After a long spell of weekends with horrible weather, finally a good day came along. It was good to get that fix that I so badly needed yesterday. I had one of my best flights ever. 111km. I flew from Beechmont, over the Great Dividing Range and on towards Warwick.
I crossed the range about 5km to the north of the Gap. It was so fantastic. I ended up with 4 other pilots ridge soaring the range trying to get back up. I was the lowest for a while, and after about half an hour of trying to get back to cloud base I decided to give up, and headed out to land. Half way to the landing field I had picked, I found another thermal and got back to cloud base. It was absolutely fantastic to get high enough to see over the range and then to cross it. The views were jaw dropping!! I'd never flown over this area before and unfortunately I didn't have my camera.
I found a good landing field near the main road, where one of our out of action pilots (Dan), picked me up after picking up 4 other pilots (Ronald, Briano, Scotty T, and Rangi). It was a bit tight in the dual cab ute with four of us on the back seat and 2 in the front. We passed 2 cop cars on the way back and Scotty ducked down. But they didn't give us second look.
Here is an account from one of our clubs (Canungra Hang Gliding Club) great members who selflessly offered to come out and drive for us, when he was longing to fly himself but couldn't due to a wrist injury.
I crossed the range about 5km to the north of the Gap. It was so fantastic. I ended up with 4 other pilots ridge soaring the range trying to get back up. I was the lowest for a while, and after about half an hour of trying to get back to cloud base I decided to give up, and headed out to land. Half way to the landing field I had picked, I found another thermal and got back to cloud base. It was absolutely fantastic to get high enough to see over the range and then to cross it. The views were jaw dropping!! I'd never flown over this area before and unfortunately I didn't have my camera.
I found a good landing field near the main road, where one of our out of action pilots (Dan), picked me up after picking up 4 other pilots (Ronald, Briano, Scotty T, and Rangi). It was a bit tight in the dual cab ute with four of us on the back seat and 2 in the front. We passed 2 cop cars on the way back and Scotty ducked down. But they didn't give us second look.
Here is an account from one of our clubs (Canungra Hang Gliding Club) great members who selflessly offered to come out and drive for us, when he was longing to fly himself but couldn't due to a wrist injury.
Saturday 7th Feb.
Waking up to what looked like a pretty good day, I figured I would drive for the team and maybe earn some “Brownie points” as my hand has not healed properly yet.
I knew there would be a shortage of drivers and after making a few calls I was off to Canungra.
I radioed Ronnie when I arrived there and found that he had got away early from Beechmont and was already at Beaudesert, so I was into his truck and that’s where I headed.
By the time I got to Beauy he had raced ahead & was halfway down the Boonah Valley, He was smoking!
I heard a couple of others – Scotty near Mt Mahomad, Brino and I think Rangi was a bit behind them at that stage.
The clouds were looking good and I was hopeful a range crossing might be on for the boys.
I spotted Scotty off to my left very low but circling just past the sandstone quarry in the Boonah valley and heard Ronnie saying he also was low at “Boonah T”
By the time I arrived at Boonah, Ronnie must have found a good climb and was now just past Aratula heading for the Range. I heard Dirk on the radio for the first time and it sounded as though he was making good ground on the others. I also heard that Murphy had landed in locked Gate and Brino was giving directions to someone for the retrieval. Ronnie ended up landing at the base of the range in the valley to the right of Cunningham’s Gap. Nice big green paddock. I think all the “Lead out points” should go to him for the day!
As he packed up I arrived and we heard Rangi was down to 300 Ft just near Boonah but I thought I heard his vario lightly beeping in the background….
Brino, Scotty, Dirk and Rangi eventually all ended up together right above us in what looked to be Zero’s, drifting towards the range. A sail plane was circling with them for a while and got quite close to Brino at one stage but soon took off at a million miles per hour. I radioed we were happy to pick them up if they made it over & they should go for it !!! They ended up soaring the Range face for a long time trying to get enough height.
Scotty & Rangi ended up going over closer to Cunningham’s while Dirk got fairly low but refused to give up. Eventually Dirk decided to head back towards us to land he hit a boomer out of no where which took him to above 6,000 ft and he ended up going over north of Cunningham,s with a Shaun (Laura’s step dad I think!). Shaun was flying a Single surface glider and had done a fantastic job to appear out of nowhere to get over the range. Brino, who was fighting a bad right turn in his glider all day came in and landed with us.
We picked up Rangi at Mary Vale. Scotty was at the Caltex garage a couple of K’s out of Warwick then we headed back and picked up Dirk a kilometre down the road heading towards Toowoomba.
Professor had arrived late at Beechmont and I think got to Boonah foothills and started hitching back!
Didn’t see ay Parra’s out there! May have been a bit strong on take off….Sunday may be a bit lighter. Hope you have a good one.
It was good to see a good weekend day of flying after a pretty average couple of months. Here’s hoping for some more of the same soon.
Tomorrow looks good! (Family day for me, sorry guys)
Cheers Dan Simmons.
Waking up to what looked like a pretty good day, I figured I would drive for the team and maybe earn some “Brownie points” as my hand has not healed properly yet.
I knew there would be a shortage of drivers and after making a few calls I was off to Canungra.
I radioed Ronnie when I arrived there and found that he had got away early from Beechmont and was already at Beaudesert, so I was into his truck and that’s where I headed.
By the time I got to Beauy he had raced ahead & was halfway down the Boonah Valley, He was smoking!
I heard a couple of others – Scotty near Mt Mahomad, Brino and I think Rangi was a bit behind them at that stage.
The clouds were looking good and I was hopeful a range crossing might be on for the boys.
I spotted Scotty off to my left very low but circling just past the sandstone quarry in the Boonah valley and heard Ronnie saying he also was low at “Boonah T”
By the time I arrived at Boonah, Ronnie must have found a good climb and was now just past Aratula heading for the Range. I heard Dirk on the radio for the first time and it sounded as though he was making good ground on the others. I also heard that Murphy had landed in locked Gate and Brino was giving directions to someone for the retrieval. Ronnie ended up landing at the base of the range in the valley to the right of Cunningham’s Gap. Nice big green paddock. I think all the “Lead out points” should go to him for the day!
As he packed up I arrived and we heard Rangi was down to 300 Ft just near Boonah but I thought I heard his vario lightly beeping in the background….
Brino, Scotty, Dirk and Rangi eventually all ended up together right above us in what looked to be Zero’s, drifting towards the range. A sail plane was circling with them for a while and got quite close to Brino at one stage but soon took off at a million miles per hour. I radioed we were happy to pick them up if they made it over & they should go for it !!! They ended up soaring the Range face for a long time trying to get enough height.
Scotty & Rangi ended up going over closer to Cunningham’s while Dirk got fairly low but refused to give up. Eventually Dirk decided to head back towards us to land he hit a boomer out of no where which took him to above 6,000 ft and he ended up going over north of Cunningham,s with a Shaun (Laura’s step dad I think!). Shaun was flying a Single surface glider and had done a fantastic job to appear out of nowhere to get over the range. Brino, who was fighting a bad right turn in his glider all day came in and landed with us.
We picked up Rangi at Mary Vale. Scotty was at the Caltex garage a couple of K’s out of Warwick then we headed back and picked up Dirk a kilometre down the road heading towards Toowoomba.
Professor had arrived late at Beechmont and I think got to Boonah foothills and started hitching back!
Didn’t see ay Parra’s out there! May have been a bit strong on take off….Sunday may be a bit lighter. Hope you have a good one.
It was good to see a good weekend day of flying after a pretty average couple of months. Here’s hoping for some more of the same soon.
Tomorrow looks good! (Family day for me, sorry guys)
Cheers Dan Simmons.
Looking back towards the Range, and an example of field that looks nice, green and good to land in from the air, but in actual fact would be a horrible place to land.
