AERO

BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

NOTHING like hitting the sky in your own backyard.

Latrobe Valley Aero Club hosted the 2026 Australian Light Aircraft Championships recently, seeing the masses of the national amateur flying community arrive at Latrobe Regional Airport.

For the first time in close to a decade, LVAC welcomed interstate pilots and also saw locals compete across an array of events.

Putting their hand up to host the national competition once again, a sub committee was formed and headed to Taree, New South Wales, where last year’s championships was held.

A majority of the committee had experience or knowledge of what was required from the last time the championships were at Traralgon, most recently in 2017 and 2014.

One of the best: One of Latrobe Valley Aero Club’s RAAus (Recreational Aviation Australia) registered planes that competed during the ALAC in Traralgon.

Following on from the four-day event in the Latrobe Valley, LVAC sub committee chair Steve Murcott told the Express that the feedback was enormous.

“Everyone absolutely loved it, they had a great time,” he said.

“It was a highly social event in between … (the) competition flights.”

Many aero clubs from across the country arrived into the Latrobe Valley, many of which flew their own aircrafts down leading into the championships.

Competitors arriving down from the eastern seaboard (Queensland and New South Wales) were able to fly into the area and store what they’d be using during the competition at the local airport.

Those coming from the likes of Western Australia were forced to fly commercial and hired local aircraft to compete.

Gustily wind inflicted both high into the air where competition was underway and also down low on the tarmac, especially over the final two days on Friday and Saturday.

Boots on the ground: Latrobe Valley Aero Club Australian Light Aircraft Championship sub committee chair Steve Murcott and Chief Marshall Rob Batten surround Chief Ground Judge Allan Campbell. Photographs: Blake Metcalf-Holt unless otherwise stated

This required the itinerary of the events to change a little bit in regards to order, but other than that, was said to have ran smoothly and on time.

“They (competitors) were very flexible with the fact we were changing the program to suit the weather, so that we could pick the more stable conditions for aerobatics and formation flying in the mornings,” Murcott said.

The five competitions were: spot landing, forced landing, streamer cutting, formation flying, and aerobatics.

Spot landing, which required individuals to land their aircraft on a marked area of the runway whilst carrying out checks and drills as specified by the RFACA (Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia) Rules and Regulations, was won by Gary Morton of the Royal Victorian Aero Club in a Piper Cherokee Warrior 2.

The Royal Victorian Aero Club also won the formation flying, and one of their teams also were recognised as Overall Team Champion.

Great effort: Latrobe Valley Aero Club member Sam Garden won the Forced Landing and Aerobatics competitions at the Australian Light Aircraft Championships hosted in Traralgon recently. Photograph supplied

Forced landing, needing competitors to land their aircraft on a marked area on the runway, however, simulating an engine failure and still carrying out checks and drills, was taken out by LVAC member Sam Garden in his own Pitts model 12, with fellow local Julian Turecek coming in second.

Garden also won the Aerobatics competition.

Streamer cutting, seeing each competitor attempting to cut two streamers consecutively with the same air judge without descending below 1000 feet, was won by Michael Stenson of the Royal Aero Club of Western Australia, flying in LVAC’s Ceffna 172.

Stenson was also recognised as Overall Champion for his performances across the whole week.

The 2026 Australian Light Aircraft Championships took place April 8 to 11.