VISIBILITY 200 KM!!!

So much for the Waikato Winter fog!!!  Today was a magnificent day (as it has been all week).  Cool and frosty overnight (temperature 1, dew point zero at 0800) but wonderfully clear and ideal for a flight.

I had offered to take my work colleague's son up for a flight.  He is only 13 but mad keen on flying and has already started to learn.  He has ambitions to be a pilot, possibly in the air force.  Good on him, I say.

My work colleague dropped her lad, Chris, off to our house at 0745 (Yes, I was awake!!!) and after I had finished my tea and toast and made the lovely missus a nice cup of lemon tea we headed off to the club at about 0830.  There were a few patches of mist by the river but the airfield and all around were frosty and beautifully clear.

                                     FROST REFLECTION!

After getting my fingers a bit frozen preflighting and gassing up (Chris was sensible and stayed in the warm!) we hopped in and asked for taxi and departure on track to Pauanui Beach.  We were cleared straight away to depart on track to Pauanui, 2500' or below and, when ready, were given the option of using 36R for a (4kt) tailwind take-off but that saved a bit of time as our track to Pauanui was 016.  Thank you tower (and lack of traffic) - no need to fly 3/4 of a circuit and track around the instrument sector. (Pilot's happiness factor on high!)

It was an uneventful flight to Pauanui.  We saw only two other aircraft, both miles from us and, once in the Coromandel CFZ (common frequency zone) we heard no radio calls at all! (Yes, I was on the right frequency before you ask, and we heard plenty of calls on the way back)

We arrived overhead the airfield at Pauanui and, joining overhead, it was kind of difficult to tell where the wind was from as the socks were hanging limply by their poles.  I decided to go for the most direct approach, joining downwind for 05 (winds from the forecast were generally South-east) and carrying out a fairly accurate approach it was as smooth a landing as possible on the rather rough grass strip.  I seemed to drift along quite a bit in the flare before touching down and used a fair bit of brake but was able to stop with about 200 (out of 750) metres of runway left.  As I taxied back the reason for that became clear.  During my approach the wind had decided to puff a bit from the estuary to the West of the strip and the windsock was indicating a light breeze from the West.  Yep, a downwind (but only about 3kt) landing! 

   MISTY PATCH ON THE HAURAKI PLAIN WITH THE SNAKY WAIHOU RIVER

After a coffee at "The Chocolate Pretzel" we headed off back to Hamilton. (Pilot's happiness factor on very high!).  The views on the outward flight were stunning, but with the Winter sun a little higher in the sky the vista on the way back was truly amazing with Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu clearly visible to the South once we cleared the Waihi Gap and a short time later Chris announced he could see Taranaki also.  Truly stunning (Pilot's happiness factor maxed and on overload!!). 

(For non-NZers:- Ruapehu, 9176', 100Nm distant, Ngauruhoe, 7501', 105Nm, and Taranaki, 8259', 120Nm, that's the 200km visibility factor!!!)

MATAKANA ISLAND (centre mid-ground) WITH THE MOUNT BEYOND

       SLIPPER ISLAND (left) and the "ALDERMEN" (far right) IN THE SUN

                             PARKED AT PAUANUI BEACH AIRFIELD

                                           COFFEE TIME!!!

We were back in Hamilton for 1130 and back home a short time later after refuelling, etc.  Chris left on his bicycle and I had a quick lunch, put the photos from the flight on the computer and headed off to work for the afternoon (Pilot happiness factor dropping down to medium but soon rejuvenated by showing Chris's mum and others at work the pictures from the flight!).  I've included a few here to share with you all.

           NGAURUHOE (left) and RUAPEHU (right) SHOW THEMSELVES