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Sunday was looking pretty good with a early morning S/E blowing. We had word that Little Jon and co had departed Beechmont around 8:30, so we were keen on doing a big flight. As it work out we hadn't organised a driver for the day so the first to land was responsible for getting a vehicle and doing the retrieve.

I took Bruce and Annie's tug for a test flight and also checked out the wind. Unfortunately the upper wind was actually favouring the north direction. Once I had landed the S/E had subsided and there was just cycles blowing the windsock all around. Around 10:30 we had decided to go for the 100 mile triangle.

We started launching around 11am and the air now was fairly active. Reggie had a weak link break fairly low and managed to get into the thermal that broke his weaklink and get a climb out. Yodes had headed off to the bun and then across to Bell, I don't know how good his run was but the rest of us flew a more direct line down. Was really good to all be working as team, everyone having a go at leading out and finding the next thermal.

Once we were getting close to the first turn point I realised that the waypoint that I had in my gps wasn't the same as the boys. when I was within 5 kms of the turn point that I had selected I headed off to it. The glides were quiet rough and the climbs weren't solid all the way up. After making the turn point I had now lost the rest of the group. Trev, Nick, and Reg were all at base over there turn point as I was heading back to them.

I had selected a line a little to the south of them as the clouds were looking better. Now I could only see Trev and Nick as Reggie had put his foot down and seemed to get a good run across towards Brigalow. During this time Yoda had called that he had landed just short of the 1st turn point. I flew passed Trev and Nick as they were low just to the east of Jandowae near the forest. Now my concentration was to catch Reggie, but this guy was on fire!!! I was only a couple of kms behind him but never once saw him. I pushed on hard to try and catch him but, all this was doing was getting me closer to the ground. During this time I had herd that Trev had landed around 20kms short of Brigalow and Nick had landed near Jandowae.

After hearing this I about Trev and Nick I slowed up about 5 kms from Brigalow and managed to jag a good climb to 9,500'. Reg had made the turn point by now and was running home with a slight tailwind. I finally made the turn point by now Reg sounded like he got low around Warra but managed to get back up and then glide in to Dalby. Now it was my turn to get low and get some real slow climbs. Around Macalister I was getting low and thought this was it, I now had been in the air for over 5 hours and my concentration level was getting low. The clouds along this leg had now shaded a lot of the ground back to Dalby. Now it was back to the real basic fliying and in survival mode. I was heading downwind low and looking for any trigger point and the air was very smooth with not much going up or down. I managed to get to the edge of this cloud shadow and find a 100' climb. This took me quiet some time to get back over 4000' and then it started to kick.

Reg had called me on the radio and informed me that the final glide in was great and I didn't need to get too high. I had checked my gps and it was now saying 10:1 for Dalby. I was still 16 kms out and the angle didn't look to good. I checked the Dalby waypoint and relised the feild elevation was incorrect. After I corrected this it was now saying I had 8:1 final glide. This thermal I was in had now kicked up to around 400fpm, which didn't take much to convince me in hanging back for just a few more turns.

Now I had 9:1 final glide and headed off with a big smile on my face. This final glide was too good as the lift in the next big shaded area was soo good that I had a ground speed of over 100 kph and still climbing. This was too good to be true so I stuffed the bar a little further and now I was over 120 kph I could quiet make out what sounds were coming out of my gps but I thought it was saying that I still had a climb. This wasn't to be it was the Garbage Tip Wedgie was hot on my tail, and wasn't happy at all and ended up putting a 5 inch tear in my sail. You bastard!!! Finally got over head Dalby with just over 1500' agl and wound down to pack my glider up with Reggie and one of Nicks free rums. A kinda great ending to an unreal flight. Dalby rocks!!!