Ryan Driscoll competing at an Australian national championships.
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When Ryan Driscoll was eight he took a glider flight in Benalla with his dad. From that day on, he was hooked.
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In the early days, he’d watch his father soaring through the sky, and occasionally get to take a ride as a passenger.
At the age of 16, he decided to learn how to do it himself.
Now, some 12 years later he’s an experienced glider pilot, with a number of awards and a passion for pushing boundaries as he floats towards horizons all over the world
Ryan said having the Gliding Club of Victoria based at Benalla airport was a wonderful opportunity for local people to take up the sport, which isn’t available to many.
“It’s very serene, and you get that sense of freedom,” he said.
“But it's also an adventure sport. I really enjoy the challenge of having to stay up without an engine and then going places without the engine.
“(If) I had to pick a particular moment I love, it's coming in to land right at sunset and the views you get at that time in the evening.”
Ryan said one of the beautiful things about Benalla is that not only does it offer perfect gliding conditions, but there is great support for new pilots.
“The fact that we can fly into the hills to the south and all over that way or up to the north, where there's, you know, limited airspace, it's easy to fly wherever the good weather is,” he said.
Monitoring the weather is a key part of planning a glider flight.
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“I've flown overseas in Europe. I've flown at more than 10 different clubs around Australia and I still reckon Benalla is up there as one of the best in the country
“And, on top of that, the fact that we are so close to Benalla means that socially it's a good place to fly because everyone can go get dinner and be sociable, go to the pub, and that type of thing, and it’s just a short walk or drive.
“There's some really good instructors and a good junior cohort at Benalla.
“So it is a good place to learn to fly as a young person.
“And there's also a lot of good junior support, like scholarships that can be applied for.
Ryan Driscoll captured this sunset on a recent 1120km flight.
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“And, there are organisations like the Australian Junior Gliding Club, which I was heavily involved in, that organise a lot of social events and junior competitions.
“So there's a lot of fun to be had as a young person in gliding and at Benalla in particular.”
Ryan has recently completed two long flights, more than 1000km, and has competed in the open category at Horsham Week, which is a statewide competition.
“I've won that one for the fourth time in a row,” he said.
“I very much enjoy the competitive side of gliding.”
Ryan also likes to push himself, even when there are no judges around.
“One of the things I enjoy about gliding is pushing myself to achieve as much distance as I can in a day,” he said.
“I had a couple of days in late December where I could take off at 10am, and I was landing around 8.30pm the same day.
“I headed up the Murra those two days and that was a good bit of fun.
“Good weather plays a part, but there's a bit of skill trying to find the lift.”
The training involved in getting to Ryan’s level is thorough, and often he needs to be prepared for any eventuality.
“We've got a full understanding of navigation in an aircraft, and we always give ourselves options, just as you would do in a power aircraft,” he said.
“I always know, as I'm getting lower, if there’s a nice paddock to land in nearby or an airport as a preference.
“And that is something I've probably done 20 times over the years to say hello to a farmer with a nice paddock.”
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