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Free as a Bird
There can be few Nelsonians who have not seen something of the Nelson Gliding Club's activities in the weekends. And how many of you have said: "You wouldn't get me up in one of those things!" Having now had a flight, our answer is: "You don't know what you've missed." The club, only two years old, already has a membership of 50 (3O flying members) and very shortly it will launch a flying scholarship project, similar to that run by the aero club. The exhilaration that is achieved in engineless flight, has to be experienced to be believed. In this series of pics we have covered a large part of the club's activities. Those on this page are shots during a flight, from the tow plane, and from the glider.
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The moment of release: the tow plane diving away. Now the pilot is on his own, dependent upon air currents for buoyancy
Motor power is used to return glider to take-off point after landing
Dr M. W. Hursthouse, instructor, adjusts the shoulder straps for Ron McKnight, making his first-solo.
Ray Sharland makes absolutely sure the rope is securely hitched
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Members watch closely as Ron makes landing approach
Graham Atkinson, official timekeeper for the day
The tow plane takes up the strain. The glider is usually airborne well before the tow plane
Gerry Stewart about to take a lesson under Ray Sharland while club members George Cornish and Ron McKnight look on