A SINGLE DAY RECORD

Tuesday 23rd August

Wow!!  3.6 hours in the logbook, a one-day record for me.  So, the story of the day goes something like this...

The plan was the same as two and four weeks ago; fly to Tauranga, go up in the Stearman, and then back home in the afternoon.  And, today, things went to plan, well, almost.

NZ Warbirds Association DC3/Dakota outside Aeromotive at Hamilton Airport - here for servicing

The morning dawned with broken cloud at about 1500' around our house (10km NE of the airport) and no wind to speak of.  By the time I got to the club at 0900 the sky over the field was clear, but there was a lot of lowish cloud all around, sort of fog at 1500-2000' agl.  So, it was good to go and instructor, Ash signed me out, I filed a flight plan and set off in C-172, WAM.  As I headed out towards Scotsman Valley (North-east) visibility was good up to about 1500' and then I was in haze just below a flat, white cloud base at about 2300' or so.  Ahead and to the left of me it appeared clear over Matamata and Morrinsville but there was a shroud of cloud over the ridge of the Kaimai range almost totally obscuring the peaks.
Once clear of the zone and the 2500' lower level control area I climbed to about 3000' to get a better look at the weather ahead (I was just west of Matamata and in the clear bit).  Having got a better view there was a white sheet of cloud hugging the ridge, about 2100' base and 3500' tops on the Waikato (my) side.  Beyond that the Bay of Plenty coast looked clear but there were only one or two gaps where the ridge could be seen, just where some jagged peaks were.  I considered my options: carry on towards the ridge, climbing up to 4500' (control zone lower level) and go "over the top" descending the other side once clear of the white stuff (Hmm!! can just see the CAA fatal accident report summary: The pilot was appropriately licensed and fit for the flight; A total engine failure occurred while above cloud obscuring inhospitable terrain...... - well, you can guess the rest), NOT TEMPTING!; turn to the left and head towards the Waihi Gap as I had already observed before climbing that it was clear from Morrinsville to Paeroa just beyond the gap - definitely better and, if the gap was not passable I could head for home knowing the route back was OK.

So, a turn to the North, descending to 2000' and pretty soon I was at the western end of the gap where the clouds were at 2100' but only for a few hundred metres eastbound.  Beyond that, all was clear and it looked like a fabulous day in the Bay; at least 40km visibility and no cloud beyond the coast side of the range.  Great!  Good decision.  An uneventful Matakana arrival and a fairly good landing (about 5kt crosswind left-to-right) on grass runway 25.  HN-TG via the Waihi Gap; 0.8 hours.

Stearman 03 and WAM together - gives an idea of the size of the biplane - quite a bit bigger than a Tiger Moth or even a 172

Instructor Pete and the Stearman were pretty much ready to go and after getting a weather report from me he reckoned the Matamata plan we had discussed previously was on and we should head back to the gap as the ridge was still pretty cloudy (looked a lot better from the Tauranga side, though).  This was fun, my first cross-country in the Stearman.  We chugged along at the 80 knots that the biplane cruises at along the western edge of Tauranga harbour and were able to take a bit of a short cut over the range at Thompson's track just to the West of Katikati and then direct to Matamata.  With the variable, light wind at ground level we could have chosen either runway 10 or 28 to land on but as we got nearer we heard a plane call downwind for 10 so that was our cue.  We headed past the airfield towards Waharoa, passing over the town to join right hand for 10 and my landing was not too bad at all for a first time in the Stearman at this field. TG-MA; 0.7 hours.

Thought I'd include a map to orient those unfamiliar with our area: Matamata with its MBZ (circle of blue dots) is bottom left, Tauranga and Mount Maunganui to the  lower right (blue ring around the Mount), Matakana Island between the Pacific Ocean and Tauranga Harbour runs from the Mount to Waihi Beach and the Waihi Gap is top centre to left.

We stopped and I changed into the rear (pilot's) seat and off we went for a session of circuits.  I lost count after five but I think we did seven, or maybe eight.  Not too bad, I kept pretty tight in the circuit and was only once guilty of losing height late downwind while runway-watching.  I was a touch fast on some of the approaches but managed to pretty much sort it out to be 60-65 over the threshold and was happy with four of the landings - the others not so good with one "early" touch that was a bit hard but, as Pete said later, the Stearman is bult to take that sort of thing. then it was time to swap seats again (the soft helmet which is provided with the plane is not up to the radio work needed from the rear at a controlled aerodrome - I have a "proper" lid coming - maybe in another 3 weeks).  Circuits at MA; 0.8 hours

We took a different route back, over to Wairere falls first where we had been told there was a crashed glider (didn't see it) and then I flew along the ridge, just on the western side and crossed where highway 29 passes flying along the road to Ruahihi Power Station where Pete called the tower and we were cleared to the hospital and then to join left hand for 25 grass.  This was a pretty good approach with a reasonable landing and we taxied back to the Avgas cafe for a well earned coffee and a spot of lunch for me.  MA-TG; 0.7 hours

Finally, it was back into WAM and home to Hamilton.  The ridge was now almost clear of cloud enabling me to fly the most direct route, crossing the ridge over the falls at 3500' (>1000' above the ridge) and into the Waikato haze really noticeable after the clear air of the Bay of Plenty.  Not my best landing back at Hamilton - maybe I was thinking I was still in a taildragger!!  TG-HN; 0.6 hours.  Grand total 3.6 hours.