For glider pilots of all abilities, cross country training courses are a great way of improving or sharpening your skills, knowledge and confidence. 

For pilots who have completed solo training, a cross country course can show the real possibilities of gliding. Even if it may be months or years before you feel you have the ability to do a solo 300 km flight, flying in a two seater with an experienced instructor can open you up to many new fields of knowledge.

And unless you are a world champion, there is always someone who can show you something new or remind you of something you have forgotten.

Cross country training can be done in two seaters, or in single seaters as a lead and follow task. 

Lake Keepit Soaring Club is a great place for cross country training. 

Apart from the obvious fact that there's a lot of country to cross around Lake Keepit, most of it fairly flat, there are a few other good reasons for coming to LKSC.

• 7 day operations at Lake Keepit Soaring Club mean you can get very intensive training. 
• All year round flying means you can come when you want.
• A good range of club two seaters and single seaters.
• Very few airspace restrictions mean you can concentrate on flying.
• Lots of outlanding strips and paddocks.
• Consistently good weather so you won't need to outland!
• A first class crew of excellent instructors.
• Garry Speight.

People come from all over the world to fly with Garry Speight. He has an international reputation as a glider pilot. In France, a pilot said… "Ah, you have Garry. That pilot who can thermal a f**t."

Garry Speight has almost certainly flown more than you. With around 15,000 flights in his log book (and about 125 outlandings,) Garry has flown the equivalent of several times around the world. Garry's attitude could best be described as "indomitable". Never give up, never surrender. This, combined with an unmatched theoretical knowledge of weather, thermal behaviour and gliders, means a course with Garry is one to remember.

On one difficult day, Garry had headed out cross country and got stuck. After spending 30 minutes at around 2000', he came on the radio to ask if a local ag strip was still useable as a landing field. Some 15 minutes later, he said "I've been here 45 minutes and not gone anywhere! I am abandoning the task." Another pilot then reported that conditions appeared to be getting better some 25 kms away. From then, over the rest of the afternoon, we heard curt radio reports from Garry has he got back up, completed the task, and then went around almost all of it again! 

If you are interested in a cross country course at LKSC, please contact the club and let us know what you would like to achieve… and we'll get back to you with some ideas.