Day 5

Another amazing pilot who's also a good guy: John Coutts

The cold front went through last night but there was a lot of cloud hanging around to the South East and hence it was time for another blasted AAT.

The 15kt NE lent a tempting hint of wave so we spent a good hour or so trying to get in it - without success. Most of us set off within 15 minutes of each other and turned early in the overcast first sector, halfway up the second and third, clipped the fourth and fifth sectors. 5 sectors for an AAT: hmm.

The penultimate sector was blue and stable and virtually the whole field congregated on East facing ridges 40kms out. Lots of scratching around before limping over the final ridge and home around 1900hrs. Only 5 of the 12 in our class got back, most of the landouts happening on that last ridgeline from the look of it.