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Post by turboNZ on Feb 12, 2007 20:28:59 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 12, 2007 21:03:06 GMT 12
Well done Chris! That distorted view of the Pawnee tug is neat. But the worn paint from possibly many gripped fingers on the dash would worry me!  |
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Post by turboNZ on Feb 12, 2007 23:19:51 GMT 12
I thought the same thing about that paint. The glider wasn't a youngster, but the pilot certainly knew how to fly her !! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it before. The Mrs is going up next Sunday !!!  |
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Post by Simonjg on Feb 14, 2007 12:39:23 GMT 12
Chris,
The Auckland Gliding Club runs a full time week course for I think $2000.00 incl accommodation, glider hire, instructor, all you need extra is to buy food and beer and get to go solo. If you want I can put you in touch with Mark Ford who organizes the courses.
Just a thought
Cheers
Simon
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Post by xr6turbo1 on Feb 14, 2007 17:30:16 GMT 12
Ah the old Blanik. I flew a few hours in those and really enjoyed it, Ive only done around 10 hours just to see what gliding was all about and then went back to powered flying but enjoyed the Blanik more than flying fibre glass twin Astirs. You should go on a flight on the look out for thermals, quite an unbelievable experience, climbing quickly without an engine, aeros are also cool mainly due to the noise as you speed up and the way the noise stops at the top of a loop of wingover.  |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Feb 15, 2007 7:29:14 GMT 12
I soloed in a glider before taking up power flying, and loved it. Funnily enough I never flew a Blanik, which has to be one of the more common types around. From memory I flew a Slingsby T53, a Rhonlerch (sp?) and a K13 (fabric and wood aircraft that looks like a stranded whale). All with the ATC at Hobsonville before it became a boat factory.
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Post by corsair67 on Feb 15, 2007 10:15:49 GMT 12
Where's the HUD? ;D
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Post by Bruce on Feb 15, 2007 10:39:01 GMT 12
Its that little piece of wool taped to the outside of the canopy!
Ive flown gliders twice out of Matamata - including landing one myself (easier than a C152!). Certainly a lot of fun, but not really a practical "Go somewhere" machine. (Yes they can travel a long way, they just take quite a while to do it....) Yeah i'd recommend anyone have a go at it at least once.
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Post by Simonjg on Feb 15, 2007 11:45:55 GMT 12
To fly as the hawk and eagle has been mankind's dream for centuries. Modern sailplanes make soaring flight possible, and with them humans can fly higher, faster, and farther than the greatest of birds, using only an invisible force of nature to stay aloft.
An Auckland gliding club member (Patrick Dressan) flew from Drury - MT Rupaheu – Drury on Tuesday. Many have flown direct to Wellington. On a good day you would have no chance keeping up on a cross country flight in a C152. New Zealand has produced three World gliding champions; Auckland gliding club two and the third was from a club in the South Island. It is a truly fantastic sport, for sheer beauty, the sport is unsurpassed and affordable compared with power flying. The intellectual challenge of soaring is its main appeal to many glider pilots. Gravity tells you that you and your machine, which together may weigh thousands of kilos, have no business staying aloft and that your place is on the ground since you have no engine to stay airborne. You know that the sun and the wind are providing an invisible force frequently far stronger than the force of gravity, but it's up to you to make the most of that force through your interpretation of it and of your own pilot skills. The best combination brings the longest flight, the highest altitude gain, or the fastest speed in a contest.
Gliders may vary widely in design but they are all graceful - especially when moving through the sky.
Give it a go life only passes by once
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Post by turboNZ on Feb 15, 2007 12:29:06 GMT 12
Chris, The Auckland Gliding Club runs a full time week course for I think $2000.00 incl accommodation, glider hire, instructor, all you need extra is to buy food and beer and get to go solo. If you want I can put you in touch with Mark Ford who organizes the courses. Just a thought Cheers Simon I'd love to do that, but having just bought a new Moto Guzzi and done this glidering + going to CF2007, anything else may resort in some serious punishment from my missus !!!!  |
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Post by agalbraith on Feb 16, 2007 20:18:18 GMT 12
Hi Chris, Great photo's mate!
Now that is something I am wanting to do someday. I love the Pawnee pics too.............very artistic!
I hardly recognised you in the pics, but then it must have been nearly 20yrs since we were at school together! Cant wait to catch up with you at Omaka at Easter.
Glad you had a great flight
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by turboNZ on Feb 17, 2007 22:19:03 GMT 12
Hey Anthony,
I'm just about to book the Ferry tickets to take my bike down, so yes, will be great to catch up with you after so many years, and also meet the other peoples from here ,....finally !!!!
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