Tauranga pilot faces world's best at World Sailplane Grand Prix Final

Mark Tingey has only been competing seriously in sailplane racing for about three years. Photo/supplied

Tauranga's Mark Tingey will soon be soaring among the clouds at the World Sailplane Grand Prix Final in Chile.

Tingey has only been seriously competing in sailplane racing for three years but has quickly reached new heights.

This year he was presented with the Gliding NZ Air New Zealand Soaring Award for the pilot showing the most improved standard of flying and represented New Zealand at the World Gliding Championships in Australia.

While in Australia he entered the Australian Sailplane Grand Prix and was the only pilot to do so without a world ranking. In a major upset Tingey ended up taking out second place.

"When I went over there I had no real expectations of doing well actually as most of the Australian worlds team were doing the same thing and were using the Grand Prix as practice for the worlds coming up," Tingey said.

"So to come second surprised not only them but myself as well. It was one of those things that went my way and I led the competition for most of it until the last day."

The success meant he qualified for the World Sailplane Grand Prix Final to be held in Santiago, Chile in January. The extreme conditions of the Andes mountains offer some of the most challenging and exhilarating glider flying on the planet.

"The only thing we have similar to it is the Southern Alps and around the Omarama. The Andes is Omarama on steroids really," Tingey laughed.

"The flying is fast, generally low down on the ridges and some of the thermal conditions we have over there can be quite extreme. So it is going to be challenging but it is going to be quite rewarding as well."

There are only 20 glider pilots in the world invited to attend this event and Tingey is the only New Zealand pilot to ever qualify to compete in a world final.

"That is a feather in my cap having only been into it for three or four years. You have to roll with the punches and take your opportunities as they come. I thought this is too good an opportunity to give away," he said.

But qualifying was only half the battle. The cost of shipping his glider to Chile was the next issue. Pilots attending the competition from Europe had their shipping costs paid for them but Tingey has to fund the whole exercise himself.

When Maersk Line shipping company heard of Tingey's incredible journey to get to Chile they generously offered to ship his glider to Chile and back free of charge with help from Port of Tauranga. Holland Beckett Law, where Tingey works as a commercial partner, has also supported him on his journey in pursuit of a world title.

"The glider is on its way. It gets shipped out today so I am very grateful to Maersk and Port of Tauranga for making it happen," Tingey said.