High cirrus obscures the sun and turns down the power a few more notches. Blue hazy mountains crouch in the distance, dark against the far horizon. The slanted winter sun is pale behind the curtain. Cold seeps in between my mittens and the down jacket. Dry eyes weep gently at the corners. Winter flying in all its frosted glory.
A week before the solstice, high pressure moved across Queensland and produced the first flying days for a while. I rummaged through the garage, digging out the accoutrements of cold weather aviation: thicker neck cover, jacket and thermal layers. Soon I’ll be heading to Europe where these things will be essential. Better test it here before packing.
We cram into the Daihatsu Charade. One back seat is pushed forward, and Jordan climbs into the other. Three gliders are stuffed in around him, all that’s visible is a grinning head poking up in a mass of kit. Frank shifts his seat forward to accommodate and I get to drive. This new steed is excellent – automatic gearbox and 937cc of raw power. The original...
