by Phil Rowe
It was the chance of a lifetime for me, that invitation to attend the instructor pilot school at Gawler, South Australia. It happened during my tour in Viet Nam, the result of conversations with Aussie pilots assigned to our RF-4C outfit.
One evening, while just sitting around the operations center and chewing the fat, the subject of sailplanes came up. I happened to mention that I had flown sailplanes in Arizona and California a few years back. An Aussie pilot began to tell me about the Australian Gliding Federation and their activities. Then he mentioned the annual fortnight-long instructor school and suggested that I ought to go there. In fact, he added, I should take my upcoming rest and recreation (R&R) break to go down there. He'd introduce me to his pals and set things up.
To make a long story short, I was soon at Gawler, some one hundred miles north of Adelaide, and the little airfield devoted to sailplane activities. Its operation is subsidized by the government and makes flying available to citizens at a very modest cost.
My schedule permitted attending only half of the instructor school, but the pilots and ground crews welcomed me with open arms for a marvelous experience. Academics last all morning each day, followed by afternoon flying sessions. Each night the guys partied. I was not able to keep up with them on that score. Infact, I jokingly told them I'd have to go back to combat in Viet Nam to recover and rest up from the pace they set.
One part of the flying that really intrigued me was the chance to practice landing while on tow. That's something not commonly taught here in the states, so I was glad for the experience. It's not all that difficult, but surely a skill that sailplane pilot sought to know.
It was also a thrill for me to do that training in the all-metal, high performance Blanik aircraft. Now that's a real Cadillac. My instructor put me in the front seat and off we went behind a terrific tow plane, a Grumman Ag-Cat. Most tow planes really strain with sailplanes dragging behind them. Not that Ag-Cat. It got us aloft in a hurry with no difficulty.
Landing on tow is simply a matter of keeping the tow rope taut, without using excessive drag that would stall the towplane. Behind a smaller craft, like a Piper SuperCub, the sailplane could excessively hamper things.
I loved the handling qualities of that Blanik, especially the hand-operated Fowler flaps for landing. Boy, is that smooth. Sure wish I could have flown that bird more often than the schedule permitted. During my stay I managed to fly about four different planes, all but the Blanik were single-seaters.
It was indeed an experience of a lifetime. I loved every minute and will always be indebted to the gracious hosts of the Gawler and Waikerie sailplane clubs.