SAFA Skysailor Magazine

8 SKY SAILOR January | February 2024 He’d also done banner towing and some sky writing, the latter in a Cessna 172 at 18000ft with oxygen in sub-zero temperatures. I can’t imagine how you keep your perspective while flying the writing. He filled in some of the details, pointing out that the writing was sprayed from a large tank from inside the cockpit, and the ‘smoke’ were actually ice crystals as soon as it hit the air. After chats and dinner were done, we went our separate ways for the night, Robbo slept in the clubhouse, Pete in a camper (praised as the best sleeping accommodation ever), I stayed in the briefing/cooking building on a fold out lounge, also very comfortable. Not yet tired, and apprehensive about being towed behind an aircraft, I saw a copy of Peter Cheney’s ‘Hang Gliding For Beginner Pilots’ and decided to read the aerotow section. When I went to collect my sleeping bag from the car, the broken mirror outburst came back to me, and I’d completely forgotten to pack bedding! I spent the night under two jumpers and a few T-shirts, freezing every time I moved. Let’s get airborne – in tandem Dawn revealed a perfect dome of blue sky and no wind at all. We gathered our gear and helped Pete get the glider and tug ready. I was impressed with the wheeled chocks on the Dragonfly tug that allowed it to come sideways out of the hangar. We set up at the north end of the runway and Pete gave us another briefing. He had another tug pilot for the morning, so could fly tandem with us in a Moyes Malibu with two castor wheels fixed to the base-bar corners and a small wheel on a keel strut – no dolly required for take off! Soon, I was lying in a training harness inches above the ground, looking at the back of the Dragonfly. Pete was next to me and would be flying. At this point I felt calm. Pete went over where to hold the control bar and what we would be doing. Robbo, off to the side, was doing the hand signals. We had the slack taken up, with Robbo waving one arm low, the Dragonfly revved its engine, the rope went taut, lifting off the grass. Robbo stopped it with a raised arm. We got set in the harnesses, and Pete asked if I was ready. “Okay.” “What?” “Okay!” “I can’t hear you?” “I’m okay!” This set the tone: question, yell answer, yell louder. “Okay, if you’re ready, say ‘Go now, go now, go now.’” I did, Robbo circled his arm, the Dragonfly roared, we got pulled forward, the wheels rattled on the grass, we slewed to the right, Pete crashed into me countering the movement as we lifted off, then stuffed the bar to stop us ballooning up. We swooped down just above the tug as it left the ground, dragging us up. I’m following Pete’s movements on the control bar as he yells: “You have control.” I HAVE CONTROL! Where is the tug? DOWN LOW. I stuff the bar back, the tug shoots into the blue, bar out, tug down. Smaller move- ments! I halve my moves and try to be smooth- er, now the tug bobs around the horizon. Then it turns right! Luckily, I remember – count to four, then a bump right, too much, little bump Learning to aerotow