24 February 2009

Hang gliding over Lake George

| johnboy
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LimpJimmy’s posted this video on YouTube with the following note:

    We had a job to do, so we did what we had to do, mostly. Thanks also to Andrew and Ed coming down for a bit of formation flying… it should look FANTASTIC on the big screen at the festival!

    This kind of footage is being filmed for amazing big screen 3D technology for the 2009 Corinbank Festival — check it out at www.corinbank.com

    This edit tells the story of the flight, most sequences are in order of how it unfolded on the day. I guess I had fear, life, love, death and humour in mind when I slapped this together in about 3 hours.

    Music by the most fantastic Plump DJs.

So now, next time you see gliders up over the Federal Highway you’ll know what it looks like from there.

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Vic Bitterman10:47 pm 24 Feb 09

That is an absolutely awesome video – kudos to the pilot and the editor of it!!!!!

Don Quixote, the Flying Knight of La Mancha: The Legend Continues …

Holden Caulfield9:51 pm 24 Feb 09

They’ll have to make sure they don’t get sliced up by the new wind farm!

swamiOFswank9:18 pm 24 Feb 09

For years and years I’ve looked on every trip past Lake George, for hang gliders. Sometimes you see ’em, sometime you don’t, but I love it when they’re there – just inspiring stuff, really. thanks for sharing the vid.

I went out there to watch them take off once with a guy who was interested in hang gliding when I was fifteen or sixteen. It was pretty cool. They even let him have a go in one while it was stationary on the edge of the cliff to get the feel of it. It made for quite a pleasant afternoon driving out to Lake George and looking down over the hill.

Pommy bastard7:40 pm 24 Feb 09

deye said :

I wonder how many gliders have landed on the highway.
Looks like fun though 🙂

Even at mininmal glide angle, and in minimal wind, you will hit the lakes if you fly from the top of the ridge.

Fly High Fly Far7:38 pm 24 Feb 09

Nice Vid Mr Jimmy. That arvo was great fun we will have to do more. Awesome flying with ya! I might have to come along to Corinbank and check it out in 3D!

Find some more videos of hang gliding in and around Canberra at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSvPTnxsqLk

Also if you are keen on going up for a tandem flight or even learning how to fly I would suggest either Tony Barton from Airsports up in Newcastle http://www.air-sports.com.au/ or Curt Warren from Warren Windsports at Stanwell park near Wollongong http://www.warrenwindsports.com.au/.

old canberran said :

“It’s one big mystery that lake.”

Lake George is pretty well studied. It was once a river flowing roughly west but it was cut off by the rise of the hills on its western side, about 7 million years ago. Levels in the lake have always fluctuated, often dry but at times at least 35 meters deep.

There is some flow into the lake, but the catchment is only about 7-8 times larger than the lake itself.

I wonder how many gliders have landed on the highway.
Looks like fun though 🙂

old canberran6:45 pm 24 Feb 09

The senior guy in the Cadet group was a champion swimmer as well. It was believed at the time that the cold water was the main problem.
The Lake is salty water when full, there are 3 distinct currents, there is no river running into it and it does not flow into a river. It’s one big mystery that lake.

Holden Caulfield5:44 pm 24 Feb 09

That story is on the LG Wikipedia page too IIRC.

I’m with Loose Brown, the fence posts are/were great.

I don’t reckon there’s been any “proper” water in the lake since the road has been all dual carriageway, and that was completed before the Olympic Games in 2000.

Something few people seem to know is that 5 cadets from Duntroon drowned in a boating accident at Lake George in in 1956.

An old timer told me that waves on the lake could sometimes be 1.5 metres high.

pics and story @ http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dpe_site/publications/dfm/Online_Extras/Lake%20George..pdf

The fences looked great gradually disappearing into the water.

I moved to Canberra in 1998 and George was a lake even then. I don’t remember seeing a lake George since about 2003.

Gungahlin Al4:40 pm 24 Feb 09

Same here – late 60s, early 70s. Always full. Rumoured to inexplicably empty somethimes but never seen to happen. Now the reverse.

old canberran said :

It would be interesting to know how many Rioters have actually seen Lake George full ie almost lapping the road.

I do. In fact, there was a time when that seemed fairly normal to me.

Paragliding!?!? Don’t go there!!!! Collapso!!!

old canberran said :

Great video and what a way to relax. It would be interesting to know how many Rioters have actually seen Lake George full ie almost lapping the road.

It was up there around 20 years ago IIRC?

How much does it cost to get in to hangliding? That looks unreal!

old canberran4:11 pm 24 Feb 09

Great video and what a way to relax. It would be interesting to know how many Rioters have actually seen Lake George full ie almost lapping the road.

Gungahlin Al3:01 pm 24 Feb 09

Gorgeous. I’m supremely jealous…

Are you sure that’s Lake George? Looks like just plain George to me.

Wow. It is an amazing view from up there…

Great vid Limp! Do you wear an IPOD up there? Rocks!

Nice, scored half a dozen free 3-days passes, can’t wait !@

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