GLIDERS rejoice as a local flying club comes into possession of a worldwide top-of-the-market sail plane which will be used to train post-solo pilots in the finer points of soaring.
The Waikerie Gliding Club (WGC) took possession of a high-performance, two-seater sail plane at its annual general meeting on Saturday, July 18.
WGC chair Bill Mudge said the new sail plane has a wingspan of 20m and has been fully restored and updated.
“The sail plane is a completely refurbished Duo Discus which the club has planned on acquiring for some time,” he said.
“It will enhance the fleet by providing a sail plane that is capable of teaching advanced cross country flying and competition techniques.
“It has been equipped with the latest navigation and flight logging equipment, and a flight avoidance instrument.”
The sail plane was originally imported into Australia and based at Waikerie, where it was sold to a commercial operation and eventually bought by Morgy’s Glider Works at Waikerie.
WGC member and Morgy’s Glider Works owner Mark Morgan said he worked on the “slightly damaged” plane for four years before selling it to the gliding club.
“It’s taken over 1000 hours to pull apart, strip paint, and fully repair the plane, but here we are,” Mr Morgan said.
“The Duo Discus is recognised as one of the best two-seater trainers on the market – it’s a very popular model worldwide, so we are very fortunate to now have this one at the Waikerie Gliding Club.
“It has required a special paint resistant to the Australian ultra-violet levels, and we’ve also added winglets and wing wheels to the host of fully updated flying and navigation equipment.”
Mr Mudge said the plane was taken for a test flight and introduced to club members last week.
“It will be flown by experienced instructors and cross-country coaches to train recent post-solo pilots in the finer points of advanced soaring,” he said.
“It has a glide angle of 45:1, which means it can glide for 45km from a height of 3300 feet.
“We’re very happy to have the new plane in the hangar.”