My interest in flight started before primary school when we had crop-dusters come and dust the broad acre crops on the family farm, situated near Murtoa on the Wimmera plains, Victoria Australia. From this interest grew many forms of kites and model aircraft, often in various states of construction and destruction scattered in my room and dads workshop.
A large shift in my designs came when one sunny day in grade 3 a teacher of mine brought his Ski-kite to school and set it up in the assembly area. This was one of the early weight-shift delta kites, towed up behind boats and landed with skis on the water. I could not keep my hands off the colourful machine and insisted upon having a go in the harness. After this experience I recall claiming, “I am going to get one of those when I have enough money”. I also recall the odd looks on most of my friends faces, it seemed they just did not get the whole dream of flying like a bird.
Using the tools and information at hand, I built many variations of this kite throughout my school years. Sure, I crashed from every high structure on the farm but the cuts and bruises did not dampen my enthusiasm for flight, these attempts only added more realistic components to my dreams of flight.
During my school years we had no TV so I read everything I could find about flying, science and building things. My model aircraft became more complex and lighter, some soared out of sight on the Wimmera thermals, some just became shredded in dust devils and/or fences.
Whenever I could I seized the chance to get a ride in a locally owned Cessna and a nearby ultra-light. Dad took me to the Horsham aerodrome and I had several tandem flights in sailplanes. These thermal flights were really something, for two people to gain height with no motor was flying. There was something missing though, I wanted to fly like a bird, feel the airspeed on my face and lift under my wing.
In 1986 I went to check out the hang gliders soaring at the local hills near Ballarat. It was windy enough so one of the pilots took me for a tandem flight. Upon landing ever so gently atop the hill we launched from, I enquired about the price of used gliders and promptly bought one.
The next day was spent getting the glider test flown by an experienced pilot, with advice I began ground-handling the wing in a breeze. This glider was an Australian designed and home-built rigid wing; it was weight-shift in pitch and had drag rudders for roll and yaw.
After being able to demonstrate keeping the wings level, the most experienced pilot there suggested I fly the 300ft to the bottom. I did so. The landing saw my heels and butt leave a 10 yard trench in the soft mud and cow pies, stopping half a meter short of the cow fence, it looked like it was going to be close half the flight. None-the-less a smile gleamed out from behind the mud and splatter, I had flown like a bird with airspeed on my face, the landing only needed more practice and space.
The following months saw me out flying the local hills after work and venturing to the coast or Mt Cole area on the weekends. If the wind or thermal conditions were favourable I would fly until dark, hunger or both got the better of me.
My first competition was done in the summer of 1987. It was a tow launch comp at Tichbourne near Parkes, with 100 plus pilots circling above a paddock, it could not be easier to find lift.
We flew cross country tasks of about 120km, using only a map and compass to navigate. Half the flights I did not complete the task, but got to meet lots of new people from farms scattered across New South Wales. What a great adventure! I got 16th place overall and 2nd B grade pilot.
I was addicted to comps. My glider then was amongst the slowest so I got hundreds of hours during the next few seasons in Australia’s tow-launch and hill-launch comps. Speed was not as important as making the task back then, sometimes I spent up to nine hours making tasks of less than 180km. Soon I was making every makeable goal at every comp I flew.
After 400 hours and several seasons my first glider was all but worn out, after-all it was 12 years old when I bought it. My second glider was worn out in less than two years and due to quite a few good podium finishes I was approached by Airborne to fly their high performance gliders. It was around this time that I started Dynamic Flight Hang Gliding School and teaching full-time.
Some of the competitions I was sponsored to go to were held in countries such as Indonesia, Spain, France, Brazil and the US on several occasions each. Whilst overseas my job was not only to promote the Airborne high performance glider, by doing well at the comps, but to tune all the imported Airborne gliders and help with technical matters to improve the gliders’ performance in thermalling and/or gliding.
I have competed for Australia at various World Championships, often being the top contributor to our team scores. The World Championships are not only scored on an individual basis but on team standing as well. My best individual world-class results were 4th overall at the World Championships in Algodonales Spain in 2002 and first place at the Pre-Worlds in Australia in 2012. My best team result was gold in the 2005 world championships in Hay NSW Australia.
Between the competitions held in Australia and in the Northern Hemisphere countries I took some time to fly several world records in the mid to late nineties. I have several National Records flying triangles of different sizes and speed but my World Records were done along the Great Australian Bight and were out-and-return flights of 100, 200, 300 and 346km in length.
I married Sandra in 1986, we have three children; Melinda born 1991, Glen born 1993 and Michael 1998. Juggling family life, the business and flying time has been intense and satisfying, sometimes challenging, sometimes funny, seldom sad and often hilarious but never boring. Sandra and I have built all the buildings at Tansey Court, including the mud bricks with assistance from students from time to time. All the structures are of our joint design and piece by piece assembly. We still have many hours of work to do inside the house to make it complete, but I guess that is a common situation for most owner-builders.
With the busy schedule dictated by the aforementioned, my family and I have been involved with the local fire-brigade and squash club, gathering many trophies along the way. We’re not competitive minded, much.
To finish off this story for the time being I shall list the hang gliding competition results that I have trophies for:-
| 1990 | Flatlands Challenge, Forbes NSW | 2nd place, B Grade |
| Bogong Cup, Mt Beauty Vic | 3rd place, A Grade | |
| Bogong Cup, Mt Beauty Vic | 1st place, B Grade | |
| Victorian Cross Country League | 1st place overall | |
| Victorian Hang Gliding Championships | 1st place overall | |
| 1991 | Victorian Cross Country League | 1st place overall |
| 1992 | Australian Cross Country League – 167km goal | Best flight overall |
| 1993 | Victorian Cross Country League | 2nd place overall |
| Victorian Hang Gliding Champion | 1st place overall | |
| Victorian HG Championships – Team Grunge | 1st place overall | |
| 1994 | Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place, Open class |
| Victorian Spring Hang Gliding Championships | 1st place, Open class | |
| 1995 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 5th place overall |
| Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place, Open class | |
| Victorian Hang Gliding Championships | 1st place overall | |
| 1996 | Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place, Open class |
| Indonesia Open HG Championships, Wonogiri, Indonesia – International team | 1st place overall | |
| Bogong Cup, Mt Beauty Vic | 1st place, Open class | |
| Australian National Hang Gliding Championships | 1st place overall | |
| Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place overall | |
| Forbes Flatlands, Forbes NSW | 9th place overall | |
| 1997 | Pre-Worlds – Team Hang Gliding, Forbes NSW | 1st place overall |
| 1998 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 1st place, Open class |
| Victorian Spring Hang Gliding Championships | 2nd place, Open class | |
| 1999 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 3rd place, Open class |
| 2000 | St Bernards Hang Gliding Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place, Open class |
| Australian National Hang Gliding Championships | 3rd place, Open class | |
| Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place, Open class | |
| 2001 | Australian National Hang Gliding Championships | 1st place, A Grade |
| Brazilian Hang Gliding Championships, Brazil | 3rd place, Open class | |
| 13th Annual World Hang Gliding Championships, Algodonales, Spain | 4th place overall | |
| St Bernards Hang Gliding Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place, Open class | |
| Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 2nd place, Open class | |
| Hang Gliding National Champion | Class 1 | |
| 2002 | St Bernards Hang Gliding Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place overall |
| Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place, Open class | |
| Bogong Cup, Mt Beauty | 2nd place, Open class | |
| Australian National Hang Gliding Championships | 2nd place, A Grade | |
| Gulgong Cross Country Classic, Gulgong NSW | 2nd place overall | |
| 2003 | Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 2nd place overall |
| 2004 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 3rd place, Open class |
| Flatter Than the Flatlands HG Comp, Birchip Vic | 1st place overall | |
| 2005 | 15th Annual World Hang Gliding Championships, Hay, Australia – Teams | 1st place, Class 1 |
| Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place, A Grade | |
| 2008 | Corryong Cup, Corryong NSW | 2nd place, Open class |
| 2009 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 3rd place, Open class |
| Corryong Cup, Corryong NSW | 1st place, Open class | |
| 2010 | Bogong Cup, Mt Beauty | 2nd place, Open class |
| 2011 | Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 3rd place, Open class |
| 2012 | Dalby Big Air, Dalby NSW | 4th place, Open class |
| Canungra Classic, Canungra Qld | 2nd place, Open class | |
| Forbes Flatlands Pre-World HG Championships, Forbes NSW | 1st place, Open class | |
| Hang Gliding National Champion | Class 1 | |
| 2013 | Forbes Flatlands Worlds HG Championships, Australian Team – Forbes NSW | 4th place overall |