Gympie Gliding Club

G'day. You've landed at the Gympie Gliding Club's web site. The Gympie Gliding Club is located at the Gympie Air Strip at Kybong, south of Gympie on the Bruce Highway.

Noosa, one of Queensland's premier tourist destinations, is only forty minutes away by road. Make a day of it. Soar with the eagles in the morning and spend the afternoon at Noosa enjoying the fine foods and wines at any of the Hastings Street Bistros. What a way to spend a day or even a weekend. A qualified instructor can give you an Air Experience Flight (AEF). This will give you your first taste of gliding. The Gympie Soaring Club also offers gift vouchers for Air Experience Flights. These are great value and start from as low as $110 for a winch launch or $175 to be launched by plane tow. These can be used on any club flying day.

Check the Weather Radar, courtesy of Mt. Kanighan Radar Station of the Bureau of Meteorology.

Who, What, When, Where, How?

Getting things ready
The single-seat Cirrus is back in action - January 2010.

Who?

Gympie Gliding Club has around seventy members. The ages of these members vary greatly from 15 to 80. Anyone over 15 can fly solo, after training of course. It is possible to do your training while you are 14 and go solo on or after your 15th birthday, as a number of people at the club have done. If you are a visitor you will be able to fly in the front seat of one of our two seater gliders. A qualified instructor will give you an Air Experience Flight (AEF). This will give you your first taste of gliding.

What?

Gliding is essentially flying an aircraft with no motor and is one of the safest forms of flying. Gliding is also known as soaring and gliders are also sometimes known as sail planes. The newer models are made of fibreglass, the older models have a wooden and steel tube frame and are covered in fabric. The club fleet is quite modern - all aircraft are made of fibreglass.

When?

The Gliding Club operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays. However if it is raining or very overcast then there will probably be no gliding on that day. The middle of the day is the best time to go flying however on a busy day it's first come first served. The best time to arrive is about eight to nine o'clock, at this time you will be able to see the gliders being inspected and prepared for the days flying. Gliding usually finishes in the afternoon when the heat starts to die off, though this time changes throughout summer and winter. See also the Club Agenda for details of any special events we have planned.

Where?

Gympie is in the Cooloola Shire in Queensland Australia. The Gympie airport is about 10 kilometres south of the town of Gympie along the Bruce Highway opposite the Kybong Community Hall. If you're travelling north up the highway you will pass the Matilda Roadhouse on the left and soon thereafter the Kybong Hall on the right. Take the next turn to the left into the Gympie airport. If you're travelling south you will see a billboard about 2 kilometres north of the airfield turnoff. Take the air port turnoff to the right. Once at the aerodrome there will be signs inside the gate. You will have to drive around the southern end of the runway to get to the western side. Once there, go through the gate and north alongside the strip, NOT on it. Gliders use the grass on the side of the strip to land so please stay as close to the fence as possible. From the clubhouse you will be able to see both ends of the runway. Gliding operations will be on the downwind end.

How?

And now to the big question. How does a glider stay up in the air, let alone get up there? Well firstly gliders are generally lighter and have longer wings than light powered planes. The Sun heats the ground, the ground heats the air, and the hot air goes up. Gliders use this rising air to climb higher. Gliders are launched by either a winch or a tug. Gympie predominantly uses a winch to launch gliders.

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