Blog February
February was busy with solid support for our weekly Mountain Soaring courses and we saw a number of returning visitors intent on expanding on the experiences from previous visits. Thank you all.
Old friends Peter Alexander from California and Nigel Stephenson from Lasham in the UK did some magnificent flying early in the month with G and Gavin. Joachim Freidrich carefully balanced mountain exploration in the DG 1000 with entertaining his young family on ground based pursuits. David Burrell travelled from South Australia with Japanese friend Goe Teremoto making dual flights with our instructors as well as pairing up for some adventures of their own in one of our Duo Discus’. Goe completed his diamond badge, congratulations.
While we are acknowledging awards and badges, Philip and Hugh have both been kept busy exercising their OO duties with processing claims across the FAI badge system from a number of pilots.
Congratulations are also due to staff pilot Matt Plumridge on completing his Diamond Badge during a 1000 km diploma attempt in GEE, our Discus CS. The longer flight was wisely abandoned only 20 kms from his southern turn point when smoke from the disastrous Australian bushfires (2000 km away) greatly reduced visibility. Nevertheless with its remote start his flight still exceeded 1200 km!
The instruction team was kept busy entrancing our visitors and guiding them along ridge top energy lines and valley convergences deep into the craggy and glaciated mountains.
Peter Reading and Shad Dvorchak both flew single seaters quietly in pursuit of personal goals, husband and wife team Maureen and Rod Weaver enjoyed big flights in a variety of conditions and Hiroko Suzuki joined us for her 3rd visit of the summer.
Brian and Janine Allerby from Queensland’s Kingaroy Gliding Club returned for their fifth visit to fly in the wave systems that predominated at the beginning of the month and later in glorious gentle ridge top thermals. With Bob Robertson, Robin Readhead and Frank Wilson also here our fleet of 2 seaters were monopolised.
Hugh took a busman’s holiday with some recreational flying in his beloved Jantar Std 2 and flew 700km including Mossburn as a southern Southland turn-point.
About twice a year Gavin gets to make the soaring trip to Milford Sound. This month Devin tagged along as they took Harry Fox and Tessa Bargainnier with them into this unbelievably beautiful and rugged part of Fiordland. The following pictures by Harry illustrate the adventure:
 
low in the Lindis Pass, ..................................................... in the Matukituki Valley,
 
over the Rob Roy Glacier, ..............................................entering the Shotover valley
 
Lake Erskin ........................................................................ Milford Sound from Gertrude Saddle
February was an eventful and adventure filled month of wonderful flying shared with both old and new friends.
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