Case of the missing EHawk
Hi all!
A rumour is doing rounds that some of you B.E.R.G.'s want to go toVolksrust on weekend 24 November?
Me, wacko, was up there the past weekend (9-11 Nov). Here follows a quick trip report.
Was my first time up there. Got to know Tamatieberg in all its glory, with a bang. Lift was great on Saturday morning, with the day being a stunning, sunny and jets-making-vapour-trails day.
First flight was at 09h45, in a moderate SW wind on the SW slope (Eskom Microwave Dish side). Specked out my Zagi (dAzi) in 5 minutes flat, this within a 500 meter wide thermal, which just forced the moderate SW slope wind to a complete calmness around me.
By 12h00 I got to speck out my EHawk 2000 for the first time as well, then my stupidity got the better of me, looked away for 2 secs, and with this golden rule broken, she was indeed a missing speck!
Clearly being the case of the missing EHawk, I was forced to switch my Tranny off, go insane for a few seconds, recover from the condition:-) , then declared missing stick (with a nervous laughter filling the fresh air), and only found her in a semi-one-piece after a loneranger, 2 hours long on-foot search-and-retrieve operation, 1.5 kmaway (700 meters into veld below Tamatieberg's NE slope). Murphy was obviously missing while I was searching (seemingly in vane). After first distant sight of her from north slope, I had to drive down the mountain, up the Amersfoort road and parked at Elandsfontein turn-off, from there I walked another half kilo to go get her. Even though miracles don't override stupidity, the electronics and wing were all still intact on the fuselage!?
Theunis Coetzer and Andre du Preez joined the afternoon, and these electric pros from Pretoria had a slope Impala, kamikaze-sound-Toko's Shongololo, Impulse and modded Zagi, to name but a few.
Slope lift conditions rest of day was unfortunately barely flyable, wind turned breezy from the west as well, but I at least got the chance to play/fly amongst the Martials and Falcons till 17h30. Thereafter it was back to Oom Louis' for a lekker braai!
BTW, road between Volksrust and Tamatieberg / Oom Louis' place: The Amersfoort tar road is being re-vamped, currently mainly a ground/dirt road, in the process of being re-tarred. Travelling up/down this road is still much easier than the farm road to Oom Louis' Place. So no prob! Road up Tamatieberg had a mud/rock slide, thoroughfare has been cleared enough such that one's vehicle fits through nicely.
Go have mega phun, and safe flying! :D
Hi all!
A rumour is doing rounds that some of you B.E.R.G.'s want to go toVolksrust on weekend 24 November?
Me, wacko, was up there the past weekend (9-11 Nov). Here follows a quick trip report.
Was my first time up there. Got to know Tamatieberg in all its glory, with a bang. Lift was great on Saturday morning, with the day being a stunning, sunny and jets-making-vapour-trails day.
First flight was at 09h45, in a moderate SW wind on the SW slope (Eskom Microwave Dish side). Specked out my Zagi (dAzi) in 5 minutes flat, this within a 500 meter wide thermal, which just forced the moderate SW slope wind to a complete calmness around me.
By 12h00 I got to speck out my EHawk 2000 for the first time as well, then my stupidity got the better of me, looked away for 2 secs, and with this golden rule broken, she was indeed a missing speck!
Clearly being the case of the missing EHawk, I was forced to switch my Tranny off, go insane for a few seconds, recover from the condition:-) , then declared missing stick (with a nervous laughter filling the fresh air), and only found her in a semi-one-piece after a loneranger, 2 hours long on-foot search-and-retrieve operation, 1.5 kmaway (700 meters into veld below Tamatieberg's NE slope). Murphy was obviously missing while I was searching (seemingly in vane). After first distant sight of her from north slope, I had to drive down the mountain, up the Amersfoort road and parked at Elandsfontein turn-off, from there I walked another half kilo to go get her. Even though miracles don't override stupidity, the electronics and wing were all still intact on the fuselage!?
Theunis Coetzer and Andre du Preez joined the afternoon, and these electric pros from Pretoria had a slope Impala, kamikaze-sound-Toko's Shongololo, Impulse and modded Zagi, to name but a few.
Slope lift conditions rest of day was unfortunately barely flyable, wind turned breezy from the west as well, but I at least got the chance to play/fly amongst the Martials and Falcons till 17h30. Thereafter it was back to Oom Louis' for a lekker braai!
BTW, road between Volksrust and Tamatieberg / Oom Louis' place: The Amersfoort tar road is being re-vamped, currently mainly a ground/dirt road, in the process of being re-tarred. Travelling up/down this road is still much easier than the farm road to Oom Louis' Place. So no prob! Road up Tamatieberg had a mud/rock slide, thoroughfare has been cleared enough such that one's vehicle fits through nicely.
Go have mega phun, and safe flying! :D
Philip Booysen (alias EHawk2000)
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