Welcome to the fun world of competition flying!
The Rockhamton Aero Club holds approximately 10 flying competitions each year that encompass both day and night flying and are open for anyone to enter - even those who have never flown an aircraft before.
What happens at a comp day?
The day competitions generally consist of three events - Balloon bursting, Flour bombing and Spot landing. The day commences when we fly our aircraft to a close airport, such as Emu Park and set up our sights and landing line. We then take names and aircraft selection details and start the competition around 9.30am.
How is it done?
An instructor will go with you as you takeoff from the airport, fly a circuit back around to overhead the airfield and after a person on the ground releases a balloon, you try your best to pop it with the propeller. You then complete another circuit and drop a flour bomb as close as you can to a target on the ground, then finally complete one more circuit and land as close to a line across the runway as you possibly can.
The night competiton is conducted from the Rockhampton Airport while a barbeque is being held. You get the opportunity to taxi out, takeoff and fly a circuit, admire the town lights from above, then come back in and land. An instructor is with you the entire time - free of charge.
How much does it cost?
The entire experience will cost you roughly $55, depending on the time it takes you to complete the competition.