Volume 1, Number 5
9APM, Thursday, January 10th, 2002
Hay Caravan Park, NSW
"Gordo, I have a feeling we're not in Wylie anymore."

Retractable bridles

The practise day for the nationals was blown out. Gordo spent the day working on his auto-retracting tow bridle. It's the latest fad and appears to be working OK.

Rohan has also set one up in his glider - it consists of about 6m of bungee strung from the keel out to the crossbar-LE junction, and back. To which is attached the tow bridle. Once released the bridle is disconnected from the harness and retracts into the sail. There are 2 key points - firstly they use a 1:1 bridle, and secondly they use pull-pin releases. The 1:1 bridle means less rope to retract, and the pull-pin release acts as the pulley for the bridle. The release separates as the bridle retracts. The link knife adds another dimension, as does using a 2:1 bridle. I won't go into it here in detail. The only down side being the bridle is tight against the base bar when you land (if you haven't disconnected it), so your flare can be restricted by the bungee. No-one has reported any difficulties with this yet.

Day 1 at Hay and the task called was 90k to the NE then 60k East. I towed first into a 50deg crosswind (it hadn't been better than 70deg). Scratching away from about 500 feet I turned my radio off so I could concentrate. After I made a start I turned it back on to be told that the task had been postponed, and was likely to be changed. Apparently they had closed the window 2 minutes before I launched. In the end they cancelled the day, supposedly due to an incorrect wind reading from a trike, reporting 24knots instead of 24kph. I don't think we should have been towing in that anyway. They've now put NE-SW cross strips in.

I continued on though flying to the turnpoint, getting to 5 grand in lift varying from 600 up to a stonking 1100fpm, as I was on final (took this from 1200' to 5200', couldn't help myself).

It's so flat out here, I suspect the entire region has been laser levelled. Flying north from Deni to the Murrumbidgee, and North and NE from Hay, is like flying over the moon. At 1000'AGL you still feel like you're at 5000'. Yesterday I was looking out thinking "now what colour is working, the dark tan or the medium brown? I think I'll just dive at the dusties."

Along the river there's heaps of irrigation. I find it odd looking at the amount of water that gets splashed around. There's irrigation channels everywhere (Except the badlands to the N and NE). I know a lot of farmers that would yearn for access to this water.

Day 2 was looking similar to the previous day, if a little less breezy. The same task was called as yesterday. The route entirely follows the mid-western highway.

The wind was more on the strip today. I towed first (can't get Bomber to tow first) and climbed slowly to about 2500'. The thermals were ratty and broken and within about 40 minutes most of the field was orbiting the paddock between 2000' and 3500'. It was getting a bit hairy. Finally I decided to hop away towards the course.

It was tough going. Best height on the first leg was about 4100', and gaggle hopping was the go, and we spent a lot of time dodging. Getting closer to turnpoint at about 5pm the lift was getting a little cleaner, but I got low trying to keep up with a gaggle. Round TP and I got a low save (800') by a tiny dusty where I'd landed the day before. Much swearing and sweating and I got back to 4500 and headed back to course line, having drifted off.

The wind was 75deg cross tail (from the south) on the last leg and it was getting tougher. After another climb I noticed a glider circling nearby, but lower. I recognised the harness and sure enough after a couple of minutes - "Daz copy Bomber." We worked this one, eventually getting some 300 up and I left at about 5100' leaving Bomber with the weaker air.

Gliding now into some nice country and a row of hills running parallel to the course, but upwind, were the aim. After a couple of minutes it got bumpy again and lo-and-behold, a glider circling. In sponge mode again I topped up in this one and started gliding into a wide valley where the hills bent around perpendicular to the course. 35k to go now and I'm looking to take anything. Half way across the valley I scored again and was soon climbing back through 4500. Not sure where Bomber was I noticed a glider downwind of me at the same height - turned out to be he.

On glide again, 1 more to go and a glider goes streaking past underneath to a farmhouse at the base of the next range, and starts climbing. I call this one in and Bomber and I both head over, eventually getting 400-500up to 5100 where it peters out. We're about 15-20k from goal.

Bomber wants to go, and Mr. Happy says we've got glide plus 2200, so we're off. It's a long slow glide for me, only burning off in the last couple of kms. Total time in the air was about 5.5 hours, 4hrs 30 on course. Bomber crossed a minute or so before me, oh for a Litespeed.

A little later we see 2 gliders coming in, the downwind one looks low and doesn't make the goal marker, but crosses the invisible line, though still downwind. It's Spike, great effort and they actually gave him goal which was cool.

Gordo got out near turnpoint, and Phil had another dirty day landing just shy of TP.

We're underway.