Club nametag order

I will be sending in an order for club name tags. With a large club, it makes it a nicer experience on the flight line, and it's good for the log-keepers. The name tags are retained by a mechanical clasp, so they don't go adrift in the glider (i.e. they stay on the hat). There is space on the name tag for an FAI badge. Ordering instructions on the Yahoo Group.

Old Bold Pilot

By Doug Laurie-Lean

Alex Smith, Doug Laurie-Lean, Norm Wong

Sunday, looked  like a beautiful summer’s day with blue skies and mild temperatures. However, there was a brisk SE wind and only broken thermals. We had 13 glider flights with IFX,  with Simon Dufour towing in the morning and J-M Chadourne towing with the Pawnee in the afternoon. Karl Boutin did the instructing in the morning and Roger Hildesheim did the afternoon instructing.

Only five flights did last longer than twenty minute due to the brisk winds and the broken thermals. These five flights were  achieved by Ian Grant ( back to the Club from his stint at the the UAE  -  Welcome back); Wally Wilson (from his winter in Arizona); Mike North; Luc Savoie; and lastly myself from ‘medical leave I (and glad to slip the surly bonds of earth, if only as P2).

Although the thermalling conditions were not great, I was grateful to be able to fly with my erstwhile student, and now competent ‘safety’ pilot, Norman Wong. We were also graced with a visit to the airfield by our former Chief Tow Pilot, Norm Rylance.

I am hoping to organise a Freedom’s Wings Fly Day sometime in July, on a Wednesday, or Thursday, on a date to be determined. As I no longer fly as pilot in command, we will need volunteer tow pilots and passenger rated glider pilots, etc. Club flying can operate in parallel. Let me know by email or phone if you are interested.


Note from Karl

Even though the day was not good for cross-country flights, it was a perfect day for challenging new students with take-off and landing into windy and gusty conditions.

Hangar doors opened at 8:30 sharp and by 10:00, the whole crew was lauching IFX from the edge of 08.  All of the students of the morning shift had the same briefing about wind gradient, illusion created by drift, speed control  and circuit planning. Julie, Alex, Bill and Debbie took their turn performing most of the steps of those short 2000' flights.  The flights might have been short, but I can attest that from the back seat of the Blanik, the pilots had their moneys worth of challenge and fun. Well done all!

Even when the weather conditions are less then perfect, there is a lot to do and learn at GGC!