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Preparing your self and your glider for flying from Omarama.
Lets start with the basics. IMSAFE from Wikipedia and IMSAFE poster (PDF) from CAA.
Have your paperwork in order. Club membership up to date. Medical and BFR up to date. Any required type rating. Currency. Winch or aerotow currency.
Mountain soaring often means longer flights. If you're going to be flying for more than an hour, you really need to be taking water. More than a few hours means you need to be thinking about food. And you need to be thinking about elimination.
I generally plan on 250ml an hour. So for a four hour flight I need a liter of water. If it's a hot day, you may need more water.
If you drink, you will need to pee. So you will need to have a way to pee. I prefer peeing in a bag and disposing of it immediately. To reduce the impact to the environment I prefer to use biodegradable dog poo bags. Some people use ziplock bags. Other options include catheters and nappies.
You'll need up to date airspace charts.
You'll need up to date landout information. As we recommend landing on airstrips you'll want the most recent database for your flight/nav/glide computer. Most airstrips are on farms, and farmers often change things. Just because something is in the database doesn't mean it's actually usable so this information ages quickly. An online map, and the database in KML and CUP formats are available.
Weather forecast absorbed. Task planning done. Flight/glide/nav computer loaded with correct database and task.
Radio preset with frequencies expected for the days flight preset. An example would be for a day when going from Omarama to Mt Aspiring.
| Frequency | Name |
|---|---|
| 119.10 | Omarama and Pukaki airfields, Mackenzie through traffic |
| 133.55 | Glider chat |
| 120.10 | Wanaka CFZ (and Wanaka airfield) |
| 119.20 | Fiordland CFZ |
Some other frequencies that might be useful as extra presets for this flight might be:
| Frequency | Name |
|---|---|
| 118.60 | Alps MBZ (Glentanner, Mt Cook, and Tekapo airfields) |
| 129.30 | Christchurch Control |
| 123.50 | Christchurch Information |
| 134.00 | Alternate Glider chat |
| 125.75 | Queenstown Control |
Trailer and car ready to go. All registered and warranted. Towball matches trailer. Electrical connection matches. Car fueled. Retrieve crew briefed.
Cellphone charged. Contact numbers in contact list.
Glider maintenance records up to date. Required documents in the glider. Batteries charged. Parachute packing current.
If it is a wave day you'll need oxygen. You'll need a canula (or mask). Does your oxygen bottle have enough oxygen for the days flying. Fresh batteries for the EDS.
Glider washed. It gets dusty in the hangar and birds poop on it.
Canopy cleaned inside and out. Good visibility is very important. Dust is a big problem when the sun angle is low.
Cockpit checked for loose objects. It can get rough flying around the mountains, so just like you would for aerobatic flight, get all loose objects collected up and secured.
Tires inflated.
Tow out gear servicable.
Landout kit in the glider. Warm jacket. Cell phone. Survival gear. PLB.
Flight following/tracking working. Spot/Inreach batteries.
Briefing prepared by Phil Plane.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License