< PreviousKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 96 20 NZ Soaring contributed by Jill McCaw Nelson based but UK born Mike Strathern is really good at fixing things, at taking them apart and putting them back together. He’s also an excellent glider pilot, gliding instructor, tow-pilot and glider repairer. Mike will also be New Zealand’s only entry in the 37th FAI World Gliding Championships for Third time lucky at the Gliding World Champs Mike Strathern is competing at the FAI World Gliding Championships as this issue of KiwiFlyer goes to print. Standard, 15m & Club Class gliders, to be held in Narromine in New South Wales. It’s a bit of a third time lucky for Mike as he was originally chosen to compete in the Worlds, to be held in Europe in 2020. That, of course, being the year of Covid, was cancelled. The postponed contest was held in 2021, but New Covid interrupted Mike Strathern’s participation in the last two FAI Gliding World Championships, but as this magazine goes to print he is currently engaged with the 2023 event being held in Australia. Jill McCaw profiles Mike in this article and plans to tell us of his results in a future issue. Meanwhile, good luck Mike! For more information or to arrange a demo flight please contact Jim Lyver. 027 440 0747 jimlyver@icloud.com VIXXEN A32 Cruise speed 120 kts TAS with an all moving tail plane l Both types: VSTOL - take-off and land in just under 100 m l 27 kts IAS stall speed Rotax 912 ULS 100 hp engine l 30 kg luggage compartment l 200 kg available after full fuel l Centre Y stick or yoke control l Standard or long range fuel tanks l The best ab-initio trainers to teach students to fly in l Ideal private owners aircraft l Tundra tyres available for the A22LS These Aircraft are the future of aviation Two models: A32 or A22LS www.foxbat.nz21 2023 #9 Zealand’s quarantine rules meant that although he could have left the country, he couldn’t get a spot to come back again. Mike’s next chance is the one happening now, in Australia. A world competition in Australia gives Mike an advantage that he wouldn’t have had in Europe. He’s actually familiar with the site, having spent time there as crew for New Zealand’s Junior team in 2015 and, it has allowed him to ship his own glider to the competition. Being an actual glider fix-it man, Mike’s ASW 20 and its trailer have been tweaked, fettled and polished to the very peak of working order; a far cry from the usual state of rented equipment that New Zealand pilots often face at overseas competitions. Unfortunately, due to the costs, the glider won’t be coming home. The relatively close proximity of Australia also made it viable to head over there for the pre-worlds contest which was supposed to be in March. Unfortunately, that was cancelled due to rain, so Mike went in early October, picked up his glider from the wharf in Sydney and drove north to fly at the Australian Club and Sports Class Nationals in Kingaroy in Queensland. Then it was home again to work for three weeks, and make up some of the costs, before heading back for the Worlds in December. Mike has been living in New Zealand for 23 years. He’s got New Zealand citizenship, important when it comes to representing the country at world level sport. An affable bloke with a wide smile, his gliding career started back in the UK in 1975 at the age of fourteen. Mike took a trial flight in an old wooden T21 glider. He went back the following week and joined the club. His Dad also joined, giving up smoking and using his smoke money to pay for his flights. Mike says he never smoked again. A paper round paid for Mike’s flying. He could afford one winch flight a week. Later he got a morning paper round that paid more, and he could now have one aerotow or three winch launches. Things were looking up. Mike soloed on his 16th birthday, the age limit in the UK at the time. Weirdly, the club where he flew trained in two-seater gliders, but sent the soloing pilot off in a single seater, which, of course, they’d never flown before. It must have been quite an experience. At 16 Mike also left school and began an engineering apprenticeship. He had a break from gliding for a few years around the age of 18, having a go at rally driving, but at 21 came back to gliding, had a check flight and was solo again. Glider ownership called, and he bought a ¼ share in a K6e. K6s were the hot ships of their day. They were the last of the wooden gliders, before fibreglass took over in the ’60s and had quite a reasonable performance. They were a reasonable option for a first glider back in the early ’80s. Only a few years ago, Mike was again flying a K6 and winning days at the NZ Nationals in it. In the early ’80s Mike was accepted into the British Gliding Association training squad, alongside G Dale and several other pilots who became well known in the gliding world. As well as being trained in top level competition the recruits were sponsored to fly a British regionals contest in a two-seater with their coach, then later sponsored to fly a similar contest in a single-seater. He had several wins, one in his trusty K6. He then went on to buy KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 95 22 his first ‘modern glider’, a fibreglass Discus. With a better class of glider, Mike says, you still land-out just as much as ever, you just do it further from home. There was a lot of flying over the years and many competitions. Due to the British weather, the BGA held ‘Overseas Nationals’ in France, Spain and Poland. Mike flew at many of these and made many friends. Unusual for a glider pilot, Mike doesn’t just accept land-outs as a matter of course, he really enjoys them. He has made friends world-wide with the people whose paddocks he has landed in. A landing in Spain, when Spain had just beaten Italy in a football World Cup was a memorable night. Things got stolen from his glider in Poland, but an eight-year-old boy knew who the thief must be and went and got his things back. He is still friends with that boy, who is now an adult. He came third in Poland in 1994. Mike moved to New Zealand in 2000 with, he says, one wife, one daughter, one suitcase and £5000, and his glider. They came for an adventure and stayed. Another daughter was born here in 2002. In 2004 he won the New Zealand Nationals, flying a Ventus. He bought a K6e and did it up and won some days at the Nationals in it but has won outright the Springfield competition, Central Districts and Central Plateau contests in the old glider. Remember, Mike was competing against New Zealand’s top pilots, who were all flying more modern and better rated gliders than his 60 year old wooden ship. He really is one heck of a pilot. He borrowed an ASW20 in 2019 and won the NZ Club Class Nationals. This allowed him to apply and enter to go to the worlds in France - the competition that didn’t happen. As well as flying gliders, Mike finished an engineering apprenticeship in aircraft bearings and has had some very NZ Soaring DISTRIBUTOR PARTNERS Fenian Retreat Accommodation 334 Oparara Road, Karamea Nestled on the bushline of Kahurangi National Park Two bedroom house with spectacular bush & sea views Superking beds convert to singles - All linen supplied Fully equipped kitchen/bathroom/laundry/BBQ/hot tub $390 per night for up to four guests Contact Joanne: 027 203 2077 oparara334@gmail.com Also on AirBnB and Bookabach Email: johnbg@xtra.co.nzinteresting jobs through the years. In New Zealand, he worked for a time with Brightwater Engineers as a Project Manager and Production Engineer. They’re the firm that built the huge metal buckets for the Ngakawau mine on the West Coast. Mike’s favourite project was the steel work for the stunning architecturally designed Picton Library. Mike got his PPL in 2007 but couldn’t really afford to fly. It took him 12 years to get the 100 hours needed to be able to tow. Now he’s glider towing however, the hours have really gone up. He enjoys doing that. Mike learnt to fix gliders in much the same way he learnt to fly them, by hanging around the people that did it. He describes his younger self as a hangar rat, learning how to do most things, from cables to painting and doping. UK standards are very high, so he learnt the right way to do things. He also learnt fixing things from his Dad, who fixed anything, could build anything, including a motorbike in the bathroom. He also built models, with exactly the same skills and materials as the larger ships required. He’s always fixed gliders, doing odd jobs here and there on club gliders and his own. In 2005 he decided to go full time; there was a need, and it was something he was good at. He did the Class 2 and Class 3 courses under Roger Harris, a legend in New Zealand glider repair. He reckons he has OCD, which means things have to be done exactly right, which can take twice as long. His diligence led to him holding the role of National Airworthiness Officer for several years but stepped down to focus on his own flying and an attempt at the Worlds. Instructing is another area of gliding that excites him, particularly flying at the Youth Glide camps and inspiring young people to see how exciting the sport can be. He has coached several of New Zealand’s young pilots at National competitions, helping and mentoring young pilots Nick Oakley and Alex McCaw as their crew at the Junior Worlds in Narromine, NSW in 2015 and in Lithuania in 2017. The time at Narromine was when he became familiar with the site of this years World Comps. We at KiwiFlyer wish Mike big thermals, fast flights, and if he does land out, we hope he gets a new friend from the experience. Jill McCaw Then: Mike’s first solo on his 16 th birthday. Now: Competing in his Schleicher ASW 20. F K 23 2023 #9 soar AOTEAROA there’s no better place gliding.co.nz @glidingnewzealand @glidingnz Pilot Life Insurance Specialists who will guide you through the process of Protecting Your Family and Business as well as Insuring Your Debts INSURANCE l MORTGAGES l LENDING l INVESTMENTS Are your family and assets protected? Contact Craig Spratt Spratt Financial Services Limited 021 935 788 or 09 306 7250 craig@spratt.co.nz www.spratt.co.nzKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 96 24 Wings over Wairarapa Air Festival Postponed from February, the biennial Wings over Wairarapa Air Festival was held at Masterton’s Hood Aerodrome over the weekend of 24-26 November. Albeit there was incompatible weather on Saturday, the event was very much enjoyed by an estimated 12,000 spectators. Clive Wilkinson reports, with images also by Paul Le Roy and Gavin Conroy. 16 Steele Road Rukuhia Hamilton Airport CAANZ Approval SUP 69410 For all your requirements, Please contact: P 07 843 3833 M 027 313 5884 E sales@avparts.co.nz W avparts.co.nz - AN, MS, NAS and other standards - Sheet, Tube, Bar and Extrusions - Airframe, Engine and associated items 027 493 9975 1 Ingram Rd, Rukuhia, Hamilton hamish@centralaero.nz DC Starter Generators Aircraft Magnetos Actuators Generator Control Units Starter Motors Alternators We have many exchange/overhaul components on the shelf and offer prompt turnaround time for all repairs and overhauls. For more information, visit centralaero.nz Top down: Bill Reid’s Avro Anson Mk.1, Mike Jones’ Goodyear FG-1D Corsair flown by Frank Parker, John Luff’s DH112 Venom, Charles Davis’ BAC Strikemaster, Brendon Deere’s Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX, The Vintage Aviator’s WWI line-up. GC25 2023 #9 Wings over Wairarapa Air Festival Originally started in 1999 by Tom Williams, who was then leading the local Sports and Vintage Aviation Society, Wings over Wairarapa has always been a great magnet for the public and this year’s show was no exception. The event had been scheduled for February but due to cyclone Gabriel the festival was postponed to November. There was quite a change in the organisation of the event this year with Carterton Mayor Ron Mark as Chairman of an all new organising team of ten. Good weather prevailed on the days prior with all the tents, marquees and display areas set up as usual around Hood airfield. By Thursday evening the DH 112 Venom, BAC Strikemaster, Avro Anson, RNZAF NH90, and DHC Beaver had all arrived, as well as the all new NZAero SuperPac 750XL II. An unexpected visitor on Thursday was a USAF Hercules. The RNZAF Kiwi Blue team jumped from it and it seemed there was a plan for a flypast on Sunday, but Thursday’s appearance turned out to be the one and only of the aircraft and of Kiwi Blue. Event Report contributed by Clive Wilkinson with images by Paul Le Roy and Gavin Conroy Top down: Bill Reid’s Avro Anson Mk.1, Mike Jones’ Goodyear FG-1D Corsair flown by Frank Parker, John Luff’s DH112 Venom, Charles Davis’ BAC Strikemaster, Brendon Deere’s Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX, The Vintage Aviator’s WWI line-up. GCGCCW GC GCGCPLR PLR PLR PLRPLRKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 96 26 Wings over Wairarapa Rural Aerial Cooperative’s AT-402B Air Tractor releasing a load from the hopper.Wairarapa Helicopters demonstrating their Hughes 369D. Farmers Air utilise this 1952 DHC-2 Beaver as a trainer for ag pilots.Air Tractor again, this time on a spray run. PLRGC GCGC27 2023 #9 An important feature of the festival is the Take Flight Programme showcasing STEM careers to youth with a focus on aviation. About 4,500 students attended, getting among numerous exhibits related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This was an excellent introduction to the various career opportunities that could be their future and I was very impressed with the positive attitudes of all of the young students as they interacted with the many speakers and exhibitors. It was a very wet and windy day (a couple of schools couldn’t attend due weather) but that did not deter the students from inspecting all that was on show. Unfortunately for the students, the weather curtailed any flying activity while they were there. That was until the Navy Seasprite crew lifted off in the pouring rain and put on a wonderful show, going so far as to demonstrate the aircrafts winching capabilities. The crewman that faced the terrible weather never stopped smiling and waving to the students! Friday afternoon was also practice day for the aircraft but again due weather, only the Chipmunk, SuperPac and Airtractor took to the air. Saturday was not a good day for flying. Tom Williams who began the event in 1999. Future aviators participating in the Take Flight programme. School children arriving on Friday.Roaring ’40s Harvard Display Team. PLR CWCW CW CWKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 96 28 P: 06 879 8593 M: 022 636 6573 E: sammy@primaryavionics.co.nz Cresco Lane, Main North Road, Hawkes Bay Airport www.primaryavionics.co.nz Summer is here Get in touch with us for any assistance. We’re happy to help. We speak Avionics. If you’d like to discuss options for your aircraft, call Sammy today. As the weather settles and holidays loom, there is more time for flying. If the plane has been in the hangar for a while, double check your avionics to keep you safe. P Avionics inspections ? P ELT self test ? P ELT battery check ? P Comms checks ? P Lights operational ? P Battery health ? P: 07 574 1950 or 027 493 9073 E: travel@gayepardy.co.nz www.gayepardy.co.nz A TRIP OF A LIFETIME ! Come on our 36 th tour to OSHKOSH for EAA AirVenture 2024 Leverage our decades of Oshkosh tour experience to ensure you have a wonderful time with like minded people. Expect to see 2500 aircraft on show and 800 exhibitors, hundreds of forums, seminars and hands-on workshops, daily air shows and aviation entertainment in the evenings. Departs 19th July direct to Chicago with an extension tour to Washington, Tuscon and Houston. We are a TAANZ bonded member & IATA accredited agent with Travel Managers Group Ltd Wings over Wairarapa RNZAF’s Kiwi Blue team jumped from the USAF Hercules on Thursday. RNZAF AgustaWestland A109 follows an NH90 in to land. RNZN Seasprite put on a valiant winching demo for school kids in pouring rain on Friday. CW GC GC29 2023 #9 By 9am rain and wind arrived and sadly the day’s event was cancelled. By Sunday, the last day of this year’s festival, the weather had improved with the day’s flying a definite starter, although it was still cloudy and cold with a bit of a breeze. There was plenty of pent up demand for the show as crowds started arriving to view the displays and aircraft including The Vintage Aviator’s extensive collection of magnificent WWI aircraft. The flying display got underway with local pilot Bevan Dewes flying his Harvard NZ1044, closely followed by the DHC-2 Beaver of Gisborne based Farmers Air. Next on the programme was a race between Richard Hood’s Pitts Special in the air and a racing car on the ground which involved traversing the length of the runway four times. Fewer times might have been better for aviation fans, as the car won by nearly half a runway length. The Roaring Forties Harvard display team then arrived from Auckland, much to the delight of spectators. Wairarapa topdressing pilot John Bargh was next on the programme, flying his Air Tractor at low level with smoke trails which made for a lovely display. Then it was time for helicopters from the RNZAF who arrived with a nice formation approach from an NH90 and A109 that landed for static display. Neither flew a display routine however. WWII heavy metal was next, with an appearance by Doug Brooker’s Auckland based Spitfire TR9 and then the Masterton based Goodyear FG-1D Corsair. It was great to see the Corsair back flying again. NZAero flew the first air show USAF Hercules arrived on Thursday but didn’t participate in the weekend events. T-6C Texan IIs of the RNZAF Black Falcons team displayed with Brendon Deere’s Mk.IX Spitfire in formation. GC GC PLR PLRNext >