Friendship Cup

Awarded for outstanding contribution to the gliding movement during the preceding year.

We all know that Covid-19 put a massive dent in our flying last season.  We were lucky that the initial lockdown did not start until late March, as activity was tapering off anyway.

However, turning the lockdown to advantage, Abbey Delore of the Canterbury club immediately set up the “Covid Condor Canterbury Club Comp Series”.  Her idea was to battle Covid isolation by setting up a fun contest online to explore the wider Springfield area.  She also saw that, by setting realistic tasks, it could be a great training tool as a prerequisite for giving badge flights a go in real life when life returns to normal.

The club hosted its first race in mid-April with 15 pilots. This was so successful, it quickly morphed into the “Gliding NZ Condor Competition”, with initial practice racing out of Springfield.  Race 2 attracted 25 pilots and Race 3 attracted 19. 55 people from around the world, including 27 Kiwis registered for the first race in the GNZ series, also out of Springfield.  There were some pretty hot performances around the 214 km task. Further races out of Nelson Lakes and Taupo followed.

By the time we were able to resume normal flying, Condor virtual soaring had sparked a lot of interest in gliding in NZ skies, with 82 pilots registered.

For all of us, it gives me great pleasure to announce Abbey Delore as this year’s recipient of the Friendship Cup.

The Angus Rose Bowl

Presented to the NZGA by Bill Angus, one of the original pioneers in aviation in New Zealand, the Angus Rose Bowl is awarded in recognition of outstanding services to the sport of gliding in this country.

The worthy recipient of this prestigious award started gliding in 1984 with the Taupo club, then after about 10 years moved on to Wanganui-Manawatu for the next 5 years before settling in Balclutha.  She has a Silver Badge and a Diamond Height, is a private owner and has flown many competitions, most notably at Omarama.

Over the years, Karen has put a huge effort into administration of the sport she loves, particularly at Omarama but also nationally.  And she continues to do so. Just how much Karen has done, and continues to do, may not be as well known to many as it should be. She chaired the Omarama Airfield User Group when it formed in 2003 and was instrumental in securing significant Community Trust funding towards the Terminal Building.  She was a member of the Omarama Soaring Centre Committee for many years, with responsibility for organising contests, even acting as CD herself. 

In 2003, she was awarded the Friendship Cup. At national level, Karen has been a member of the Sailplane Racing Committee for 4 years and on the GNZ Executive for 11 years, serving as GNZ Vice President then President for 8 of those years.

Karen continues with gliding administration to this day, as secretary/treasurer to several of the hangar companies at Omarama, which she has done continuously for many years.  Recently she took up the role of Secretary to the GNZ Umbrella Trust.

We have great pleasure in awarding the Angus Rose Bowl to Karen Morgan.

Air NZ Soaring Award

This trophy is awarded to the pilot who has shown the most significant improvement in their personal standard of competition or record flying during the year.

The winner of the award this year got his QGP in 2008 and achieved his 3rd Diamond 8 years later.  He has been doing pretty well in contests in his venerable DG 300, most recently achieving 2nd place in both the Auckland Soaring Champs out of Drury and the Grand Prix out of Matamata.

Then he traded up to a Ventus CT and proceeded to blow the socks off the opposition by winning 5 of the 10 days in the Open Class at the Nationals in Taupo last February and all 3 days of the Central Districts Champs in Waipukurau a couple of weeks later.

So, for proving that he’s been the “right stuff” all along and just needed the right glider; the winner of this year’s Air New Zealand Soaring Award is Tim Bromhead.

Buckland Soaring Award

This is awarded annually to the highest scoring New Zealand national in the New Zealand division of the Aerokurier Online Contest (OLC) for the previous season.  OLC rules and handicaps are used.  There are two divisions; one for soaring flights commencing in the North Island and the other for soaring flights commencing in the South Island.  The winning pilots stand down for the following two seasons.

South Island Division

2nd      Kelvyn Flavall                      Omarama                             3,723 pts

1st Max Stevens                       Wellington                          5,202 pts     

North Island Division

2nd      Maurice Honey                   Auckland                               2,343 pts

1st Pat Driessen                       Auckland                            3,291pts

CWF Hamilton Trophy

This trophy is awarded to a New Zealander operating in New Zealand for the most meritorious flight that is a New Zealand gliding record.

There was one quite remarkable flight during the year, which was also a World Record:

On 3 February 2020, Terry Delore took off at 6:14 am from Omarama (5mins after MCT) in his ASW27, flew down to Clyde, flew to abeam Napier, then returned to Omarama via Clyde to land 14:35 hours later, qualifying for 3 separate NZ records:

Speed over 1,500 km Out & Return – 139.7 km/h

Out & Return distance – 1,731.0 km

Free Out & Return distance – 1,731.4 km

The latter was a World Record.

His total distance including the Omarama – Clyde legs was 1,923 km and he had 48 mins to spare to ECT.

The trophy goes to Terry Delore.