Goal Acheived: Flying Feathertop

Yesterday after flying for 3.5 hours another pilot and myself flew to Feathertop and back. Base was just high enough, and we obviously stayed there as much as possible flying out. Climbs were decent and as we weren’t punching an excessively strong headwind at any point, it turned out to be a really good flight.

The views were fantastic – here are some pics:

So yes, a very nice flight with lots of cloud practice for me. I definitely followed the other pilot a lot on this flight, as flying out there on my own would be something I’d only attempt if base were ridiculously high and winds wouldn’t be an issue. Regardless, it was awesome to be in the air for so long and fly to a point I’ve been eyeing for the last couple months.

Today I had a bit of an off day, so I called it quits when I got to Pyramid, and then flew back to the paddock at Mystic. I’m not sure exactly what my problem was, but I wasn’t really into it today...I think when your concentration level starts to go, it’s time to land. It’s all good though – after a couple evening sleddies, I almost clocked a couple hours anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.

A few weeks ago I had the following (yes, somewhat unrealistic) goals:

Set a new personal best, fly over Mt.Buffalo, fly over Feathertop, do a proper SAT, and have 150 hours airtime all before I leave OZ

Out of that, I’ve flown over Feathertop, which could arguably be a new personal best, and airtime-wise, I’m up to 120, so quite a bit short of 150. SAT’s are something I’ve attempted many times, but just can’t lock into – I keep on almost spinning the thing, or I dunno, I pull out because they’re just spirals. Buffalo is a bit of a longshot at this point, but it could still happen I suppose. If I leave Bright with 130 hours under my belt, and have a flight come together like Feathertop, I’ll be happy. :)