Catherine Love
On New years day I was full of excitement and nerves at the prospect of participating in the South Australian combined Performance Week/Basic Cross Country Course. With the Balaklava Gliding Club's Mini Nimbus trailer in tow I waved goodbye to my husband, and drove to Waikerie. On arrival I found my fellow Balaklava Gliding Club members sitting underneath the vine covered pergola just as excited but swilling some fine red. The prospect of flying out of a new airfield and learning new skills would have long-lasting benefits and improve our confidence of flying across country. But for now it was time to relax before a memorable and action packed week! This is my record of this very enjoyable time.
First, a little background about these two courses. The Basic Cross Country Course (BXCC) is geared towards early solo pilots aiming for their Silver C up to the more advanced pilot who is planning their first 300km. This week presented an opportunity to develop vital skills and improve knowledge.
The Performance Week (PW) is for pilots who may have previously participated in the BXCC and are now ready to attempt more challenging cross-country tasks. The extent of pilot experience found in this particular group ranged from those with their first 300km under their belt to Australian Champions, various record holders and international competitors. All told we had close to 50 participants, partly due to the fact that some pilots would also be competing in the National Club Class Comps the following week. I had just completed my first 300km and was hoping to improve my average speed of 80km/hr.
Bernard Eckey, event co-coordinator and SA head coach, assembled a remarkable team of coaches and support staff. Bernard and David Conway headed up the PW team, and the BXCC was in the very capable hands of Andrew Wright and Terry Moore. Each pilot was asked to provide information about their flying experience and what they wanted to achieve from the week. Based upon this information and perhaps some discussion with the pilot, the coaches could then advise the participant on which course would best suit their needs. In most cases, the decision was clear-cut, but I made the choice to straddle both courses as I had identified gaps in my knowledge that the BXCC could fill while attempting some of the PW tasks. This fluidity was encouraged by all the coaches to maximise participant's enjoyment and learning experience. Each pilot was then paired with a coach flying a similar performance aircraft, or in a few cases sharing a twin seater.
Every day started with weather and safety briefings at nine o'clock in the clubrooms followed by a morning lecture. This routine was adjusted depending on the weather. Between 11 and 12.00, we would have lunch and prepare our gliders for afternoon flying. After dinner (put on by members of the Waikerie gliding club), we'd re-assemble for a debriefing with our group and then further debriefing at the bar, followed by a lecture or watching gliding DVDs, and even further debriefings at the bar...
Through excellent safety management, Bernard's appeal to hold an event that was "free of scratched gliders and bent pilots" was achieved. Almost all participants deserve a pat on the back for maintaining diligence and good airmanship. This also applies to the many Japanese pilots flying at Waikerie at the same time. During the whole week we saw fantastic consideration on the part of the hot shots for the greener ones! The event was also testing combined aero-tow and winch launching operations. Apart from a few minor incidents early in the week this went remarkably well. These minor issues were promptly and effectively addressed to everyone's satisfaction by David Conway who accepted the role of duty instructor for the week. He also ensured that new arrivals were thoroughly briefed and kept informed of all safety issues.
Bert Heath from BGC and various Barossa Gliding Club members did a fantastic job driving the winches. Other volunteers co-ordinated take offs ensuring that we were all launched quickly, efficiently and safely. Their combined efforts allowed low cost launching which enabled pilots with limited financial resources to attend and hence increased the number of participants.
Theory might not be the most enjoyable part of flying but it is necessary if you wish to improve your flying skills. Thank goodness we had some very informative, enlightening and interesting speakers to bring us up to speed (ha ha).
We were spoilt for choice with two lectures offered each morning and most evenings. The topics were broad ranging, comprehensive and contemporary. Subjects included Team/pair flying, Pre-flight planning, Thermal Wave, Height bands, Flight Computers and McCready, Final Glides, Cross Country Psychology, Increasing your cross country speed, How to improve your gliders performance, Block flying speeds and Identifying thermal sources. I floated between both courses, tailoring my theory to fill the gaps in my knowledge. Debriefings proved extremely valuable because you were able to compare your performance with others. Inevitably, you learnt more from a less successful flight.
The first day was reserved for rigging, check flights, getting organised and for local soaring. Unfortunately Monday's flying was aborted as great forks of lightning speared the sky as the thunderclouds loomed ominously from the west. The threat of squalls and hail sent pilots scurrying to de-rig and box aircraft. Balaklava de-rigged two ASK 21s and two single seaters in record time, making it inside their boxes just as the first spots fell. The worst of the storm skirted the Northern boundary of the airfield, a relief to those brave souls who had left gliders out in the elements. The organisers quickly changed the program and put on some lectures originally scheduled for later that week.
Tuesday's weather briefing told us that the forecast 45kt westerly would produce textbook "Thermal Wave". Bernard Eckey gave a lecture on the theory of this phenomenon to prepare us for the possibility of contacting the wave! However, most of us had to be content with playing around cloud base at 6000 feet, in very gusty conditions, at times making contact with weak wave like conditions at the windward side of the cloud. We struggled to find space between the clouds and as a result gave ourselves little chance of getting near that elusive wave. Bernard and Hayden Dunn achieved the only real success of the day, soaring along bands of thermal wave at 13500 feet!
Wednesday's weather briefing was more promising for cross-country soaring, with light to moderate southwesterly winds and scattered cumulus. David Conway was my coach for the day and despite of a late start we had a great flight with 8.5 knot thermals to 6500 feet. Our task was 245km but due to my relight and the resulting delay we cut the task short in the end. David is such an easygoing guy and later reassured me that he was enjoying the thermal practice while he was waiting for me. I doubt I'd be so patient! Our first leg was very fast but by far the best part of the flight was the final leg. Thanks to David's advice and a tail wind, I enjoyed a turn free, and fast, final leg. Woohoo, what a blast!
Thursday's forecast was for a mild mostly sunny day, with a mild south-westerly wind and maximum convection height of 7500ft. Today I sat in on the BXCC lecture to brush up on task planning. My coach for the day was Terry Moore and his co-pilot in the Twin Astir. Due to delays at the launch I had to wait an hour and a half until my coach caught up with me but fortunately we found good lift to 6000 feet on task. However, poor radio contact made it impossible to maintain effective communication, so I made the decision to go it alone. The weather was looking a little claggy and when I got tired I turned for home at Maggea. Along the way I dug myself out of a hole from 1300ft, my lowest point so far on a cross country flight. Just as well I had a thermal marker - three eagles to be precise. Thank you eagles!! Today had not been a successful one for me but others in the BXCC managed to complete the task. Some encouraging remarks from our clubs CFI John Wheatcroft helped to ease the disappointment.
Friday's forecast was similar, but minus the clouds. I put theory into practise and spent some time in planning my task, and practiced some pre-launch meditation/relaxation/visualisation. I even imagined seeing the turn points and completing the task. This was a first for me, prompted by a suggestion from Andrew Wright. I don't know what was going on in my head but by the time I was in the cockpit on the grid I was itching to go, eagerly anticipating the flight. Today was my day. This may sound a little fluffy but the task seemed to unfold itself before me. I felt comfortable all day, never dropping below the second height band of 2000 feet (thanks to a Peter Buskens lecture) and staying mostly above 3500ft on a 6000ft day. Before breakfast, Andrew Wright had coached me in using McCready and the final glide computer. The National Coach, Bruce Taylor, had arrived the day before and promptly presented a lecture on finding and using the best thermals. He talked about locating thermal sources, urged us to take our time in making decisions, fly positively and believe you will get to a thermal. With these sage words in my head, I flew well and achieved my personal best of 77km/hr, not a bad result for the day.
Fine, sunny and warm conditions for Saturday, another "blue" day as we set out on a 200km speed task set for both groups. All got around at least once in reasonable conditions.
Everyone attended a fantastic final wrap dinner. Wine and chocolates were awarded to people who had made significant contributions to the week's operations, including coaches, lecturers, catering staff and airfield staff.
David Conway, GFA Vice President, presented the BOB MULLER award to Bernard Eckey, for his series of articles in Australian Soaring, and for his promotion of gliding in Australia. Bernard also deserves huge praise for his outstanding effort pulling this event together. Gratitude and thanks also go to the unsung heroes of the week, the crews, who assisted with rigging, de-rigging, towing and retrieving, and pilot maintenance.
Some further achievements during the week are worth noting. Tim Bates and Albon O'Brien from Adelaide Uni Soaring Club each gained their Silver C distance and height in the club's Arrow with a glide ratio of 24:1.
Colin Stauss, on only his third solo flight with Coach Merv Lindner, (both members of the Balaklava Gliding Club) flew a 240km task in the ASK 21. Colin flew most of the time while Merv navigated with a 1960's map!!
It was the first time the Balaklava Gliding Club had brought their entire fleet and probably a first in the clubs history to have so many club members attend such a course.
I attended my first Performance Week in 2004 as green as you could imagine with just 45 hours flying time. This year I felt a little more capable and yet was still blown away by the depth of knowledge and years of experience some of the coaches have. This is what continues to inspire myself and others to improve our performance and this can only be good for our sport. The support and encouragement we received from our coaches and more experienced pilots was fantastic. This is a brilliant event and I can't wait for it to happen again in January 2006!