Awe and fear in the wide blue yonder
The Ruahine Range is a playground for all who love the outdoors.
Gliding Manawatu¯ gave me the chance to be at the controls of a dual-cockpit glider and, in an hour and a half, I got a snapshot of our picturesque, yet often underrated, region.
It was spectacular weather, with only a few shreds of cloud around the range’s highest points - Whariti Peak and the Hikurangi Range.
As we drift around some of its most remote locations, the terrain repeatedly soars to meet us, then plunges away – scree slopes, fields of golden tussock, waterfalls, jewel-like tarns.
It’s in those moments you realise freedom is flying over God’s own country - a bit of a change from the typical day-today existence in the office.
It’s amazing what an aircraft can do using only the power of the air. Using thermals, a glider can climb to 5000 feet, do aerobatics and fly up to six hours.
Pilot Ross Anderson loves powerless flight for its instinctual approach. The focus of a glider pilot is outside the cockpit, whereas a powered pilot’s attention is caught by instruments inside.
The reality is, glider pilots fly in a permanent state of engine failure.
They have a profound understanding of the weather, microclimates and the atmosphere. They must stay focused and aware - there is no engine to get them out of difficulty.
When Captain Chesley ‘‘Sully’’ Sullenberger safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 onto New York’s Hudson River in January 2009, he was rightfully lauded for his flying skill.
A flock of Canada geese had taken out both engines, but despite the potentially catastrophic landing, all 155 people on board lived.
It was called the ‘‘miracle on the Hudson’’, but it was gliding that saved the day.
Gliding Manawatu¯ operates on weekends, weather permitting, from the Feilding Aerodrome. The club is run by volunteers, including gliding instructors, tow pilots, engineers and ground crew.
I had the nervous pleasure of controlling the glider back from the Ruahine Range to Feilding. It’s certainly a juggling act.
But the biggest thing I learnt was not only how to control the aircraft, but to monitor my own well-being. It was a sweltering day - 29 degrees Celsius if I remember rightly.
The cockpit of a glider is a confined space and not always ergonomically friendly. A lack of water and the scorching heat were more than capable of undermining performance - even in a short ride like mine.
Granted there were air vents, but I sweated more in that hour than I ever have before, and I was a shearer for five years.
If you want to go for a glide, contact Gliding Manawatu¯ on contactus.wmgc@gmail.com.