Education & Comic Corner

Things of interest when you look around.

A Tug with GRUNT!!


I remember my Father Inlaw telling me about greasing stuff with "Goose Fat"
Well Ross, this one is for you.
Hungarian Goose Fat Soup!





Shopping at Tescos.
Pick a checkout... Any checkout!!!!





I always hate it when Graham stabs
the butter!!






















The Salami Plane - Antinov 2

Something you would expect to see in a Mad Max movie.












Our Launch Recorderess!!!

Mark

Enough

I am withdrawing from the competition. I have been worried for my safety on every flight in this competition so far.

This morning I looked at the glider on the launch grid and just didn't want to get in.

Maybe a bit soft but I think those who have flown with poor visibility at such low altitudes in such crowded skies (including a few maniacs) may understand.

Graham

Missed by that much

Not a great day for me. I was getting around the task sort of OK but just couldn't get the climb I needed to get onto final glide. In the end it just never eventuated and I was heading into the control point a couple of hundred feet shy of making it back to the airfield.

But there is another way. After Lars' accident they changed the finish procedure from a line on the airfield boundary to a 3km finish ring, much like we have in Australia. I figured I could do a Sebastian Kawa, get into the circle and then land.

But then it rained. Glider performance went down the gurgler and I had to make a quick decision about whether I could clear the fence into the next paddock. No was the answer. Flopped down into a corn field (not ideal) and finished 90 metres short of the circle. Bugger!

To add insult to injury (actually the other way round) I then ripped a back muscle carrying the glider wings out to the road . From previous experience I am now going to be in pain for a week.

Oh and before the start three separate gliders did their level best to clean me up in thermals.

Not 100% happy just at the moment.

Graham

Day 2

A bit of a tough day, not just for the Aussies but for nearly everyone. Weather forecast was for "better than yesterday.." We ended up doing the whole flight under heavy cirrus cover, with thunderstorms approaching from the west; the best climb I had was 3kts, most were under 1kt.

Only about 20 or so gliders out of a fleet of 150 managed to complete the task. I staggered around about 245km, David not quite as far.

Disappointing not to get round the task. It probably puts a podium finish out of reach unless something weird happens. But who knows with the weather we are experiencing at this competition?

Graham

Day 1

Well the good news is that all Aussie pilots are back at the airfield and are alive and well. The bad news is that Lars had a rather nasty landing accident on the airfield boundary; his glider is a mess but he walked away without a scratch.

More later, we are a bit busy to do a comprehensive report at the moment.

Graham

Groundhog Day

Another dreary rainy day greeted us this morning. The day was cancelled at briefing, possibly a little early as it looked vaguely soarable locally for an hour or two this afternoon. Before the rain set in again.


The airfield is starting to turn into a bog.










This afternoon Mark and I went for a long walk through town looking at interesting things....



Forecast for tomorrow is better....

Graham.

Day 1... For some

The weather man was very dubious about flying prospects today, the task setters were more optimistic. Tasks were duly set, we all put our gliders out on the grid and at the appointed time we were launched into a fairly unappealing looking sky.

Things didn't really look much better from the air, and as we dodged rain showers while waiting for our start line to open we watched as the open class set off on what looked like a suicide mission.

It came as a bit of a surprise to find that our task in 18m class was cancelled just as the line was due to open. I thought they would send us off today no matter what. 15m class never even got off the ground.

With only two finishers in open class I guess the decision to cancel was probably correct.

Tom managed to keep his Nimbus afloat for as long as most of the pack for a reasonable result in open class.

Forecast for tomorrow is rain.

Funny old weather they have in Europe. We are so fortunate in Aus to have the gliding conditions that we do.

Graham.