Lumpy Paterson with crew captain Jorgen Thomsen and Czech friend Michal.
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Flying thousands of kilometres above Europe, Tocumwal glider pilot Lumpy Paterson competed against some of the world’s best pilots at the World Gliding Championships in Poland earlier this year.
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The championships marked Lumpy’s second appearance at the global event, after previously competing in Texas in 2024.
For Lumpy, the competition was about more than just results — it was an opportunity to learn from elite pilots, experience a new culture and represent the Australian gliding community on the world stage once again.
“It's not just a sport for me, it's a lifestyle,” he said.
The competition presented a range of challenges, the biggest being adapting to the difference in temperature.
Australian gliding team members Dave Jansen, Norm Bloch, Adam Woollie, Keith Gateley and Lumpy Paterson.
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“In Australia we fly when it's 35 to 40°C and the heat is insane, whereas over there we were taking off when the temperature was 12 or 13°C,” he said.
“I bought electric socks just to try and keep my feet warm because if you're taking off, and it's 12 or 13°C on the ground, you only go to 4000 or 5000 feet, and you're in 0°C, so you're flying around in freezing temperature all the time.”
The electric socks lasted about two hours before the batteries went flat. Fortunately one of the crew members’ wives, Birgitte, knitted Lumpy a pair of woollen socks.
Another challenge was navigating Europe’s limited airspace.
“Airspace is quite limited in Europe because it's a small area with many people and airports, so there was a lot of airspace that we weren't allowed to fly in,” he said.
Lumpy's view from the glider flying over southern Germany.
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Lumpy Paterson
“It certainly made me appreciate how fortunate we are here in Australia because we don't have many areas you can't fly and here in Tocumwal we can fly any direction we like, up to 17,000 feet.”
Despite the challenges, Lumpy completed some impressive flights throughout the competition.
His longest day of flying lasted six and a half hours, covering 780km.
“The competition itself hosted the longest flight ever done during the World Gliding Championships of 850km,” he said.
“Also during the event we (all the pilots) flew more kilometres collectively than has ever been done before in a world championship.”
Lumpy's view from the glider flying over Switzerland.
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Lumpy Paterson
Lumpy finished 20th out of 42 pilots in his division and said the experience itself was a personal achievement.
“I wasn't disappointed for not winning because to me, I'd already won by getting the opportunity to go there,” he said.
One of the highlights of the event was the camaraderie between competitors, with pilots from around the world sharing advice and helping each other.
“To go there and have the opportunity to talk to these pilots, who I've only heard about... I felt very, very privileged,” he said.
Lumpy’s best performances came when he placed third and fourth on two competition days, describing the racing as extremely close.
“You might race for three or four hours, and the difference between coming first and coming 10th might be a minute. The racing is that close, so you have to be incredibly disciplined,” he said.
Lumpy said the view of the snow-covered mountains over Switzerland from the glider was beautiful.
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Lumpy Paterson
Following the championship, Lumpy spent five weeks travelling through Europe, visiting many countries, including Czechia and Germany, while touring glider manufacturers and speaking at several gliding clubs.
He particularly enjoyed visiting Prague, admiring its buildings and learning about its history.
“The history and the architecture in Prague was absolutely amazing,” he said.
Lumpy said he returned home with valuable knowledge that he hopes will make him a better pilot.
He is now aiming to compete at the next World Gliding Championships for his class, which will be held in France in 2028.
