Renowned visitors

22-Jun-12

Renowned Queensland gliding personalities Dave Sharples and Ian "Aspro" Aspland called at Caboolture airfield this morning to weigh the aircraft that Gordon Robinson is building in Hangar 52. Dave is an ex-GFA President and was also President of GQ (when it was still the QSA = Queensland Soaring Association). Ian was a founding member of the North Coast Gliding & Soaring Club which became today's Kingaroy Soaring Club (where he gained a reputation as an excellent cross country glider pilot and where he remains an active flying member).

Dave was keen to catch up with Speedy (pictured here working on yet another Moth restoration) and to  see the final results of his K14 Motorglider (it has been beautifully restored by Bert and Speedy from the sorry state that it was in when re-located from a shed in Bellingen to Caboolture in 2009).

Ian enjoyed catching up with Caboolture's own renowned gliding personality Bert Persson. Bert was 3rd to be registered on Australia's "Full Triple Diamond Certificate" register while Ian was the 7th. Max Howland was the 1st to be registered ... however, Bert had recorded the required flights prior to Max only to have documentation lost when submitted to GFA (and then having to re-qualify before being accepted on the register). 

Ian is a past owner of Kevin Rodda's ES-KA6 GRV (pictured here suspended above Garrett Russell & Barry McCarthy's ES-KA6 GRS). He won three successive Queensland Gliding Championships in GRV in the 1960's. Max Howland's flights to qualify for his "Gold C" were also in GRV.

Dave and Ian were also keen to check out Kevin Rodda's Schweizer 1-35 (which has been stored in its trailer while work was being completed over recent weeks on GRS in Hangar 22).

A look back in time ...