Omarama soaring flight to Mt Cook, New Zealand

[@robinfautley8698]

Gosh soaring way above the Raywards in their Air Safaris, the views are spectacular, almost as good as my flight in 1962. Thanks for the memory.

[@danmc128]

Just watched this again. This is one of the classic Omarama runs. Up the Dobson in thermals, into wave in the lee of the main divide of the Southern Alps, and onto Mt Cook. Ridge-soaring Mt Cook always puts a smile on your face, but it's only on some days that the air is dry enough to do it. Thanks for the great video Todd!

[@ToddHahn]

Daniel, I've used this experience and this video to try to inspire student pilots as well as members of the public who come in and take intro flights at our organization in south-east Texas. Since this flight, I got my certificate, and now have competed for two seasons and am looking forward to more competition next season. Hope to get out to fly in the mountain-west of the U.S. in the next few years and eventually back to NZ.

[@vgrof2315]

Wonderful!!! Have soared some mainland US and Hawaii, but never like that. I would have turned down the radio until needed to enhance the huge, soaring-bird experience. Silence! But, how beautiful it all was.

[@4edward61]

Gavin Wills came to Seattle and shared with us (Seattle Glider Council) soaring stories, vids, and pictures of Omarama, along with its history. Wow! What an amazing place! Thank you for reminding me what great soaring there is down there. Awesome vid.

[@casaamaril]

That's a good idea Todd, to include the vitals: altitude, speed, g-force, lift, sink in a separate window, makes it more immersive-cool!

[@skyhigh776]

I flew hang gliders in the late 70's and thermal flying XC flights, it was always my favorite type of soaring. I have had several flights since in sailplanes, with a number of XC's, but have always thought about going to the US or New Zealand for a gliding holiday. I have no interest in pursuing gliding in the UK due to the weather. I found it frustrating enough in my hang gliding days! Maybe I should check out Glide Omarama. Thanks for sharing the video Todd. Brilliant!

[@BrunoVassel]

Fantastic flight!!! Thanks so much for sharing. Can't wait to get back in the cockpit. :)

[@ToddHahn]

Thanks Bruno. Got my private pilot glider rating last August, and soon I'm going to get into our KA-6 and Grob 102 Astir. It's going to be a great year here in Houston/SE Texas. I hope to get up to Utah sometime in the next couple of years and experience Nephi, Logan, Heber City...

[@BrunoVassel]

You are always invited to get up here to Utah to come play with us in the clouds. Congrats on the rating and have a blast down there in Houston.

[@lautoka63]

As a Kiwi who's flown at Omarama, it's a special place and if you have any means of getting there to fly, sell whatever you need to (that's what others have said already).

[@ToddHahn]

Agreed, an amazing special place. When I took this flight, I was a really new glider student here in Texas -- the really flat part of SE Texas -- and although I have often been in the mountains of the western United States and Canada, nothing prepared me for the combination of incredible scenery and thermal, ridge, and wave in one flight. Will never forget it.

[@Hawkeye948]

the best soaring video of the year. :) I will try to refly the flight on the condor soaring simulator.

[@ToddHahn]

Thanks much!

[@carnivaltym]

Simply stunning.

[@DrewWithington]

Really interesting how the instrument readouts are displayed on the screen.

[@vgrof2315]

Didn't realize he was keeping track of another sailplane via radio until late in the flight. True flying, nevertheless.

[@CraigBedell]

Absolutely fantastic - gotta do it some day!

[@gpooleii]

wow... just wow! Thanks for posting. So inspiring!

[@AUS29568]

Thanks for posting. Great views.

[@bryanwatt9751]

Wow, incredible!

[@brycenew]

Fantastic flight and video Todd! What a buzz :D

[@ToddHahn]

Thanks Bryce. I will not soon forget the flight.

[@JohnCinOz1]

Brilliant! Thanks!

[@minenu11]

I know what I'll be doing on my next trip over the ditch.

[@victor-emmanuel7485]

Added to favorites 👌🏻

[@giankaloy0.870]

Enjoy mt cook adventure keepsafe VERONBGLS

[@BillPalmer]

What program/plugin are you using to put the recorder data on the video?

[@ToddHahn]

It is a Garmin VIRB and they have some pretty neat software that pulls all the GPS data off and allows the visualization of it. VIRBedit I think they call it.

[@mountainaerie]

Wow!

[@stefankohl1663]

Hi Todd, great video - I'm going to NZ soon for 2 months and definitely would love get airborne in Omarama too. Were there any difficulties with the formalities of being able to take off there with a flight instructor? How much did they charge you if you are a licensed glider pilot and a member of a foreign gliding club? How long in advance did you make an arrangement?

[@ToddHahn]

Unfortunately, Glide Omarama is no longer in business due to arguably onerous and unnecessary new regulations from the NZ CAA. There is another gentleman providing instruction in Omarama, I don't know any details, you might want to search/inquire on the rec.aviation.soaring newsgroup.

[@epiculo2]

How do you link action cam and flight datas?

[@ToddHahn]

Camera was a Garmin VIRB. The camera has GPS, accelerometer, etc and comes with video editing software that allows you to add the data to the video.

[@epiculo2]

@@ToddHahn 'Must get one! Thank you!