Learning to Fly In The Mountains

[@colinkellynz]

A most excellent, scenic adventure. Thanks.

[@PureGlide]

Cheers Colin!

[@SWolfeNI8W]

Spectacular! Thank you for sharing. I'm hoping to get back to NZ someday and would like to see more of the south island. Happy new year!

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Stephen, I'm sure you will get back here at some stage!

[@paulfreer1302]

Your videos are so informative. Haven't flown for 25 yrs but the hunger never leaves me When I get to visit nz to see friends I would love to fly with a great pilot like you. Stay safe keep your ass out the ditches

[@PureGlide]

Thanks glad you like them. Hope to see you here one day

[@paulfreer1302]

@@PureGlide as do I. What a fabulous place to fly

[@sarelventer11]

Just awesome Tim. It just shows how vast and beautiful those Southern Alps are. Have to get into them sometime.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Sarel. It's only taken my 4th trip to Omarama to do flights like this!

[@andrewleavett8813]

What a fantastic video to start the year with. It brings back memories of being in that area on holiday from the UK and inspires me to contact my local field for a trial!Thanks for all your time putting it together.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks for watching and happy new year!

[@themerseybore8875]

Just beautiful, thank you.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you too!

[@go2cloudbase]

Great flight, nice video. Keep them coming for us in the northern hemisphere. I'm in the middle of refinishing my fuselage, so any flying I can "get" is great.

[@PureGlide]

Ha awesome, I repainted my wings and fuselage during our lockdown too, a great use of the time! Cheers

[@bentos117]

amazingly beautiful

[@PureGlide]

Thank you!

[@brushitoff503]

Why do you short cut your videos man my gosh! The longer the better! I want to see those climbs, all of it ha ha! You make fantastic video's! Fantastic flight Tim it looks amazing & I wish I was flying! Happy New Year to all!

[@PureGlide]

I do get a few people asking for longer videos, but I make what I would enjoy watching. Maybe one day I'll start making longer 'un-cut' videos and putting them on a separate channel....

[@oldestpartofheaven]

@@PureGlide uncut channel would be great :)

[@nicholaslutsch5036]

​@@PureGlide Yeah, for what it's worth, I appreciate the edits.

[@davidnickisson2555]

Can't wait to start my training at Nelson Lakes!

[@PureGlide]

It'll be epic! I'd like to fly there too

[@NWA320DRVR]

Great fun flying in the southern alps. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and allow a run up to Mt. Cook. Maybe some wave will develop for you and your mates. Safe soaring.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you!

[@skyearthocean5815]

That looks like a good time!

[@PureGlide]

It really is!

[@alexholswilder7025]

Beautiful video, great commentary. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed watching.

[@PureGlide]

Cheers!

[@kimollivier]

What a great day. Almost identical to a flight I had as P2 two years ago while the Willis family was still operating. We did 500k in 3.5 hours. I am enjoying getting back in the air on your shoulder.

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks Kim, great to hear you've done similar! It's a bit of a milk run really :)

[@siliconebobsqpts]

Great stuff as usual ...Thanks

[@PureGlide]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@GC987]

You lucky, lucky son of a gun. What a spectacular day ! 7 up; 10 up ridge lift Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

[@PureGlide]

We are very lucky :)

[@doc-nobody-glider]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful video! Although you have a "Plan B" behind your seat, I wonder about the density of out-landing fields.

[@PureGlide]

Yes always had outlanding options through the whole flight. Almost every single valley we are in has an exit route with airstrips, and for most of this flight we were in glide back to take off airfield!

[@onthemoney7237]

Nice you make it look easy

[@PureGlide]

Cheers mate!

[@wiloosterwegel1015]

Keep the coming! Astonishing flights and great information. One comment: don't make the videos too short!

[@PureGlide]

I hear ya! I’m aiming around 10-15mins a video, but might make some longer uncut videos sometime

[@Chris-NZ]

As a former “mainlander” thats a heck of a lot of the mainland I’ve never seen before , wow spectacular:)

[@PureGlide]

There certainly are a lot of mountains! It's fun flying over mountain peaks that probably no human has ever set foot on...

[@bkailua1224]

NZ soaring is about as good as it gets. Great videos.

[@PureGlide]

Couldn't agree more! Thank you

[@jonrambin1572]

Wow! That was fun. (I'm gonna get tired of living vicariously.)

[@PureGlide]

Glad I can help!

[@Shamdouh1]

You are making me wanting to start my glider ratings

[@PureGlide]

Excellent!

[@andybreeze4215]

Awesome videos.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks!

[@gladysfirey6508]

Great video Tim, I appreciate the instructive commentary. I have just started to fly x country but in central west NSW so it is a lot flatter country. Those mountains look fantastic but I always wonder how many options you have if it all turns to shite? Can you always guarantee each valley will run down to a nice flat paddock to outland in?

[@PureGlide]

Hi yes almost all valley's lead to a suitable airstrip or at least safe land out area, except the one I mentioned in this video. We have a database of known good strips, so I ensure I'm always in reach of something good. For most of this flight at 9000 feet I was in glide back to Omarama gliding club base!

[@blacktranquilizer208]

Sheer beauty!

[@PureGlide]

Not bad is it :)

[@Johan-ex5yj]

What an epic flight! Beautiful mountains! I used to live in Christchurch, now I’m sorry I moved to Australia! Will just have to go for Grampians instead of Mt Cook?! (I’m planning on starting gliding soon). BTW. I love the way you explain what you’re doing. 👍

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks for watching, and glad you like the format.

[@TheSoaringChannel]

MAN! 12:28 you can *really* see the lifting air forming the clouds at the high speed portion. Stop it Tim! You're making my heart ache in constructive jealousy! I can't wait to do this. When things calm down - I'd love to hop the pond to fly with you if you'd have me, buddy. Absolutely incredible and looks like nearly endless joy. Amazing. Your radio call turning final you sounded zonked from souch fun. I know that voice. Listen to it again. I sound that way after a solid track day in the race car. Fun meter is broken. Can't hardly lift yourself out of the car. I'm looking forward to this kind of fun but in a glider. Thank you souch for sharing. I actually appreciated the momentary chatter about the McCready stuff. Zero experience actually using it. I've noticed your last several videos you've obtained your loyal single thumb down follower. 😉 😂

[@PureGlide]

Thanks again! This was a relatively short flight too, so don't think I was TOO exhausted at the end. And yes will have to make a McCready video at some point! It's only taken 15 years but I think I almost understand it now... and yes there's always 1 down-voter for each video!

[@Obirascor]

Love your videos! How is your camera mounted? It seems to almost track the horizon at times - not locked in on the glider's orientation. But it seems to be over your shoulder so I don't think it's body mounted?

[@PureGlide]

It's the GoPro Hero 8 mounted on the official suction cup mount. The trick is the camera is doing some epic stabilisation, and it keeps the outside stabilised, not the cockpit. Great camera for this job.

[@Obirascor]

@@PureGlide Very cool! I really like the more dynamic feel it provides! It feels more like the "pilot view," instead of the "cockpit view," if that makes sense.

[@beozzie690]

Nice video, I’m wondering if you’ve got a MH o2 system onboard? I thought that I’ve heard the pluses going off on this video

[@PureGlide]

Sure do, I put it on at 9500’ roughly

[@beozzie690]

@@PureGlide thanks for getting back so promptly! Since it’s winter here, there’s not many flying days in mine.. I’m stuck flying my TBM mostly! Cheers

[@mattmatt245]

What do you do, when you get too low in such mountains ? No thermals, ridge lift not working and no outlanding possibilities anywhere.

[@PureGlide]

Well, you have to be careful not to get into that situation for a start. Secondly, you can usually fly down the valley and find an airstrip somewhere in each valley. Not all valleys have such an airstrip, so you have to be careful :) Thirdly, I have a turbo engine, so if I accidentally got into that situation, I can motor out of it. And instead of landing at an airstrip I can try and start the engine above it, and if it fails, land at the airstrip. You can't rely on it, but it's useful to have!

[@mattmatt245]

So, with no motor, lot of times you would think twice, before taking this or that route...

[@PureGlide]

@@mattmatt245 Yes to some extent, but it only starts 90% of the time reliably, so you have to make decisions as though it's not going to work.

[@timmctighe5176]

I had no idea......unbeleivable..

[@PureGlide]

Pretty awesome eh!

[@janeqmx]

What camera you use? Locked horizon- very steady

[@PureGlide]

GoPro Hero 8. It is amazing!

[@PureGlide]

Although it’s not locking the horizon, but simply stabilising to the outside. The new hero 9 has an option to horizon lock

[@tinchote]

I just read that Glide Omarama is not operating. Could you clarify what that means in terms of gliding activity at the airfield?

[@PureGlide]

Hi sure the company glide Omarama has shut down, but others have stepped in to ensure there is towing at the airfield. Eventually the airfield company (that manages the airfield) plan to Offer towing services. Guaranteed towing will only be in summer this year at least, otherwise on arrangement

[@Omar-iy3il]

How much is a glider to buy

[@PureGlide]

Anything from $5,000 USD to $250,000 USD for a brand new one! Much like Yachts. My older high performance glider is worth about $70k USD. You can get a decent older glider for $30k USD.

[@solstar4778]

What is the beeping sound ?

[@PureGlide]

That's the Vario, it tells us if we're going up or down, and it beeps so we don't need to look at the instruments.

[@denisthompson7160]

Nice flight in the mountains. Just a comment; why do you say 'turning finals' (plural) there is only one final. It seems like its becoming a habit with pilots lately, I think it sounds stupid and amateurish.

[@PureGlide]

Great question! I think it's standard practice to say either "Finals" or "Short Final" for example. So sounds completely normal to me.

[@denisthompson7160]

@@PureGlide Short final is OK as this is different to long final as a lot of heavies use, my first instructor hammered into me to use the correct words as mandated by the authorities. I think what is worse is talking like you are commentating, eg. 'XYZ turns finals' or 'XYZ backtracks on runway 14' I notice this is becoming very prevalent in the air now.