GLENLYON glider pilot Terry Bellair, a member of the Bendigo Gliding Club, has finished first in an Australia-wide gliding competition for the third time.
He won last year and in 2005.
About 200 Australian pilots entered the competition, which is based on the total distance flown by each pilot on their six best flights each year.
A data logger in each sailplane records flight details every few seconds, including precise location, altitude and speed.
The records are then up-loaded to the "online competition" website in Germany.
Bellair's six best flights averaged 851km, lasted between eight and 10 hours and reached altitudes of up to 4600 metres.
His best effort was an attempted 1000km triangular flight on January 28 from Corowa via Lake Cargelligo and Chinkapook, and back to Corowa. However, he landed at 8.50pm, just before "last light", after covering 945km.
Bellair, 69, is a semi-retired environmental science consultant.
His DG-400 sailplane was manufactured in Germany 26 years ago, has a 17m wing span and is equipped with a retractable engine, which is normally only used for a few minutes on each flight to take off and find the first thermal.
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