SAFA Skysailor Magazine

35 November | December 2022 SKY SAILOR Dark Moon by John Clark The moon is dark; The engine’s on: I climb in darkness: Woes, begone! No thoughts of ‘future’, Just sail on and look to stars and what’s ‘beyond’. No thoughts of consequence or rhyme, Just hold your breath maintain the climb: What a feeling! So sublime. 10,000 feet, turn engine off, the silence is so… almost, ‘gruff’. Drifting, drifting; not a breath. Just half an hour twixt Grace or Death. 300 feet a minute down; I still have time to earn a crown! Some time to think and contemplate, And hope to hell he is my Mate. 500 feet his torch turns on to give me guidance for the run. I know my ground, My judgement’s… sound, then make a landing; Most profound. To ride a dragon In dark sky, Can truly make A grown man cry. Croc 27/11/2010 calculated an inversion break at 2pm and this calculation was only 15 minutes out on the day! One day, I predicted extensive willy willy ac- tivity on the paddock… We only lost one glider when one pilot left the glider for one minute and it ‘got eaten’ at 2:15pm! We could predict the willy willies because once the inversion broke, there were no impediments to thermals until they reached 11,000ft. The strength of a thermal is dependent on the amount of air that has to mix, and its power is regulated by the temperature gradient of the day. Back in 1986, I managed to get two world records in my Airborne trike, the ‘Explorer’, which will shortly be donated to the Australian museum. I believe my distance record cannot be broken in the same class because the cate- gory was since changed from 300kg to 450kg. Leaving a lasting legacy and fond memories from those early days. Contact John via email to get in touch.