Gliding Club of Victoria’s George Ross wants to see next generation of glider pilots soar

For George Ross, manager of operations at the Gliding Club of Victoria, that passion is soaring high above the ground.

Ross spends his life chasing perfect gliding conditions.

He spends the sunnier half of the year volunteering in Benalla before heading home to Edinburgh, Scotland.

So why did he opt for Benalla, of all places, to spend six months gliding?

Ross said that locals didn’t know how good they had got it.

“In this location here (Benalla), you’re perhaps not aware of it, but it is world famous for gliding,” Ross said.

“That’s what brought me here.

“I’ve travelled around the world to different places, and I’ve taught people to glide.

“I was lucky enough to give up work in 2007, and I spent 10 years in South Africa flying.

“And then I came to Australia in 2017, and I’ve been coming ever since.

“What you have here is this large flat area to the north, to the east, and to the west, you’ve got the mountain range, the Great Divide.

“Excellent gliding conditions.

“And so they’ve flown flights here of 1000km from here. It’s likely to take about nine to 10 hours of time.”

Travelling to Benalla each year gives Ross the opportunity to experience different conditions from what he is used to in Scotland.

While he has gliding on his back doorstep in Benalla, the process of getting up in the air takes a bit longer from Edinburgh.

“You have to go into the countryside to where the gliding takes place,” he said.

“Most gliding clubs tend to be in the threshold between the Lowlands and the Highlands so that you can take off, train, and learn to fly where the conditions are quite benign and easy to handle.

“Then, when you get some confidence, you can fly into the mountains, and it becomes really exciting.”

Ross has been flying up among the clouds in gliders for 44 years.

He first learned to glide when he was 21, and before that, he learned to fly light planes at 17.

The adopted Benallaite is keen to help youngsters learn to glide so they can have the same longevity in the sport that he has had.

“Gliding is something that’s really special,” he said.

“That’s why I come here. I’m also one of the volunteers for teaching students.

“I pass on my skills, what I know, and my learned experiences.

“There’s not many juniors, but we would like more.

“We would really love more young people and more girls getting involved.

“The Gliding Federation of Australia have programs to encourage young people.”

As a volunteer at the club based in Benalla, Ross also flies the tow planes that are used to get the gliders up in the air.

On a busy day, the club can have three planes in use to launch 20 to 30 gliders.

The man from Edinburgh enjoys watching a sky full of gliders.

“It’s like a busy honeypot of activity,” he said.

“Once you’re in the sky, the thermals and the energy that can be harvested and that will keep the glider up.

“So, for those that live in the town, you might hear a glider as it whistles by but not realise the amount of activity that takes place here.

“So your average man in the street, let’s say, might look up and say, ‘oh, it’s a beautiful day today for a picnic’, and a glider pilot would say, ‘what a wonderful day to go flying’.

“That’s the difference. In Scotland, the weather tends to be windy and slightly colder, but you’re looking out over mountains, and you’re flying with eagles, and it’s just absolutely awesome.”

Gliding can be a peaceful, carefree pursuit, the perfect escape from all the trouble back down on the ground.

But the sky above Benalla can also be a battlefield for the most competitive gliding minds from across the nation and even the world.

In 2017, the Gliding Club of Victoria hosted an international gliding competition, hosting the best pilots from across the globe.

That’s what first brought Ross to Benalla as a volunteer and spectator, and he said it was once again an exciting time for Victorian glider pilots.

“(Last weekend) we had a world gliding championship taking place in Australia in Narromine, NSW,” he said.

“Glider pilots came from all over the world to Australia to take part, so it was absolutely spectacular.

“These were not just the top pilots; these are the very best in the world.

“To be a top-qualifying pilot, you have to dedicate everything to yourself.

“This is a high-level sport that requires the mindset of an absolutely dedicated expert.

“So gliding, you may call it three-dimensional chess, playing a chess game, but three-dimensional.

“You’ve got this challenge of flying the glider, competing with others, competing with the weather, and finding the best sources of energy. It really is wonderful.

“Here in Benalla, there’ll be a national competition in January.

“It is exciting for the pilots and for the people who follow gliding, but we’d also appeal to anyone showing any kind of interest to come along.

“We have an open-door policy.

“It’s there for everyone, either as a youngster or someone who is middle age or later on in life. It’s there and can be taken up by anyone.”

If you would like to learn to glide or volunteer at the Gliding Club of Victoria you can contact the club at gliding@glidingclub.org.au

The club would like to encourage youngsters to come and learn to glide.

In Australia pilots are able to fly solo from 15 years old so you’ll be able to fly before you can drive.

For more information head to: https://www.glidingclub.org.au/