Gliders return to Horsham
More than 60 glider pilots, support crew and ground staff flocked to Horsham Aerodrome for the annual Horsham Week competition last week.
Gliders took to the sky for a variety of flight courses judged on speed and distance.
Horsham Flying Club president Michael Sudholz said there were 37 gliders at the event.
“It was a really good week. The gliders had a terrific finish on Friday with really good conditions and gliders reached heights of up to 12,500 feet,” he said.
“They were able to fly five of the eight days, with one rest day and two no-fly days as the weather was not suitable for competition.
“Our winner in the open category, Ryan Driscoll, flew at 140 knots per hour, which is good. He started at coaching week with us five years ago and has climbed the ranks since.”
Mr Sudholz said the week finished with glider awards and a presentation from club founding member Steve Mcfarlane.
“As it is our 60th year as a flying club, Steve spoke about the early days and how the club came to be in Horsham,” he said.
Mr Sudholz said he had seen some great improvement from gliders who had continued to return to the competition each year.
“We had 20-plus students at Coaching Week, the week before Horsham Week, plus coaches,” he said.
“They lost three days of flying due to weather but had great weather when they did get to fly.
“We hope to see some return and move up into competition.”
Mr Sudholz said it was a great ‘boost’ for Horsham to have so many people come through the town across the two weeks.
“People use the accommodation and spend money, which is great for Horsham tourism,” he said.
“People who come to fly here say it’s one of the safest places to fly and that they love coming here and coming back.”