With so many members with interesting pasts, here is a little information about some of our comittee and members.

Kim Allen - SRGC Treasurer

I am the Treasurer of Southern Riverina Gliding Club Inc. therefore I am that nasty person that sends all those accounts out to the members for membership fees, tow fees, glider hire etc, but please don’t hold that against me because someone has to do these jobs so that we can all have fun flying and enjoying each others interest in gliding here in Tocumwal NSW.

For those who haven’t met me yet I am also the Mum of 3 grown up (thank goodness, if they ever do that really) sons. I also enjoy the menagerie of pets that reside with me at my home being 5 very spoilt and loved felines and 1 bouncy canine. I live out of town on a couple of acres, about 50 kilometers away from Tocumwal on the Victorian side of the border and I am currently employed in the Hospitality Industry at a local café in Tocumwal, just across the road from the big cod.

I have been involved in aviation for about the last 71/2 years, ever since meeting my “bestest buddy” Donald, known locally as the guy in the fluorescent hat.  I do not actually pilot gliders or power planes due to some medical issues that prevent me from doing this, however I am often a passenger in both Power Planes and Gliders. Donald has trouble getting away flying without me.  I also enjoy dabbling in a little music, reading a good book and of course cooking.

My favorite quote is this:  You don’t have to have money to be rich, richness is found in the love of your family and friends, and money can’t buy you love...

So I hope to meet you here in Tocumwal some time soon and wish you all many happy hours of flying and friendship with the Southern Riverina Gliding Club Inc.

Go grab those wings and soar like an eagle on the breeze!
Kim

Lothar Arndt

Lothar Arndt started Gliding in 1993 in Germany. He enjoys flying in the European Alps and also Cross Country here in Australia.

Lothar is a Level 1 Gliding Instructor and has also an interest in Gliding Aerobatics. He recently rediscovered model building and flying.

He lives in Melbourne, holds a private pilot licence and trains currently for his Commercial Pilot Licence. Lothar says he always tries to get a good FAI Triangle in.

Mike Burns - SRGC President

Mike soloed in a Primary glider at age 14 as an ATC cadet and has been involved in gliding ever since as pilot, instructor and engineer.  He was a founding member of a number of clubs including the Bathurst Soaring Club in the late sixties. Mike has worked as a Design Engineer in a number of industries but primarily Aviation, initially agricultural aircraft design and development, then from 1980 onwards specialising in Sport Aviation.  From 1980 to 1990 Mike worked for the Gliding  Federation of Australia as Chief Technical Officer Airworthiness, a period during which many changes took place improving the overall safety of Australian Gliding. Since 1990 Mike and his wife Gloria have run a small business on Tocumwal Aerodrome carrying out some innovative projects such as the conversion of a Caproni A21S glider to jet power, the fitment of Jabiru engines into Motorfalke powered sailplanes, conversion of 2 seat gliders to paraplegic control etc.  Current projects apart from routine repair and maintenance, include the development of an Australian small jet engine for self launching applications and work in the Experimental Category on Spitfire and Mustang warbird  90% scale replicas.

With full GFA Airworthiness qualifications, Reg 35 design Authority and RAA Level 2 maintenance authority Mike is responsible for all airworthiness aspects of the SRGC operations including Daily Inspector endorsements.

Memorable events:  Designing, building and flying the first Ragollo flexible wing in Australia which led to introducing Bill Moyes (the Australian hang gliding guru) to the flexible wing and later selling Bill Moyes his first “hang glider”. Completing the design, development  and 204 hour flight test program of the “Autotug” Pawnee / Automotive  Ford V6 conversion, aimed at providing Australian gliding clubs with low cost launching.

Ingo Renner - SRGC Vice President and CFI

Ingo lives on a small farm with his wife Judy close to the Murray River and the Tocumwal Aerodrome.  Their daughter, Vicky, and her three sons share the house and the farm duties.  Ingo’s first love is gliding, but he is pretty good at handling and caring for horses and the other animals on the property.

He owns a Discus A, XX, and has flown it in many competitions  - state, national and international.  He now has over 34,000 gliding hours and believe it or not still thoroughly enjoys his sport, flying whenever possible.  He has four World Championships to his credit and has won 19 National Championships.

Ingo was presented the Order of Australia Medal and the Otto Lilienthal Award for Gliding.  Other honours include being awarded the Prince Phillip Grand Masters Medal of the League for Air Navigators and Air Pilots, and he has also been inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame.

His aim is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience the beauty of gliding and works tirelessly to make this possible.

Ingo was previously employed by the Oerlinghausen Gliding School in Germany where he worked during the Australian autumn and winter months. In spring and summer he instructed in Tocumwal at Sportavia, which was established by Bill Riley.  Now he has retired from professional instructing he no longer has to make the annual trip to Europe and has more time to focus on club activities and coaching.

Judy Renner - SRGC Secretary

I have been gliding since 1982 and did my initial training at Lake Keepit.   It was a great place to fly and I was able to go solo on the winch and aerotow on the same day.  It was a long drive from Port Macquarie, where I lived, over the Walcha Mountain to Lake Keepit, but it was well worth the effort and I have many happy memories from these early days.

When I moved to Broken Hill I decided to buy my first glider, the short winged Kookaburra, GZB, which used to belong to Lake Keepit.  It was laying in pieces on a hangar floor in Kempsey so I drove to the coast, picked it up and towed it to Tocumwal where Mike Burns restored it and removed all the wasp’s nests and mice droppings.  It is still flying here in Toc and we have dubbed it ‘the friendly glider’ as passengers are always smiling when they climb out.  When Ingo and I got married we had our wedding flight in the Kooka so it has a special place in our family album.

Most of my gliding has been in the flat country and I have been lucky enough to get some experience in the European Alps and the Mountains in Spain.  This is where I was able to practise wave flying and I now find that there are waves over Tocumwal on more occasions than I would have believed possible.

As a retired teacher doing the odd casual day I can enjoy gliding and the farm.  Ingo and I live on eight acres of sand hills near the Murray River with our daughter and three grandsons.  Life is never dull and we have ten horses, goats, dogs, cats, turkeys, chooks and Pig to care for.  Breeding and training the young horses can be very rewarding.

I have an Level 1 Instructor rating, hold a PPL and have managed to achieve some Australian Women’s Records.  I have also competed in local competitions held in Tocumwal and found that they really improved my gliding and were a lot of fun.  I look forward to flying with our new club members and enjoying some mini comps in the future.

Safe and happy flying
Judy.