 |
|
| |
|
To fly cross-country
away from the airfield, hopping from one thermal to another is the ultimate
thrill for many gliding pilots. Once the skills have been developed
to fly a glider safely, you can develop your skills to fly considerable
distances. Members of the Gliding Club of WA have achieved many notable
long distance flights. Eight of the ten flights in WA of over 750 kilometers
were by members of this club. We have also made a number of 800,
900 flights and
one 1000km flight. These flights may take up
to 10 hours. The principle that allows a glider to stay airborne for
a more than a few minutes, is the ability of the pilot, to find the
invisible columns of rising air, called thermals. Whereas the novice
pilot will tend to stumble on a thermal by luck, skilled pilots learn
to recognise the best terrain or clouds most likely to produce good
lift. They also develop a sense of feeling for the lift in the air and
like the eagles we fly with, can hunt out the strongest lift in the
area. Developing these skills allows them to fly higher, further and
faster than others.
Of
course if the pilot does see an Eagle, soaring near buy, he can be sure
the Eagle is in better lift, its time to join our fellow aviator.
At
GCWA, our aim through the club coaching scheme is to train the up and
coming pilots to reach a high standard, as soon as possible, so that
they can proficiently fly cross country, and get home at the end of
the day. Of course if you don't get home, the training you are put through,
teaches you to land safely in a paddock, from which your fellow members
will come and collect you.
The
Gliding Federation of Australia have a number of badges that are internationally
recognized that create goals to be chased and achieved. These are as
follows.
Silver
Badge.
50
Kilometer flight,
5 Hour
flight
Gain
of height of 1000 Meters.
Gold
Badge.
300
Kilometer flight.
Gain
of height of 3000 meters.
Diamonds.
300
Kilometer flight returning to base
500
Kilometer flight
Gain
of height of 5000 meters. (This is usually done at our Wave Camps at
the Stirling Ranges.)
Our tug in action
Jantar over the
Agriculture College in Cunderdin
Return to Top of the Page
