Soaring South Africa

At 01:27 01 March 2011, Gregg Leslie wrote:
Guys,

Been thinking about taking a trip to Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Any o
you folks been there or have any feedback on the soaring
operation?

GL



I've been there a number of times. It's a very well run operation
with some absolutely fantastic flying to be had. The local terrain
is mostly plateau at 4,500ft altitude. To the south and east, there
are mountainous areas. In the flatlands, there are very many
large fields in case an outlanding is required. The soaring
conditions range from good to awesome. The only down side is
that the area can be prone to thunderstorms. The visibility is
generally very good indeed and it is often possible to see a
hundred miles. Thermal climbs to 12,000ft or more are
commonplace and in my experience, a 300km flight is barely
more than local soaring.

A typical day at Bloem will be get the gliders out and watered
before 10. Briefing at 10:00 sharp. Launch around an hour or
two later when the conditions really start to pop. The cut-off at
the end of the day can be quite sudden so a shorter, faster task
is better than a long one. That said, many flights of over
1000km have been flown from Bloem. Accommodation is either
camping on site or in one of the many local guest houses and
bed and breakfasts which are all luxurious and excellent. The
local restaurants are also very good indeed and will be well
suited to the American palate.

You will need to rent a car and for the yanks, may have
difficulties with coping with driving on the left and with traffic
circles etc. I'm British so it isn't a problem. Car hire is expensive
although the cost of living otherwise is pretty reasonable.

You only get one life and this is one of those things that
definitely must be done before you pop your clogs. Go for it!!

Hope this helps.

Mike