.00pm

arrive back at Keepit ...

And people keep asking me why more women don't fly cross country?

youth glide nz news enya mcpherson

Youth Glide is officially up and running and we are on track for the annual Youth Soaring Development camp, to be held in Omarama from 10-22nd of December.

Students attending have been selected and we are excited to be running (what is sure to be) another eventful and happy development camp.

At the Gliding AGM, held in Wellington, we elected Jordan Kerr as President of Youth Glide for the following year. His passion and love for gliding encourages us all. Youth Glide New Zealand is now an established non-profitable organization. Youth Glide is all about instilling a love for gliding and aviation into New Zealand youth, teaching them how to fly at affordable rates and doing it with a group of people (the same age) who also share the same passion. We are incorporating some of the NZQA national standards, so students’ progression in gliding corresponds to their success at school. (NCEA students only.)

To get us off the ground (literally) and to become a member of Youth Glide New Zealand, we have a new annual affiliation fee and membership form. This is to assist with the costs of running the organization and also indicate a level of commitment from the pilots. Membership costs are $30 annually for a junior pilot. Or you could become a ‘young at heart’ member - too old to fall under the

youth category (up to 25) - which is just $20 annually. These funds will go to Youth Glide directly, setting up insurance etc. There is a membership form available from our new website. This is currently under development, thanks to Philip Dunlop. Alternatively, look on our Facebook page – Youth Glide New Zealand. “Like” our page, and keep up to date with our goings-on and the fun flying, and other things we are getting up to.

We welcome visitors at the Youth Soaring Development Camp in Omarama, and you could fill out a form there, see what we get up to and even stay for one of the five star meals that our lovely helpers make! (A small fee does apply for visitors’ meals.)

If anyone would like to make any sort of donation or contribution to Youth Glide New Zealand, your support would be greatly appreciated.

Calling for Expressions of Interest REstoRE thE

Hawker Tempest and keep it in New Zealand

The Hawker Tempest MW376, owned by Eric Hertz and under restoration at the time of his death, is now being put on the market. Eric’s dream was to restore it to flying condition, to honour the New Zealanders who flew with 486 (NZ) Squadron in the Typhoon and Tempest aircraft.

There are only 11 Tempests in existence and this would be the only one flying in the world.

To express interest in joining a syndicate to buy the aircraft, restore it and keep it in New Zealand, contact Paul McSweeny of Pioneer Aero.

PROUDLY HOSTED BY

SUNDAY 23RD FEB TO 1ST MARCH INCLUSIVE COMPULSORY BRIEFING ON SATURDAY 22ND FEB AT 8PM. EVENT STARTS AND RUNS FROM SUNDAY 23RD FEB 2014 UNTIL SATURDAY MARCH 1ST INCLUSIVE. ENTRY FORMS AVAILABLE ON THE CLUB WEB SITE

WWW.GLIDINGNELSON.CO.NZ

E: paul@pioneeraero.co.nz Business Address: 458 Corsair Lane, Ardmore Airport, Papakura, Auckland.

P: +64 09 296 8913 F: +64 09 296 8943 Family members of previous 486 (NZ) Squadron members are also invited to get in touch.

December 2013

53

airworthiness martyn cook National Airworthiness Officer

A Go-Pro camera can produce great movies to promote our amazing sport. Attaching these cameras to the outside of a glider would normally require a modification approval, using Form 337. This is not a very practical approach, as the camera is only temporary. I intend to issue an Advisory Circular on this subject and invite comments and suggestions from anyone who has used them successfully, along with any problems encountered.

Meanwhile, avoid mounting them on the tailplane, or you might find pitch control of the glider is compromised by an ‘airbrake’ effect.

GNZ has applied to CAA for a dispensation to extend the interval between Reviews of Airworthiness to 2 years for “gliders not used for dual flight instruction or in a Part 115 (Adventure Aviation) operation”.

The annual inspection will still be required.

Fingers crossed.

For high fliers, the Mountain High pulsed delivery system (EDS) economises on oxygen use compared to older constantflow rebreather systems. Mountain High (MH) sells a range of compact, lightweight, fibre-wrapped cylinders which are appearing in some newer gliders. The carriage of compressed oxygen in cylinders is regulated

by the NZ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At the present time, no MH cylinders are EPA approved, and test houses are no longer accepting them for periodic testing.

The most popular MH cylinders in NZ seem to be CFF-480 and CFFC-048. I am seeking to get these two cylinders onto the EPA schedule, so they can be pressure tested as required by Tech-22. If you have an MH cylinder in service, make sure that your engineer has sent me the glider registration and serial number. Likewise, if you have an unapproved cylinder I may be able to help you with the approval process. If you are importing a glider, you might save yourself a

a question of safety STEVEN CARE National Operationals Officer

At the moment I am sitting in the Taupo Gliding Clubhouse on a wet day during the Central Plateau Contest, reminiscing about why I have taken on the role of National Operations Officer. On the face of it, it is likely to carry very little kudos, no pay and high risk of conflict, where others have differing views on safety when it impinges on individual freedom.

I guess I have been around gliding for a very long time and have the same or even more passion for the sport that I had more than 37 years ago. For me, it’s not just cross country flying, but all aspects of gliding; including club atmosphere, growth, training and seeing others get the huge rewards that I have had out of the sport.

The role does involve promoting safe flying practices. This does not necessarily mean more rules, but it does mean encouraging everyone to understand why they are there and the need to follow them.

I feel that I have some pretty big shoes to fill, and George Rogers has done some

54

December 2013

really major work in the past several years. In particular, a number of AC’s that desperately needed completing and are now in place.

Max Stevens has done an enormous amount of work on these as well.

Since this article is on “A Question of Safety”, and George’s last article was on Accidents, I would like to discuss Incidents.

It is well known that there are around 30 incidents to every accident, but at the moment the proportion in GNZ is significantly less. It would appear that incidents are not always being reported. A lot of the reasons relate to pride - not wanting to be seen as having made a mistake or possibly being

hassle by checking that the cylinder is of a type already approved.

There are two new Advisory Circulars on the GNZ web site. AC 3-17 updates the compass requirement for gliders, and provides guidance on adjustment. A deviation card is now optional if the compass reads within eight degrees in each of the eight principal directions, and if the glider is not equipped for cloud flying.

Weight and Balance AC 3-18 provides guidance on weighing procedures and calculating changes in CG location when equipment is added or removed. Engineers coming to grips with weight and balance are encouraged to use a single datum for both arms and moments. Some older calculation templates deviate from this principle and generate confusing equations in which errors easily arise. These AC’s are required reading for Class 2 engineers seeking to upgrade to Class 3.

I have written Study Guides (with questions) for Class 2 and Class 3 engineers.

Class 4 is coming. These can be completed ‘at home’. Required readings are available on the internet. They satisfy the MOAP requirement for engineers to complete a course of instruction and pass an examination on the relevant NZ Civil Aviation Rules.

wrongly judged by your peers. Some of it has been the hassle of completing the paperwork, which previously had to be done by hand, signed, reviewed by the CFI and posted to the ROO, who then had to post to the NOO. Max Stevens has revised the OP’s 10 form, so that it can now be typed out on your computer, saved and emailed to those who need to see it. It may get further updates, but the idea is that it can be completed with much more ease and simplicity, to at least get around some of the paperwork barrier.

There have been a number of recent changes to the MOAP, including changes to the Ground, A, B and QGP syllabus. Most of the changes are not major and are mostly to the order of exercises. If Instructors have students that are part way through one of the forms, you can either transpose the sign-offs to the new form, add/delete changes, or pin a new form to the old form and continue on the new form. Keep in mind, the club needs to keep a copy once each sheet is completed.

Other changes are around tow ratings and Microlight towing. Click on the changes link for a full list.

Safe flying

gliding new zealand news nigel davy GNZ President

TISSANDIER FOR YVONNE Hearty congratulations to Yvonne Loader for receiving the Paul Tissandier Diploma. By the time you read this, Yvonne will have returned from the FAI General Conference in Kuala Lumpur, where it was presented to her. (See article elsewhere this issue.)

MT COOK AIRSPACE This will be old news by now, but I’m very happy to say that the Director reversed the earlier CAA decision to make the Mt Cook airspace Class C above FL245 and it will remain uncontrolled. It’s been hard work, but the outcome was worth it – so go forth and use it to whatever height you feel like! Don’t be put off by the official charts – these were printed already and the change back to the status quo has since been promulgated by Notam etc.

2013 LAUNCH STATS Jan-Jun saw just over 10,000 launches, which was 3% up on the same period last year, but still 5% down on the average for the previous 5 years. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that although the total number of dual & solo flights in club gliders was much the same as in the previous year, youth flights were a much greater proportion (24% as compared to 14%).

Trial flights were up 22%, and private-owner flights were static.

CAA AUDIT CAA audited GNZ at the office of the Executive Officer in September. Three findings of non-compliance were raised, largely semantic in nature and were closed off by minor amendments to the GNZ Exposition. Our Part 149 Certificate is due for renewal next year, and we don’t anticipate any problems.

MEMBERSHIP RETENTION Those of you lucky enough to attend the GNZ conference and AGM weekend in June will recall Steve Wallace’s excellent presentation. The answer to declining membership is retention rather than recruitment. The simple fact is if we can halve the leavers, membership will increase by 40% over the next ten years. People leave because they get bored. Cross-country pilots stay because they are not bored, and clubs with a cross-country culture are the most successful.

So how do we achieve a mind-shift towards cross-country flying? In a recent planning session, the Executive listed several initiatives, the main ones being:

Create a facility for simply tracking pilots’ goal achievements.

Promote more active participation in the Online Competition (OLC).

Build a formal structure to coach pilots along a pathway from novice cross-country through intermediate and advanced to elite, similar to our Aussie cousins.

Watch this space!

YOUTH GLIDE (YGNZ) GNZ RELATIONSHIP Youth Glide recently became an Incorporated Society in order to facilitate better access to sponsorship funding and to promote various initiatives aimed at glider pilots under the age of 25. This change in status from a simple committee of GNZ to an entity in its own right provided the opportunity for the Executive to grant Associate Membership to YGNZ. UMBRELLA TRUST UPDATE Gifting has now been finalised for all the former GNZ-related trusts and all funds deposited in full to the GNZUT account, bringing the total to over $730k. The Loans Fund has a further $175k out in loans to clubs, which will be transferred to the GNZUT over the next few years as principal payments come in.

A GNZUT page on the GNZ web site will be developed to facilitate the funds application process.

OPERATIONS STUFF A lot of effort has been going on behind the scenes to update and improve our pilot study notes and QGP exams. New Human Factors stuff is on the GNZ web site, thanks to Jonathan Pote, and a team led by David Hirst has completed a new set of exam papers for all QGP subjects.

These new papers are currently under review

by NOO, Steve Care, and David is now reviewing the existing QGP papers with a view to GNZ having two complete sets.

Fresh in his new role of NOO, Steve Care has been hard at work reviewing the MOAP in his area of responsibility. He has tweaked the A, B and QGP certificate syllabi, adding some elements and placing things in a more logical order.

AIRWORTHINESS STUFF Martyn Cook has also been hard at work in his portfolio, developing a scheme for distance-learning modules for engineers, including study guides and examinations. He has recently written two new Advisory Circulars for

This column is intended to give readers an ongoing insight into the activities of the GNZ Executive and its Committees. Rather than a detailed report on matters currently under consideration, here are some recent items of significance.

engineers, one on compass swings and one on weight & balance.

Of particular interest to private-owners will be Martyn’s efforts to get the Annual Review of Airworthiness (ARA) inspection extended to two years. This involves a petition to the Director of Civil Aviation for a rule exemption – early indications are that it will be successful, leading to cost/ time savings for about 75% of the gliders on the NZ register. A second petition has been submitted to provide a fix for an anomaly in the CAA rules, relating to the signing of duplicate inspections after disturbance of control systems.

MOAP CHANGES There have been three MOAP amendments in the last six months.

The main changes to be aware of are: The definition of ‘flying member” has been amended to allow six instructional flights in the preceding 6 months, tying in with the recently updated AC 1-04 Trial Flights.

Changes to A, B and QGP syllabi (mentioned above).

Tow pilot requirements now include an advanced microlight pilot certificate as an alternative to a Part 61 pilot licence if a microlight is used for towing. Paragraphs on towing with microlight aeroplanes have also been inserted.

ON LINE FILLABLE FORMS Several GNZ forms have been made fillable on line. On the web site you can now fill, save and print the following for signature. (Blank versions can still be printed for manual completion as before): OPS 04 Badge application OPS 07 Instructor application OPS 10 Incident report OPS 15 Audit report TECH 19A Release to service TECH 28 Defect report ADMIN 06 Visiting Foreign Pilot Registration Some other forms will be converted to fillable in due course.

I always welcome your feedback – contact me if you want to discuss anything here, or indeed anything in previous editions of this column. From the home page, navigate > About > Executive News

December 2013

55

Gliding New Zealand

Umbrella Trust

By Karen Morgan

A few years ago, the GNZ Executive identified that there was a problem with funding pilots to improve their cross country skills or to compete overseas. Although there was funding available, it was a mission finding out about it, and many up and coming pilots missed out on getting money for their development.

O

ver many years, six trusts had been established for various purposes, and these were run by six different groups of trustees. Some were trusts in memory of pilots who had died, and others were set up to protect amounts of money accumulated in various ways. The documentation ranged from non-existent, to quite good formal trust deeds. Their purposes varied from being completely unstated, to being so specific that most pilots could not qualify for funding. There was also a need to fund new areas, like Joey Glide, but the funders were limited on their ability to change direction. The Trustees were well meaning volunteers, who were not well protected, nor well trained in Trust law. The trusts also had varying investment returns, and money paid out to pilots was not well advertised. Finally, tax was potentially a risk, as one trust was taxable, reducing the funds available for pilots, while others had been treated as non-taxable.

GNZ itself had accumulated a substantial sum of money devoted to funding loans to clubs, but improved community funding has seen reduced demand for loans in recent years. Although GNZ has no debt at present, potentially this money could have been claimed by GNZ’s creditors in the future.

Tom Davies undertook to investigate the situation and recommend that the loan funds and as many of the trusts as possible, should be amalgamated into one entity. This was to ease administration, reduce risk, increase accountability, protect volunteers and increase investment returns overall, while improving access for pilots to funding.

In 2012, Gliding New Zealand settled a new trust, the GNZ Umbrella Trust. The inaugural Trustees are Jerry O’Neil, David Speight, George Rogers, Karen Morgan and the

56

December 2013

current GNZ President, Nigel Davy. The trust uses BNZ Private Banking as its investment advisers, and Laurie Kirkham is the trust’s secretary. The objectives of the Trust are to

•• provide support to the sport of gliding within New Zealand

•• provide support to New Zealand glider pilots participating in international competitions

•• establish

and administer separate named funds within the Trust Fund to fulfil the wishes of individual donors who wish to support the sport of gliding within New Zealand

•• accept and receive grants of money or payments in kind for the furtherance of the purposes of the Trust Over the past year, the Trustees of the smaller trusts effectively resettled their trusts within the Umbrella Trust by gifting their total funds. The outgoing Trustees set the terms and purposes, and the new Trustees have to abide by these rules which, in many cases, includes paying out no more than 50% of the income, so that the capital continues to grow and be ‘inflation proof’.

Although the club loans money is now within the Umbrella Trust, clubs can continue to access loans in the same manner as previously, by completing the application form on the GNZ website and contacting Tom Davies.

The money received totals some $908,000, and the sources are:

•• GNZ Dick Georgeson Trust $108,000 •• GNZ Ian Pryde Memorial Trust Fund $65,000

•• NZGA

Mike Rix Trans-Tasman Memorial Fund $49,000

•• NZGA Roake Trust $170,000

•• The Matamata Cross Country Training Trust $35,000

•• Rothmans/GNZ Loans Trust $249,000, with $175,000 to come later as club loans are repaid

•• World Champs Income Funds $57,000 Most of the money has been received in the last few months, therefore without having earned a full year’s income, the Trustees expect grants to be reasonably modest this year. As the Rothmans/GNZ Loans funds have to be kept largely in cash, against the need to make club loans, the investment return is likely to be lower on this part of the trust. However, it is expected that there will be over $20,000 in net income each year available for grants in the future.

Each fund within the Umbrella Trust has a different purpose and rules, but in general, using my crystal ball (so don’t hold me to this) it is expected that there will be funding for:

•• cross country training $4,000 to $5,000 per year

•• Trans

Tasman competition $2,800 to $4,000 (paid for flying in Australia only)

•• youth and wave flying $2,500 to $3,500 per year World Championships or competitions open to international entries $11,000 to $15,000 per year, including World’s entry fees traditionally paid by GNZ Naturally this is subject to the Trustees’ discretion and investment returns being as predicted.

If there is insufficient demand for the primary purposes, some funds can make grants for other gliding activities. Also, some of the income from the Club Loans may be used to support applicants who do not meet any of the other funds’ goals.

Trustees will meet in May and November each year, (once the 6 monthly financial statements and investment reports are available) so you should apply for grants by late April and late October. You can expect that there will be competition for these grants, so the best way to get this support is to put in a good written application. The Umbrella Trust

December 2013

56

gnz awards & certificates

june – november 2013

Edouard devenoges GNZ Awards Officer

Now Available for sale

Latest Technology

gnzawards@xtra.co.nz 40 Eversham Road, Mt Maunganui 3116.

Sunlight Readable PNA Device QGP No. Pilot’s Name 3217 Dion M. Manktelow 3218 Vance Tilley 3219 John S. McCallister 3220 Ricardo Brito da Rocha 3221 Peter Carter 3222 Alexander Wilkie 3223 Nathan Bruehl 3224 Mark Bland

Club Date Glider Auckland GC 4 8 2013 Taupo GC 23 10 2013 Canterbury GC 8 11 2013 Wellington GC 8 11 2013 Wellington GC 8 11 2013 Wellington GC 8 11 2013 Taupo GC 8 11 2013 Central Otago FC 12 11 2013

Silver Distance

Campbell McIver

Auckland GC

Silver Duration Alan K. Park

Craig Hunter

Gliding Manawatu 8 2 2013 DG 202 Gliding Manawatu 1 9 2013 Open Cirrus

Silver Height

Craig Hunter

Gliding Manawatu 1 9 2013

Gold Duration

Alan K. Park

Craig Hunter

Gliding Manawatu 8 2 2013 DG 202 Gliding Manawatu 1 9 2013 Open Cirrus

Gold Distance

Steve Foreman

Gary Patten

Ian O’Keefe

Akl Aviation SC Akl Aviation SC Akl Aviation SC

27 4 2013 Club Astir

Open Cirrus

22 6 2013 LS4 14 9 2013 Grob 102 26 9 2013 Grob 102

Air NZ Cross Country Championships

Pilot's Name Glider Distance Points Northern Division

Steve Foreman LS4 1055.12km 1086.03pts

Ian O’Keefe Grob 102 542.54km 533.12pts

Gary Patten Grob 102 332.71km 369.23pts

Craig Hunter Open Cirrus 196.98km 183.68pts Southern Division

No Claims so far GNZ First Competition Award 031 Campbell W. McIver Auckland GC

21 8 2013

will have its own page on the GNZ website soon, while information on the various funds goals and limitations, and the form, can be found there now, under ‘new stuff’.

The Trustees of the Umbrella Trust are indebted to the settlers of the various trusts for the pool of funds, and thank all involved and all former trustees for their efforts on behalf of gliding over many years. Naturally, the Trustees are always open for further donations or bequests, so please keep this in mind. The Umbrella Trust will ensure that tomorrow’s pilots will benefit from their predecessors’ foresight.

Grant matters correspondence should be directed to: Laurie Kirkham PO Box 284, Queenstown 9348 Telephone 03 442 7307 email laurie.kirkham@xtra.co.nz

> Suitable for running SeeYou, XC Soar, LK8000 and other soaring software. > Latest GPS technology – precision less than 2.5m > 5" Sunlight readable LCD touch screen Brightness 800 - 1000 nits. More than twice as bright as the best PDAs or Oudie > Operating system: windows ce 6.1 Or 6.5

Will be supplied ready to use fully loaded with software and maps Contact Jerry O'Neill jerryo@xtra.co.nz for more information

It’s only in the event of a

CL A IM

that you really find out who has the best policy!

Contact your broker or ring Brian or Arden and talk to the people who specialise in aviation insurance.

“Kiwis providing Glider pilots with aviation insurance for over 25 years”

TELEPhone 04 473 5593 admin @ aviationcoop.co.nz w w w. av ia t io n c o o p.c o.nz December 2013

57

gliding new zealand CLUB news

CLUB DIRECTORY

Link for club info www.gliding.co.nz/Clubs/Clubs.htm Auckland Aviation Sports Club Club Website www.ascgliding.org Club Contact Peter Thorpe pbthorpe@xtra.co.nz Ph 09 413 8384 Base RNZAF Base Auckland (Whenuapai) 021 146 4288 Flying Weekends, Public Holidays

Norfolk Aviation Sports Club Club Website http://www.geocities.com/norfolkgliding/ Club Contact Kevin Wisnewski wizzbang@xtra.co.nz Ph (06) 756 8289 Base Norfolk Rd Flying Weekends and by appointment

Auckland Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingauckland.co.nz Club Ph (09) 294 8881, 0276 942 942 Club Contact Ed Gray info@glidingauckland.co.nz Base Appleby Rd, Drury Flying Weekends, Wednesdays, Public Holidays

Omarama Gliding Club Club Website http://www.omarama.com Club Contact Yvonne Loader loaders@clear.net.nz Ph (03) 358 3251 Base Omarama Flying 7 days a week by arrangement

Canterbury Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingcanterbury.co.nz Club Contact Kevin Bethwaite kevin.bethwaite@airways.co.nz Ph (03) 318 4758 Base Swamp Road, Springfield Flying Weekends, Public Holidays

Otago/Southland (YouthGlide Omarama) Club Website www.youthglideomarama.org.nz Club Contact Tom Shields tom.shields@century21.co.nz Ph (03) 473 1721 Base Omarama and Dunedin Flying By arrangement

Central Otago Flying Club (Inc) Club Website www.cofc.co.nz Club Contact Phil Sumser phil.sumser@xtra.co.nz Base Alexandra Airport Flying Sundays, and by arrangement

Piako Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingmatamata.co.nz Club Contact Steve Care s.care@xtra.co.nz Ph (07) 843 7654 or 027 349 1180 Base Matamata Airfield, Ph (07) 888 5972 Flying Weekends, Wednesdays and Public Holidays

Glide Omarama.com Website www.GlideOmarama.com Contact Gavin Wills gtmwills@xtra.co.nz Base Omarama Airfield Flying October through April 7 days per week Gliding Hutt Valley (Upper Valley Gliding Club) Club Contact Wayne Fisk wayne_fisk@xtra.co.nz Ph (04) 567-3069 Base Kaitoke Airfield, (04) 526 7336 Flying Weekends, Public Hols., Mid week by arrangement Gliding Manawatu Club Website www.glidingmanawatu.org.nz Club Contact Ron Sanders Resanders@xtra.co.nz Base Feilding Aerodrome Flying Weekends, Public holidays Gliding Wairarapa Club Website http://www.glidingwairarapa.co.nz/ Club Contact Diana Braithwaite Ph (06) 308 9101 Base Papawai Airfield, 5 km east of Greytown Ph (06) 308 8452 or 025 445 701 Flying Weekends, or by arrangement Hauraki Aero Club Club Website www.flyhac.co.nz Club Contact Ron Bergersen d.rbergersen@xtra.co.nz Ph (027) 277 4238 Base Thames Airfield Flying Weekends and Public Holidays Hawkes Bay and Waipukurau Gliding Club Club Website wwww.glidinghbw.co.nz Club Contact David Davidson, 027 2887 522, info@glidinghbw.co.nz Base Bridge Pa Airfield, Hastings and Waipukurau Airfield December & January Flying Sundays and other days by arrangement Kaikohe Gliding Club Club Contact Peter Fiske, (09) 407 8454 Email Keith Falla keith@falla.co.nz Base Kaikohe Airfield, Mangakahia Road, Kaikohe Flying Sundays, Thursdays and Public Holidays Marlborough Gliding Club Club Website http://glide_marl.tripod.com Club Contact bmog@paradise.net.nz Base Omaka Airfield, Blenheim Flying Sundays and other days by arrangement Nelson Lakes Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingnelson.co.nz Club Contact Frank Saxton franksaxton@gmail.com Ph (03) 546 6098 Base Lake Station Airfield, St.Arnaud Ph (03) 521 1870 Flying Weekends and Public Holidays

58

December 2013

Rotorua Gliding Club Club Website http://www.rotoruaglidingclub.blogspot.co.nz/ Club Contact Mike Foley roseandmikefoley@clear.net.nz Ph (07) 347 2927 Base Rotorua Airport Flying Sundays South Canterbury Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingsouthcanterbury.co.nz Club Contact John Eggers johneggers@xtra.co.nz 33 Barnes St Timaru Base Levels Timaru & Omarama Wardell Field Flying Weekends, Public Holidays & by arrangement Taranaki Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingtaranaki.com Club Contact Peter Williams peter.williams@xtra.co.nz Ph (06) 278 4292 Base Stratford Flying Weekends and Public Holidays Taupo Gliding Club Club Website www.taupoglidingclub.co.nz Club Contact Tom Anderson Tomolo@xtra.co.nz PO Box 296, Taupo 2730 Ph (07) 378 5506 M 0274 939 272 Base Centennial Park, Taupo Flying 7 days a week Tauranga Gliding Club Club Website www.glidingtauranga.co.nz Club President Alan Belworthy a.belworthy@xtra.co.nz Ph 0274 960 748 Base Tauranga Airport Flying Weekends and Public Holidays, Wednesday afternoons and other times on request Wellington Gliding Club Club Website http://www.soar.co.nz Club President Philip Milne milnelaw@gmail.com Ph 021 803 37 Base Paraparaumu Airport Bookings Ph 04 297 1341 (clubhouse) Ph 027 618 9845 (operations) Flying Weekends and Public Holidays 7 days a week December through to March Whangarei District Gliding Club Club Website www.igrin.co.nz/~peter/gliding.htm Club Contact Paul Rockell rockelkaym@xtra.co.nz Base Rockelkaym Ridge, Gibbs Road, Puhi Puhi Flying Weekends and Public Holidays

Guidelines for the compilation and contents of club news articles are now available on the new SoaringNZ website.

Visit www.mccawmedia.co.nz for all you need to know.

The club news is your chance to share with the rest of the country and abroad, some of what makes your club the best gliding club in the world. Club scribes, please watch the deadlines (but we'll make allowances for special circumstances so contact the editor before you panic) and likewise, the word count is supposed to be 300 words to allow everyone to have a say. If you need more words than that, you probably should write a real article about that special event.

Deadline for club news for the next issue 15 January 2014.

Auckland Aviation Sports Club Winter is over, the spring gales abate and the soaring season is upon us. Winter, for us, was a positive one of continued flying; rarely long flights but with good club member participation. We also used this time to install lighting and power in our hangar. Glider maintenance saw our fleet cycle through their annuals and out the other side. Our core of fresh cross country glider pilots continued to stretch their wings.

Plenty of strong SW winds saw a number of days where we were able to go to the West Coast and do the Raglan run. Steve Foreman achieved his 300km on the coast, while Ian O’Keefe managed seven hours there, keeping out of the way to help out Air Traffic at home. A number got to do the run in our twin with an instructor, to see how it was done. Many then continued on to do it solo. Steve Foreman has taken a share in Peter Coveney’s LS3, while Dave Foxcroft has come to an arrangement with Lionel Page regarding his Mosquito.

Labour weekend saw our traditional pilgrimage to Matamata and three great days of gliding. Many long flights and some short, and excellent experiences for our younger members. Saturday saw us arrive, rig our fleet and head down to the launch point. A 5000ft cloud base and 7 - 10 kt thermals kept both towplanes busy until around six.

We did mention a couple of times that our towplane only needed 20 litres during the day. Our wee towplane performed well, even taking a 20 metre Duo Discus. One landout from our mob, when Ray Burns and his K6 laid claim to the Pugsy Landout trophy on a goat farm near Paeroa. Sunday was a little showery and overcast but still produced

zealand

Canterbury:

Auckland Aviation Sports Club: Ray Burns and his K6's unscheduled stop at a goat farm was enough to earn him the Pugsy Landout trophy.

reasonable flying. Piako wheeled out their winch and a number of our members promptly headed over there to start their ratings. Careful and thorough instruction saw many of our members take multiple launches and all came back with smiles.

As usual, Jan Mace and Joan were kind enough to put on a three-course roast dinner on Sunday night. Over 50 people from both Piako and Aviation Sports attended, for what proved to be a most enjoyable evening.

Monday started foggy but soon cleared to a cracker day and busy towplanes. The Kaimais were working and attracted gliders like moths to flames. All too soon it was time to derig, pack up and go home. A splendid weekend and one of the best for some time.

Thanks Piako and to our members.

GL

CANTERBURY Two very destructive westerly winds during September and October gave us work that we could have done without. The first blow wrecked the clubhouse that had been shifted from Hororata to Springfield.

Canterbury: launching Springfield style.

The building was sitting on tall piles prior to being lowered into place, when the blast struck. The building was simply blown off its perch and is a write-off. The second blow felled trees, which required much work to clear up. Some ridging was blown off the hangar but fortunately no further damage was done.

Jerry O’Neill has trained several members as instructors. Jenny Wilkinson, Kevin Bethwaite and Jonathan Wardman are now on the panel, and John McCallister - who was an instructor several years ago - has got up to speed again and also got his tow rating.

At the August AGM Kevin Bethwaite was re-elected as President and two long-serving members were awarded life membership. They were Yvonne Loader and John Goddard. Both have contributed hugely to the club, and gliding in general, over a period of 40 odd years and are still doing so.

The club allowed Springfield Primary School to hold a concert in our hangar, which everyone enjoyed and raised much

Canterbury: Neil Walker with the trophies presented by PACE Project Management.

needed funds for the school.

Labour Weekend was to involve a mini competition at our airfield, but the weather didn’t play kindly so the contest was extended for another weekend. It was a great success. The winners were: Junior class, Nick Oakley; Club Class, Abbey Delore and Sports Class, Jerry O’Neill.

Prizes were kindly supplied by Neil Walker and PACE Project Management.

The spring weather is treating us more kindly on the flying side of things, with lots of soaring up and down the South Island.

Stewart.

Central Otago Flying Club Westerly! That sums up both the weather and the soaring over the later part of winter and into spring. Our 172 had been away for a long period during winter, getting the expensive SIDs tests performed. Fortunately it’s home now and we’re back aero-towing after lots of winching.

The 172 does make getting into wave easier, and we’ve had lots of that lately.

Sunday 20th October was typical, with

Central Otago: Typical wave this spring, stretching from the Dunstan Range, down the Waikaia into the Southland.

December 2013

59

club news our Twin JW flying three quick wave flights into Southland via Waikaia and Nevis wave.

This was a fantastic experience for Jack, Jose and Allen. The singles were all flying that day too, with flights of around 250km.

On another very blustery westerly day we managed just one launch, before man-handling the gliders back into shelter.

This was one of the very rare days when conditions prevented flying. The wave overhead was spectacular, and Pete McKenzie passed high overhead, flying south out of Omarama. He did 513km at 170km/h!

We had our first local thermals during September, and as I write this we’ve just had a (working) week of cumulus. Will it last till Sunday? As usual, we love the winter wave but all members prefer summer and thermals.

Gliding Hawkes Bay and Waipukurau Winter has come and gone, with a number of wet Sundays preventing flying.

However, some good flights were had in the available conditions, which included a blue convergence just north-west of the airfield and the occasional winter wave day.

Mike Richardson went solo in May and has now progressed to the PW5, and is looking forward to summer to further his gliding.

The club held its AGM in September, with Mike Richardson taking on the Club Captain’s role, with the incumbent Grant Jarden, after many years of faithful service, moving to the vice-Club Captain’s role in support. George Lane has retired as CFI, with Neil Faulknor taking up the reigns. Club

Hawkes Bay: Hastings from 12,000ft.

60

December 2013

trophies were awarded, with the Levick Challenge Trophy for Best Club Member awarded to club engineer Graham White, while the Grower Canneries Trophy for Service to the Club went to treasurer and instructor John McConville for his all-round services to the club.

Membership levels continue to be a concern and the club is undertaking a review of its fleet, with its biggest cost clearly the towplane. To help spread this cost, agreement has been reached with the local aeroclub to use it for general flying when not required for gliding operations.

Enquiries for trial flights from the club website have been constant, and hopefully these will increase as the weather improves and we can convert some of this interest into long term members. Plans are also underway to try to run a flying scholarship over the summer to further promote the club.

With spring having arrived, thermals and convergences have already appeared along with wave. Graham White has taken his Libelle in thermals into the local ranges, while the club’s Grob 103C Twin III SL has been up and down Hawkes Bay in wave, with one recent flight registering up to +15kts / -20kts lift and sink on the averager.

Planning continues for February’s Central Districts Gliding Championships and an entry form will be available as soon as finalised. There have been good expressions of interest and we look forward to a hosting another successful contest this summer.

Gliding Manawatu Through another winter we’ve come.

The weather has been kind, with no field

closures due to saturated ground. Given the winter conditions, we have still managed to fly an acceptable number of weekends, albeit without a significant number of flights of note. Still, nothing to complain about.

The Ridge, a.k.a. the Ruahine Range, has been given a fair nudge by many members through the course of the winter, which was great to see. I can see a summer of adventure looming for the club as we hone our skills up there. Unfortunately, a recent sojourn to Dannevirke was cancelled due to strong winds, making it unacceptably dangerous for ground handling and picketing gliders overnight. Another attempt will be made soon.

Last weekend, an airspace closure had us flying off Evans Strip close to the range.

Alas, ridge lift was never going to be on the cards, but plenty of sun provided a good day. There were a couple of trial flights with Ron, me flying with my two sons, and finally Rob and Stu setting forth in the DG1000.

They were almost home, but decided discretion was the better part of valor and opted for a land out not far from the field.

Nice work.

It’s great to have GSA back in the fold, after she had a holiday in Auckland following a rocky landing. Nothing a cut and polish couldn’t fix. Our club is in good shape, with many active members putting in time and energy to keep things going. Ben Coldstream is a trooper on the ground, virtually each and every weekend. He never tires of helping out. I’m sure his veins run on a 25:1 mix of Av Gas and blood. I do wonder sometimes if he actually has a home to go to? Keep it up Ben, your work is appreciated. Al Park and Stu Cawood

Hawkes Bay: GHB in Hawkes Bay wave.

club news have both been elevated to Instructor status.

Congratulations guys, well done. Al, you’ve come a long way in gliding since we met in our driveway many years ago as I was on the way to the field. From “I’ve always wanted to fly in a glider,” to instructor a few short years later, has been awesome to watch. Good to see you back in the air Stu. Those skills you have learnt in aeros need to be passed on.

Gliding Manawatu is heading for a great summer of flying.

PF

pretty wet, but the few intrepid pilots who continued flying right through the winter managed to fly on 65% of the scheduled flying days. As usual in winter, getting away on weak thermals is a challenge, but often the shower fronts blowing in from the west give surprisingly good lift.

Now that the warm, dry weather has returned, more of our members are turning up and we also hope to welcome a few new ones.

Keith

Kaikohe

Marlborough

As the summer season was drawing to a close, we received an email from Doug Henry at the Auckland Gliding Club, telling us that a few of their members had decided to bring their gliders up to Kaikohe for the Queen’s Birthday weekend. We were a bit worried as the Northland monsoon season had already started and thought that there was a good chance that the weekend would be a washout. However they were confident that it would clear and what began as a few pilots grew to fifteen, plus a good few from Whangarei.

The weekend turned out fine, as predicted, and the club winch and retrieve crews were soon busy getting everyone launched. It was great experience for the Kaikohe club members to host the visit and meet up with the crews from Auckland and Whangarei, and I think they enjoyed flying in a different location with plenty of clear airspace. We hope they will be able to make a return visit during the summer season and make the most of the better soaring conditions.

The rest of June and into July was

Winter flying has, as always, presented challenges towards what could be considered soarable conditions. A number of club Sundays have been shortened due to ‘luck of the draw’ southerly winds building from the coast, bringing with them the impending rain. Overall, the attendance has been regular, with a few early spring northwesterlies giving a number of club members a good start to the new soaring season.

Once again, our club played host on Queen’s Birthday weekend to the 4th Westland Boys Brigade from Hokitika.

The weather fared well in the end, with the group of 30 young and eager aviators getting their first introduction into gliding.

With winter being a better part of the year to spend time with club related housekeeping and maintenance tasks, a couple of committee members facilitated the securing of a second club glider. With all the necessary club volunteers, funding, and paperwork completed, we now welcome a second Twin Astir, GKX, to the MGC fleet.

To date, this has already proven a good investment, with a number of flight hours

Kaikohe: Waiting to launch.

Marlborough: GTU and GKX.

Marlborough: Westland Boys Brigade.

Kaikohe:

Kaikohe: Visiting gliders tied down for the night after day .

Kaikohe: Club president Peter Fiske takes his turn on the winch.

December 2013

61

club news

Nelson: Lakes.

logged by most of our regular Sunday pilots.

Des Mulhern

Nelson Lakes Winter was reasonably poor, with just over a third of the weekends having weather that was flyable. Things started to get better in August, with some wave and ridge days to help members shake loose the winter cobwebs. Kerry Eggers has an uncanny knack of getting good wave flights when he is Duty Instructor. Frank is often high above us, wondering why the rest of us are being pounded by rotor. April, in her trusty K6, has also been spotted in the SW wave.

We have notable change on the field, with more private gliders lining up. We have had 6-8 gliders on the same local ridges trying to get away, which is strange for us. Normally if we see another glider it is an event. Anyway, it has been great. Everyone is doing well with the increased traffic. Nick has his Discus 2, GYK, on the field now and George turned up with the ASW27, GKW. Both have to ice their cheek muscles after a day soaring, because of massive smiles. Nick has also done a wonderful job updating our top-of-the South Island land out book. The club is selling copies for $30. See Nick White: nick7k@ outlook.com Our Single Astir, GNH, has come back from Mike’s workshop and is flying beautifully. Mike has been doing a bit more of his own flying, as well as a boot camp for Marc and Mark, to help them through their QGP training. The instructors are also holding QGP exams for them, as well as Pat. We are very light on pre-solo students at the moment.

Andy Benton has taken a job over the ditch, just as he finished all his hard work on GFF. He has been outstanding as our treasurer for so many moons, so thank you Andy.

62

December 2013

Taranaki:

We are very excited to be holding the Club Class National Championships at Lake Station in February 2014. We’ll see you there.

Captain Sink

the Nationals, combined with our annual Matamata Christmas Camp.

SC

TARANAKI Piako The biggest news from Piako is that the club is back winching again, after a two year break. Big project for Neil Raymond and he has done a fantastic job. Highest launch so far is over 2,000ft AGL, and in the last month we have done roughly 130 launches with it.

We had our annual Start of Season Briefing on the 5th Oct and a further session for those that could not attend on the 9th Oct. It’s a compulsory briefing to address Start of Season safety issues, that runs for a couple of hours and is followed by a free lunch, put on by Jan Mace and Joan Wine.

We had every one of our members except two attend, so a really great turnout.

Other major news is that our President, Phil Smith, escaped to Australia, so our new President is Iggy Wood. He is also our Chief Tow Pilot and ex RNZAF Wing Commander.

In true military style, the first order of the day was to have a major working bee to tidy up the hangar, and big repairs to our trailers.

We managed to do some trailer damage to one our gliders, so we’re keen not to repeat it. It was attended by pretty much all of the club and we can now find things in the hangar and the trailers We have had some quite good ridge flying over winter, and in the past couple of months there have been a few trips to Thames and back.

Coming up, we have exciting and major events, starting with an advance cross country course put on by the Matamata Soaring Centre, and we have GFA guests Peter and Lisa Trotter coming over from Australia. Following that, the North Island Regionals, then immediately after Christmas

Several items of news this time: first is the arrival of a Ventus 2a for Glyn Jackson who, as I write, is at Taupo for part of the Plateau Comps, then down to Omarama for Jerry O’Neill’s mountain course and then the Southern Regionals. Could be quite an adventure. Tim Hardwick-Smith is taking the Discus down - whether to defend the title that he won last year or devastate another class I’m unsure. Apart from that, we now have in our hangar a clutch of gliders whose gliding and soaring performance is way beyond anything those who founded our club could ever have imagined. Peter Cook is also at the Central Plateau Comps, providing that he has completed most of the duties that he gets paid for.

Second and probably the major item, is that our Pawnee tow plane’s motor is unserviceable, forcing a major decision as to what direction to take to remedy the impasse. All going well, we will follow Canterbury’s lead, going down the microlight path. It could be quite a while before hope is replaced by certainty. In the meantime, the winch has been dusted off and we have had several winch days, one of which was enlivened by the Twin ‘getting away’ for extended flights. The Hawera Aero Club Technam was trialled recently, admittedly with the PW5, which was not too much of a struggle, but has paved the way for the Twin.

When I joined the club in 1967, winching was the thing. We were using the Bell Block aerodrome and could pay out good lengths of wire. Rope breaks or a stalled motor were rather frequent and I think my logbook records some one and three minute flights. I

club news

Taranaki:ATC cadet.

went solo there and we were the last flying organisation to operate from it – the ground being ploughed up around us. It was a WWII training base and now is farm land and a light industrial area. Bruce Cunningham told me that he soloed there.

Part of the folklore from that period is the Rhonlerche kiting to 3000 feet in a strong southerly, achieved by paying out the wire and then winding it back in. It had to stop when the winch began to be dragged along the ground. The airfield had a marked curvature on one vector and you never saw the glider round out – it seemed to dive into the ground and then reappear, trundling along. A number of bods with flags in lieu of radios were used to signal the winch.

Our AGM has come and gone, and the only change is that Les Sharp has come back as tug master. Ironic that there is no tug to be master of! Jim McKay comes on as a committee member.

Club flying was improved during the past year. The QGP lectures were popular, and are currently in progress. Tim had success in the Southern Regionals Club class and Glyn impressed with his enthusiasm at Taupo. We begin the new season with six students, a most encouraging trend, and therein lies a challenge for the club.

Welcome to Anirudh Tyagi and also to Melissa Jenkins, who comes complete with dowry of an LS4. We hope you enjoy your flying with us and Melissa, your overseas experience will be most valuable. Whether our winter flying was an incentive or not I don’t know, but there were a couple of three hour flights in July for Peter Cook in his Libelle and Glyn Jackson in his Ventus, and a day later, Peter and I had a great flight in the Twin, ranging all over the place.

The first flight for me, for far too long, but

a most enjoyable one. Our kind editor may print a photo of Toko that Peter took. There is another sent to me by Anna Klauser from Hamburg, of a flight she had in an Arcus two seater in July over the Swabian Alb. Tough work Anna, but someone has to do it!

PJM.

Taranaki: Our Pawnee ZK-RWS and Matt Connor wait for the glider to get ready. Photo by Peter Miller

Taupo It seems like such a long time ago since I put ink to paper with an article about the club. Like most, if not all clubs, we had a quiet winter, especially after having such an awesome summer.

Taupo experienced a milder winter this year and, although the weather conditions over the last few months have not been favourable for gliding, there have been occasional good flights. The winter period saw annual maintenance of gliders and equipment in preparation for the new season.

The club also participated once again in the Hobby Expo, which is held each year, exhibiting one of the PW5s. Crowd numbers were down compared to previous years, however, club members and volunteers did a great job of advertising the club and

Taranaki: Down the Arcus wing at the glider field. Photo by Anna Klauser.

provided the public with information about our great sport.

Some of you will have noticed that we have a new website. If you haven’t noticed, check it out! The new site is packed with information and one of the special features is the club’s webcam and the links to other webcams. In total, there are around six cameras overlooking Taupo. I especially like this feature as, when I am away, I can see what is happening; also when I see Trevor’s hangar doors open I know it is going to be a great day. Through these cameras, you will see that the area is much greener and the lake is topping up after being so low over the summer and things are looking good for the upcoming season.

By the time you get this edition of SoaringNZ, the soaring season will have already kicked off with this year’s Central Plateau Soaring Competition, 2nd-9th November. So far, there are 16 confirmed starters, with about five others who have indicated their participation. This will be a great turn out to kick off the year. We have the players, all we need now are some great soaring conditions to make this fun week fantastic.

That’s about it from the middle of the north, so until next time, all the best from us at Taupo and enjoy the new soaring season.

Trace

TAURANGA The Tauranga Club has had a fairly steady winter flying season. We’ve got a few extra students – our Youth Glide Group is now up to eight members.

Spring has definitely sprung though and there have been some fantastic flying conditions, both thermal and wave.

Steady westerly and sou’westerly winds have given us some consistent flying for December 2013

63

club news

Tauranga:, photo Scott Wagstaff

both weekend and mid-week flying, for those that can get away from work to take advantage of it. A Gold Height Gain was attempted, and we’ve had members testing the boundaries of the Bay and beyond heading up the Coromandel Peninsula and out to the SW, through the Waikato Region.

All encouraging stuff and a great start to the soaring season for us. We’re tallying up the kilometres on OLC, so it’ll be interesting to see how we compare with the other clubs over the course of the season.

Four of our members have recently competed in Australia at the Kingaroy 52nd Multiclass Nationals, honing their contest skills. Alan Belworthy also took out the Trans Tasman Trophy – an impressive effort.

The club’s Duo Discus, XLT, has seen an upsurge in use, with a discounted ‘Spring Special’ to encourage use at the start of the season – a number of newer members have been getting the benefit of experienced pilots taking them on cross-country flights around and out of the area – just what it was meant for. It’ll be getting a good workout in the upcoming contests as well.

Safe flying…

wellington Thanks to Ross Sutherland and the

64

December 2013

Hungarian/Czech/German/French summer crew, we had a great season last summer, with launch numbers well up. It was good to get together with the Feilding team at Kauwhatau in February to enjoy some great ridge and thermal soaring and Phil Pierce’s hospitality.

We also had a great weekend at Masterton.

It has been a quiet winter season at Pram, with our Pawnee SUG out of action for a while and the weather Goddess being almost continually displeased.

SUG is now back in the air, with revamped wings salvaged off her dead sister TUG, and our meagre bank balance suitably depleted.

We are looking forward to the arrival of our summer crew in late November. Bob Bower from Penn State (towing for Tom Knauff’s operation at Ridge Soaring) is returning for his third season of towing and instructing. “This place is frikk’n paradise, y’all don’t know how frikk’n lucky you are.”

Eric from Canada is also coming to tow and instruct. Peter Carter from England is helping out with ground duties. Our itinerant member, Ross Sutherland, returns from his annual Northern Hemisphere wanders to instruct and manage our summer crew. We

hope for another busy and sociable summer like the last two.

Meanwhile, back in reality land, we face on-going issues with being tenants on a commercial airfield, owned by parties who seem to have little interest in aviation and lots of interest in commercial development.

With very high rental and landing charges, increased regulation, commercially focussed and unsympathetic owners, a rent review in 2015, a lease expiring in 2020 and static membership, we are reviewing our options.

In the wider environment, the Kapiti District Aero Club is moving from Kapiti Road to a site on the Western side of the field, in order to make way for commercial development along Kapiti Road. Kapiti Airport Holdings has just finished a new commercial development, including a supermarket and Mitre 10 Mega, where the old 29 runway used to be. We still have the use of what is now 30 grass for Westerly days. Future development plans for the airfield do not appear to have a place for gliding, and even the future of the grass runway looks doubtful in the long term. Air New Zealand has just announced the start of flights to Christchurch from the field but with a commensurate decrease in flights to

Wellington: Photo Dean Baines

Wellington: Photo Dean Baines

club news

Tauranga:

Tauranga:

Auckland. We now have a shiny new barbed wire topped security fence surrounding the field, with our club rooms ‘landside’ (jokes about concentration camps verboten).

Our airspace above the MBZ is about to drop from 5500 to 4500 for no good reason, however we can still get the G673 opened to 9500 by ATC when we need it for that lovely Kapiti wave. Sadly, our submissions on this change fell on the usual deaf ears.

We have now had a couple of seasons getting used to Airport Flight Information Services (AFIS). A few teething problems from both sides, but things have improved.

Wellington: New member Jevon Mcskimmon's son has already said he has his eye on flying Jevon's new ASW20.

With Helipro and Associated Aviation now gone from the field, the number of movements per day at Pram certainly does not justify AFIS (not that it ever did!).

On most weekend days and summer mid-week days, WGC contributes most of the movements at the field. On inclement days, the 2-6 movements a day from Air New Zealand keep the operators busy. The only justification for AFIS is that it is there to serve the less than 36 movements a week

by Air New Zealand/Air Nelson. Meanwhile, our Airways charges per launch have more than doubled. The reality is that we are

Wellington: These are all of our DG 1000 from Paekakariki Hill lookout. Photographer Dean Baines

Wellington: An unintended advantage of learning in the DG1000 ... you can check your toenails at the same time .. Kapiti Island wave setting up in the background. Photographer Dean Baines

subsidising the cost of commercial aviation.

Enough moaning. Despite the challenging ground environment, Paraparaumu is still a great place to glide from! Phil Milne December 2013

65

f or s a l e • wa n t e d • s e r v ic e s • e v e n t s

We take our classifieds list from the GNZ website and from ads detailed with us personally. To update your ad, please go online or advise Hadley Bognuda, our webmaster. Ads notified to me will appear on this page but we are unable to make changes for you on the web page. Please contact the webmaster if your item sells.

Gliders ASH 25M, ZK-GRJ • in top condition, possibly the best available.

Schleicher self-launching two seat motor glider, complete with German trailer. Fully equipped, re-finished by Sailplane Services in Autocryl, in very good condition. Low hours. Annual just completed. Always hangared.

Fully instrumented. Contact Brian Kelly, phone 06 876-7437, e-mail: Erinpac@xtra.co.nz ASK 13 • Can be delivered with fresh annual inspection. King KY97A com, Borgelt B40 electric vario with rear seat repeater. New winch hook and tailplane fittings installed at last annuals. Further details, please contact Alan, 0274 960 748 or a.belworthy@xtra.co.nz Libelle 201b, GIU • #579 out of 601 made. 2358 hours 1688 launches (20 August) O2, Transponder, 6 channel Tait radio, Borgelt B40 vario, Chute, Trailer. Good original finish. Annuals currently underway. $20K. Phone Paul 021 331 838 Cobra 15, ZK-GJE • In good condition with a refurbished trailer. Easy to fly and fully aerobatic with a 38:1 glide ratio, comparable with a Libelle or Standard Cirrus. Includes tow out gear, Borgelt B40 vario and a parachute. Price now dropped to $9,995! Contact Russell Jones on 09 575 9788 or email:prismconsult@gmail.com ASH 25, ZK-GXZ • Placed 1st and 2nd in Open Class at last two Omarama New Zealand nationals (with a little bit of help from the pilot) 1,700 hours.

Serial no: 25016, the lightest Ash to come out of the factory. Instruments: Glide computer Ilec SM10B, Becker radio, O2 EDS, 25.6 winglets, transponder, 4 water ballast bags, 1 parachute. Trailer: Aluminium Top Cobra Tandem wheel, tows extremely well. Cobra lifting tail dolly. NZ$150,000.

Hangar space also available in Omarama to fit the ASH (35m) - right next to the airstrip. Contact: Garry Wakefield, phone +64 3 357 8995, or email garry@investment.co.nz

15 ltr. wing fuel tank. Two parachutes, MH duel oxy system, standard instruments plus SN10 computer/vario 2 15amph batteries + 2 engine batteries. Leather upholstery, tinted canopies, always hangared at Omarama. Contact david.mairi@xtra.co.nz 034098380 Foka 4 Glider • 15m. Polish built 1967. LD 34-1 VNE-141kts. 16/3/13 passed Annual Airworthy and Review. 10yr Wt.& Bal 24mths Avionics, Bore-scope inspection-2012 Total Hrs 1826 Based at Taupo Club $12,000 includes free hanger space until 2021.Seperate sale of glider if required Ph Colin Deeker @ 07-3784862 or codeek@xtra.co.nz Owner now past useby date!

DG300 Elan • 1987 2,200 Hours. Very good condition with excellent set of instruments. Cambridge 302 Vario and Logger with PNA, Filser FSG71M radio, Becker Transponder with Mode C, Turn & Slip, Accelerometer, Winter manual Vario, ASI, and Altimeter. Full Mountain High EDS Oxygen system. Also has hard fitted 121.5 MHz ELB. Glider has winglets and ballast bags with tail ballast. Anschau clam shell trailer. Great handling characteristics, and good performance. Finance available. $49,000 ono.

Contact Nigel Maxey ph 0272895589, nigel@fielden.co.nz Libelle 201b, GHM • Best offer over $15k. 2944 hours from 1832 launches (September 2013). Instruments: Terra mode C transponder, Becker 760 transceiver with 4 inflight pre-sets, and two varios. The annual service, ARA and weight and balance to be completed September/October. GHM has original finish in good condition and an unmarked canopy. Good tow out gear and a parachute included. The trailer is weather tight, registered and warranted. Phone Phil 06 354 6687 or email pandmpearce@xtra. co.nz Duo Discus T VH-JSR (in Australia) • First flown January 2003, 2000 hours, 10 hours engine time, one owner, impeccable condition, reliable turbo, beautifully finished, meticulously maintained, winglets, instruments, oxygen, parachutes, trailer, complete package. Contact Ralph, ralph@jsrsoaring.com.au Sailplane Slingsby T41 Skylark 2b • GBX. Fresh annuals as of 30th September, basic instruments and Mode C transponder. Ready for the season and ready to go. Road trailer wof and reg’d. Offers. Contact Marc Edgar 0272062672 or 035422027 for details.

Ka6-CR L/D max • 31:1 at 80 kph /43 kt. GLR annuals and new paper work completed on 20/12/2012. Basic instruments and excellent road trailer. $6,850 or near offer. Call Simon Lillico Phone 04 4797 123 or email slillico@gmail.com

2002 Ventus 2cT • Due to the chance of purchasing a glider for the worlds in Poland 2014, my lovely Ventus is offered for sale. GRY has every factory option including PU paint and 15m tips. For further details, please contact Alan on 0274 960 748 or email a.belworthy(at)xtra.co.nz

ASW15, ZK-GGO • S/N 15069. Microair radio and transponder. Cambridge 302 DDV and 303 nav screen. $15,000 ono. ph 0274972723, g_gaddes@ xtra.co.nz.

Glider DG 101, GNB • All or a 1/2 share of this glider is available. There is a hanger share at Matamata that can be included in the sale or negotiated separately. This glider will have a fresh Annuals completed in December 2013. This is a very competitive Club Class glider. Further details please contact Alan on 0274 960 748 or a.belworthy(at)xtra.co.nz

Sagitta, ZK-GDO • All wood & rags, built for performance not for comfort!

Keeps up with anything wood, plus PW’s and Astirs on a good day. For the vintage enthusiast - $5,000 with current rego and annuals. Come on then, you know you want one, and I need to finance a Duo share ;-) Email robert@smits.co.nz ASH 25m, ZK-GYJ • $210,000 ONO. Extension wing tips, 26m Cobra alloy trailer, self-rigging gear and all tow out equipment inc 2 wing wheels.

All weather wing and tail covers, engine time 54hrs airframe 1350 hrs

66

December 2013

Glider ASW20 C • 1985 model, one of the last of these very popular gliders. Excellent condition and has been well cared for. Recent annual and all ADs up to date. Ready to go with a good panel including excellent radio and transponder, L Nav, Oxygen, and plenty of storage pockets.

Trailer is also in good condition. $49,500. Contact John gps@ihug.co.nz or 021 2234 911, or George 021 896 146.

GNz members are eligible for one free non-commercial classified advertisement per issue.

Deadline for receipt of advertising for our February issue is 22 January 2014.

Glider LS6C ZK-GWC, 1995 • HEAVILY REDUCED PRICE - OFFERED FOR SALE AT $80,000 GST INC. LS6c ZK-GWC Automatic controls hook up.

TT2140 hours. 15m winglets, 17.5m straight tips, 15m factory straight tips for trailering. Safety Cockpit, MicroAir Transponder, Dittel FSG71M Radio, Cambridge 302/303, Oxygen, Cobra Trailer. No accident history - good condition. Contact: Loaders@clear.net.nz or Chris Streat at streatcg@xtra.co.nz +64 3 442 6789 Glider DG 300 Elan • GOZ Full panel. Road trailer. $45,000 or near offer.

Apply to Errol Shirtliff. Phone 03 526 8724 or email shirtliff@xtra.co.nz

Hangar

Omarama chalet. Partially built. Make an offer. David Craill raymar@ vodafone.co.nz Metric Winter ASI and Altimeter. Both in excellent condition. ASI=$300.

Altimeter=$600. Both=$800. Contact Matt Findlay sgt_findlay@hotmail. com Multi-stage lead-acid battery chargers: 2 channel from $100, 4 channel from $400, 12 channel rack mount and customised versions. Price by negotiation. Information at www.avon-tech-solutions.co.nz. Contact Neil 021 765 884.

Two adjacent 18m hangar spaces in the Omarama Hangar. $ 30,000 each or near offer. Contact Mike Hamilton Phone: (03) 9621530 email: mike. hamilton@hamjet.co.nz.

Pawnee C PA25-235 ZK-RWS. Engine 250HP out of hours (can be ground run), total airframe hours 5558, fuselage stripped, repainted and rebagged September 2010, as is located at Stratford. Offers. For any further details contact Les Sharp 06 753 4227 lesue@ihug.co.nz.

Hangar space, 15m, east hangar at Omarama. Asking $1500/m or reasonable offer. Contact Linda vindaloulou@gmail.com, 033487009 or 0210718402.

Cambridge 302 and 303 set. Both instruments are in great condition.

GPS Antenne, handbook, and all cables included Price $2300 including postage R.Drake@inbox.com

Hangar Space 15 m at Omarama. We need the cash for new toys so here’s the deal, $1500 per metre. First in gets a bargain. Call Paul on 021 1622396 or Nigel on 027 2741624 or email pchisnall@xtra.co.nz

2x Redbox Flarm devices including SD card readers, Antenne and all cables needed to mount. Both devices are IGC certified $1200 including postage. R.Drake@inbox.com

Hangar spaces for sale in Omarama. 20m and or 15m next to the runway. $1,800pm ONO. Both in the most eastern hangar. Contact: Garry Wakefield, phone +64 3 357 8995, or email garry@investment.co.nz

Cambridge LNAV and GPS-NAV logger both at the latest upgrade versions.

Good condition, unmarked instrument faces. Complete with capacity flask, antennae, all necessary cables. Only changing as I now have the Clear Nav agency. $1200 the lot. Roger Sparks ph. 0274956560 or email r.sparks@xtra.co.nz

20 Metre space in latest and greatest private lock-up hangar on Omarama Airfield. Secure (complete lock-up), convenient (nearest space to Kahu Cafe). Water. power, painted floor. Great neighbours. Absolutely one of the best slots at Omarama. Contact :- david.p.laing@gmail.com, 0274 340074 Hangar Space - right to occupy, for sale. A space in the Canterbury Gliding Club’s new Springfield hangar. This state of the art hangar is in a prime position on the field, giving easy access to the main vector. Springfield has been developed as the long term home of the CGC and provides access to some of the best soaring in NZ and is active all year round.

The purchaser will need to maintain membership of the club, one of the strongest and most progressive in NZ. Contact John 021 2234 911.

Other For Sale Becker Transceivers and Transponders. Icom Handhelds – We guarantee to be the cheapest source in New Zealand – John Roake Ltd – avionics@ johnroake.com Second hand Accusat MT410 406/121.5 Mhz Personal locator beacon.

(Non GPS type) Battery due replacement July 2014. $350 o.n.o. Contact Lionel Page, Aviation Sports Club, 021 333031 The editor of the Canadian soaring journal has available some old issues of S&G magazine. The issues are: 1948 Jan to Jun, Sept to Dec ,1949 Feb, 1950 Jan, Feb, Apr to Aug, Oct, 1951 Jan to Sep, Dec, 1952 Feb to May, Jul to Oct, 1955 Jan/Feb, May/June. If interested, e-mail Tony Burton at t-burton@telus.net.

BLOOD OXYGEN READER. A Little finger tip one. Take the guess work out of hypoxia. A modern must-have for wave flying. This one is a hard to get Liquid Crystal Display unit which means it is really easy to read in bright sunlight. Runs off two AA batteries. See pictures at http://tinyurl.com/ nx2lwtt Bran new. $80 incl gst and freight. Contact Frank at: franksaxton@gmail.comH

For Sale

omarama chalet

Get a syndicate together – make it more affordable – enjoy a rental income when you are not using it.

Under construction now – Act fast to choose your layout

Available as completed shell to allow buyer to finish or completely finished to buyer specs.

No more sites available

phone 0274 774 885 December 2013

67

QUINTUS BETTER BY

design

Sailplane Services Congratulate the winners of the NZ Nationals: Grae Harrison, Champion in Open and 18m Class in his Ventus 2xT, Geroge Wills, Champion Std Class in Discus 2c and Vaughn Ruddick, Champion Std Class in the LS6.

Please contact us for servicing onsite at our Omarama workshop.

Sailplane Services Ltd email sailplaneservices@xtra.co.nz phone 09 294 7324