The Advancing Intermediate

It had been a great season. I had pushed into the spring thermals early taking every opportunity I could to go flying.

I had 3 really good flights through the season of around 15-20km – all personal bests for me. That set me up well for the Best Nationals Ever and I learned a top level coring technique from the NZ Number 1 that year Mr Ian Clark.

We were coming in to the tail end of the season with hot dry stable days. The Saturday of this weekend was average and no-one went out but a Paeroas mission was on for the Sunday.

The forecast wasn’t that good. It was quite windy and not the best lift forecast but I was still keen to cement what I had learned. I would be happy to get up and over the back to the Reporoa Pub.

The regulars started arriving at the intersection. We consolidated vehicles, sun screened up and up the hill we went. Conversations revolved around who was going to the Pub and the big boys deciding to set the Taupo Gliding Club as goal. Steve didn’t want a big day as he had an early start at work the next day.

The day was late and slow to start. The wind was fairly strong and not the ridge lift kind. Some early morning high cloud didn’t help. It took a while for the hill to start cycling and cycles were few and far between. Eventually it started picking up enough that the big boys started launching. They struggled. No one was really getting much above the hill and their climbs were slow.

I waited a bit longer hoping for it to improve but the day was ticking on and it wasn’t getting better so eventually I got off. There were patches of lift but they weren’t lasting long and were a bit lumpy. I picked the best thermal locations I could but was getting lower. Rick was on the radio, “hang in there Aaron,” but it was all a bit too late. I was on glide low along the range heading towards the bomb-out paddock milking every little blip I could along the way. I flew into a larger section of lift that I decided was large enough to explore.

I did some figure 8s close in to the cliffs and slowly climbed higher and had some joy when I got back up above the ridge but it was still going, so I transitioned into 360s feeling for the best lift and when I was happy I was centered I used Ian’s technique to wind up tight in the stronger core. It powered up. I was getting some decent height. Others below started flying towards my thermal! As I went up past 4000ft I was very happy as I knew I was going to the Pub! It puttered out about 4800ft and off on glide I went.

I was about half way to the pub when I bumped another decent thermal. Why not, that’s what I came here for. I hooked in well and was climbing strongly again. I was concentrating hard and enjoying how well this was working for me when my airspace warning went off. Oh shoot! I’m up past 5000ft with a 5500 limit! Time to get out! I headed out and started pulling on the bar to get out of the lift quicker but I was still going up! I pulled the bar harder and harder but continued going up for another 500 meters – well outside the cloud above until my instrument warned me again, “Airspace violation!” Damnit! And then the lift stopped. A 23 foot breach...

But now I had a bigger problem. I’m at 5500 ft over the Pub. I can’t waste that! I decided to start heading south along the road below and see how far I could get. I wasn’t expecting much. The forecast over the back was very average and the better route would have been along the Paeroa Range.

I found another thermal just before the river. It was another firm core and I was quickly climbing with some significant wind drift. The airspace limit was coming up again and I popped out at 5300ft back on glide. My relatively new instrument was telling me I needed to fly faster with the strong cross wind so I sped up.

I glided on over the Power Station. Wow! I’ve never been here! I’ve heard people talking about this place. I found another thermal here. It moved around a bit and got quite muddled at about 4000ft – possible two cores coming together, but I persevered and eventually moved on again at 5200ft.

I was pulling on a bit of pace and flew through some disturbed air, possible lift nearby but didn’t think it worth stopping for. Gliding on, getting lower, starting to wish I had stopped and explored it... I was down to about 2000 ft AGL.

The way ahead had lesser landing options. There was a good clean paddock nearby and I bumped some light lift. With a good escape option below, it let me relax and focus on finding the lift. I bumped around trying to center it and drifted about 500 meters downwind gaining nothing before it started powering up. It was tight, but it was strong. Very soon I was almost auto-thermalling in 700 up

The Advancing Intermediate

By Aaron Darby

and thinking what a good job I was doing! As I went up through 3500ft I saw a dust devil about 2km up the road – up to the same height as me!! I nervously looked around for dust with the knowledge I was probably flying in the same air. Again, I had to pull out before 5500 so I didn’t breach airspace!

Decision time. The road I was following was veering west into wind and away from Taupo direction. I could see another road heading south in the distance slightly downwind of me so altered my flight path in that direction. There were some lovely blue thermal pools amongst forest below and I could smell them. Smell them?! There’s lift here somewhere! And back up I went...

I was on glide heading south. I could see the forest off to the East. I think Rangateiki is over that way. The holy grail of Paeroas flying. There’s a good strong wind to help carry me in that direction. I’ve got very good strong high lift. I wonder...? No! I don’t know where Rangateiki is, it’s too late in the day, there’s a large forest to cross over there, you’ll struggle to get picked up over that way because no one will know where you are. Leave it for another day.

Now I had a new problem. I’ve never been down here. I don’t know where the Taupo Gliding Club is either! Where am I going? I knew there was some airspace around Taupo town to stay out of. The lake and the township were starting to loom up ahead. Hmmm. There’s a race track down there with a nice field to land in the middle. What’s that orange thing beside it? Hmm that looks a little bit like a strip. Maybe that’s the Taupo Gliding Club? That orange thing is a wind sock. I’ll land there.

It took me quite some time to get down. The sock switched around a bit and eventually I had to pick a landing direction and commit to it. I came in to a beautiful 2 step nil wind landing.

I wandered over to the nearby building. There was an old guy sitting on the porch there. Excuse me Sir is this the Taupo Gliding Club?

“Yes it is”

Do you have beer?

“Yes come on in!”

Where is everybody else?

“What do you mean?”

Where are the other hang gliders? Have they already packed up and left?

“No other hang gliders have been here”

Whaaaaaat?! Did no one else make it?! I checked my phone. Fraser is at the Reporoa pub asking where I am. I’m at the Gliding Club! Good he says. Rick is on glide about 5 minutes out. Whaaat?! I beat Rick here??!! I get my camera rolling for the evidence of me at the gliding club and Rick coming in second. No one else came...

It was dark when we passed back through Te Aroha town looking for food on the way home but most places were shut as it was so late. Some of us found a pub with the kitchen still open for a late burger but I had some trouble pushing food past my fat grin. And so much for Steve’s early night home.

Bring on the next Nationals! And Baz better get to Rangateiki soon before I beat him there. I know where it is now...

Launching at the Paeroas Photo; Ross gray