GNZ Newsletter October 2023
From the president
Welcome to the October 2023 GNZ newsletter.
Can you believe it.
We are in the second month of spring already.
Daylight savings has arrived.
Summer is almost close enough to smell it.
Even though winter keeps dropping reminders.
Cross country flying is underway for most clubs on the good days.
In between we have crazy spring windy weather.
Club calendars are full of upcoming events.
And we've got a long weekend this month.
Life is good.
Steve Wallace
GNZ President
Congratulations
JASON SHIELDS
On getting your new V3 fixed and ready for summer!
CANTERBURY GLIDING CLUB
On finishing a 4 year project (in time for summer) to transform the fuselage of their Janus
CHARLIE IRVIN
For designing one of the best gliding comp posters ever. You could frame this and hang it on the wall!
OLIVER ROBERTS
Our latest XCP qualified pilot. No. 3506 and our latest C Cat instructor. Well done Ollie!
Summer Training Sessions
by William Keedwell
Papawai and Omarama
Dear Gliding Enthusiasts across New Zealand,
With summer on the horizon, we are excited to extend a special invitation to all gliding club members across New Zealand for our upcoming summer training sessions. Papawai and Omarama are not just about gliding; it's about embracing the sport, refining skills, and building a community that thrives on the thrill of soaring.
Why Choose A Summer Training course?
Consolidated Training: Experience shows that immersive, week-long sessions offer a deeper learning curve compared to occasional flights.
Expertly Tailored Programs: Our courses are designed to cater to diverse needs, ensuring focused attention with a 2:1 student-instructor ratio.
Past Success: Many of our previous attendees are now meticulously planning their paddock landings for this summer. This could be you next year!
Time off work: schedule your time off work months in advance ensuring you fully immerse yourself in the training without any work-related distractions.
Weather Independent Learning: irrespective of the weather. On days when flying conditions aren't optimal, we ensure the learning doesn't stop. You can engage in insightful lectures from our seasoned instructors.
Papawai and Omarama: Diverse Training Opportunities:
Both Papawai and Omarama offer Intensive Training courses tailored to individual needs, accommodating a diverse mix of students with varying goals in the same courses for a personalized learning experience.
Omarama, in addition to the Intensive Training courses, also provides a Mountain Soaring Week and an Introduction to Alpine Flying Course.
Upcoming Summer Training Sessions at Papawai
October 2023:
Instructor Training Course: Mon 23rd - Fri 27th
November 2023:
2x Intensive Training Weeks: Mon 13th – Fri 17th and Mon 20th – Fri 24th
January 2024:
2x Intensive Training Weeks: Mon 8th – Fri 12th and Mon 29th – Fri 2nd
February 2024:
Intensive Training Week: Mon 26th – Fri 1st
March 2024:
2x Intensive Training Weeks: Mon 11th – Fri 15th and Mon 25th – Fri 29th
Upcoming Summer Training Sessions at Omarama
October 2023:
Instructor Training Course: 28th – 5th Nov
November 2023:
Mountain Soaring Week: 20th – 24th
2x Intro to Soaring: 27th-28th and 30th – 1st Dec
December 2023:
2x Intensive Training Weeks: 4th – 8th and 18th – 22nd
January 2024:Intro to Alpine Flying Course: 22nd – 26th.
February 2024:
Intensive Training week: 12th – 16th
Intro to Alpine Flying: 19th – 23rd
March 2024:
Intensive Training week: 4th – 8th
2x Intro to Soaring: 18th-19th, 21st – 22nd
April 2024:
Intensive Training week: 1st – 5th.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We urge all gliding enthusiasts, whether beginners or seasoned professionals, to consider joining us. With limited spots available per session, we recommend booking your slot at the earliest. This is a golden opportunity to network with fellow gliders, learn from the best, and make the most of the summer skies.
Book at Papawai with this Link
Inquiries To Omarama [email protected]
To all our fellow gliders across New Zealand: Let's come together, share experiences, and make this summer a memorable one. We're eager to welcome you to Papawai and Omarama!
Awards Officer
Bruno Tagliapietra - GNZ Awards Officer
"Get these badges off my hands!"
This is a scream for help from your Awards Officer: they are taking space in my little apartment in Wellington, I don’t want them, take them away, WIN THEM!
How, you might ask?
It’s all written in the FAI IGC docs.
Sporting Code Section 3.
For badges, you only need Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Seven pages.
You can skip the other chapters, unless you aim for a record.
Annex C - Official Observer and Pilot Guide.
This is a great read, the closest thing to a how-to you can get by FAI IGC.
For pilots, the most interesting topics are:
- Task considerations
- Height factors
- Start and finish considerations
- Position recorders and flight recorders
- Flight recorders – pilot actions
- Gliders with engines (only if you have an engine)
Thirteen pages if you don't have an engine, sixteen otherwise.
~20 pages - you surely have read way longer gliding books.
If you have questions about it, please ask at [email protected]
If I get enough questions, I might write a FAQ section and add it to the GNZ website https://gliding.co.nz/pilots/badges-records/
Handy checklist for badge flying below.
Click on the picture to be taken to the Google doc where the embedded links will work. Once out of draft this doc will be published on the GNZ website.
Up Coming Events
For a summary of up coming events go to:
The ads are now flowing in. If you are travelling from another island please click the pic below for a 10% ferry discount.
Youth Glide New Zealand AGM Sat 14th Oct 2023 - Sun 15th Oct 2023
Meeting Youth Glide New Zealand Tauranga Gliding Club
This year Youth Glide will be hosting its Annual Meeting (AGM) & Mingle in Tauranga! Just like the previous Meeting & Mingles, Youth Glide will arrange a series of aviation-related activities during this weekend which will include some gliding at the Taupo Gliding Club
This weekend is not just for YGNZ youth members – we encourage friends, family, and all supporters of YGNZ to attend and join in on the fun.
MSC X-Country Course
Sat 21st Oct 2023 - Wed 25th Oct 2023
Great for those wanting to fly their for cross-country or those wanting to improve their cross country planning and flyting skills. Minimum requirements are CFI approval and ability to accurately land short, i.e. paddock land.
Central Plateau Comp
Sat 4th Nov 2023 - Sat 12th Nov 2023
OGC Mountain flying course: Mon 20th Nov - Fri 24th Nov 2023 South Island Regionals Competition: Tue 2nd Jan – Tue 9th Jan 2024
Drury Enterprise Contest
Tarras Airport
An un-needed and unwanted new airport that will be a disaster for gliding in the South.
If you think you can help, please get in touch.
Christchurch International Airport Limited (CIAL) is wanting to build a new international airport at Tarras. The airport will sit at the head of the Lindis Valley and be just an hours drive up the road from Queenstown International Airport. The restricted airspace requirements that will come with it will effectively cut off the opportunity to fly gliders south from Omarama. Gliding New Zealand is wishing to add their voice to the many other voices that are opposing this airport. A sub-committee has been formed headed by CJ McCaw the Chairman of GNZ's airspace committee. CJ is being assisted by Grae Harrison, Tim Hughes and Nigel Davy. The committee is requesting help from anybody with skills or contacts in Media, Legal, Political, Environmental or any other fields of expertise that may be of use in opposing this airport.
You can contact CJ at: [email protected]
Good luck to those on-board taking off through the Pisa wave rotor!
From around the clubs
At Whenuapai gliders give way to C17 Globemasters.
Piako - Coromandel township on the way to Port Johnson / Jensen / Jackson
Taupo - very much enjoying a pot luck dinner
Club dinners are a bit flasher a the Wellington Wairarapa GC.
Uber eats over the skies of the deep south.
ATC Cadets ready to go flying at Springfield
Dana gives the Craggieburn wave a thumbs up
Skiers sharing the slopes with the slope soarers
NZQA Approves Updated Gliding Standards
Updated Gliding Standards Approved
Good news, NZQA have just approved the updated reviewed gliding standards.
The new versions should hit the September approval deadline, which means they will be published on the NZQA website around the middle of October.
NCEA Programme: http://youthglide.org.nz/our-operations/#ncea
YGNZ Presentation Pack: http://youthglide.org.nz/policy-resources/#presentation
NZQA (not updated yet): https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/units/pdf/26836.pdf
Membership
Membership Display Panel
The winter sink is decreasing but unfortunately we are down another three members this month to an overall negative of minus 11 members for the year. So we have a bit of scratching to do to find a membership thermal and hook back into those sweet positive numbers. With most fields now dried out and open for business again I would like to think things will get back to ticking up again. However, everybody does have to play their part and make sure all visitors are welcomed to your club, not ignored and given a great first experience.
Mike Strathern's Aussie Campaign begins
Building up to the World Champs
Mike's glider ASW20 (280) arrived in Aussie a few weeks ahead of Mike and soon Mike will be putting down the sander and slapping on the insect repellant as he embarks on his first warm up comp in Australia before the World Champs in December. You can follow his progress as he competes in the Australian Sports and Club Class Nationals in Kingaroy, Queensland.
Results: https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/2023-club-and-sports-nationals-kingaroy-2023/
Mike's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/michael.strathern
Also, a plea from Mike to any travel insurance experts out there. An FAI condition of entry to the World Champs is a requirement for medical and repatriation insurance in case of a gliding accident. It appears hwoever that no insurer in New Zealand offers such an insurance that will cover you while flying gliders. Such insurance is available overseas but not in New Zealand. If you can help please get in touch with Mike: [email protected]
Thermalling Etiquette
With the thermalling season underway...
its time to review and have a think about your use of thermalling etiquette before you start mixing it with others. Below is a nice video by Bill Palmer to get you thinking.
Incident Reports
A summary of incidents August to September 2023
- very experienced tow pilot left carb heat ON after preflight checks, waved off glider at 500 ft
- winch launch attempted with tow-out weak-link in line, untrained visitors had been keen to help
- twin aero-towed in zero wind and light drizzle, wet wings, very low and slow over the trees
- motor glider began launch with propeller in coarse pitch, abandoned launch due to lower rpm
- drink bottle slipped through oxygen bottle hole, jammed right aileron, landed after 5 Nm final
- launch halted because tail ballast not removed after change from heavy pilot to lighter pilot
- towplane taxied into glider trolley - trolley was noticed but then preflight check was interrupted
You can access all back copies of the Ops Team Talking newsletters.
These have been placed on the Gliding NZ web site under News > Safety Bulletins A link to the GNZ incident reporting form (OPS 10) can be found in the very top menu bar on the GNZ homepage, just to the right of the 'Classified Adverts'. You can now fill this form out on your phone at the airfield so no excuses.
OPS 10 link: http://gliding.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/OPS10v7f.pdf
In the case of an accident, asap please phone: 0508 ACCIDENT (0508 222 433)
GNZ Classifieds
Just look at all those lovely gliders for sale just awaiting new owners before summer...
https://gliding.co.nz/classifieds/
Thanks for reading
All contributions, pics, videos and opinions welcome
EMAIL: [email protected]