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Dear
Barry
Geoff
Raph saw me at our recent Aircrew Dinner and said you had
purchased Marj Pegler’s K66. He thought you may be
interested in some of its early history. While my war log book
is formal my gliding log has photos and descriptions. So I
have had a trip down memory lane. I was surprised at what I
had forgotten. I will more or less list the data except for
the bird bits at the beginning.
How
come the K6? Marj Pegler, Cornwall Station, west of Quilpie
had a working holiday in England
in the early sixties ... poultry farm and all that. She learned
to glide at Lasham with Derick Piggott.
When
she returned home she decided to purchase a glider and fly in
their station area. They graded a strip and built a hanger.
She asked Derick what she should buy. His answer - the highest
performance glider you can afford. The K6 was at the top of
the scale in those days. I believe Harry Schneider handled the
purchase. She contacted GFA and advised them of her
intentions.
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[GRV
is an ES-KA6 ... built in Australia by Edmund Schneider
under licence] |
I
got a call from Bill Iggulden - ‘This girl we’ve never
heard of is buying a K6 and plans to fly by herself in the
west. See what you can follow up.’ I did make contact and it
was arranged she would come in to Kingaroy during my May
holiday and fly. My log book tells me she did advanced
instruction flights. I notice that Ian Aspland did dual IF at
the same time and I also flew with Frank Maiden. She expected
delivery by August and it was arranged I would drive out to
Quilpie with my family and our Hutter - the H17.
She
collected the K6 from
Adelaide
and hit floods near Quilpie. When this happens the road bridge
is out and traffic used the railway bridge - so the Ka arrived
over the railway bridge.
August
12 1962 and the Howland family arrived with the Hutter. There
had been more rain and the strip was flooded. The Pegler
family was in
Brisbane
for the show and only Marj was at
Cornwall
. We dug drains, pushed the shallow water with boards, used
brooms, and even a tractor. Finally we could car tow with the
car one side of a pool and the glider the other. Hutter first.
Two circuits. Then K6. Cable break first try then a circuit.
My log book comment - ‘Handles like a thoroughbred’.
Rain
again at night and a few more days clearing the strip. Three
days later - Hutter first. Thermal. An eagle joined me low
down and was circling and flapping as well. Very strange, I
thought. It soon reached me, got behind me and I lost sight of
him. I could hear his squawks and he appeared angry. He left
the thermal when I did. Next, 34 minutes in K6 - spin and
other trials.
Marj
said a Cessna pilot a week or so previously had been attacked
head on, talons down, by an eagle. It was apparently the
breeding season and with plenty of other eagles they were very
territory conscious of other ‘big birds’.Our own wedge
tail eagle story continued to develop. Marj flew but mainly
circuits. I did some soaring. At first the eagle left when I
left the thermal. From my log book ‘To 2500 feet. Attacked
by two eagles which flew in. Came 20 feet above, rolled, and
dived down to break off just above the wing (which I had
lowered). When I turned towards them they came in from
straight ahead with feet down squawking loudly. They aimed at
the canopy!’
On
another flight the eagle left when it was attacked by a small
hawk of all things. We tried throwing out toilet paper, pieces
of meat, actuating dive breaks, swearing at them. (They would
have heard me as I could hear them squawking). Where earlier
they had tended to leave a thermal when I did, after I tried
unsuccessfully to ‘attack’ them they stayed with me even
down to the base leg. Marj was firing a shot gun and later a
rifle. I notice from a log book note that on one flight Marj
picked up a thermal at about 500 feet but was joined by the
eagle at about 700.
Eagles
at other places had sometimes formatted in fun but there had
been attacks. I heard of one case where a talon was left in
the wing. When recounting some of the
Cornwall
flying in later years I could sense some gliding people
thought I had a good imagination - which rather amused me
after my wartime flying. It was of course doubtful if Marj
could successfully fly at
Cornwall
. She did get a permit to have a .38 doctored for blanks but
by the end of the year she had decided to give up
Cornwall
gliding.
Christmas
1962. Kingaroy took their Kooka to fly in the 4th Australian
Championships at Narromine. Quite a crowd of us went. From the
log photo I recognise Jim and Harold Powell and Trevor
Sherrard. Marj and I flew as a two seater pair. Up to at least
the end of the sixties it was common for two pilots to share a
kite in a contest - solved crewing and shortage of aircraft.
The Howlands and Marj came to an agreement. Marj and her large
car ( I forget the type) and the K6, and the Howlands with a
team of four, and when suitable a caravan. As a teacher I had
three holiday periods a year. The Ka would be left at Oakey
(Marj did some power flying at D D Aero Club also). She would
come in the three or more times a year and we would
competition and holiday fly.
As
available we used Gliding Club facilities at Oakey, Kingaroy,
Inverell, (Narromine during comps) Benella etc. We slept
rough, in the cars, in my 12 by 12 tent and in the caravan as
appropriate. Over the years radio was acquired and an AH
fitted. I will list the ‘events’ where the Ka was flown.
All except once, Marj and I, and at times a few others flew
eg. Keith Wright, Geoff Strickland. Our children stayed in the
team until they became late teenagers. Cherie went solo but
left gliding when she married. The main ‘events’ were -
1.
April 1963 Qld. Gliding Championships at Oakey. I notice Ian
and Alan Rogerson in one photo.
2.
January 1964. Second
Queensland
Championships at Inverell.
3.
April 1964. No.1
Queensland
Gliding
School
at Kingaroy.
4.
December 1964. 5th Australian Championships at Benalla.
At
the end of the contest a few Queenslanders were to fly part of
the way home. It dawned a southerly gale. If you did a few
turns in a thermal after the winch launch you would not get
back to the strip. Marj decided not to fly and offered it to
me - in shorts and with no preparation. I tore bits off maps
and Ian, Maurie Bradney and myself gave it a go. Three diamond
distances. Ian and I landed at Narromine and Maurie at Dubbo.
Quite a day! On January 19 1965, in the K6, I got diamond
height near Oakey and completed my badge.
5.
April 1966 4th
Queensland
Championship at
Warwick
.
6.
August 1966. 3rd
Queensland
Gliding
School
, Kingaroy.
7.
December 66 Jan 67. Gliding tour to Benalla . 20,000 feet gain
at Inverell.
The
K6 was purchased by Ian Aspland, later sold to Jim Warner.
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