Can’t believe that the time has disappeared so quickly, and the only flying we’ll be doing tomorrow will be in an airbus. Thirteen hours in a glider is one thing, but down the back of a long haul commercial is a very different prospect.

Last night we needed one final visit in Bariloche, to the Antares restaurant of course - actually a microbrewery whose “Scotch Ale” just seemed appropriate. And the forecast for today was poor so why not.

Then the day dawned, and despite steady rain in the mountains there was as usual some better looking sky to the east. Declared a double out and return which had the first two legs as a 1006km o\r. Launched at 10:40 local and went through the start sector shortly after. Almost turned back due to soggy soft wave conditions as far as Chapelco. But after that things were very different. The best conditions I have ever flown in would be an apt description of the middle 300km of the 500km leg. As the pic shows, yes that is 32.5kts on the Lx averager…

With 50km to run to the turnpoint I thought that the world record (the preliminary one only a few days old) was at serious risk and the Antares just revels in the high speed running. But it’s never that simple, and pushing through sink still left me having to spend a whole 30 minutes finding good air again. Despite that and a soft finish the overall average speed came out at 198kph, 18kph quicker that my end October run. Leaves you thinking about what might have been, and whether I should have carried on with the last two legs for a crack at a declared 2000. But the prediction of rain coming in later in the evening, a flight to catch the next day and enough landings in near darkness after Sunday all contributed to the common sense early finish. But it was a wonderful way to finish what has been just an extraordinary experience during the last three months.

I’m just starting to get a perspective of what may be possible here and there is definitely unfinished business to be attended to on a future trip - I hope. Maybe Bruce, who has the Antares at his disposal for the next couple of weeks, will raise the bar a few notches more.

Meanwhile its over and out from me, its been a huge pleasure to be here and to try to share some of the sense of the place on this blog. Thanks for the many kind words I’ve had from its readers.

Buenas noches.

Last night’s cold front cleared, but about 6 hours later than predicted. So in proper Argentinian fashion a leisurely morning and an amble over to the airfield for a simple 1000km out and return. I went through the start sector at 15:30 local . Told ATC to expect me back at 21:00 with an unspoken intent to beat that by a bit or more. Turned the tp after just over two and a half hours and thought this might well be on…

I have been known to ridge soar on big flights and this one duly obliged with a big massif of a Volcano with its summit above me at c. 17,000ft as I started the return leg. Keep pushing, use Scottish techniques for working scruffy 7 oktas in the cordillera (the energy line of the first leg east of the mountains was now all but blue). Did well until excessive greed had me fall down below cloud near Chapelco after 800+km and that put an end to record thoughts; they were rapidly replaced by wonderings about time and darkness and alternative landings. After a whole series of really marginal calls it seemed that getting back home was just on. And it was. But only after some lengthy clenching, turning the ipaq back to front to illuminate the asi and an offer from ATC for me to land on the lit international airport. Might have thought about the latter if I’d had the necessary extra 500ft to get there. Thanks to Bruce and Jean-Marie and Anne-Marie for keeping vigil and parking a strategically lit car on the threshold. Time for bed, tomorrow I’ll download the flight trace and ceremonially burn it.

Bruce and JMC had rather a good day, starting a bit in front on the same task and finishing a LOT earlier. Really quick, but I’ll leave them to tell that story. The existing record is held by a certain Frenchman, Jean-Marie Clement at 203kph. As he said at the time, he got his 1000km diplomathat day but narrowly missed his 5hrs…

Not an early start today, morning after…

But the sky looked good in afternoon, and Bruce spotted it first, pushing 27m of Nimbus around a500km o\r at 180kph.

I arrived half an hour too late, couldn’t get into the upper system and suffered from great looking clouds that looked like 10 knotters but only delivered an unrekiable intermittent 2. See pic below. Still beats xmas pud and sofa in front of Queen’s speech.

Cold front going through tonight, will have to be an early check ‘cos it might be good behind it. Must start packing too…

Well I’m actually dreaming of a non-blue Christmas. The trend of “big days are just around the corner” continues, and the more it does the more you worry about assuming the next one will be the same and missing one that really matters when it does come. That logic had me up at 0400 again and launched at 0600 (despite a mid-summer crackling of ice on the wing covers) just ahead of the Nimbus. Both with silly big declarations. After two hours faffing around in the blue with only weak climbs we both called it a day and Jean-Marie and Bruce did a little wet fettling of the nimbus.

Still it was pretty, Tronador volcano on the skyline and yesterdays fresh snow on the tops made it all the more so. 

However the nights are drawing in now too, only around 16 flyable hours each day. Maybe I could start to think about coming N again - but in 5 days time seems obscenely premature. Any sane person would wait for the swallows to send the right signal.

Now waiting to do damage to an Argentinian cow for a group Christmas eve dinner chez nous. With no turkeys and several French folk present it just felt like Beef Wellington was the right choice. But not too late, tomorrow 0400 may have to be tried again.

Seasons greetings to all

Since last Thursday there has been a big day “just about to happen”. The “just about” seems to be 48hrs out regardless of the turning of the calendar. It doesn’t help your sleep. This morning was another 0400 alarm, and the feeling was good right up to the launch at 0600. Of course you can’t analyse the sky before its light, but if you wait for light its to late to fly the hours needed for properly big tasks. Even at 0530 local today the sky looked good, so far as you could tell - pic below at that time.

But even launching to 9000ft failed to contact the super high lenticulars that caused the excitement in the dawn. But there’s always manana, or 48hrs away… The one certain thing is that if you’re not out there waiting and going for you’ll miss it. You can always sleep on the plane on the way home - which is getting rather close for comfort. 

Well yesterday didn’t deliver. Despite a lack of sleep and being ready for a dawn launch the previous night’s beautiful bars failed to put in an appearance. But the next few days do hold promise - a bit too much N in the W today for really big things but after that things look more helpfully westerly.

I’ve been mulling over what to go for (if the weather co-operates) in the remaining 11 days before heading back to the cold dark north. Bruce made a good point today - if you do a badge flight you always have it, while if you achieve a record they’re likely to be temporary.  

And how. Delighted as I was to put in a claim for the 1500km out and return record it only took 13 days for a faster flight to be done. Its a privelege to be able to try your hand at this sort of stuff, but its a cruel game. My 13 days must seem like a lifetime to some. I haven’t seen the claims yet and do not have the facts, but if the rumours are true you just have to spare a thought for Terry Delore.  It seems that his outstanding 2500km flight over the tougher terrain of new Zealand made a record that was superceded here just hours later. Chasing records may be addicting and exciting; it can also be a very cruel master.