State comp ready to soar

NEXT year, top pilots from across the state will compete at Raywood for the Victorian Soaring Association State Championships.

Set for seven days starting Saturday, 25 February, Bendigo Gliding Club has been announced as the event’s host and contest director Ian Grant said the club was chosen due to its recent expansion.

“Because the Bendigo club has expanded the airfield and put a second runway, beside the north-south runway they now have an east-west runway and that makes it large enough to host the competition,” he said.

“The area for flying gliders out of Raywood is very good, out to the west around to the north and to the north-east.

“It’s all over country that’s very good soaring conditions for flyers. We’re pretty certain we’ll get a good turnup.”

The event has previously been held in Benalla and Horsham, and Mr Grant said it usually about 30 pilots enter.

“We’ll have pilots coming from around Victoria and some interstate,” he said. “Although it’s the Victorian competition it’s open to all pilots in Australia.

There are four classes of gliders: an open class for the best 25-metre wingspan aircraft, a standard class, a 15-metre wingspan class, and a club class for older gliders.

The competition involves pilots flying a course ranging from 200 to 500 kilometres, with the quickest glider the winner.