My Flying

The light varying SW wind was changing between cross from the left and a 30° tail wind. I hopped aboard for my first aerotow as PIC; that on a downhill dust strip with a slight tail wind. I was doing well at the controls keeping the plane more or less straight and level until about half way down the strip the instructor F(3) calls 'my plane', pulls the plug and brings us to a stop. He was not happy as he thought the take off was going to be too marginal.

About two hours later instructor F(6) gives the go ahead for attempt two (the conditions hadn't changed much). Almost immediately the left wing lifts and pushes the plane to the right of the runway and into the full dust of the tug. All I can see is the rope and no horizon; I chicken out and yell 'Your plane' 88|. This instructor is braver than the first and we push on through complete IMC conditions until we are airborne. We get towed for 12 minutes (this is seriously going to hurt my bank balance) up to 7500ft to a ridge just north of the airfield.

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We arrived yesterday in Nieu Bethesda after a four hour drive; an hour of which was on reasonably good gravel roads. Our accommodation is in a small, but nice, rondawel situated on a local sheep farm that is about 15 minutes drive from the farm's airfield (S31°51'58.8 E024°29'20.8).

Flying started at about 10am after a drive to the airfield and the rigging of the club's single. The twin had arrived the previous day and already had a good 3 hour flight logged. The weather was not great and the strong South Westerly wind progressively got stronger. Some nice wave was forming, but would be out of reach as we have no oxygen equipment and the elevation of the field is already 4500ft.

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Almost Christmas and just 6 days to go before our departure for the flying camp in the Karoo.

Two in the box, ready to go, we be fast and they be slow...

Today was set aside to derig the Twin and Single in preparation for the club's camp at New Bethesda during the last week of December this year.

New Bethesda is a teeny weenie town about 10km West of Graaff Reinet. There is a nice airstrip located on a farm and you can Google Earth the 1km long strip at S 31°51'58.8 E024°29'20.8.

It drizzled lightly the whole morning while we derigged the two gliders and put them on their trailers. The Single went quick and could be done by just two people in about 30 minutes; while the Twin required a lot more muscle power and time and three would be an absolute minimum.

There will therefore be no flying next Sunday at FAUH and hopefully a few good long flights in the hot climate of the Karoo during the five days I'll be spending at New Bethesda. About six members and their families will be there for the New Year.