The beginning

The club was set up in 1956 as the Wellington & Wairarapa Gliding Club and flew from Hood Aerodrome in Masterton using both a two-seat German Rhonlerche glider and a single seat British Olympia 463. To get them in the air, a Tiger Moth was used as a tow plane with some winching done as well.

In those early days, a band of enthusiasts rushed over the Remutakas every weekend to enjoy the great gliding Wairarapa offers. However, ‘The Hill’ 65 years ago was not quite to the same standard as today, and we won’t go into the joys of driving 1950’s cars. Hence, a suggestion arose that perhaps Paraparaumu Airport might be a site more easily reached from Wellington.

The Paraparaumu days

A move was made to the Kapiti Coast in the early ’60’s although some flying was still done in the Wairarapa. Gradually all flying was concentrated at Paraparaumu with Christmas camps being held at Masterton or north at Kawhatau. The Wellington & Wairarapa Gliding Club became the Wellington Gliding Club during this time. The Wairarapa provides great high-altitude wave flying (the world glider height record of 37,000 feet was held there for a while), but Paraparaumu allowed long flights along the ridges to the north of the Manawatu Gorge, not to forget fun times zooming over sightseers at the top of the Paekakariki Hill and sea level beat-ups off the Fisherman’s Table restaurant, to the amazement of diners.

The Club really developed at Paraparaumu, and the original tin shed clubhouse/hangar was soon replaced with three proper hangars, a clubhouse and a bunkhouse.

Meanwhile in the Wairarapa…

More bands of enthusiasts continued to operate a mobile winch, launching gliders occasionally from Masterton and from paddocks around Lake Wairarapa. In the mid-80's Jim Bicknell caught the gliding bug and turned several fields (bordering the Waiohine and Ruamahunga Rivers to the East of Greytown) of his dairy farm into a 1km airstrip, forming Gliding Wairarapa and the Papawai airfield in the process. As Jim's enthusiasm expanded, so did the airstrip until it was nearly 2.5km long. Club members also built a winch, a hangar and clubrooms adjoining the strip, and started a youth flying programme with the local Kuranui College. Jim eventually sold his farm to the South Wairarapa District Council but continued to lease the land for grazing and for continued use as an airfield.

Back at Paraparaumu…

As the Wellington Club blossomed, so did the airport traffic with the presence of flying schools, an aero club and eventually Air New Zealand and other smaller commercial operators. The Club was coming to the view that it might have to move when the matter was precipitated by the airport owners advising that the Club’s lease would not be renewed but that it would help finance a move to somewhere else, more money if we moved sooner. The Club considered the options and decided that a move to the Papawai airfield would be best. At the same time, the Club decided to winch launch rather than continue using aerotowing.

The move to Papawai

The Club moved in 2016 and is now firmly established at Papawai, receiving much assistance from the South Wairarapa District Council, which saw the Club’s presence as a welcome addition to the area’s attractions. Gliding Wairarapa continued to operate alongside the Wellington Club for several years before shutting up shop (its purpose in growing the Wairarapa gliding movement having been achieved), at which point the Wellington Club re-adopted its old name and is now the Wellington Wairarapa Gliding Club once again.

The site now includes a brand-new hangar holding some ten gliders, a training centre complete with a flight simulator, cooking and toilet facilities, a sleeping cabin, and landscaped areas for members’ caravans and tents. 

The move to Papawai dramatically increased flying membership, up by nearly 60% in a relatively short time. The number of Youth Members also grew significantly, from 2 at Paraparaumu to over 31 at Papawai between 2016 and 2021, building on Gliding Wairarapa's existing relationship with Kuranui College. The Club is now among the three largest gliding clubs in New Zealand and is the most active club in terms of flying activity.

Our members

Our Club depends on its members to function efficiently and it is most heartening how our members devoted (and continue to devote) their energy and time to developing Papawai and administering the Club’s affairs. The move to Papawai somehow triggered an increased enthusiasm, and members came out of the woodwork, rolled up their sleeves and got involved.

On another front, our members have participated in Gliding NZ’s administration over the years, both as National Executive members, as presidents, and in executive capacities. Similarly, in international competitions, where several of our members have flown in the New Zealand team over the years, (some several times) with some arriving on the podium. National competitions always include several of our members, and each time some are usually successful.

Our fleet

The Club’s fleet has changed significantly over the years. It started with two-seaters, a German Rhonlerche and a Rhonadler (metal tubes covered with canvas and a bit of plywood on the leading edge of the wings), a single-seater British Olympia Eon 463 (slightly more wood), and two members owning their own gliders. This evolved into two metal Czech Blanik two-seaters and two Polish PW5 single-seaters through to a pair of German fibreglass Twin Astirs to today’s fleet, two top line German fibreglass two-seaters for training (DG1000s) and two fibreglass single-seaters for students to graduate to (a Single Astir and a DG100). The privately-owned fleet has mushroomed from the two mentioned earlier to over 23 today, several equipped with small engines.

For launching, the Club initially used Tiger Moths and, at one stage, owned two of them. Flying in an open cockpit at 70 mph called for a leather helmet, goggles, heavy jacket and serious boots. The tow pilot was not impressed when the glider pilot called out, “4,000 feet please, Howard”. The demise of the Tigers came when we could no longer get 78 octane petrol (remember those days?), and we changed to two Piper Super Cubs, which were rumoured to have heaters (disgusting decadence), and later swapped them for two Piper Pawnees. Although aerotowing has some advantages, maintaining tow planes is expensive, so at the time of moving to Papawai, the Club invested in a state-of-the-art Skylaunch glider winch from the UK. This can launch a glider to about 2,000 feet in seconds. Your first winch launch is exciting! One of our old Pawnee tow planes is stationed at Hood Aerodrome, and we use it from time to time to instruct members in aerotow launches as well as provide easy access to the Wairarapa wave.

Well, there’s an outline of our Club’s history. So, come fly with us.