Visiting Pilots

Visiting and having a flight

Make a booking on our homepage either as a trial flight, or twin + instructor.

We generally charge our club rates for other visiting glider pilots for one or two day visits.

If you'd like to fly with us for longer term (weeks to months), you'll need to join our club. Costs vary depending what time of year you join.

Flying with our instructors

We have instructors available almost anytime we fly. Flying with our instructors does not require a medical, joining the club, or NZ glider pilot licence. Book on our website. You'll need to work around other club members and bookings.

Flying Solo in our club gliders

To fly our club gliders solo, you'll need to:

• Join our club, so you're covered under our insurance. This will also join Gliding New Zealand.
• Bring proof of your overseas club membership and logbook.
• Have your existing pilot licence converted with an instructor. This will involve essentially a BFR (Biannual Flight Review) to test your competency and flying skills.
• You'll need a briefing on local club and airfield procedures.
• You'll need a valid medical.

For more details see the info for visiting pilots with Gliding New Zealand.

Some other things to be aware of:

• If you're staying longer term, as a club member you'll be expected to volunteer some time to help in some way, duty pilot, instructor or tow pilot.
• Our gliders are not available for full day use, without prior arrangement by the committee. Twin glider flights will usually be max 1-2 hours depending how busy we are.
• See our guides Visiting pilot flying information and the Piako procedures and info for how we do things.

Flying with Tim from PureGlide

Unfortunately I'm not available for paid flights or trial flights on request. I'm rostered on once a month roughly, so it's luck if I happen to be the instructor on the day you can visit.

Accomodation

We have some basic accomodation available on site through the Matamata Soaring Centre (who own the accomodation block and clubrooms at Matamata). We don't have a manager or staff on site to help with keys, so you'll need to arrive on a flying day. Or organise a key in advance.

Public Transport

Unfortunately public transport is not great to the airfield, we recommend hiring a car to make getting to/from the airfield easy.