The Taupo Gliding Club’s Newsletter
2015
Welcome everyoneto another edition of Outlanding.
What’s inside?
Presidents Report
Managers Report
Club Captain Report
CFI Report
New Members
Achievements
Upcoming Events
PRESIDENTS REPORT
President’s prattle.
Some thoughts about the club.
We are in pretty good shape financially and with 54 members as at the end of March we can anticipate that we will have 50 to 55 members for the 2015/16 year. However there are still 25 or so members yet to pay their subs for the new year or advise Tom. I would remind them that they will be struck off both the GNZ and Club registers if they do not pay before the end of May.
During the summer we ran a Grabone promotion that saw 50 people purchase vouchers for trial flights. Of those 50, 47 have taken flights and the club gained one new member. So a success on both counts. Another success was our involvement in the OXFAM Trail Walk. For the 10th year in a row TGC provided a pitstop (arguably the best)and we raised valuable revenue for the Club. My thanks to those who supported the event and participated in the 24hrs of the pitstop opening.
Like any club we could not operate without the same few people who turn up day after day to keep the gliders flying, the grounds and buildings tidy and the airfield mown. A word of warning though. None of us are getting any younger and we need more people to step up and ease the load on those who have carried the load for a long time. So if you have time please consider becoming an instructor, make the time to do a duty pilot session or two, put your hand up to keep the logbooks up to date, for mowing the lawns, weed-eating, washing the gliders. After your flight hang around for a beer and to help with put the aircraft away. If you have a PPL or better become a tow pilot.
‘nuf said. The deck of the club house in the evening has to be one of the best places on the planet to relax. See you there. Tim.
MANAGERS REPORT APRIL 2015
To all members the credit card facilities are costing the club $100 to $170 each month. For the month of March it was $160 with only $97 collected on credit card interest. Members, if you are paying by credit you must add 3.5%. - calculator by Eftpos machine. If you are processing a trial flight payment and they want to pay by credit you also must add the 3.5%. Make sure to tell the trial flight this before they take the flight. All trial flights should be paid for before the flight!
As we are becoming very short of Tow pilots and Instructors, flights through the week will be only by arrangement – I will still be available most days and will arrange things with whomever is available provided I am notified in the morning of your intentions to fly. Tom.
CLUB CAPTAIN REPORT
It has been a fantastic summer,long hot days with convergence,streets and booming thermals, just what we glider pilots like .
We have had 300km plus cross country days, students 8500ft over Lake Rotokawa in booming thermals while I have been looking at a paddock in Reparoa !!
We had our Pawnee TPO out of action for a few days right over our busy time, thank you Tauranga for the loan of your Pawnee; it did struggle with the Twin Astir ME tho!
We have a Robin in one of the Hangers now and believe it or not Trev is a part owner with 3 other club members. They plan to fit a tow hook so will make a great backup for TPO.
Our ASK 21 is now fully debt free and we are now looking at a replacement for the Twin Astir ME, hopefully something with some good cross country characteristics.
The club house needs new roofing iron, we are getting quotes for this.
Our club looks a bit like the walking wounded at the moment, Tom has had a hip replacement, Bill is in a splint after jumping down off the Tow plane, Rod broke his Achilles putting his plane away and Peter snapped his on a hunting trip with Trev !
On that note we need ALL members to contribute to the running of the club, this may entail helping get the gliders out/away, cleaning the gliders, cleaning the club house (windows, vacuum, toilets) radio and flight logs. It all helps, if everyone spends 10 mins cleaning….
The club needs a weekend away, Matamata or Galatea for some ridge soaring and club comrade. If the weather looks good an email will be sent out for those interested with only a few days notice.
We have completed another Oxfam event at the Gliding Club as check point seven. We had a team of thirty three altogether made up of club members, family, friends, and eight from Hospice to help out. Thank you Martin for organizing this year’s Oxfam and of course all the helpers.
The Club has raised $20,000 over the years so is certainly worth the effort.
We had a quite Christmas Camp with Lionel Page and family who came from Whenuapai Club –
Peter Cook & Peter Williams from Taranaki Club.
Returning again for their annual summer visit we had Instructor Sid Gilmore from the UK & club helper Denis Filgas from the Czech Republic both have been coming back for the last 12 years.
Their help over the summer has been invaluable and we are looking forward to their return next summer.
Our Solo in a Week course’s we had 4 students from Hong Kong who all gained the A certificate staying on site for 14 days.
We are looking at the pressure this puts on our instructors and club as a whole over the Xmas period with the possibility of running these courses later in the season.
BRETT CAMERON (filling in for Trace)
CFI Report by CFI Bill Kendall
From the CFI
Once again I need to bring to your attention the need to be vigilant when flying within local AIRSPACE around Taupo. Know the boundaries of the CFZ and MBZ, if you are not sure then arrange a revision briefing with the CFI. Things you need to KNOW:
Be on the right FREQUENCY, CFZ 134.45 and 118.4 for the MBZ. Listen to all Radio calls and if you have the ability to monitor both Frequencies (DUAL) do so. If you think another aircraft is near you or you have heard a position report and you are not sure if they were calling you, do a position report anyway. Within the MBZ you must do this every 10 minutes transmitting your CALLSIGN – LOCATION – HEIGHT and INTENSIONS. Also you must hold an FLIGHT RADIO OPERATORS RATING or an NZGA RADIO EXAMINATION issued under part 149 of the CAA rules (Advisory Circular 2-11) before flying in the MBZ and have attended our local club briefing.
Radio Call Example:“TAUPO TRAFFIC GLIDER GOLF TANGO GOLF 2 NORTH OF SANDFLY HILL AT 4000 FEET THERMALLING or TRACKING THE BOAT HARBOUR”.
Please use all authorised REPORTING POINTS, if not sure ask or check the Aeronautical Chart in the briefing room. This has all been highlighted because of the introduction of the Q300 aircraft flying into Taupo from now on, after the Wellington service ceased; PLEASE PLEASE be very alert while flying in the MBZ and talk to other aircraft, they may not know your CALLSIGN and may just say TRAFFIC POSITIONED AT XYZ. It’s all about SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. DO NOT change frequency until you are clear of the MBZ (STAY ON LISTENING WATCH). Make sure your TRANSPONDER is on 1300.
2/PLEASE PLEASE remember that we are all part of the TAUPO GLIDING CLUB and in doing so need to be there for each other and to help out on the day, try not to be a COME FLY AND LEAVE MEMBER; although in saying that there will be some occasions when you only have time to do exactly that and it happens to all of us but don’t make a habit of it. It just seems that the same people are getting the aircraft out and preparing them, then at night putting them away. It is extremely unfair on a very few members, usually it’s the instructors and tow pilots and a few regular flyers, if it wasn’t for them you wouldn’t fly at all (being the first to complain that they couldn’t get a flight). Now that Tom Anderson is temporally (I hope) out of the air due to medical problems, it means we are another very experienced Instructor down (an A Cat at that). We need suitable members to step up and consider working towards becoming instructors.
Otherwise we will soon be down to Club Flying Days only. To fly we need at least THREE people if not FOUR: an Instructor, a Tow Pilot, and one if not two to cover Time Keeping, Radio and Ground Operations right up until the last aircraft is down and put away. Recently we had a very bad situation where the duty instructor and a student were flying in the late afternoon; when they landed halfway up the strip everyone at the Club had left and gone home. Leaving the two to tow the aircraft in and put them away (not good and against the clubs own Flying Rules). This not an easy task for two people. If something had gone wrong i.e. a land out or accident no one would have known, I LEAVE IT TO YOU TO WORK OUT THE REPERCUSSIONS. It puts me as CFI right in the firing line!
Sid Gilmore has now left us and I am most grateful for his input and instructional ability, during his time with us, he proved a great ambassador for the club and that showed with the comments in thumbs up in the local paper, people appreciate he approach to visitors including his patter. As CFI I appreciate the workload he took on; his certainty took most of the training load during the time we were training the Hong Kong students. Without him it could have been embarrassing for the club due to Instructors not being available. Goodbye Sid and THANK YOU!
Just a reminder that all Accident and Incident forms MUST come to the CFI (or a copy off). It is the pilot’s responsibility to fill out the CAA 005 Aircraft Accident forms; if you have any problems I will happily assist but I need a copy. All Incident forms NZGA OP’s 10’s must come to me and I will forward them on to the ROO.
PLEASE REPORT ALL INCIDENTS AND SAFETY ISSUES TO THE CFI OR IN HIS ABSENCE TO ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR OR CLUB MANAGER.
Good Lookout
Safe Flying Bill
New Members
We would like to welcome Ivan Booth to the club and returning C Cat instructor Wayne Earley
Achievements
Congratulations to;
John Hudson Silver C distance/height gain/duration
Brett Cameron Silver C distance
Mathieu Turquier A Cert
David Bickner A Cert
Tony Budd QGP
John Hudson QGP
UPCOMING EVENTS
Just a quick reminder about the following events.
Prize giving dinner 13th June
AGM 14th June
We have the Airmanship and bombing competition for the month of May so get out to the club and give it a go. Prize giving dinner is now on the 13th June and AGM on the 14th. We need you there!!
Also looking at taking the club up to Matamata or Galatea for some ridge soaring and fun.
If the weather looks good we will send an email out a few days before, be aware that there will be no flying at Taupo if this happens.
Cross country flight
By Peter Cook
A front had gone through and a Monday holiday for us in Taupo so had a ring around for X-country and had enthusiasm form Brett, Hugh Trev and me. Surprisingly others showed also the rattle the club fleet.
Arrived, milled around, rigged, prep and planned to launch early as tow pilot Brian was off to work at 2pm. Launching was delayed by a bright Hong Kongesse student Birdy on his first solo set of flights in ASK21 – we decided he may need the full extent of Centennials strip. He did well.
Prep and tow out to launch
Off we launched from half past - Hugh kindly swapped his Ventus for Pawnee launching as an arm twisted Brain became more energised by impending work commitments. Many thanks Hugh for the launches into the valley.
Gosh, even though first away I couldn’t get out of the valley! Rasp said it wasn’t going to good there, it was lake breezed and over developing - just got worse but ripping out east. Having spent mega on more performance how could I connect with this lift? Feeling dismayed as most flights in the Discus to date had been shorter and slower than in Libelle IA, just not in the grove yet! Flew YT toward Ohaki chimney, then west, out east a couple of times onto the valley edge whilst Trev and Brett had drifted out toward Matea so thought I’d give the forest cut overs a go and there was enough to catch Brett in the Jantar. Duo Trev, was now passing Rangatik at speed and a commentary to match. Stumbling into a blue therm I pushed on and the conditions improved from a few knots up to more. Finally connected with real conditions past Rangitak into Poronui on the SE ranges.
There were black streets running through the ranges, with 7,000 to 7,500ft basis, Trev was in the Kaimanawa’s somewhere , talking about Ngamatea on the Taihape side. I just pushed into Waipunga falls on the Taupo/Napier Road then headed toward the Boyd strip in steep bush covered steep back country terrain. What views and lift. 80 to 90kts and still going up! Jumping streets it was down and the ridge lines appeared quickly ahead along the way some wee diversions were taken. This was great stuff and Trev popped out again in front. We decided to head to Minganui in the NE, a farmed valley surround by bush clad hill on the edge of the Uraweras. Brett was heading back to Taupo by now and Trev meandered in the Matea area whilst I found myself heading off alone over the eastern hill country tracking over more wilds Minganui bound. Fortitude began to wain the further I pushed and cirus was coming in from the west – still pumping in the wilds. The trip back to Taupo was beginning to look like work and Brett was scratching at Te Awa camp locked strip in the middle of the forest.
I drifted to the top end of the Goudies farm block for a final climb for glide home rather than east. Here it was scratchy stuff although Trev arrived lower and tickled toward Taupo, picking scraps of lift over the forest for I glide home after Brett. I hung back for more height to be sure but it didn’t come – conditions were fading.
Below glide to Taupo and leaving Goudies good back strip, I opted to glide downhill to Goudies inhabited parts, in search of their HQ strip. On arrival, near circuit height, I couldn’t spot it as seemed to have been subdivided with permanent fences. Little lift here so a paddock landing was inevitable. Trev, now overhead Taupo GC, awaiting my final call and once done a low circuit to slight uphill drilled paddock, near farms houses but downwind by a few knots. Man was the ground hard, rough and there was sploshing sound – yep pats, crusty on top and moist under.
Another paddock
Relieved to be down undamaged and on Chinese territory too, an ex Krafer farm. Agent Birdy was happy to be in attendance, his first LO and derig, astounded by the environment although disoriented and didn’t enjoy the pats or the accompanying bugs. A city lad with very keen interest in casinos.
This was the second land out in succession in YT and about 30km from Taupo. I covered a few hundred km in around 3 hours this time. Should figure out my Oudie track records.
Helen, Trev and Birdy to the rescue, another Broadlands story though. A supposed missed turn offs, zip through an under pass, lumpy farm tacks and to finish in a top class restaurant for drinks and dinner.
Many thanks everyone for the good company fun day – beats the office every time! PC