By Charlie Abercrombie
JoeyGlide was a fantastic experience for me, as it was my first competition and a very good one at that. Entering the competition was stressful, as I had to obtain a GPC without much experience. Credit is owed to my local CFI for putting in a lot of work to make it happen. I achieved my GPC a week before the first day, giving me the ability to compete in my first comp at 16!
The comp itself came with a huge learning curve and a lot of information to take in. I utilised the practice day to get my bearings and fly the LS-4 that I would be competing in, with a good two-hour flight to end the day and settle the nerves before the first official competition day.
Going in, I had only set personal goals to achieve this time because I had no idea what level of competition the other pilots would be bringing to the table. Trying to really compete is a goal that I will be attempting at the next JoeyGlide so I can further advance my personal skills.
The overall weather pattern during the comp was not bad, although some days were very challenging. One day completely shut off while I still had about 180km to get home, and we had 38-degree blue days where some areas only gave you a 1,000 to 3,000ft AGL height band to keep pushing on with. It gave me lots of experience in different conditions and the confidence to climb out from nearly outlanding multiple times.
My favourite thing about the competition was the little bits of teamwork you would experience here and there, whether flying with someone else to get back home or just passing them in a thermal. It was really cool to see people come together to help each other out.
Lots of help was available along the way, especially funding-wise. The Uncles Foundation had made it possible for me to compete through their financial aid. Their support made a huge difference to me and is on offer for all NSW people under the age of 25 attending any gliding event in the future. A special thanks also to my Dad, who was a fantastic crew member considering considering that he had no prior experience in gliding or flying at all.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience to take part in, with lots of aspects and memories to remember for a lifetime, like redesigning gliders, taking part in banter, or finding the right pilot to fly with to make it home. It was all a huge success for me and something I am looking forward to giving another crack next year.
