Oz Report

Dalby Big Air - day 5

(This topic is in: <- Mar.19 Mar.17 Mar.14 Mar.13 Mar.12 Mar.10 --> )

No cu's so a short downwind task (Dalby Airport)

The results are here: http://www.soaringspot.com/2008dba/.

No cu's all day and reports from the tug pilots of low inversions kept us waiting on the ground until about one thirty.  Finally, Kieran launched, as did Rod Flockhart and I was right behind them in Raef's Airborne Fun 190 with the big wheels.

I found a thermal right away, but it only took me to 2,600' AGL before I lost it.  Dave Seib and Rod who were just above me went back up wind to find lift, but I couldn't make it that far and landed back at launch.  It took a while to get going again.  Cameron Tunbridge was going slow also and had three launches, which put him back there a ways in the scoring today.

The second time up I figured I had to go downwind no matter what so I hung with less than 100 fpm leaving the start circle at 2,500' AGL.  Things did not look great ahead as there was no where in particular to go.

Losing the lift at 2,800' AGL, I headed back toward the highway and dark fields.  Who knew where good lift was?

Down to 1,100' AGL, I felt the lift and climbed out at the amazing rate of 200 fpm back to 2,700' AGL.  What is the deal with the lift stopping so low?

Back toward the black fields near the highway again, and I found  lift at 900' right smack dab over the highway.  Why there is unclear.  Maybe the bare fields nearby.

I hung around in this one and gained 1,800' in 17 minutes, drifting down wind.  Now I was over the river too far to get back to the highway and no dark fields cross wind toward the highway, so I headed for the cultivated fields downwind.  There are so many fewer choices when you don't get up high.

No luck.  I came in over Nick Purcell at 100' and landed in the field next to him.

Dave Seib had scooted to goal getting there first by four minutes.  Trevor Purcell came in second to gain almost four hundred points on Cameron.

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Hang gliding in Portugal

The videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FBbvH3l5_k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBZgg8yd7jo

Thanks to Antonio Araujo <alfa.araujo>.

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The Dish

Actually another Dish (Australia Telescope Compact Array near Narrabri, NSW, Australia) (CSIRO Radio Telescope near Parkes, NSW, Australia)

Not far from Mt.  Borah in Upper Manilla:

Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) near the town of Narrabri in rural New South Wales.  The ATCA consists of six radio telescopes in total, each one larger than a house.  Together they form one of the highest resolution measurement devices in the world.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080310.html

Speaking of the Dish.  Here's Sam Neil (Jurassic Park 1 & 3) playing in it (the Dish was about Parkes, Australia and was filmed in Forbes).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wn8OVrGjN-8

Here is what Sam is up to recently:

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Sam+Neil+eat+red+meat

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Dalby Big Air - day 6

(This topic is in: <- Mar.19 Mar.17 Mar.14 Mar.13 Mar.12 Mar.10 --> )

Where is that "big" air? (Dalby Airport)

The results are here: http://www.soaringspot.com/2008dba/.

The forecast was for a few cu's in the late afternoon as the inversion broke.  The winds were tipped to continue, at 12 knots, now out of the east, with little or no south component.  The top of the lift was forecasted to be over 6,000'.

The task had a turnpoint point to the northwest along the main highway then downwind to the west, 124 kilometers.

A few free flyers in intermediate gliders took off just before the one o'clock launch window open time and I went first among the competitors at one hoping to hook up with these guys.  The clouds were just beginning to appear near the air field, although there were a good number of cu's 60 km down wind.  Most of the competitors were waiting for a later start to better take advantage of the cu's that are beginning to form.

Smokey took me to a nice thermal and I climbed to 4,000' AGL.  I was looking down wind to see if any of the hang gliders are turning, but they have landed three kilometers from the launch at the gun club, so there was no one out there to help with the mostly blue sky ahead.  A couple of pilots had launched but they were far below me and none of the competitors had lined up to launch.

I headed out as the lift gave out and headed for the upwind side of the highway which marks the course line.  Down to 1,700' AGL, I found 200 fpm in a thermal that was moving from the east north east, 45 degrees to the course line.  This was not good news given the fact that single surface gliders only like to go down wind.  I hung on to the thermal and drifted down wind toward the next highway and over the river.

I climbed to 4,500' AGL but making the task more difficult.  I needed to get back toward the highway to get near the course line, but I would have to go cross wind to do so.

I found bits of light (less than 200 fpm) lift and turned in it as I moved cross wind back toward the course line.  I could see a low hang glider behind me not providing any help.  I stayed in the lift as much as I could, but the wind was blowing the thermals the wrong direction and making them hard to circle in.  I lost the lift over the river.

It looked like I was set to land in a cultivated field down wind of the river after searching all along it for lift.  Down to 500' AGL and set to land, I find 5 fpm and hold on hoping for better.  I lost this thermal also.  I just couldn't seem to stay in the thermals on this day.  I land 26 km out from the start.

There was a nice cloud near me as I struggled low, but there was no way I had enough altitude to get to it.  Maybe with 2,000' AGL, I would have made it.

Not all the pilots have checked in yet.  At least three have made goal.

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Guga going strong

Going home soon.

Will Silva <willskyout> writes:

Guga is coming out strong.  He is already moving , talking and yesterday had a chance to sit on a comfortable chair.  Although signs of confusion remains, it is all normal at this stage .  It seems like in a short while, he will be released to the comfort of his home.

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