Aim

The goal is to participate in Junior World Gliding Championship 2015 in Narromine, Australia and to popularaize gliding as a sport.

Competitor of Polish Junior Gliding Team

Representative for Junior World Gliding Championship 2015 - Narromine, Australia 

Tomasz Hornik – Aeroclub Ziemi Jarosławskiej

My name is Tomasz Hornik. I'm 20 years old  (30.09.1994 in Słupsk, Poland). Shorlty after my birth I was living with my family near military airport and I think that fact is probably direct reason of my love to everything with wings. I was looking in the skies since I can remember and I always wanted to be one of that lucky people inside the cockpit. My dreams came true in 2011 when I did my 1st solo in glider. Since 2013 I'm flying professionally in competitions. Now I have 412 hours in air and 8.700 miles of crosscountry flying - without using an engine!

Achievements:

1st in Polish National Gliding Competition 2014, Lisie Kąty1st in Polish Gliding Cup 2014 in junior classification2nd in Polish Gliding Cup 2012 in junior classification Sport Scholarship for the best junior in Aeroclub Nadwislanski 2013 & 2014 

This year, in december (1-15.12.2015) first time in my life I will represent Poland on Junior Wolrd Gliding Championship in Australia, Narromine in Club class. 

Junior World Gliding Championships are organised every 2 years by FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale). The next edition will be held in Australia, Narromine in december. It will be 9th edition of Wolrd Championship. Six best juniors from each country up to 25 years old are participating in Junior World Gliding Championship. Competitions are held in Standard and Club class.

Azure lake near Turek (Poland)

TARGET

 I have to cover the whole cost of participating in Junior World Gliding Championship with help from my Aeroclub and potencial sponsors. The target is to gain money to cover at least 15% of all costs and to popularize gliding as a sport.

Junior World Gliding Championship - Narromine, Australia costs:

a. Transport of a glider by sea in both directions - 2500 GBPb. Airline Tickets (both directions) - 1500 GBPc. Accomodation in Australia - 800 GBPd. Food - 800 GBPe. Entry fee - 650 GBPf. Tows of a glider - 750 GBPg. Car rent - 650 GBPh. Car fuel - 150 GBPTotal cost of Junior World Gliding Championship is around 7800 GBP

Polish national team for Junior World Gliding Championship 2015 Narromine, Australia:

• Tomasz Hornik - Club class
• Jan Jawornik - Club Class
• Marek Niewiadomy - Club Class
• Mateusz Siodłoczek - Standard Class
• Jacek Flis - Standard Class
• Jakub Puławski - Standard Class

Gliding as a sport

Gliders are aerodynamically advanced machines, that flies without using an engine. Flight without an engine is possible because of continues exchange of height to speed. One of the basic performance measure in gliders is glide ratio - ability to change height to distance. Typical value of glide ration is around 40-60 which means that glider will fly for 40-60 kilometers from height of 1000 meters. Refilling necessary height for continuing flight is done by using thermals. Everyone knows concept of wind - latheral movement of air but it's hard to notice that air is also moving vertically. In warm, summer days surface of earth is warmed by sun which causes breaking off of warm "bubbles" of air which are lighter than cold air around it.

Sometimes gliders can fly even for over a dozen hours and fly a distance of over 3 000 km. In Polish weather conditions time of flight is around 4-6 hours and distances traveled by gliders are up to 1 000 km.

     Few facts about gliders:

• Gliders are not light - equipped in water ballast their mass is from 500kg up to 850kg. 
• Gliders are not slow - speeds in a straight lines are from 150 km/h up to 300 km/h.
• Gliders are not simple machines - they are perfectly made constructions using the newest technologies and fabrics. Prices of high performance gliders are hesitate from 20 000 pounds up to almost 200 000 pounds.

In 2005 FAI has launched new type of competitions - World Gliding Championship in glider racing - Grand Prix is played every 2 years. In respect of rules and attractiveness it is very similiar to Formula 1. 

Gliding competitions - What's this all about?

The simpliest answer is: speed! Gliding competitions lasts from 8 to 14 days. The biggest amount of points in every competition is achieved by competitor who will finish with the highest average speed. Every day one competition is played lengh of from 100 km to 1000 km. Gliding is very dynamic and variable sport. Average speeds achieved by competitiors during single task is up to 175 km/h. Speeds achieved by gliders between thermals sometimes are even 300 km/h!

Gliding competitions requires extraordinary physical and mental strength from pilot. Every single competition played during whole contest is proceded by hours of preparations and analysis. Often it takes place in burning sun in very high temperatures. Then pilots have to maintain focused in 100% for next few hours during their air race. Target is simple - fly to the finish as fast as you can.

International team classfication

1.

Poland

2.

France

3.

Great Britain

4.

Germany

5.

Czech Republic

6.

Italy

7.

Australia

8.

Belgium

9.

Netherlands

Sometimes weather conditions are unpredictible and none of all competitors is able to make it to to the airfield then they have to find safe plase to land - small airfields, fields, meadows, dried lakes. Return of a glider to the airfield after outlanding sometimes lasts even up  to next morning. Our representatives belongs to worlds best pilots in gliding. Thanks to medals won at European Gliding Championships and World Gliding Championships Poland ranks on 1st place in ahead of great countries like Great Britain, Deutschland and France.

Thank you very much if you will decide to support me in Junior World Gliding Championship 2015 in Australia. For me it will be additional dose of positive energy. It will strengthen my will to fight for highest place. Gliding is a part of me and my life since I have made my 1st flight. I will answer to every single mail and do whatever I can to spread gliding as a sport.See you in the air and on reports from competitions at fanpage! 

https://www.youtube.com/MajsterMajsterpl

https://www.facebook.com/Majsternmajster

http://skj.szybowce.pl/Piloci,HornikTomasz

This project successfully funded on 30th March 2015