The club
operates and is administrated on a purely voluntary basis by Club
members who total around one hundred. The club's gliders and tow
plane are operated on a cost recovery basis while all
glider instruction and piloting of the tow-plane is free.
All instructors are approved by our parent organization, Gliding
New Zealand. We actively welcome all prospective new members to our
club.
The
Canterbury Gliding Club has been teaching people to soar for over
fifty years. We are an all volunteer organization - everybody in
the club offers their time freely to support the sport. The club
has experienced pilots and instructors, many with thousands of
hours of flying time. The Canterbury club has been the home to many
successful world gliding record attempts and other internationally
recognized achievements. The Southern Alps provide a gliding
paradise where flights of hundreds of kilometers are possible. You
too can enjoy the great opportunities for silent flight that are
available on our doorstep.
If you
can't find the answer to your question here, please don't hesitate
to contact us
or more information.
Who
can learn to fly gliders?
Almost anyone
can take up gliding - there is no age restriction. Generally many
under the age of 14 will be too small to reach the controls. If you
have any health concerns just check with your doctor that it is OK
for you. There is a basic medical declaration required prior to
going solo but no aircrew medical requirement.
How
long will it take to learn?
A typical
person takes between 35 and 50 training flights with an instructor
before being checked out to go solo, but this depends a lot on
individual ability, how frequently you fly and any past flying
experience. Note however that long before you go solo you will have
full control of the aircraft for all phases of the flight.
Furthermore going solo is only the first step - there's plenty more
to learn from an instructor about making the most of the sources of
lift in order to extend your flights as well as advanced topics
like cross-country flying which can take you on flights of 100s of
km.
How
much will it cost?
Flying gliders
is one of the cheapest ways to enjoy an aviation sport. At all New
Zealand Gliding clubs the instruction is free. This is because we
are a voluntary run, non-profit organization and operate on a "cost
recovery" basis. Members pay an annual membership fee plus the cost
of glider hire and the cost of the launch - a per-minute charge for
the tow plane or a flat fee for a winch launch.
You can join
the club at any time of the year and "pay as you fly" - members are
invoiced out monthly. We ask members to keep their accounts in
credit to the tune of $100. In addition there is an expectation
that all members will participate towards the running of the club
in whatever way they feel they can. Although the gliders only carry
one or two people it is actually a highly cooperative sport
requiring the assistance of tow-pilots, winch drivers,
time-keepers, radio operators and wing runners. There are lots of
way to contribute when you aren't actually flying, not the least of
which is the social side of the club centered around our bar and
clubrooms and involving regular special events.
When
and where?
The club
operates every weekend and most holidays depending on the weather
from our main base at Hororata (about 40 minutes drive SW of
Christchurch). In addition we have regular away camps during
the year, including operating from the Omarama airfield over the
Christmas/New Year period that gives great opportunities to try
world-class mountain flying.
How
does the training work?
You can train
at your own pace, coming out to the field whenever you can.
Generally if you fly frequently you will make faster progress -
it's better to fly a little every couple of weeks than try for a
long flight every three months. Training is performed by the clubs
experienced instructors - they have taught hundreds of people to
fly safely and are prepared for students at all levels of ability
and interest. Training flights are available every day we are
flying and are performed on a first-come first served basis. During
your flying training it's likely that you will fly with a number of
different instructors in order to gain the widest possible range of
experience.
Learning to
fly gliders is conducted according to a syllabus developed by our
parent organization Gliding New Zealand. In general there are three
stages. The first teaches you to take off and land safely and to
plan a flight in the vicinity of the airfield. When you have
mastered that you are ready to go solo. From that point you will
concentrate on the second stage - this consolidates what was learnt
in the first stage and introduces the art of soaring -
finding and making the best of the rising air which keeps gliders
aloft and makes long flights possible. The final stage is learning
to fly cross-country - finding lift, navigating and if it becomes
necessary landing in a remote airstrip or paddock.
Safety
We operate
under safety guidelines developed by Gliding New Zealand under the
authority of the Civil Aviation Authority. Operating in a safe
manner is a key part of all our flying and learning to fly safely
is the major part of our flight training
Competitions
Canterbury
club members are active in competition flying, and there are
regular opportunities to compete in regional and national
competitions. Gliding competitions involve timed races over
courses of hundreds of kilometers and are the ultimate test of
piloting ability.
The aircraft
We have a modern
fleet of fibre-glass gliders: two training two seaters, a high
performance two seater and a very nice single seat glider. We pride
ourselves on maintaining these to the highest possible
standard.