Woody Pt - The wreck

[nick]

granite bay is the last bay in noosa national park, about 15 minutes walk from the national park car park, if you can get one!
nick

[combatnoosa]

Watch out for drop bears to they smell yucky

[thevon]

Gerard and I met at the Wreck for a late arvo fly (it's only a few minutes drive for each of us). We hoped Sean might get there too but due to too many jobs to do, and bad traffic, he couldn't make it. The wind was really fresh SE and there was huge lift most of the time, and good lift with a few bumps occasionally. True SE is about as E as you'd want to fly this spot, and SSE is bang on. It will pump vertical lift in a true southerly and Gerard's flown there when it had a bit of west in it.

Gerard continued to impress with his trademark Ozprey dives flashing past, giving the drinkers on the pub verandah something to hoot about. I flew the Vector with a bit of ballast for half an hour, then the Fazo and it probably would have been better with some ballast too. The landings were great. Everything came home unscarred. We reckoned that it would be easy to do hand catches in that park, so that will be the next challenge.

[windsock]

It was a good afternoon. Good lift but this is the first time that it wasn't as clean. The lift seems really nice in an S or SSE, but it seems the more SE it gets the less smoother the airflow up the cliff. Andrew isn't wrong about the hand catches. At one stage his plane slowed up so much in the landing that it was going backwards.

Gerard

[jase]

let us know when you lose a plane down the slope and the recovery process... i'm sure it will make for an interesting story.

sounds like an awesome little spot you've got there gerard... prob not good for combat though .

[thevon]

When Nick and I were there last week the wind swung gradually into the east, and the good thing is that at the same time as the lift starts to get dodgy at the Wreck, it gets good at Annie St.

[thevon]

I had to work today but soon as I got back I bolted down to The Wreck for a quick fly. Mikey100 called up and said that (at 5:10pm) the wind was too light to fly at SC - but on arrival there was good breeze coming up at the Wreck and the SSE direction was good.

I quickly launched the Vector and it was definitely lighter wind than I've ever flown there, but no problems staying up. There were some folks having an Easter get-together in the yard of the first house to the right, and they were really impressed. The place has a magnificent position, perched above the sea with a panoramic view from Brisbane to the Port and round to Moreton Island, which is probably why their back fence is made of glass. They crowded onto the fence, right on the lip, and they were really on my team – wowing, gooing and gaaa-ing as the Vector cruised just past them. The lift wasn’t strong, but enough to do some lazy inverted laps, some rolls and consecutive loops. The lift is really clean right over the houses. Gerard came jogging past and chatted and we agreed that it was nice to have the householders onside rather than complaining!

It was getting a bit dark-ish and I nearly hoofed it to the landing park but it seemed that the wind picked up a tad, so of course I had to keep showing off a bit longer. I went a bit too low over the sea and headed back quickly to catch some lift along the slope ... hmm, cheeeez that's still low ... nervous pause ... better go for camber - darn, it's already on. Shyte, still no lift happening - … maybe I should head for the grass now or els# * Clatter#! … it met up with the rusty steel stern of the wreck and ended up on the rocky beach . It looked OK from the top but I prepared myself for disaster. Bummer! The cheer team wanted to know what had happened … “just got too low”. They definitely looked disappointed!

As I walked down the track to get to the bottom a few more spectators said Hi, then I clambered down the rock wall and onto the rough rocky beach. I think I looked up at the clifftop, and managed to trip on the rocks. Still holding my radio I tried to stop my fall but I went down hard like a bag of spuds onto the rocks with my hands under me. As the pain from my fingers began to reach my brain I realized that being sprawled like a drunk on a public place wasn't one of my better moments so I untangled some legs and arms, , got up and smiled casually through the pain up at the team above, trying to act as though this is all fine, rather like the gymnast who's just crashed onto his nuts on the vaulting horse. It must have looked really, really pathetic. I suspect that by now the cheer squad quietly watching from the glass fence above me had really lost faith.

The damage isn’t too bad and a few hours in the shed will fix it. Compared to the time taken to build my nearly-finished JW, it will be a quick job. As I was packing it in the car, a couple stopped their car and the old guy enquired how the plane was, and thanked me profusely for the display! I said “No worries – I love doing it!” To which he grinned and retorted “That’s obvious!”.

That makes it all worthwhile!

[jase]

excellent writeup andrew... guess crashing had to happen one day. atleast the cheer squad was on your side and you didn't have any major damage to the plane.

3 more weeks and i'll be down. be great to catch up again

[mikey100]

NOT THE VECTOR...told you I was going to buy that plane off you when you ever decide to sell, so I want you to be more careful with my plane.

[windsock]

Went for a fly at the wreck late yesterday. Strange conditions, the wind was light and there was a dark and gloomy rain cloud coming towards the cliff. I got about twenty minutes in before the wind direction changed.

In a matter of seconds the wind changed and I just managed to get my plane in for a safe landing on the top, moments before the rain started. When the wind direction changes at this site you really feel it, it can easily bring you undone.

The guy next door to the cliff asked if I was the one that crashed my plane yesterday? He said that the kids loved the flying and the crash, should be happy that you’re providing good entertainment for the locals Andrew, pity about the damage though . It’s funny how people love to see a good crash just like the V8 racing cars.