The Bendigo Gliding Club Inc. [BGC] is a not-for-profit sporting organization based near the township of Raywood.  The Club is affiliated with the Gliding Federation of Australia, the national governing body for safe gliding operations.

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VISITORS ARE WELCOME AT THE CLUB

Flying operations are in full swing on weekends, weather permitting!!.  Members also fly on most public holidays and mid-week when exceptional weather conditions are forecast.  BGC also hosts week-long flying events through the year at Easter, Christmas, and the Melbourne Cup long weekend.

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OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SPORT OF GLIDING

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AIR EXPERIENCE FLIGHTS: Bucket List? Special Gift?

Trained instructors will take you up in a two-seat glider for a 20-30 minute flight around this interesting rural part of Victoria.

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FLYING SOLO - Always wanted to fly?

You will be instructed by experienced, GFA-qualified Club pilots in a two-seat glider.  The development of your flying skills will be monitored through a very structured training program.  

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LOCAL SOARING is productive and challenging.

Local soaring [which means you are never more than 25km or so from Raywood airfield] with flights of 2-3 hours can be an exhilarating challenge.  You will also be taught why, where and how to land safely when conditions are such that you can’t fly back to Raywood.  The word “outlanding” is very familiar to all glider pilots.

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CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING may appeal to you.

You will be trained by Club instructors to fly ‘out-and-return’ tasks of 100-200 km over 3-4 hours, developing your navigation and other skills.  You will also get formal recognition of your flying prowess through GFA badge awards.  ​

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NATIONAL GLIDING COMPETITIONS:  Serious flying with friendly, social events.

Each year glider pilots from around Australia gather in various locations to test their cross-country flying skills against each other.  These events are a great way to make friends with like-minded fliers and learn from each other in a social setting.

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RAYWOOD FACILITIES

​Raywood airfield has a north-south and an east-west airstrip.  The main hangar houses club-owned training gliders and a Eurofox tow plane; the hangar has an attached maintenance workshop.  Four other hangars house more than 30 privately owned gliders.​

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The Clubhouse has a comfortable lounge/dining area and a BIG TV for training [and entertainment] purposes. A large well-equipped kitchen and toilet/shower facilities make for comfortable visits.  Accommodation at the Club comprises caravanning and camping sites, and two single rooms [with double beds] available for visitors and members. ​

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BGC endeavours to be a “green” site, utilizing solar panels/batteries to supply power, and harvests rainwater for general use.  The Club recycles waste, including 10c plastic bottles and the odd beer bottle. Farm-safe herbicides are used and sheep may safely graze when there is no flying.