That's not flying!

As Woody, that lovable, caring hero in Toy Story says to Buzz LightYear after Buzz 'proves' he can fly:

"That's not flying that's . . . that's . . .

. . . . falling with style!"

It is perhaps easy to forget that that is what we really do, fall. Gliding instructors the world over are taught to say 'descend' rather than fall, especially for Air Experience flights. Nice potilitically correct way of putting it. Almost makes you think we should be wearing suits, or having a shower before we fly. Oh, and it avoids that behavioural state in students where the mind has the luxury of observing, and perhaps even conducting a review of one's more memorable experiences, without the effort of having to control ones bodily functions - panic.

Of course other sports are not so nancy-pantsy about it. They're proper Yorkshire about it and call a spade a spade. In fact they even try to talk it up. Skydivers call it free fall. It is anything but free, of course, as you find out when trying to 'manouver' in the vertical dimension or collecting your post at the end of the month.

Even 'gliding' is a bit of euphamism. It sets one to thinking of Fred and Ginger doing what few can do on a polished hardwood floor. Long gowns billow gently in the breeze while light airs tinkle softly in the background. Effortless grace. Not the sweatty, overheated, clastrophic, panic-filled cockpit as you find yourself 300ft over the valley floor on hot day with no landable field in sight!

And so ends another soarable but not very cross countryable weekend. At least the students took advantage of it! Some of them, hopefully, learning the art of gliding falling with style!

Paul Trots up to FL160

Encouraged by an approaching cold front, an excellent instability forecast and the availability of Piet (Heavy metal*) Truter in the tug, Paul Troskie (GIG) climbed to FL160 today, but was still some 3000ft short of that elusive diamond!

*Heavy metal not only because of the large noisy 'heavy metal' he flys for SAA, but also because of the devastation wrought by his email 'broadside' deliveries (for a colourful explanation of life with a 'broadside' see Patrick O'Brian famous but now deceased author of the Aubrey-Maturin series).

Reverse block?

After an early launch in an excellent looking NW sky with family & clouds waving,



Craig (GLW) Fussell decided on an early descent after being unable to equalise his ears whilst climbing in wave. Craig was worried about a reverse block, a potentially disabling condition experienced when moving from higher to lower pressures.

So after a less than decent flight, Craig ended up teaching Mitch how to block!



Winter wave is with us folks, so brush up on the dangers of blocks, reverse blocks and hypoxia and get those oxygen tanks checked and filled. And be sure to know how altitude effects your glider's VNE!

Hiccups

Every now and then a day comes along which just seems 'ornery (as they say in the States). Today started SE but with a hot NW day forecast it did not take too long for the wind to switch (and it was NW at 3000ft a lot earlier). The quality of the air (feels like hiccups!) was such that it was very broken and turbulent on Waaihoek, and after getting rough treatment Grove Steyn (GIG) decided to call it a day.

Otto (TR) and Alan (X32) pushed through Tulbagh to the front ridge, but a small frontal system moving south (clearly marked by a wall of dust) was bringing in northerly wind which caused the front ridge to be very weak. Alan visited Jonkershoek and thanks to Otto's warning of the front giving problems at Saronberg, avoided what would have been landout 5/5 by jumping over the back just south of Voelvlei. Excellent wave at Jan du Toits and Slanghoek (coupled, in FACT, with obliging controllers) allowed a climb to FL180 in very little time and a beautiful run down to beyond Franschoek and back up to SandHills.

Interestingly, at 19h00 when a lot of fly-in traffic was landing at Swellendam they were still using 15!