Pilots will live on houseboats

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33417, 26 December 1973, Page 3

Pilots will live on houseboats

(From Our Own Reporter) NELSON. The New Zealand gliding team to compete in the fourteenth world championships at Waikerie, South Australia, will live in houseboats moored on the Murray River during the contest from January 12 to 27. The team leaves New Zealand on Friday for Melbourne where it will collect three gliders shipped from

New’ Zealand and a fourth one which will be hired. Two members of the team—the New Zealand champion, A. Cameron (Auckland), and a former national champion, P. Higginbotham (Wellington)— will (weather permitting) attempt to fly the 50 miles from Melbourne to Renmark where the New Zealand team will practice. Renmark, on the fringe of the Waikerie area, has been chosen by a number of countries as their practice headquarters.

The two other members of the team are A. Timmermans (Auckland) and R. Gordon (Tokoroa). Manager of the team is Mr N. Jones (Nelson). All team members with the exception of Gordon have represented New Zealand before, either at Poland, Jugoslavia or Texas (where Cameron was fifth). Higginbotham will fly a very high performance Nimbus II; Cameron and Gordon, the standard-class Libelle H3OIB craft, and Timmermans the 19-metre hired Kes trek All are of German manufacture.

Higginbotham and Timmermans are entered in the open class of the world championships and Cameron and Gordon in the standard class. Mr Jones thinks that most of the emphasis will be placed on speed flying, although it is likely that distance tasks will also have to be completed. Representatives of 21 countries will compete. Total entries a few days ago were 73, but Mr Jones believes that because of the fuel situation this figure has dropped to about 66.