Two Taranaki Gliding Club pilots, Les Sharp and Peter Williams, enjoyed a good flight one sunny Sunday in September.
Flying from the Stratford Airfield they first made their way at right angles to the mountain, using thermals and with wave lift off the mountain they flew to 2440m.
They flew south over the Hāwera airfield before turning north and making their way back to the mountain where more height was achieved to 3048m, enough to fly over New Plymouth Airport and return to Stratford.
They still had enough height to fly out to the Mangamingi area before returning to Stratford. The flight lasted just over two hours and the distance covered was some 200km.
