Damien "Tex" Gates <<email>> writes:

I have been pretty well out of action now for nearly a year having only flown 3 times in the last little while due to other pressing commitments. Two of those flights were on the same day with low weak link breaks that I never got away from.

After checking out the RASP (BLIPMAPS - http://ozreport.com/ozweather.php) for Queensland I decided I should test them out as they looked pretty good and I really needed some airtime. Winds were forecast to be about 25kph out of the ESE. We (Jase and I) were on the road and at the hanger by 9.30 greeting Bruce, Annie, Blaino, Smokey and some new faces for me - Jamie and Adam.

Jamie is just getting started in hang gliders though has trike experience and had under 10 hrs on a hang glider before this last week end. Adam is down at Oakey from Townsville with the Army (though he is Air Force Avionics) and has done a fair few tows with Bill and the guys at Rylstone with about 40 hrs and a PB of 15km. Jamie had previously flown a short XC from Dalby, not sure how far as the story ends with him being escorted off the property by a “Blockie” near Kogan on the end of a shotgun.

The usual chin wag at the hanger, but gliders were erected in good time and I was first on tow at about 1215 hrs in a borrowed C2 Light thanks to Yoda. Blaino gave me a great tow straight up wind and we hit a nice thermal at about 500 but having not been flying much I thought I would hang on a bit longer to be sure. After this we hit pretty bad air for a while and never really climbed until we hit a nice core that Blaino did a lap of for me and I was off in some nice lift. My plan was to stay airborne! This I did.

Yoda towed next and got off pretty early drifted and climbed a thermal downwind from me and when it got good he called me over just as I was leaving to go there. By the time I got there he was at base and gone. That’s is about all I saw of him. So I reiterated my complex flight plan to myself. STAY UP! And like a butterfly, I did.

Jamie, Bruce, Adam and Blaino had all had a snig and cleared the area just as quick. So for a while I just floated along enjoying the view trying to help (or hinder) Jamie with a few tips as he was just behind and lower than I. By the time we got out to Macalister I thought I better not let the novice in a Sting get too close lest I end up like Bruce, who had taken him under his wing also, Jamie took the advice and then flew off when Bruce got some good sink to ponder in the paddock out past Warra.

Adam and Blaino made it a fair way out also. 55km for Adam a new PB besting 15km in his Sonic. Jamie muscled on in his Sting. Me? I was at base – ZEN “I am a leaf” the glides got longer and base got higher.

Jamie set a New World Record (unofficial until ratified by the FIA yes FIA) for a Hang Glider Pilot with under 10hrs and flew 105KM. I managed to prolong my own malingering flight out for 150 or so. But the distance was really moot given I had just had 3.5 hours of some of the most enjoyable relaxing flying I had ever experienced. I had some very nice climbs and floated along near base long enough to even forget I was flying somewhere as I enjoyed the scenery and perspective, in view and mind, only available at altitude in a hang glider.

A few refreshing ales with the pick up crew partiers as we then proceeded another 110km (260km) to Roma to get Jase after he gave the local races an impromptu air show at altitude before flying off to land in a paddock up the road.

A vary mEshy and extremely funny retrieve followed.

Sunday was much the same (better sky really with clouds like the homepage photo) Doggie and John showed for some action. They all lobbed off down the road for some air time but with bad timing as it seemed some isolated Cu dropping showers to the north suck some goodness out of the sky and a blue hole near Warra and they all hit the deck around there except for Yoda who had zoomed past the bad patch earlier for a snappy 120km to Miles. Oh Adam just boated around at Base for a while in the 20kpm SE’ers before landing back at the Hanger. Jamie and I sooked out crying sore shoulders and heavy heads for an early day home.

What can one say, bang for your buck that place is the bomb LOL