1.000 KM Flight in Australia (Corowa)
Report by Joergen Thomsen / OLC
Saturday, 24.1.2009
My name is Jørgen Thomsen and I am a retired airline Captain from SAS in Denmark, and I am visiting Australia Soaring Center Corowa for the third winter in a row, this year I brought my new LS-10 and my wife, who is also a glider pilot.
The Corowa gliding center is very well organized and popular, I have in the seasons before made 2 attempts to make the 1000 kilometer declared task.
The weather forecast for today was promising. At today's briefing was Francesco was a little unsure, of how fast the forecasted front would arrive. He promised good weather ahead of the front and workable thermal from 10:30. The LS-10 st was parked at the back of the hangar, and I chose to prepare it, and sent Birgitte to attend the briefing to inform that I wanted an early start.
I prepared a 1,059 km declared task with 3 turning points. I started at 10:30 and choose in order to save time and effort, to get a high tow as the thermals were still weak. I released at 1200 meters, and after checking the engine I immediately set out on the task. I got contact with the first thermal 22 km out at 500 meters. The first thermal lifted to 1200 meters, but the next was significantly better and lifted up to 2000 meters. Shortly after small Cumulus clouds with a cloud base of almost 3000 meters developed. The thermal was fine, but not as quite as good as it was further to the east, where some of the other pilots raced back and forth.
I kept a good speed along my task, with cloud base raising to 3800 m and good climb. However it started to become very hazy about. 50 km before the 3rd turning point, it was caused by a fire.
I slowed down, because I could not see how the situation was further towards the turning point. The smokescreen was only 15 km. wide, and I came out on the other side with fine altitude, and was again back in good thermals. When I was 160 km away from Corowa, I had the final gliding altitude to make the 1000 km distance, but could only reach home after taking the last thermal at Lockhart, some 90 km out.
It is widely used here to compete on who flies the longest distance, OLC. So I took the maximum height, so I could continue my flight after having crossed the arrival line in Corowa.
My total distance was 1,106 km - in second place to a single pilot who flew 1,107! But I got the highest score and won the day. My average climb for the task was 2,3 m, and I attained a speed of 114.3 km/hr.
If my flight will be approved at home, I will be the 4th Dane (as far as I recall) who acquired 1,000 km needle.
In Denmark we have a similar scoring as the OLC, however added points are given, if you fly a declared task, this is a point to consider.
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