Weekend Report: A new year!
Happy new year everyone! This is the first Weekend News of 2007.
SATURDAY
What a fantastic day! The fact that it was raining in Cape Town did not mean that the weather would be bad in Worcester – quite the contrary!!! Sorry to those who stayed behind for the cricket – you should have come gliding instead!
First off the grid just after 1100hrs was Mark Siegelberg. He was followed closely by Cornelius, Herbie, Hubert and Martin in GUJ, John Spargo, Mike Pascoe, Boet Coetzee in Rudi’s Astir, Ian Forbes, Rico and Jesse in GWU, Nico Le Roux, Rudi Schurkes, and Otto and TJ in TR. I have left out Errol Drew because it is worth mentioning that he had his Maiden Flight in his beautiful Antares right here at Worcester! A magnificent glider – beautifully quiet and graceful! Congratulations Errol!
Annual checks by myself and Mike Pascoe kept the instructors Nicky and Paul Troskie busy as well as many pax flights. Brian Cole took to the skies in his beautiful Pipistrel and had lots of fun.
Congratulations to Sarel Oosthuisen who obtained his Pax rating and then took his brother – visiting from Australia – for a flight for an hour and a half.
Hubert and Martin flew to Klaver and back in just over 3 hours. Unfortunately the circuit was very busy on return and they landed on the winch runway and incurred some damage to the tail of the glider in the resulting groundloop.
Rico and Brian, not having flown enough, flew for an hour at the end of the day in GWU.
I think the cherry on the top goes to Mark Siegelberg. As he was the only pilot not home at about 1900hrs, I phoned him on his cell to find out where he was and he confirmed that he was still airborne just short of Porterville. I advised him of the change in the wind to SE at Worcester. 10 Minutes later he telephoned me and told me that he had landed out on the Northern side of Porterville close to the mountain. Nico Le Roux and Nicky Oberhofer set out to retrieve him (thanks guys). In the meantime Mark had walked down the mountain to intercept them at the main road. They all set out to retrieve the glider – but could not find it!! They tramped around for hours in the dark and eventually gave up.! Mark had to fetch it on Sunday morning!!
Everyone had a great evening in the Clubhouse after such a great day. Thanks to Tom for doing duty solo. Thanks to Nina who tugged all day in very rough conditions.Also thanks to Marion Cole who helped out at the launch point.
SUNDAY
The full team arrived for what promised to be a good day’s flying again. The weather promised to be great almost as good as Saturday.
We had taken GUC and GOK to the threshold of 15 when Paul Troskie, the rostered tuggie, advised us of an unserviceable tug. The exhaust manifold on MIV had a crack and the tug could not be flown. Much disappointment all round. Johnny took the exhaust off the tug to get it repaired during the week and will get it back by Friday.
Our only option – the Rotax Falke – saved the day with instruction flights and pax rides being flown by Wally and Quentin.
(NIG is also at FASH having some maintenance done.)
Thanks to Hans Pruter (great to see you again) and Ruben Rens who turned up to do their duty as well.
Bill Griffiths had a long flight in his Grob and Kevin Mitchell. Rico Suter, Rob Kakebeeke and Errol Drew took to the skies in their self launchers.
See you all next weekend. Remember – the great weather is here NOW!!
Alison
SATURDAY
What a fantastic day! The fact that it was raining in Cape Town did not mean that the weather would be bad in Worcester – quite the contrary!!! Sorry to those who stayed behind for the cricket – you should have come gliding instead!
First off the grid just after 1100hrs was Mark Siegelberg. He was followed closely by Cornelius, Herbie, Hubert and Martin in GUJ, John Spargo, Mike Pascoe, Boet Coetzee in Rudi’s Astir, Ian Forbes, Rico and Jesse in GWU, Nico Le Roux, Rudi Schurkes, and Otto and TJ in TR. I have left out Errol Drew because it is worth mentioning that he had his Maiden Flight in his beautiful Antares right here at Worcester! A magnificent glider – beautifully quiet and graceful! Congratulations Errol!
Annual checks by myself and Mike Pascoe kept the instructors Nicky and Paul Troskie busy as well as many pax flights. Brian Cole took to the skies in his beautiful Pipistrel and had lots of fun.
Congratulations to Sarel Oosthuisen who obtained his Pax rating and then took his brother – visiting from Australia – for a flight for an hour and a half.
Hubert and Martin flew to Klaver and back in just over 3 hours. Unfortunately the circuit was very busy on return and they landed on the winch runway and incurred some damage to the tail of the glider in the resulting groundloop.
Rico and Brian, not having flown enough, flew for an hour at the end of the day in GWU.
I think the cherry on the top goes to Mark Siegelberg. As he was the only pilot not home at about 1900hrs, I phoned him on his cell to find out where he was and he confirmed that he was still airborne just short of Porterville. I advised him of the change in the wind to SE at Worcester. 10 Minutes later he telephoned me and told me that he had landed out on the Northern side of Porterville close to the mountain. Nico Le Roux and Nicky Oberhofer set out to retrieve him (thanks guys). In the meantime Mark had walked down the mountain to intercept them at the main road. They all set out to retrieve the glider – but could not find it!! They tramped around for hours in the dark and eventually gave up.! Mark had to fetch it on Sunday morning!!
Everyone had a great evening in the Clubhouse after such a great day. Thanks to Tom for doing duty solo. Thanks to Nina who tugged all day in very rough conditions.Also thanks to Marion Cole who helped out at the launch point.
SUNDAY
The full team arrived for what promised to be a good day’s flying again. The weather promised to be great almost as good as Saturday.
We had taken GUC and GOK to the threshold of 15 when Paul Troskie, the rostered tuggie, advised us of an unserviceable tug. The exhaust manifold on MIV had a crack and the tug could not be flown. Much disappointment all round. Johnny took the exhaust off the tug to get it repaired during the week and will get it back by Friday.
Our only option – the Rotax Falke – saved the day with instruction flights and pax rides being flown by Wally and Quentin.
(NIG is also at FASH having some maintenance done.)
Thanks to Hans Pruter (great to see you again) and Ruben Rens who turned up to do their duty as well.
Bill Griffiths had a long flight in his Grob and Kevin Mitchell. Rico Suter, Rob Kakebeeke and Errol Drew took to the skies in their self launchers.
See you all next weekend. Remember – the great weather is here NOW!!
Alison
posted by CGC Reporter at 7.1.07
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