Aviation Forum / General / Soaring / September 2008

Lake Tekapo area is beautiful. (Link below.)

Michael

World-record attempt ended sooner than expected when he landed in
Kaikoura on Saturday afternoon when his oxygen supply started to fail.
Nick Reekie, originally from Southland, was attempting to break the
world record for a 500km-out-and-return trip in a glider. The target
was to complete the distance in less than 2 hours 20 minutes.
Mr Reekie has worked in the Te Anau and Queenstown tourism industry
and honed his gliding skills in the rugged terrain around Five Rivers.
He also worked as a scout for United States adventurer Steve Fossett's
world gliding distance attempt in 2002.
Leaving Lake Tekapo on Saturday lunchtime in his German-built 525kg
glider, Mr Reekie had planned to be back home in Kirwee in time for
dinner. But he had not anticipated the problems he encountered on the
return leg of the journey.
"I had got to my turning point in the Nelson Lakes and was on my way
back when my oxygen started failing. I had to go into emergency
descent. At 10,000ft I realised I could get further south, however,
there was rain and bad weather down near Christchurch so I decided at
around 7000ft to land in Kaikoura." An experienced glider with 15
years' experience, Mr Reekie knew he was never in any real danger.
"I knew where I was heading and I knew I had plenty of time to get my
landing right, so I went out over the sea to do a spot of whale
watching. I didn't see any whales but I did get to check out a pod of
dolphins," he says.
Mr Reekie has competed in national championships and just loves the
thrill of gliding. He has a strong sense of adventure and firmly
believes in having fun and testing himself. However, he said he had
never before experienced such a great ride on a north-west arch.
"It was so smooth — just like riding a barrel. I was flying along at
400kmh and kept expecting a hostess to turn up with a trolley. It
really is as smooth as it looks from the ground. Awesome." Despite his
early landing and the fact his mates had to drive from Kirwee to
retrieve him, he said he wou
ld definitely be attempting the world record again. Having to stop in
unexpected places made it even more interesting, he said.
"You get to meet people you would otherwise never meet and see places
you would otherwise not stop at".

See:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/4710145a6568.html