This article by Emilis Prelgauskas was first published in the Adelaide University Gliding Club Inc Newsletter, Vol 4, June 1979.
As the weather patterns pass over, the residual cloud & heating limit the thermal strength on each consecutive day until at the end of the pressure system we’re lucky if we can soar at all.
The day before this episode, the thermal had been going to 9,100’, even 11,000’, with some isolated Cu on the 180km course. For a change, I had the Boomerang roaring; 80, 90 mph between thermals, stopping for nothing less than 8 knot cores. A final glide from Warraknabeal to Horsham, made the next day’s task seem anticlimactic.
The briefing announced weak lift and a strong inversion 'lid', reinforced by fast moving Cirrus cloud above. The task was set to Murtoa research complex & return.
Eventually we were all launched & wafted around the local area before starting.[/dropcap]
“Start line, Tango India”. It was getting late (by my standards), so I wafted through the gate at best L/D speed about 600’ below best heights.
“Tango India, good start”. Just because they could read the letters on the tail, I was so low.
Waft on and on down to 1000, still no usable lift. Find a patch of 2 knots, round and round. Meanwhile “Yankee Tango, good start”, “Zulu Victor”, good start, etc, etc.
At 2000’ the thermals stopped & I wafted on a Dart below on the left, the Yellow Canary above on the right.
We stop to work thermals, but they’re tight, & loos strength at 200’. At first I worry, but we’re all down here, so what the hell, press on.
Into the turn, click, got the silo complex, lets’ get out of here.
Down to 800’, grind back to 200’, drift back to the turn. This is no good, press off again.
Into a thermal, the Sparrow above, Foka below, both out-climb me. The Ka6 passes me one way, the Goore & Sagitta go the other way – they’ll have a though trip this late in the day.
In one turn I can see the whole course & the 15 sports class gliders on it.
At the radio tower, the Foka & Ka6 hit final glide. I do 2 more turns in lift & follow them in.
2000’ for 9km, it looks terribly flat. But the runway length stretches out behind track, the finish line at other end.
The Foka & Ka6 look on glide slope, so I press on, lower, lower, adrenalin going chug, chug.
Past the Ka6, matching his glide angle at an extra 10 knots, up behind the […], we whistle in at ground level & 80; & taxi up the 4000’ […] to the tie-down area.
The sort of day I wouldn’t even have unpacked Tango India at home, but here we average near 60kph. The top 10 place getters went even faster.