I arrived on New Years day to do three days towing and then fly during Performance week. A hotter worn out bunch of glider pilots I have never seen before. Day after day of over 40 degrees and lift going to 14,000 feet – Could not have been the vast distances or the cool air under the Q. Was it lack of oxygen as I understand a few cylinders may have run out of that vital brain lubricant. I think it was the heat and how difficult it is for most of us to re-hydrate particularly when we are not conditioned to drinking litres of water. Add barley, hops, and yeast put it in a small bottle in the fridge and it is not a problem.
Most of the competition pilots had an enforced rest day on Wednesday 2nd but our Japanese members, instructors Peter Robinson and Phil had 22 launches for a rest day and then we did another 10 launches yesterday on the cancelled days flying. David in ZZ and Graham in TF had a great time going around the task pair flying. Phil stayed up for a little over an hour and then tried to convince Peter Paine in HP to spend the rest of the day looking at the Cricket. Peter preferred to practice all day approaching tree lines by flying into wind at the right angle corner of the scrub areas and turning and turning in lift every time. I just completed another 16 launches today as the comp resumed with a 3 hour 401 kilometre task Lindsay River, Morgan, Allawoona, WKI. Few Q around late in the day and heights I would say in the order of 10,000 feet. Heading off now for an Aussie night with the Japanese visitors, whole Lamb on a spit.
Jet
Friday Afternoon
January 4, 2008
