The Highs and Lows of a Cobbler Peg Dickhead

Well what can i say! What a day i had yesterday. If there is any of my entries id rather you didnt read well this is probably it. Even though it did have its high lights the downers seriously out weighed them. Now i warn you its going to be long.

I woke this morning to the sound of a text i recieved from Kieth regarding wind forcasts from the bitch (wind talker). Being 6:30 i decided i needed more beauty sleep and instantly fell back into my deep slumber. Funnily enough i dreamed i was already at Tambo with a few of my flying mates. We were in a huge shopping centre style underground car park at Canungra (like the one at the brisbane myer centre), and Lee was calling me to get in the car "hurry up, we're going up the hill, it's on Ant , it's on!!"

Anyway before we reached the hill my alarm went off and i slowly dragged myself out of bed and packed my days rations and equiptment. 5 minutes after waking i got a call from Brandon, "where the hell are ya? It soarable at Beechmont!" "Holy crap!!" i said looking at my watch (7:30) "im on my way!" Just over an hour later i arrived at beachmont to find a few unhappy paragliders who were stuck on launch due to stronger that expected winds. Although it looked awesome from a hang gliders perspective. Where the hell is Brandon!

I was luckily enough to get reception and called Brandon on his Mobile and was told he would be back in 5 minutes. Being the only Hang glider pilot on launch i decided to set up and see who else would turn up. After Brandon arrived we chatted a while before about 7 other hangies arrived including Josh who i hadnt seen for a while. It was good to catch up and he commenced showing me his new "advanced" (he seemed to enjoy saying that word) glider. Actually it looked really nice and i looked on with envious eyes.

Soon after we watched as Cameron McNiel launched and decided to hook in ourselves. I was next to launch with Josh and Russel Ferrier soon to follow. Conditions were quite nice and we boated around for a time. Now before launching there was much talk about landing in the top landing paddock due to the strong winds that were coming up the face. About 15 minutes into my flight i noticed a sea eagle thermaling and decided to wander over and see how close i could get to it.

Now i thought i had been spoilt by my Wedge tail eagle experience! I was amazed at just how close the great bird let me get on my initial attempt. At first he was only meters benieth me and whilst banking looked at me with a piecing gaze. I was actually supprised at how big he was. I kept flying whilst keeping tabs on my new mate. At the same time listening to the other envious pilots saying "look how close that eagle is to Ant!" A few times i had to try lookind behind me to get a visual. The highlight of the flight was when he got so close to the nose of my glider that i was convinced his wing had touched mine. Later Russel said how even though he was a great bird he sure didnt know what he was doing in the air. His thermaling skills were crap. In reply i said "i have a feeling it was the other way around this time Russ, i think he was relying on me to find the magic air."

Anyway after about 50 minutes flying around i asked Russ what he planned on doing landing wise. "Good question Ant, i was just thinking about that". We radioed Kenny who was setting up on launch and asked for some advice. He said he'd been monitoring our conversation and thought we should be fine as long as we didnt go over with to much height and to not venture to far back passed the creek bed.

5 minutes later i watched as Russel started an approach and watched him glide in for a perfect landing. A few seconds later he radiod me to say he was down safely. But as he walked up a bit raioded there was serious rotor half way up and to set up for final well behind the dry creek bed. Reluctantly i agreed before watching Josh start his approach. I watced as he turned into final and was shocked at how his wing was rocked violently by the unsteady air. He made it ok and i started my approach after trying to loose some unwanted height.

I was doing pretty good and heard Russel say to set up behind the dry creek bed, that he would talk me in. I did so in an almost aircraft style approach but on turning into final was hit big time by rotor. So much so i lost much needed height. I had speed on the whole approach but in the end didnt proove to be enough. At this stage i was heading straight for the far bank of the dry creek bed. Now ive seen enough pilots in precarious last second delemers try to rectify with a last second direction change to know not to try. Hey! ive been there myself, so i decided to keep commited and stay on coarse. All the time knowing there is know way i was going to make it. I flew to the bank and before hitting tried to flare hard. Funnily i ended up with my glider on top of the bank in the paddock and my body in the creek bed.

I shook my wing a little after impact ot let Josh and Russ know i was fine. I finally draged myself up out of the gully and started what seemed to be a long walk back to the main gate. Luckily my wing was flying most of the time in the stiff breeze thus making my long walk that much easier. On arriving i threw myself down in an embarresing hump. You were doing well until the last minute Anthony Russ said. "Tell me about it" i said at the same time looking down at my footwear that was absolutely covered with Cobbler pegs. Not only my shoes and socks but also my harness, shirt, pants and in small sections my glider. Especially my material grip tape i have on my cross bar, there were literally hundreds on each one.. " Great!" i said in a huff, "What else can go wrong today, this is going to take forever to remove."

Anyway we watched as a coastal pilot Mat came in for final. He did quite well until the last few seconds when he lost his speed and hit a bit harder that he would have liked, seriously bending one of his down bars. Immediately Josh yelled you need more speed than that! Even though i didnt feel worthy enough after my last landing to dish out advice, I tried to comfort him by saying you looked great, that you did a nice approach, and that the only problem was the lack of speed at the very end. "Dont worry to much about it. I've done that heaps! You should see the bends ive put in my Down tubes ive bent!" I think that did help a bit and he started packing up.

Once both Josh and i got back to Launch we found extreemly favourable conditions. "Want to go for another fly Ant!" Josh said immediately. Well if i wanted to go for another fly immediately i wouldnt have just landed i said sarcastically but secretly rubbing my fingers whilst looking at the over head clouds. I let Josh set up while i said hi to Kathy and got a fix on Warrick. All the while picking the annoying cobbler pegs out of my shoes and socks. Kathy left to pick up Warrick and i was left to help Josh out to launch. Once he launched i immediately got envious and after hearing how nice the conditions were decided to set up again.

There were a couple of other pilots on launch but they were staying put on the ground while i quickly set up for my new flying adventure. All the time for some unknown reason more and more of the public were stopping for a gork (i think it may have been due to the public holiday). In the end there were about 35 people lined along the hill. One last toilet stop and i did a thorough pre flight check. I got in my wing and got another pilot to give me a hangcheck and assist me walking out. I remember him holding the nose of the glider down quite low thus preventing it from flying above my head. Once out i thanked him and picked my window.

I had a good launch but once in the air felt a little stranger than normal. Almost immediately i new what i had forgotton to do and my heart sank deep down into my stomach. Oh shit! i thought. I forgot to put my leg loops on. I immediately got straight into my bag and fumbled around looking for my zipper. Once found i zipped up tight and pushed my feet deep into the bottom of my harness. Luckily enough my harness has always been to short for me and on this occassion it worked in my favour, i wedged myself in nice and tight. Once i felt quite secure in my harness i thought wheater or not to let Josh know. It didnt take to long and within a few seconds radiod the news to Josh.

"Joshy Joshy" i said over the radio. "listen mate ive done something really stupid" (i remember a friend of mine say the exact same thing to Lee when he was ground towing and forgot to put his leg loops on and decided to use the same line) "I think im going to go straight out to the bombout and land". "What have you done" was his reply. "Ive forgoton to put my leg loops on" i said. "YOU DICKHEAD!!" was his response but to his credit he said "if you bombout ill pick you up". I said thanks mate ill owe you one. Josh also mentioned that we may both be bombing and that for the last 25 minutes he has struggled to get high enough to top land (to no avail).

Even though i was flying without the aid of one of my main safety devices i felt confident enough to try and get high for a top landing. I searched a while longer around Josh before heading to the right side of launch. I almost got up and after 5 or so minutes radiod "this i crazy, i think ill head out to the bombout now and land on my wheels Josh" "ok then" he replied. I headed straight out still with that sick feeling in my stomach. A few seconds into my flight to the bombout i hit a little lift. I made the decision quite quickly to try my luck again. I actually applied myself and used all my concentration. I decided to let the glider do most of the work and before long found myself at launch height once more. A few seconds later and with my vario still chirping i was at about 2250 feet. I heard Josh say over the radio "you'll make it at that height Ant!" But i was still not convinced. I managed to get another hundred feet before i heard the sound every pilot dreads coming from my vario. I quickly made the decision to head for the top landing field and soon found myself a third of the way there.

About this stage i hit a huge amount of rotor and was knocked around so hard that i was thrown into the direction of final, whilst only a third of my way out. I was also loosing presous height the whole time so think the reason for such a thrashing was because i hadnt had my bar pulled in as far as i normally would, I was trying to conserve height. I quickly got back on course and at this point i stumbled on my next delemer.

For some reason the top paddock was littered with cows. This isnt fair i thought to myself. I knew i was going to land the furtherest from the gate i had ever landed but still within the boundaries of the paddock. I saw a small opening between two cows and decided it was now or never. I remember seeing the cows stop chewing and lift there heads as i came in on final but they did not move an inch. At the last second i decided to fore go my wheel landing and get into hang. I probably got into hang about a second or two before i flared. I pretty much did the whole thing in one movement and i was amazed to have landed on my feet. I radiod Josh that i was down to his amazement. I also told him if he was still finding it difficult to get high to go to the right of launch and look for my last minute thermal. In reply he said "yeah im in it now. I should be there soon"

I looked over a few meters to my right and saw a stunned cow looking at me. I then looked a couple of meters to my left and saw another cow. "What the hell are you lookig at". "Yes i know im a knob" i said. A few minutes later while back at the gate I watched as Josh flew into final and screamed at the cows to get out of the way. He landed on his feet before haveing the glider nose down into the ground. Hey i just did that i yelled and proceeded to watch in total amazement as he decided to climb down the steepest part of the gully and walk throught he dry creek bed instead of walking around. Unbelievable i thought.

Once we were at the gate i said i cant believe what i had just done and hit myself real hard in my upper arm. "Dont worry too much" Josh said, " i launched and then realised i hadnt done a preflight". That made me feel a bit better but still didnt stop me from beating myself up. I remember Lee Patterson telling me that i punish myself to much when im not happy with my performance but think he'd be the first to give me a deserved clip over the ear.

Half way through packing up UK Dave radioed me to see if we wanted a lift back to launch. "Awesome! thanks mate." Once back i met up with a few of the pilots who had stayed on the ground. Mainly paragliders as well as the hangie who had given me a hang check and walked me out. He instantly came up to me and appologised for not asking me about my leg loops. He said he felt absolutely terrible. I told him not to give it a second thought that a pilot is always in charge and that it was my own fault.

Ive actually forgot once before to put my leg loops on, but realised at the last minute on my walk out to launch. The fact that i had my wing flying above my head at the time helped identify the problem because i couldnt feel the pressure around my legs when the wing lifted high. Unfortunately my pilot mate held it down hard this time makeing it impossible for me to realise what i had forgotton to do.

A bit later just before the sun sank I sat and watched Josh throw his zaggi around still pretty upset at what had just occurred. Soon after Brandon O'donnel came over to say hi and ask me about my day. Not a good question, and i let it all come out. From the Highs of my eagle experience, cow judgment landing and catching and coreing my last minute thermal when i needed it the most, to the lows of my Gully landing and my ever depressing leg loop story. I think he could tell i was quite upset with myself and procceded to say "dont beat yourself up to much Ant. It sounds like you identified the problem quickly and got on it straight away", Thanks Brandon.

I then got in my car and drove home before i was hit with yet another sickening feeling. I had just walked in through the door when Josh sent me a text asking if i had shut the gate at the top landing paddock. Im certain i did, and went into deep thought about whether i did or not, as well as thinking who was the last one through. I got myself so worked up that i had to call Brandon and ask him if he was still on the hill. He mentioned he was still around and that he would check. I havent heard back from him so I'm guessing all's good.

There's alot i can take and learn from todays events. Im still mad at myself and think ill always be, but thats probably for the best.

All up 1 hour 20 minutes