Christmas Camp 26th - 2nd Jan

Christmas Camp is usually a time where all our club members go away, and all the other clubs come to us! This year we'd like to encourage everyone to come along and fly.

• Usually great flying conditions.
• Perfect opportunity to do 50Km flights and badge flights.
• Training will be available full time.
• Bring friends and family! Remember they fly at club rates.
• Tauranga's Brand New Duo Discuss will be flying from Matamata, keep an eye out for it!
• Winching may be available as well as aerotow.
• Rooms and tent sites available. If you've never stayed before, there are excellent facilities.
• Starting early every day, for those who want to do long flights.
• Weather and task briefings may be available in the mornings.
• People from Whenapai, Drury and Tauranga and more will be joining us.

Raglan 3rd - 16th Jan

This year we are taking one twin to Raglan early. From the 3rd to 7th we will be flying from Raglan AND Matamata. On the weekend of the 8th we will be moving both twins to Raglan, and will stay until Sunday 16th weather depending. Note the Walsh flying school is at Matamata from the 7th Jan - 21st Jan.

• Flying every fine day, from 9am to late
• Trial flights from $60 for a circuit.
• Full club flying and trial flights & gift voucher flights available.
• Club members are welcome to organise single seat gliders.
• If there is a good westerly day likely, we will organise a coastal run!

Drury Competition Jan 8th-16th 2011

There is now a page on the club website (http://www.glidingauckland.co.nz/?q=node/63) where you can find all the info for the upcoming Drury Comps.

Christmas Dec 25th!

Just in case you had forgotten :) Merry Christmas from us at Piako Gliding Club

Thanks to Sefton for that one, it's a ripper

Well done to our winners, Club class, Bob Gray and Alan Belworthy for the fast class. Full results available at Soaring Spot:

http://www.soaringspot.com/nr2010/

We had a great final day, with a big task down to Tihoi and Atiamuri.

A huge thanks to all the helpers over the past couple of weeks. 

More photos on flickr, thanks to Trev Terry for those.

For Sale GVV TST-10M Atlas. Contact Gerald

What an interesting day, with sea breezes, convergence lines, inversions, near thunderstorms and a good number of landouts.

We have 2 tasks set each day, a combined 15/18m fast class, and a club class for gliders without water/flaps.

Here's a phone cam pic of GXP in the maize half way between Putararu and Tirau with a dark and looming sky overhead. Luckily we had a friendly farmer who wasn't too concerned we squashed a few plants.

Well done to Patrick Driessen for winning the fast class, followed by Alan then Trevor. Lionel Page won the club class. Full results will be posted tomorrow on soaring spot here:

http://www.soaringspot.com/nr2010/

A rather good day yesterday, a few landouts up north, but strong conditions south.

Some pics available here from one of the guys doing the longer task.

http://discuscs.blogspot.com/2010/11/task-week-day-3-day-1-for-me.html

We had a very interesting day 2 at the XCountry course. A few landouts, a number of land backs, and crazy weather.

We started off optimistic however a trough didn't move away quite as quick as we would have liked, and the associated easterly wind isn't conducive to good thermals. The advice from our intrepid yet remote weather man was to go south, and the first half of the day this was very true, with North looking rather shabby indeed.

"for they didst gaze out apon the assembled murk to the North and declare that, yea, it looketh like poo. Southward they didst go!" were the wise words from David. Followed by a 4pm of "And lo! The showers didst arrive, though in a Slightly Patchy manner, and yet only of a Mild annoyance to those on Final Glide from the South".

A small 75km task was set for Waharoa, Arapuni, Tirau, Waharoa. We had cold easterly wind cutting off thermals around the airfield, but those who got away faired better, with a few getting around. Bad luck Bob, landing out at the spud patch.

Later in the day things change a lot, with the south over developing, raining in places, and the Te Aroha area turning into booming conditions. Finally after everyone was back or being retrieved it rained on us here at the airfield.

Where we tasked to

Where we didn't task to

Many of the usual suspects

Trev Terry's glider seems to always gets in the way of good photos

Today is the first day of the XCountry course, and it's starting look pretty good weather!  We had a briefing last night that included a paddock landing from Steve. Jan cooked up monster burgers that were pretty impressive.

Don't forget towing is available all week, and most of our club single seaters will be available for QGP holders. 

Wednesday and the weekend will have normal club flying.