First Solo Ben Newlands

Monday dawned very foggy, and it didn't start to lift until after 10 o clock. Geoff Neely came out to tow, and Ben Newlands was the trainee. Ben was at the club on Anzac day when we had all the tyre problems, and  is a member of the club, despite working much of the time in the Middle East.

After the fog lifted we were left with puffy cumulus and good thermals, albeit not very high. Ben was able to soar for an hour on his second flight of the day. Meanwhile, Neely flew to Gunnedah to tow up Garry Speight, who ferried IUR back. Whilst the tug came straght back, the glider took advantage of the soaring conditions and stayed airborne for some time.

After a break for a fairly late lunch, Ben and I hit the circuit, and Ben was able to see how unreliable tugs can be - and how ropes can keep breaking!

Today (Tuesday) dawned sunny, but extremely cold. Charlie Szpitalak came over from Walcha again to tow.

It turned out to be an absolutely brilliant soaring day, with cumulus all over the sky, and lift everywhere. Ben was intent on doing circuits, but kept going inexorably up even after releasing as low as 1000ft. He could not resist doing some soaring, and there were a couple of helicopters around to help him practice his radio calls.

Look at this....

After a few more circuits, Ben had three solo flights with good landings. Well done Ben.