This article by Dean Lawson was first published in The Wimmera Mail-Times on the 10th of February 1999.
Wimmera Soaring Club enthusiasts expect ideal gliding condidtions as competition heats up in the club's annual Horsham Week.
Five tug planes have dragged more than 40 gliders into the Horsham sky on each of the competition days so far and organisers were set to set tougher tasks for pilots as the region turned to warmer weather.
Horsham Week, which has been running for- more than 30 years, started on Saturday but a lack of thermal activity and strong wind meant competition didn't start until Sunday.
Open class entrants from across Victoria and interstate opened competition with a 290 kilometre Horsham-Yaapeet-Birchip-Horsham journey and had to negotiate a difficult "wind on the nose" on the home leg.
The following day they tackled a 307-kilometre task in another tough day of competition.
Soaring club task-setter and competition pilot Laurie Bunnik predicts tasks up to 600 to 700 kilometers as conditions improve later in the week.
"It's going to warm up and we expect to have terrific gliding weather by the end of the week," he said.
"It's an ongoing test of-skill to see who can complete the tasks the fastest. It's a combination of piloting skill in making the most of conditions.
There's an element of luck involved but it's seldom that more than one and a half minute goes by when a.pilot is not making some kind of decision.
"Pilots can spend up to four hours in the air and have to deal with high physical and mental stress levels. It's very demanding."
Pilots will attempt to climb as high as possible and will possibly reach altitudes of up to 4000 metres as they attempt to travel as far as Hattah and Swan Hill.
The competition offers daily prizes but Horsham Week trophies are based on aggregates from the various tasks.
Horsham Week features open, 15-metre and standard classes and Horsham Week titles are on offer in every class.
Wimmera residents can expect to see competing gliders in the air until Horsham Week winds up on Saturday.