CANADA DAY was an interesting day at Pendleton, Rockliffe, and Hawkesbury. Andrew, Jess and I opened the hangar doors at 0800 hrs, and about 45 minutes later, Jess and I were being aerotowed along at about 85 knots and 2000 ft under a complete cloud cover some 500-1000 ft above us, along the picturesque Ottawa River towards our destination at Rockliffe airport. It is a magnificent sight to see, only once a year on the annual Canada Day Aviation event, the sprawling civilization of Orleans unravelling below you, and spreading into downtown Ottawa with all the curves in the river there, and the Parliament buildings and the glass pyramids of the Art Museum, and the Museum of Civilisation standing out due to their unique architecture. Then it is time to release at 2000 ft., with the Rockliffe runway lined up just ahead of you and to fly overhead it and the Aviation Museum and do a right hand circuit across the river to the north over la Belle Province, as the number two for runway 27 behind Andrew in the Citabria towplane, as we have enough height to do an extended circuit and besides keeping a good lookout, having enough time to take in the sights, and the few yachts making sail from the marina below, and a yellow seaplane moored on the river below. We landed shorter than last year as we had to turn off onto the Delta Taxiway into the gap between the two Aviation Museum buildings, where we were to set up the Glider as part of the static display.
At 1000 hours we prepared for a glider demonstration flight by laying out the towrope on the grass next to the active runway until receiving clearance from Rockliffe Unicom, and then taxied it onto the active runway and backtracked it a 100 ft. from the Delta intersection (many hands pushing it) as our Citabria taxied into position ahead of us. We were soon airborne and towed up to 2,500 feet, released over the airport and Andrew flew away and back to Pendleton to perform any towing duties required for the gliding operation. We circled around Rockliffe on about four circuits so that the attendees at the Aviation event could see a glider in operation, and during this activity, Mike Potter did a fly-by and extended circuit and landing below us in the Spitfire. It was a magnificent sight as it flashed by down below at something like 200 knots or more, and I had to resist being the “Hun in the sun”, and chandelling down onto his number six, and remind me that he was on our side.
At 1000 hours we prepared for a glider demonstration flight by laying out the towrope on the grass next to the active runway until receiving clearance from Rockliffe Unicom, and then taxied it onto the active runway and backtracked it a 100 ft. from the Delta intersection (many hands pushing it) as our Citabria taxied into position ahead of us. We were soon airborne and towed up to 2,500 feet, released over the airport and Andrew flew away and back to Pendleton to perform any towing duties required for the gliding operation. We circled around Rockliffe on about four circuits so that the attendees at the Aviation event could see a glider in operation, and during this activity, Mike Potter did a fly-by and extended circuit and landing below us in the Spitfire. It was a magnificent sight as it flashed by down below at something like 200 knots or more, and I had to resist being the “Hun in the sun”, and chandelling down onto his number six, and remind me that he was on our side.
Then it was down to a tiring day’s work of the endless task of closely supervising people and their children being lifted in and out of the glider, on static display, being photographed and answering the endless stream of questions. By the end of the day (1530 hrs), all 50+ brochures were gone, and besides a lot of interest in the glider and gliding, amongst the masses, there were about half a dozen previous glider pilots who expressed a strong interest in returning to the sport and possibly joining our Club. However, only time will tell, in the cold light of day, whether they will follow though. One young lad promised to be an Adam Sneyd candidate, and was surprised to see that we offer a one week program at the GGC for the disabled, and expressed a desire for the boy’s wheel-chair ridden father as a candidate for our Freedom’s Wings Fly Week. So we are keeping our fingers crossed for some new membership fallout, but certainly there will be lots of picture of people in a Puchacz on lots of mantle shelves, and so we have kept the faith and spread the word. Alice and her father, and Daniel Duclos from the GGC visited the display, as also did some RVSS colleagues (who helped with the departure). Wolfgang’s grandson sat in his grandfather’s front seat of the Puchacz, while visiting the display with Jurgen.
“MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH” - Andrew flew in and picked us up to tow us back to Pendleton, where the clouds had parted into streets, and a blue sky but no lift and so we landed. The Pendleton operation didn’t get under way until mid afternoon, but by the end of the day at about 1815 hrs, there were 8 glider operations, and at the end of the day there was lift. Jess and I wound down with an hour and fourteen minutes in the trusty old ASK-13. Indicative of the late development of thermalling activity, as we understand it, there was no competition day at Hawkesbury.
Your humble reporter at large,
Doug L-L
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