Chris Rudge

 

Chris has been flying gliders and powered aircraft since 1984. As a tow pilot flying "taildragger" aircraft, he completed over 5000 glider launches. His total time in aircraft exceeds 6600 hours. He also holds New Zealand and Canadian commercial licences for aeroplanes and balloons, and has flown helicopters. He was the first pilot in the world to log 1000 hours each on aeroplanes, gliders and balloons. In addition to holding four New Zealand national aviation records, he has been flying in the area around Aoraki Mt Cook for 36 years and was Chief Flying Instructor for the Southern Soaring gliding company from February 2006 until April 2010. Other achievements include being the author of two non-fiction aviation books, one novel and visiting Antarctica eight times. His other interests include restoring an ex-RNZAF A-4K Skyhawk flight simulator and a WWII T-6 Harvard training aircraft.

Chris clearly enjoys aviation, but his greatest pleasure comes from sharing flying experiences with visitors and seeing the joy on their faces when they experience open-cockpit flying for the first time.