Australia, Alice Springs

Based at Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Surrounded by the the MacDonnell ranges, the Simpson Desert to our east and Uluru to the west. A winter adventure discovering XC  in the outback.

The tours run each year around August. We will be predominately towing but may also mountain launch.

Come and play

FAQ

Do I need a satellite tracker like SPOT

SPOTs are a powerful resource

  • They reassure your family
  • They reassure you
  • They make my life easier knowing I can find you

We are often flying in areas outside of good cell phone coverage. A SPOT with tracking activated and used could save your life

They are not mandatory for the clinics, if we are in the flatlands I strongly recommend one
We have a couple spare we can rent by prior arrangement

How much experience do I need to learn to tow

We can teach you to tow as soon as you have your supervised licence

Done correctly towing is a great way to quickly gather flights, launches and landings
We teach students to fly on the tow as well as taking them to the alpine launch sites

What do I need to bring

Glider, harness, helmet, vario, gps, radio

A reserve is mandatory

Water, sunscreen, sunnies

We supply a winch, tow releases, weak links and some backup water

Do I need a tow endorsement

Yes, you need a tow endorsement, towing in thermals can easily be dangerous without some education

We regularly run tow endorsement clinics or can teach you to tow during the safari clinics at extra cost and by prior arrangement only
We need evidence that you know how to tow, the conditions can often be demanding

Alice Springs is an inland thermalling and ridge soaring area

There are some days when we do not fly, there are many days where we can fly all day. I would classify Alice Springs in winter as beginner friendly under supervision

How do we set up our GPS

Your GPS should be set to a coordinate system of degrees.degrees (d.ddddd)

If you want to keep an useful tracklog you should be taking tracklog points every second, depending on the storage capacity of your GPS unit

What is the philosophy of the tour?

The tour is dedicated to providing pilots with the best opportunity to maximise their flying. We provide the infrastructure to help you to achieve. Rather than base ourselves at one site we will drive the km’s to fly whereever is on and right for the group.

If we can’t fly or realistically travel to a site to fly then we will chill and play tourists

What is involved in the skills development?

An important part of the event is individual and group goal orientated skills development.

We work with each pilot to identify areas of opportunity to develop and improve individual skills. We discuss and agree strategies to work towards measurably improving those skills. We jointly identify achievable goals that over time demonstrate how well those strategies are working.

Some of these opportunities are discussed and developed before the event via an internet based remote skills development process.

All of these opportunities, strategies and goals are documented and become part of a skills improvement package that you take away with you to continue to use and develop your flying.

What radio do we need?

In Australia we use a UHF CB frequency range around 476/7 mhz, the radios need to be CTCSS (tone squelch capable)

Radio frequency will be UHF 12 (476.7mhz), tone squelch 79.7 hz (Jiri radio PRIV2)

What do we do for accommodation?

Individuals choose how to spend the night, we will always be ending the day close by motels, hotels or camping – each evening we will drop you off and pick you up again every morning to regroup, rebrief and start the new day

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When do the Tours run

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What does the tour include?
  • Expert guides led by Brian Webb guiding us to the right sites for the weather ahead
  • Extensive local knowledge of sites and meteorology
  • Daily weather briefs, task recommendation, goal setting and in flight support.
  • Pre tour skills assessment and coaching
  • Ongoing coaching with goal orientated skills improvement throughout the tour
  • Tandem training with tour pilots where beneficial
  • Comfortable vehicles with coordinate capable GPS
  • Transport from and to the arranged airport
  • Transport to the sites each day
  • Dedicated retrieve driver
  • Full retrieve
  • Laptop friendly, I need my laptop and connectivity to be able to get the best from each day, I understand how important it may be for you
  • We encourage each pilot to get a SPOT satellite GPS tracker to ensure we know where everybody is – all the time
Do I need to join any Australian organisations to fly?

For sure, you will need a visiting pilot membership of HGFA to qualify for their 3rd party insurance, details at HGFA. We can help you with the paperwork required here

Some sites require local membership

Where can I get camping gear, do I have to bring it over?

I buy once I get to Australia – for camping consider BCF  – a good size 4 person tent for circa Aus $80 – you can get pillows, stretchers (cots), pots, camping stoves. Recommend a 4 person tent to give you lots of room, enough for the stretcher and all your gear

I would suggest bringing your own sleeping bag if you have a good one, it’s easy enough to squash into the glider bag

We can pull over at BCF after the pickup from the airport

How much is medical and evacuation insurance?

QBE offer a good deal for circa Aus $300 – contact Sascha on  sascha@tsbright.com.au.

Be sure your insurance covers you for paragliding

How much is accommodation?

Motels vary from Aus $70-140, camping is often around Aus $30 per night

Where can I get a cell phone?

You can use your own phone with international roaming or rurally Telstra have the best network. Check out Telstra prepaid,

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Tour calendar

If you cannot see a date that suits you or there is an event scheduled and you are not sure if you are suitable for it then don’t be shy, contact us to talk it thru

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Bookings

Bookings

To book please check the dates of your event then contact us via the Enquiries page.
Be sure to let us know the dates you are interested in
We will then follow up with you to be sure we have you on the right event

If you have any questions call on +61 (0)417 530972 or skype to brianmwebb

Payments

Payments can be made by bank transfer or PayPal

Bank transfer
Bendigo Bank: BSB 633 000
Account name: XCkms
Account number: 122842537

PayPal
Regret this bears a 2% addition to cover administration costs
Please pay to webbie@XCkms.com

Why us

Why clinic with XCkms

  • Expert guides with demonstrable experience
  • Extensive local knowledge of sites and meteorology
  • Tandem instruction where appropriate
  • Comfortable 4WD vehicles with GPS, tablet, SMS and SPOT facilities
  • Dedicated retrieve drivers
  • Briefing facilities including whiteboard, big screen video replay, tracklog projection and WiFi

Costs

The tours have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 pilots.

The 3 day tour cost is $600, we have 3 consecutive tours that you can consider, join any or all them as you wish
We have a daily rate of  $250 if you want to cherry pick the days you come flying

What does the tour cover?

  • Expert guides led by Brian Webb guiding us to the right sites for the weather ahead
  • Local knowledge of sites and meteorology
  • Daily weather briefs, task recommendation, goal setting and in flight support.
  • Pre tour skills assessment and coaching
  • Ongoing coaching with goal orientated skills improvement throughout the tour
  • Tandem training with tour pilots where beneficial
  • Comfortable vehicles with coordinate capable GPS
  • Transport from and to Alice Springs airport
  • Transport to the sites each day
  • Dedicated retrieve driver
  • Full retrieve
  • 2 tows per day, extra tows are $20 each
  • Laptop friendly, I need my laptop and connectivity to be able to get the best from each day, I understand how important it may be for you
  • We encourage each pilot to get a SPOT satellite GPS tracker to ensure we know where everybody is – all the time