Tauranga Gliding Club president Adrian Cable. Photo/Andrew Warner
The Tauranga Gliding Club is putting a strong focus on getting young blood into the sport and hobby, offering free gliding for under-24s.
Club president Adrian Cable estimates the club started 55 years ago.
Altogether the club has about 60 members, flying and non-flying.
"The club meets to fly on weekends, but we will occasionally fly midweek if we have a nice day, generally it's weekends though," Cable said.
There is youth glide which is getting popular, he said.
"For youth glide, flying is free. There are two components, the tow plane which gets you into the air, then the glider - so the glider time is free."
Anyone up to the age of 24 is eligible for free youth glide.
Cable said a recent highlight was when club member Mark Tingey recently competed in the gliding world championships in Chile.
"The club enters a number of contests all around New Zealand, North Island, South Island," Cable said.
The largest clubs would be Auckland and Canterbury, according to Cable.
"Auckland is largest by population and Canterbury is the one of the best because of the location in the South Island, near the Southern Alps."
"There's fabulous gliding down there, it's the absolute Mecca," he said.
Cable said Tauranga was one of the larger clubs.
An event the club is looking forward to it celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Piako Gliding Club on April 13.
"Piako and Tauranga gliding clubs are both closely affiliated in that we are both part of the Matamata soaring centre, so we all operate from Matamata in the summer," Cable said.
"Piako is a separate club but we will be supporting their 60th anniversary. We've got one of their old gliders and they've got one of ours, so we trade gliders and we share tow pilots."
Becoming a glider pilot
- $2500 special deal from zero to flying solo.
- No age restriction but depends on height to reach glider controls.
- Typically takes 40 to 50 flights to fly solo. Free instruction.
- Contact Chief Flying Instructor James Graham 027-571-8648.
Recently, Auckland Zoo put down an Antipodean albatross. Now another bird was put down.