Newcastle Hang Gliding Club

Denman was great, Saturday was within a couple of deg of freezing cold at base. Base went to 9000.
I got a tow from Pete, just 500 m off the end of the strip and pined off for a ride out. Everyone was headed to Merriwa for a short XC to be sure to get home again. I went in the other direction alone, with no retrieve, I had to come back too. It was spectacular tip, I flew over Nullo Mt beside Rhylstone. I made a climb to base and made a final glide 50km back home without a turn.

My hands were painfuly cold, I was not going to base for a lot of the flight due to the cold. The air was clear and the distance I could see was one of the best days ever. I had a leisurely trip out, taking the time to position for photos of particular rocks etc, getting home was a matter of dolphining and wandering high along a good line.

Sunday we expected the same airmass and big distances. I had no plans of big flights when packing for the weekend, it was great to have friends.... Kiro helped with ERSA, ordinates of goals, Dawson had an XC skies forecast and google earth for flight planning and batteries for my GPS, Junstan had an FAI decleration form. Billo was official observer and had batteries for my camera. Chris gave me a couple of apples to eat for dinner in a far away goal paddock....
Adam and I set off to the NNW and great conditions turned ordinary at Merriwa. I flew through poor lift 3 times before landing beyond Merriwa. Adam tiptoed through and flopped over the Liverpool range, adding another 200 km to the retrieve. Kiro was on the retrieve. Thanks Kiro, you are certainly an enthusiast.

Thanks Airborne for a loan of the Factory Proto, it was very nice and gave me the best glide I have had in my life, it is a real goer.

It is a spectacular place and the pictures say it better...
http://pics.nhgc.asn.au/thumbnails.php?album=192