GNZ Newsletter
November 2018
From the president
Welcome to the November GNZ newsletter.
October has been a great month with much happening around the clubs.
The social channels are alight with some fantastic early season flights, first solo's, youth events, away camps, briefings and talks.
Equally exciting is the planning that is underway for this season with some amazing events, camps and comps in the pipeline.
If you haven't already make sure you keep in touch with the 'Events' tab on the GNZ website.
I'm excited! I hope you are too.
Steve Wallace
GNZ President
Guess who
Coming to NZ this Jan / Feb
Your chance to fly with the world's undisputed greatest competition glider pilot ever.
Keep your eyes open for the details email coming soon...
Youth Glide Promo Package in action
Too much grey hair around the table?
Could your club do with some more youth members?
Your local school has them, all you need to do is present.
Below is a step by step guide to how one progressive NZ Gliding Club did it.
- 1.Arrange a presentation at your local school. "Our youth student Anja Runge presented the Youth Glide Video and the associated Presentation to a Kuranui College Assembly (resource available on the Youth Glide website or download from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eM3jSlXp5fIh1BKUK-bXAaQy2aQ7um8J )
- 2."Following the Presentation we made available to those who were interested a brief 'I am interested in learning more about gliding ‘ application form, with the incentive of a free gliding experience to whoever best answered the question ‘ Why do I want to fly ? ” The gliding experience was our standard 'One day Introduction to Gliding Course' http://soar.co.nz/index.php/learn-to-fly/ which is our main and most effective ( about a 50% conversion rate) recruiting Trial Flight tool."
- 3."The assembly audience was about 400, of which 20 took a form . We allowed a two week return time following which we had 6 satisfactorily completed entries."
- 4.Joshua’s submission was the best : "I wanted to be a commercial pilot but now I would like to do it because of the view and excitement I will get when flying"
- 5."We, being Kuranui and ourselves, arranged a presentation to Joshua plus the other 5 entrants and had the local newspaper attend. The 5 other entrants were given a heavily discounted one trial flight voucher."
- 6."The Newspaper ran the article following which we received a request from Chanel College in Masterton for a similar Presentation. Wether a consequence of the article or not we are also receiving about 1 or 2 enquiries per month from local parents re gliding opportunities."
- 7."We presently have 5 Youth Members attending our Sunday Rain or Shine To Solo Flying School and whilst we will make room for Joshua if he decides to proceed we are otherwise full until we can kick off a new intake in Dec."
The whole process requires a fair bit of planning and implementation effort, yes, but don’t most worthwhile ventures?
Congratulations to Joshua Wiegmann and the Wellington Gliding Club
Congratulations Carmen Haybittle!
First solo
Bob Henderson (MNZM)
More amazing news from the other end of the scale. GNZ's very own Bob Henderson has just been elected FAI President.
The FAI is the international body founded in 1905 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland that represents over 100 members nations. The FAI provides regulation and ratification of world records, awards and competition. It brings together people who take part in air sports from all over the world. They share the delight of gliding, the excitement of parachuting and ballooning, the fun of flying microlights and exercise their skill in aerobatics, drone racing and much more.
Congratulations Bob!
Meeting and Greeting
A friendly reminder that clubs should have somebody appointed (but this is really the responsibility of everybody) to meet, greet, look after and be friendly to all visitors to our airfields and gliding sites. First impressions count and it also a safety thing. We need to be aware of who is on our airfields at all times.
The Competition Scene
The new season rules are now available!
Before you enter a competition this season it would be remiss of you to have not read the rules.
They can be found at the below link.
http://gliding.co.nz/pilots/sailplane-racing/pilot-information-competitors-new-zealand/
Thanks to the SRC for this year tackling the most difficult topic of penalties for airspace infringement.
Don't forget, all SRC sanctioned comps and others that comply and register this season count towards your IGC world ranking!
Youth on your committee
Does your club have a youth member on its committee?
Because if it doesn't it should.
YGNZ are advocating for a greater voice in clubs and in the club committee room where the decisions are made is where this needs to happen. Youth are a growing part of most club memberships these days and they are the future of our sport. So why not involve them early and better train and prepare them for the leadership roles they are destined to take on.
Let's be careful out there!
From the "let's be careful out there" files an important note.
It was pointed out after last month's issue by a club maintenance engineer that canopies are extremely expensive items and that arms and selfie sticks out canopy vents of aircraft that are not your own (i.e. club aircraft) is a very bad idea. Most clubs that have thought of this have put it on the not approved list of their SOP's / club rules. If your club hasn't yet, nows your chance!
Thanks for reading
All contributions, pics, videos and opinions welcome
EMAIL: [email protected]