At 02:29 PM 18/12/01 +1100, you wrote:
>>From: "Derek Ruddock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>
>>What you are overlooking Mike, is that the club scene provides the facility
>>to fly to those of us who neither have the finances, nor the time nor the
>>inclination to spend a very substantial amount of money on a pastime. For
>>those fortunate individuals who are able to buy their own aircraft, the
>>above scenario would probably fit the bill perfectly, but for the rest of
>>us, I'm afraid it's the club, or nothing.
>
>More than that, Derek, Mike wouldn't even be able to start with his
>"...drive to their local airport.." without the GFA and its clubs. I can't
>think of anywhere in the Sydney basin that would be available for soaring
>without SX and its fellow clubs and predecessors who have kept Camden open
>to soaring against very strong pressures at times. A '...few people who own
>gliders...' wouldn't have stood a chance.
On the contrary, a few people with recognised PPL's doing ONE launch a day
each shouldn't have too much trouble operating just about anywhere. I can
well understand power operations having a problem with people who don't
even have licenses or passed the written exams that PPL's do being worried
about a gliding operation.
>
>Richmond is very controlled and the RAAF, of course, won't deal with
>individuals. The alternative at Mangrove Mountain is entirely a
>co-operative effort with countless 'personhours' of picking stones, rolling,
>weeding and planting before the first glider left the ground. As a field
>where the Council has banned power operations, it still needs the work of
>about 6 people to get 1 glider airborne.
I guess masochism has its own rewards.
>
>If Mike seriously wants gliding to have a future, he could start by giving
>some thought to the fact that there is no such thing as a Saturday morning
>drive to a local airport (at which gliding is permitted) for 80% of the
>population of Australia.
Well for me the local airport is 10 minutes across town. There's a
perfectly good airport 45 minutes drive from Adelaide and a few
alternatives, Caboolture is about the same from Brisbane, Boonah not much
further, Bacchus Marsh isn't that far from Melbourne and there are other
alternative locations. There used to be a gliding operation near Perth and
there's no reason why a few private pilots should not do that again. I
think that's more than the 20% you allude to. Don't forget also there's
more to Aus than Sydney and Melbourne and if you really want to fly gliders
you should consider relocating. Queensland is pretty good.
If I was in charge of a local airport I wouldn't permit the average gliding
club to operate either. A private owner operation with people holding real
licenses using aero tow or self launch where a few people went cross
country and were prepared to fit in by actually getting off active runways
promptly would be a different thing. Don't forget that most gliders are
coming out of the factory with some kind of motor fitted.
Ab initio training could be handled by doing 30 or 40 hours in a Jabiru,
Skyfox or such followed by an aerotow glider conversion at one of the above
locations. Fly with an instructor who is/was a glider pilot and he could
tailor your training towards gliding. The AUF is full of people who used to
fly gliders. You'd get a UL or GA license while you were at it, basically
for free. Those already with GA or UL licenses need only do the conversion.
It seems to take a couple of days in the US.
Only problem is no free flying for gliding "instructors", no vast GFA
structure, fewer rules, more freedom, no make work administrative jobs so
that the GFA hierarchy can put each other up for OA's.
Mike Borgelt
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
ABN 75532924542
Box 7474 Toowoomba M.C.
Queensland 4352
Australia
Tel 0746 355 784
mob 0428 355 784
0429 355 784
fax 0746 358 796
International
phone: int'l+ 61 7 46 355 784
Cellphone:int'l +61 4 28 355 784
int'l +61 4 29 355 784
fax : int'l+ 61 7 46 358 796
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website:www.ozemail.com.au/~mborgelt
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