World Glider Record Attempts At Mt. Cook

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28747, 19 November 1958, Page 14

World Glider Record Attempts At Mt. Cook

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Dr. Peter Renshaw, of Zninedm. and Mr T. Evans, of rmr.stchurch. a former Royal New Zei.ar.d Air Force fighter pilot in Malaya, who will leave later this year to take up commercial flying s;th an overseas airline. ?. whl be the first time that sailp Lares will have made world re-rrrd attempts from the Hermite airstrip. Guy Mannering. a Christchurch photographer, is nar.d.ng by to take aerial photoma phs of a successful flight near re sum.rr.it of Mount Cook, over - nizn the altitude attempt will r*e made “Very Good Chance” Amending to Mr Wakeman the .its have “a very good chance : setting a world gain-of-height ra and if they make a world t stance attempt they stand a *.ir.:e f going through to the - Island, landing probably at He sa.d the Slingsby Eagle sailin which the altitude flight . _.d probably be made, was one if me highest performance twoseater gliders in the world. It had :xy gen equipment to give sate z teaming, without risk of freez.7£ up to a height of about He said that the pilots would mmatiy not attempt to go be■:zz this height because they -it r.o pressurised equipment. The sailplanes at Mount Cook ?ze expected to include two Fumes and a Slingsby Skylark Marr II All are capable of mid glider record flights in suiter _e conditions. The sailplanes - ... oe launched by a Piper airmaft of the Canterbury Aero M.- Wakeman said it was inter-

esting to note that Canterbury’s i north-west conditions, which for- ! merly terrorised light aircrait, were becoming recognised by the aviation world as providing a natural playground for the gliding sport, and provided some of the best conditions in the world for notable gliding feats, both for altitude and distance flying.