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 MAPS AND TRACKING OFFICIAL SITE
AND RESULTS		 ABOUT THE
COMPETITION		 THE TEAM SHOP GALLERY

 

Allan Barnes (PILOT, CLUB CLASS)

Glider: LS 1F Comp No: VS
1100 hrs Gliding – about 500 hours on type

Born in New Zealand in 1962, and moved to Australia at the age of 20 where I learned to fly hang gliders at Stanwell Tops near Sydney. I Moved to the UK in 1989 primarily to learn from the best hang gliding pilots in the world (at the time). Eventually represented the UK at several world hang gliding championships, and was UK, Australian and New Zealand champion, and briefly ranked #1 in the world. Converted to sailplanes in 2002 after a hip injury sustained in a parachute deployment in a broken hang-glider meant I could no longer foot-launch! Returned to Australia in 2003, and represented New Zealand at the Club Class World champs in 2004, placing 14th. Moved to Queensland in 2005 and won Club Class Nationals at Kingaroy 2008. I was selected to represent Australia at the 2008 Club Class World Champs in Rieti, Italy, where I placed 15th. With Mike’s help I know that thin at Prievidza!

Favourite gliding moment: Finishing 1st and 2nd pair-flying with Mike at Easter was a big one, but really there are too many to choose from – I love cross-country flying and I love playing with clouds. I am still learning about the wonders of shear-wave and being hundreds of feet above cloudbase.
 

Mike Codling (pilot, CLUB CLASS)

Flying Experience: 1450hrs over 11 years.

Mike currently flies a Glasflugel Hornet (FQM) and has over 500 hours on type. Recent podium places in both the 2007 and 2008 Australian Club Class Nationals has earned his place on the team to Slovakia. Mike enjoys the freedoms afforded by gliding and the challenges presented by cross-country flying and racing.

Favourite Gliding Moments: Coastal flying at Rainbow Beach was spectacular and the strange sensation of flying out over water. The thrill of his first day win at the Australian Nationals.

The rest of the time Mike spends as a project manager come Technical Specialist with the network construction arm of Telstra.
Peter Temple (PILOT, STANDARD CLASS)

Glider: LS 8  -  Comp No: BS
3150 hrs Gliding

After catching the flying bug in 1982 and flying solo at the age of 15 in that year, I am now an accredited soaring coach, instructor and airworthiness engineer based with the Adelaide Soaring Club (operating from the site of the 2001 club class world championship). For many years my focus has been on competition flying. My first glider was an Australian Boomerang sailplane which I flew in my first national championship in 1991 and I have competed in most Australian club class nationals since. In 1997 my wife Mandy and I bought a DG200 and I enjoyed many hours in this glider before upgrading to an LS8-18 in 2008. Highlights of my flying include achieving a 'wooden' diamond height (23500') over the Australian Snowy Mountains in my Boomerang, setting the Australian 18m and 15m 1000km out and return speed records in my DG200, and finishing on the podium with a 3rd place in the 2008 club class world championship. When the opportunity arises I’ll have a crack at a number of the Australian records with my LS8.

Having learned to fly at flat-land sites, my first taste of real mountain flying was competing in the club class world gliding championship at Vinon France in 2006 - finishing a respectable 16th and beating many of the mountain pilots. Flying at Rieti Italy for the first time, I won the club class pre-world championship in 2007 - setting me up for a podium finish in the world championship. This success has motivated me to have another go and I’m looking forward to competing in standard class in the Slovakian world gliding championship this year.
 
Tobi Geiger (pilot, standard class)

Glider: ASW28 -  Comp Rego: PV
2900 hours in gliders since 1982

What can you expect of a guy that was born to gliding parents, was dragged to the airfield almost every weekend when he was a little boy and flew many hours with dad in two seaters, tugs, aircraft and motorgliders? Yep, at the age of 14 he starts gliding himself, solos at 15 and gets his pilot’s licence for sailplanes one year ahead of a driver’s licence.

I started my gliding career back in Germany and one of my greatest gliding moments was when I became third at the German Club Class Nationals in Jena in 1996 and joined the German National Team. The 1998 International European Club Cluss Championships were my first international competition where I became very friendly with the Australian team members. One year later I migrated to Australia and represented Australia for the first time in the World Gliding Championships in Club Class in Musbach (Germany) in 2002, only 40km away from where I learned flying as a teenager.

My most memorable flights were in the French Alps between 1983 and 1998 and not surprisingly I am now flying my LS4 from the best flatland site with mountain access in Australia – Benalla. Cross country flying in the mountains really excites me and I’m really looking forward to many memorable flights from Prievidza.

Charlie Downes (team captain and crew for alan barnes)


A lifetime employee in aviation, I started gliding in 1963 with the Darling Downs Soaring Club whilst the club was based at, what is now, the Oakey Army Aviation Base.

I fly a Hornet with co-owner Mike Codling out of McCafferys, now the home of DDSC, and still enjoy the challenge of cross-country tasks. A regular competitor at national and state level in the late sixties and early seventies, I still manage to front up occasionally at competitions.

Amongst the most memorable of the many memorable moments that one experiences in gliding was a three and a half hour soaring flight through the Swiss Alps with a friend, when true mountain flying was not that common in Australia.

As a professional pilot, why gliding? The very personal challenge between you, the glider and the weather, the unpretentious friendships that one makes over the years and the opportunity to fly freely with not too much regulation.
Helen Wood (Coach )

Flying experience very limited – 5 hours in power, just for fun in a glider.
Lots of competition experience but none of it gliding. Also have assisted/attended several national, state and Easter gliding championships here in Queensland so starting to work it all out. I really enjoy the competition environment and observing how pilots respond to pressure and the impact it has on their performance. I also love the social aspects of gliding as a sport. DDSC is a great club to visit. My involvement in gliding started when I met my partner Ralph Henderson...I attended competitions and DDSC with him and got very interested in the sport in general. Ralph and I have run 2 coaching programs for DDSC pilots training for National Championships so that has peaked my interested in coaching pilots more generally and due to knowing Mike and Allan from the club was keen to help where I could.

My aim in helping the team is to assist them to prepare in the ‘non-flying’ areas so they can fly as best they can and give themselves a head start on some of the things that are sometimes not looked at – interpersonal relationships amongst the team, effects of stress and a different environment, how they can support each other and the crew can best support them and also in terms of being clear about their goals. My other interests are Champagne, Wine, Writing, Motivational speaking and working with teams, travel and my Border Collie - Maggie (oh and spending time with Ralph )

I am a management consultant and Managing Director of TMS Consulting which is a boutique consulting firm working out of Brisbane.
 
Graham Hennessy (crew)

Flying Experience: plenty

Graham currently flies a LS-3 (abc) and is also P2 in the Duo Discus JSR on many
occasions. Graham brings with him a form 2 inspector's rating and a wealth of
experience.

The rest of the time: Graham enjoys retirement.
Narelle Hennessy (CREW)

 

Ian Lesch (CREW)

 I flew about 10 hours in gliders back in 1974.  I then got side tracked and spent the next 30 years or so cheating by flying around with BRT’s (Big Round Things) under the wings.

I now earn a crust working for Boeing instructing on the Airbus A320 simulator. Go figure? 

I came back to gliding about 18 months ago at the DDSC after much encouragement from Charlie Downes, the Team Captain and long time aviation colleague and friend. I am slowly progressing through the ranks at DDSC and acquiring a new set of skills required for gliding. I thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie at DDSC.  I also admire the professionalism and dedication of the club, evidenced by Mike and Allan being here in Prievidza. I am proud to be part of the team providing support for the whole of Team Dingo.

 
Mandy Temple (Crew for Peter Temple)


750 hrs Gliding

I was born in the UK and emigrated to Adelaide Australia in 1990. I started gliding in 1995 and in 2001 I married my gliding instructor Peter Temple.
We now live in Humbug Scrub north of Adelaide and close to our local gliding club the Adelaide Soaring Club, which is also the home club of crew member Andrew Wright.
Andrew Wright (CREW)
 

Age - 49
Gliding since 1970 (Age 10)
Gliding hours - 2100
Power flying hours - 250
Flown in two Australian National Championships
Longest Flight -  550km.
Owner Standard Cirrus 75B - VH GAM
Greatest achievement/s – Being involved with the Australian National Gliding team in Norway 2004, France 2006, Italy 2008 and now Slovakia 2010.
Best fun thing – Introducing flying and gliding to a new generation of pilots (Scouts and Air force Cadets.)
Biggest regret – That I cannot spend more time gliding.
Scariest thing – Appearing on a gliding story for the Channel 9 “Postcard” program. See it here - http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/
Hope for the future – That I will remain healthy and continue being involved with gliding and flying.

Good luck team Australia !!
Dave Holbrook (CREW)
 

Originally started flying gliders when I was 11 at Woomera; and did go solo eventually at 15, the youngest age allowed.  Then I didn't fly for 26 years in a glider (apart from once in Cambridge I think!) but in the intervening years learnt to fly hang gliders.  Although I first flew a hang glider in 1979 I think in South Wales, UK it was a few years later when I took it up as an interest; and the development of wings meant this was a good thing (as by the late 80s design of hang gliders meant better performance and safer gliders than many of the early models).   I also started paragliding a few years ago, and had a lot of fun in the North West of England flying from the hills there.

On coming to Brisbane (from Victoria) a couple of years ago, I decided to give sailplanes a go again. As well as flying at our club (Darling Downs Soaring Club) I also help Allan Barnes as crew in comps (which I have no interest in flying in).  My airtime stats show that I still have much more airtime in hang gliders and paragliders than sailplanes!  I currently have approx 800hrs in hang gliding and paragliding (I think about 150 in paragliders and around 200in sailplanes).  I have managed to fly further in a sailplane than a hang glider though, having done a couple of 300k flights, but not as yet a 500k!   Not quite sure I want to sit in the glider for that long as I found 5 hours a bit of a trial!

I am excited about Slovakia, and like all the crew am determined that our team will have every support needed to collect the silverware!

   
 

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