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Operations Previous Issues

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Beyond the GPC - Introducing the Advanced Thermal Soaring Syllabus

Earning a Glider Pilot Certificate (GPC) is a monumental milestone. However, the GPC soaring syllabus is only a brief introduction. The GPC got pilots out of the circuit, but it did not tell pilots how to go fast, or how to keep their heads when the day turns sour 60km from…
Medical Table

WHICH MEDICAL DO I NEED?

A practical guide for glider pilots, instructors and tow pilots One of the questions that regularly comes to Operations concerns which medical certificate a particular pilot actually needs.For an individual who only flies gliders, the answer is generally straightforward. It…
Horsham 6037

DO YOU WANT A QUICKER GPC?

A simple check of your JustGo record can prevent delay in receiving your GPCSupposing you have completed your training. Your CFI fills out your GPC application form and you submit your application for a Glider Pilot Certificate. Then nothing happens. Quite often, the problem is…
Horsham

REPORT SAFETY MATTERS AS SAFETY MATTERS

SOAR, complaints and choosing the right pathway Gliding Australia wants members to report safety occurrences. We need pilots, instructors, tow pilots and clubs to tell us when something has gone wrong, nearly gone wrong, or when they identify an operational hazard. That…
SD

SOARING DEVELOPMENT

Nominations for SDP positionsIn accordance with MOSP 4, each year, prior to the Gliding Australia Annual General Meeting, the following positions are made vacant and nominations are sought from the general membership:- Chair of the Soaring Development Panel- Deputy Chair of the…
Ops

PROGRESS BEHIND THE SCENES

Better information, earlier action and improved feedback to members Occurrence Investigation and Just Culture WorkshopsThe two-part Occurrence Investigation and Just Culture Workshops have now been completed. The first workshop covered the immediate response to an occurrence,…
Webinar 3

Gliding Australia Technical Briefing Key Safety and Operations Update

In April GAus held the first All Members Webinar for 2026 by GAus Department Heads. Following are the topics covered for Airworthiness, Operations and Soaring Development. Airworthiness - David VilleRS (CAP)Annual Inspection PeriodicityAnnual inspections under the GS Form 2 are…
Glider Landing cockpit

PUSHING IT: SLOWER IS SAFER AND FASTER IN THE LONG RUN

By Dave BoulterExecutive Manager Pperationsemo@glidingaustralia.org Progression in gliding is rewarding – new qualifications, longer distances and new aircraft types are all part of the journey. However, accident and incident trends consistently show that risk increases when…
WAGA Flarm s

ADS-B Rebate Program

Flarm systems with ADS-B In are eligible By Kevin Wilson Did you know that installing a FLARM system with ADS-B IN is eligible for the ADS-B rebate of up to 50% of the project cost, excluding GST, under the Round 2 criteria? This article describes how members at a GAus club in…

Tug Go Around

Tug Pilot Gary Crowley Duty Instructor Bob Hickman The Tug PilotWhen the soaring season peaks it's a busy time – especially if you happen to fly as a tug pilot. At Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, it was busy rather than hectic, with a constant stream of launches. I released a glider at…
gliders and planes in Australia

How to Configure Your Glider for Live Tracking

Tracking with multiple data sources By Tim Bromhead If you go missing or have an accident, the quicker you're found, the better. Now, technology and software have developed to a point that allows you to be tracked no matter how remotely you fly. Tracking needs to be set up…
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A Balanced Gliding Club

One of the tools we used was the concept of a ‘balanced business’. While this is not necessarily a gliding ‘operations’ subject, please stay with me, as I believe it has relevance. Consider your gliding club. Dave BoulterExecutive Manager Operationsemo@glidingaustralia.org In a…

SOAR Reports Review

What sort of issues are being reported in SOAR reports across the country this soaring season? October had a run of DG300/1000 related undercarriage collapses. This has been addressed in OAN 02/2024. If you are flying these aircraft, it is worth a read. There is also a video to…

Operations - Reinstating Winch Operations and More

Dave BoulterExecutive Manager Operationsemo@glidingaustralia.org Currency Barometer and beginning of the soaring seasonThe soaring season is starting, and we are all hoping for booming weather. Each year there is an influx of SOAR reports on incidents that could have been…

MEDICALS and the NEW CASA CLASS 5 MEDICAL

You may be aware that CASA Medical Class 5 has now been released. This is good news for General Aviation pilots. It is also good news for our Tow Pilots. More on CASA Class 5 medicals later. In this article I will outline the medicals we use in Gliding Australia at present and…
Dave Boulter

Meet the New Executive Manager Operations

Being new to the EMO role, I thought it would be good to pass on my thoughts, observations and, for those who do not know me, a bit of my background. The last few weeks have been an eye opener to just how much work is done to keep us all flying, and to help us to fly with the…
GFP Gawler 10

Airspace Clear for Launch

By Christopher Thorpe, Executive Manager Operations It should be obvious to all that it is essential for pilots preparing to launch to be aware of any airspace activities in their vicinity and the threat, if any, posed by the presence of other aircraft. Lookout is the principal…
Ops

Crew Resource Management

Christopher ThorpeExecutive Manager, Operationscop@glidingaustralia.org The following is an extract from a recent UK AAIB report into an accident involving a touring motor glider that highlights the importance of completing the pre-take-off checklist diligently and without…
Pilot Authorisations and Endorsements

Pilot Authorisations and Endorsements

Christopher ThorpeExecutive Manager, Operations Pilot Authorisations and Endorsements Operational Regulation 3.1.3 requires all pilots to maintain a logbook detailing, among other things, a record of pilot authorisations and endorsement granted, their dates of validity, and…
IMG 7155

Aerotow Upset Incidents

Christopher ThorpeExecutive Manager, Operations Aerotowing may appear to be a benign method of getting airborne in a glider, but there are inherent hazards, the most significant of which are tug upsets. In the last 10 years there have been 11 incidents in which gliders have…
Australia

Around the Regions

Christopher ThorpeExecutive Manager, Operations Queensland In late January 2021, Denis Lambert took over the role of RMO Queensland from Ivor Harris, who completed his five-year term on the GFA Operations Panel. Denis is an experienced Level 3 instructor and former CFI of…
EMO Chris Thorpe a

Operations - Regulatory Structure

The GFA Operations Team is frequently contacted by members seeking information about flight rules and procedures, and it is evident that some members are unaware of the Regulatory structure under which we fly. Christopher ThorpeExecutive Manager,…
Gliding Australia Magazine insurance 1

EXPLAINING GLIDING AUSTRALIA’S INSURANCE

Reading the details of an insurance policy is just about as exciting as delving into a dictionary – a pretty ordinary story line, not recommended bedtime reading. But like a dictionary, it’s occasionally necessary. The details of an insurance policy can be bit confronting and…
  1. REPORT SAFETY MATTERS AS SAFETY MATTERS