In the October 2006 issue of Soaring Australia:

GFA articles

Vinon Retrospective
The Club Class World Gliding Championships at Vinon, France in July produced some spectacular flying, scenery and weather. Following on from last month's look at the first three days, Terry Cubley summarises his and Peter Temple's  experiences representing Australia. The two came in at a very respectable 21st and 16th place overall.

JoeyGlide
A trio of articles from Caleb White, Sarah Allen and Paul Mander look at last season's JoeyGlide 05 junior championships at Leeton, NSW - from the viewpoint of the young particpants and an instructor, as well as what to expect at the next event.

Australian Gliding Museum News
Dave Goldsmith gives a snapshot of the dedicated preservation work happening at the museum at Point Cook, VIC, on such historic gliders as the Coogee, T31, HP14 and LO-150 .

Where does your wing section come from? - Part 3
Martin Simons continues his series on the development of the airfoil, looking this month at the work of the US National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), its influencial Report 460, and its 'four-digit series'  describing camber and thickness characteristics.

Gawler Grand Prix update
Terry Cubley tells us what to expect at Gawler in January, when a telephone-based tracking system will allow a world wide audience to "watch the event unfold in front of their eyes on the internet". Entries close at the end of September.

Harry Geoffrey Richardson,  1914-2006: A Pioneer of Australian gliding
Long-time friend Alan Patching looks at the life of Geoff Richardson who joined the Gliding Club of Victoria 78 years ago. Alan owns the Golden Eagle that Geoff built and flew in 1937.

GFA Executive Officer's Report
For those who aren't familiar with the GFA's head office at Essendon Airport, John Welsh introduces the staff and services there (and explains why his Hornet sits pining in its trailer in his driveway).

HGFA articles

A Winch is Born
Being stuck out at Mt Isa brings out the best in some determined free-flyers. Robin Dawson doesn't let the lack of hills or flying buddies stop him from getting airborne ? with some local help and a purpose-built winch.

Bight Me (My Australia Day)
After flying the Great Australian Bight for hours, not even an outback landing and night-long retrieve could dampen an Australia Day Murray Woods won't soon forget.

The 2005/2006 Deni Competition
Peter Lissenburg tells about his experiences of the great flying and comradeship during the 2006 Deniliquin towing competition. This is his way of trying to get new pilots to join in the fun of this year's comp and to fly their first big cross-countries.

Glennies ? The Party You Bring Your Glider To
The NSW inter-club competition is not dampened by cold weather or non-flying days. Join Scott Barrett at the Glennies to find out how they put smiles on pilots faces ? or there GPSs ? in the middle of a Newcastle winter.

Hang Gliding is Alive and Well
Lee Patterson tells of his personal successes in running a hang gliding school in Canungra and of the student teaching philosophy he applies to assure the growth of hang gliding as a sport into the future.

My Holy Grail: The Irish Paragliding Distance Record
Enda Murphy tells of flying over green rolling hills instead of brown stubble paddocks for a change. Record opportunities have to be grabbed where they present  themselves - even during cool and rainy Irish summers.

My Flying Friends
Flying Merewether in Newcastle and sharing the air with local raptors is Meg Butler's inspiration for this beautifully illustrated article.

Flying on Top of the World ? A Real High!
Kathy Little visits her penpal in Fairbanks, Alaska, and is taken for a microlight trip of a lifetime under the midnight sun of the arctic summer.

Tree Self-Rescue for Paraglider Pilots
An informative and practical description by Lowell Skoog. This emergency procedure requires no outside assistance, but a bit of practice, preparation and competence.

Paraglider Review: Swing Mistral 4
Hakim Mentes puts the Mistral through its paces and gives his opinion on its characteristics.