Our Aircraft
Our club operates three gliders. These are used for training, post-solo flying,local flights and cross-country flying. The word 'sailplane' is often used to describe gliders. Perhaps intended to emphasize the ability of gliders (their wings akin to the sails of a yacht) to soar using the air's upward movement.
Grob Twin Astir ZK-GWZ
Built in Germany in 1976, this glider was purchased in 2006 from the Wellington Gliding Club. Many thanks to the Taranaki Electricty Trust for supporting its purchase. Of fibre glass construction, this 2 seat glider has an empty weight of 390kg, 17.5m wingspan, 38:1 glide ratio and a minimum sink rate of 120 ft/min, enabling pilots to search a wider area for thermals or get back to the airfield from further away. Used for pilot training, trial flights, local flying and and cross-country flying.
Maximum pilot weight 110kg (including parachute if used).
Schempp-Hirth Janus-B ZK-GNN
Built in Germany in 1981, this glider was purchased in 2016 from the Tauranga Gliding Club. Many thanks to the TSB Community Trust for supporting its purchase. Of fibre glass construction, this two-seat glider has an empty weight of 365kg, a wingspan of 18.2m, 39.5:1 glide ratio and a minimum sink rate of 120 ft/min, enabling pilots to search a wider area for thermals or get back to the airfield from further away. Wing camber changing flaps enable performance to be maintained over a wide speed range. Used for pilot training, trial flights, local flying and cross-country flying.
Maximum pilot weight 110kg (including parachute if used).
Politechnika Warszawska PW-5 Smyk ZK-GTE
Built in Poland, this glider was purchased new in 2000. Many thanks to the TSB Community Trust and the Taranaki Electricty Trust for supporting its purchase. Of fibre glass construction, this single seat glider has an empty weight of 190kg, a wingspan of 13.44m, 32:1 glide ratio and a minimum sink rate of 128 ft/min. This nimble glider is lovely to fly and easy for low hour pilots to convert to. GTE can turn tighter and can climb faster than GWZ and GNN in a thermal. Used for pilot training, local flying and cross-country flying.
Maximum pilot weight 110kg (including parachute if used).
To launch the gliders, the club has a Eurofox tow plane.
Aeropro Eurofox ZK-TGC
Built in Nitra Slovakia, this tow plane was purchased new in 2015. Many thanks to the GNZ Umbrella Trust, the Taranaki Electricty Trust, New Zealand Community Trust and Pub Charity for supporting its purchase. This two seat tow plane has an empty weight of 295kg. TGC is a delight to fly, has very respectable towing performance and is economical to operate. Also used for airstrip inspection.
It's operational performance:
The figures below relate to towing the Piako PW6 two up at Matamata in late November 2015.
The tow height was 2050 feet with a climb rate of 551 feet p/m.
The time was 6.6 minutes ground to ground time for the tug.
Fuel consumption was 2.83L.