Soaring - Flying like a bird – A high like no other.
17th September 2008
Ahhhh, warm sunshine, a gentle breeze, birds chirping, a glider overhead. Tranquility flowing through the air. Lanky trees and bushes lead to the terminal entrance and to ‘Kahu Cafe’ the social centre of the airfield. Beyond lays the runway surrounded by fields and paddocks, overlooked by spectacular mountains. This is Omarama, forty minutes south of Mount Cook, the gliding capital of New Zealand.
As I walk over to the terminal a glider floats down landing with charm and elegance. In the terminal I see a detailed weather briefing taking place. I quietly acknowledge familiar faces and go to stand with Gavin Wills, Youthglide Omarama organizer and owner of Glide Omarama. For anyone wanting to know about flying or the airfield all you have to do is ask. Over the summer months Omarama is home to many expert instructors, men and woman, from all walks of life, all here to help people like me experience the world of flight. After all the hellos and organizing I am keen to get straight into it and fly.
Thankfully there are cool rivers nearby as Omarama summers can be scorching hot. The dry stalky grass crunches and breaks underfoot as we head down the airfield. On the side of the runway wait a number of gliders side by side ending with the tow plane. Glide Omarama operates the world’s largest fleet of Duo Discus’s in the world, as well as home to many more different kinds of gliders. Third glider down I sight ‘November Echo’ one of Youth Glide Omarama’s basic trainers, a good old two seated, Grob 103. We move its long albatross like wings and elegant glossy white body onto the runway and prep it for flight.
The tow plane roars to life and taxis out to join us. The power suddenly hits me, can I really do this? The rope is attached and the tow plane begins to take up slack. The energy builds up within and under the watchful and steady hand of my pilot I take control of the glider.
“Delta November Sierra, all out, all out.” With one radio call we are off. The trees pass by me and the grass turns to a blur of green and brown. We pass the terminal, over the motorway and disappear over the trees. Flying in formation with the tow plane we climb and gain height.
In no time at all the altimeter reached three and a half thousand feet, over two thousand feet above the airfield. Gulp. It’s time. I reach out to the yellow handle and we release from the tug. As I gently pull up to the right I watch as the tow plane descends to the left - A small toy dropping away in the distance.
“Thanks Ash, we’re clear.”
Then silence, but for a murmur of wind outside the glider. It didn’t matter how many times I’d flown before all I could whisper was Wow! Silently floating free in the sunshine we fly with no strings attached, away from the dramas of life. Free from the chains of gravity. Relief flows through me and a smile breaks out along my face as I turn towards the mountains. This is definitely getting away from it all.
We gain height by catching rising air sweeping up the hill sides. With only thousands of feet of thin air between us and the ground we fly detached and silent. The scenery is great - reminds me of postcards you see in shops, but here it is real. This beauty, this power, this freedom to dance and soar in all directions of the blue skies is paradise. Omarama skies are made from the Southern Alps of New Zealand, creating extraordinary wave systems and lively thermals. Sitting afloat in the peaceful sky I feel relaxed away from all the worries of life. Adventuring the endless blue skies, I enjoy and cherish every moment. It is almost like a doorway into another realm, wondering on the hidden currents of the sky. I’m free.
In this aircraft, no wider than an armchair, I look round me. My hands gently relaxed over the controls guide the glider closely around the curves of the hill sides. Behind me to either sides power the long wings. With the knowledge and skill of flight we keep afloat with the currents of air. In the distance a glider catches my eye. I watch it circling, riding a thermal gaining height little by little. Soon he will discover Wave, the “ultimate gliding experience”. Gaining height, flying at high speeds in silence and peace, floating in mid air, its breath taking and spiritual like nothing I have felt before. It’s like surfing on silk. If you’ve ever been privileged to soar through the Omarama skies you have flown in one of the worlds best soaring conditions, without a doubt over the most spectacular and impressive mountains. Savouring the moment I breathe in deeply, storing this feeling within. It’s feelings like this that get you through the tough times.
Leisurely gliding back I catch site of the airfield and the tow plane, parked as it was before we left. I set up my landing and begin to descend. Nerves ripple through me. In a plane with no engine you have one chance and one chance only, there is no turning back. “Omarama traffic, November Echo, down wind right hand, for runway two seven, Omarama.” I conclude my checks and turn onto finals. Descending rapidly, washing off height we fly towards the ground. Adrenalin pumps through me. Heading straight for the ground, watching it rapidly get closer and closer, I feel the power and speed behind me. I hold my breath. Touch down! The solidness of reality. I hear the landing more than I feel it – the rustle of grass beneath the undercarriage and the long wings rattling as we roll down the airfield. Gradually we slow down, stopping balanced until the left wing drops to the ground.
Laying back relaxed in the glider with the canopy up, a fresh breeze brushes over my face and I think of the first pioneers who once dreamed of flight. With determination and understanding they created reality out of these dreams, now people from all over the world take to the skies to share this passion and love for gliding.
A hawk glides over the airfield catching my attention. It flies peacefully with its wings stretched out, carving delicate circles. Rediscovering the sky, it climbs the individual staircase of air, thermals, the secret of flight. I see in this hawk an expression of my own spirit, wild and free we take to the heavens, soaring the limitless Omarama skies.
*Thank You to Glide Omarama and all the instructors and tow pilots, for the help and time you have put into Youth Glide – the young pilots of tomorrow.
Elisabeth Rietveld – 2008Lucy Wills’s recipient