The Gliding Club of Victoria at Benalla will host the 2007 Club Class Nationals from the 8th to 19th of January 2007.
This is the second year of the club class championship at Benalla with last year being a great success. We had 8 out of 12 days of flying, some blue days, five cu days and one day with cloud bases at 11,000 feet!
We had 60 entrants last year with one late withdrawal making it the best attended in the competition’s 25 year history. Another first was the 7 woman competitors – the best attended yet! We had great support from other gliding clubs in Victoria in making available their tugs available for the competition (we had seven!) at the best time in our soaring season.
We are making some improvements to the competition from what we learned last year! Our tie down areas are being rolled to provide a ‘less bumpy’ place for you to park your gliders. More northerly turnpoints are being added to give more scope and variety on those anticipated ‘big days’. And a crew party is definitely on the agenda this time – how did we forget last time?
Given the resources we have to muster to make the competition happen we have a limit of 60 gliders. So get in early to assure your spot!
For those visiting for the first time, Benalla has large areas of flat land to the north, with foothills and Alpine Mountains to the south. This landscape provides variety for tasks or directions to fly.
The airfield has a large (long and wide) grass east-west (08-26) strip, as well as a parallel sealed power strip. Two parallel grass runways are also available north-south (17-35).
Two tie-down areas are available. The first is adjacent to the runways and can accommodate approximately 20 aircraft. Further space is available in front of the club hangars.
The gliding clubhouse has a large room well suited for briefing and the evening meal. The clubhouse is air-conditioned and has a licensed bar.
Meals will be available at the clubhouse and we will be targeting around $12 a meal, so you can save your pennies there. Alternatively, Benalla has a number of restaurants, clubs and take-away outlets to fill your tummies.
The clubhouse has a number of PCs wired up to our network, with broadband internet connection so you can download you emails swiftly. Those with wi-fi capability on their laptop or handheld will find connectivity in and around the clubhouse.
Limited camping is available at the airfield and there are additional camping options at the town's caravan park. Motel/hotel accommodation is available around town: the closest being only 500 metres from the clubhouse.
The township of Benalla is 1.5 kilometres away, which is about a 9 minute walk if you are feeling energetic!
Many amusing activities are available in the local region should the day prove not to be flyable. Numerous wineries are available for tasting and the Milawa region is renowned for gourmet food. The nearby hills offer trips, walks and sights. If you desire a real shopping trip, Melbourne CBD is just over 2 hours down the freeway, offering the famous Victoria Market and a bevy of fashion and food shops.
The Gliding Club of Victoria welcomes all pilots and their crews and looks forward to hosting a successful and safe competition.
See you at Benalla!
John Switala
President
Gliding Club of Victoria
