• Neepawa
• Hang Gliding
• Ultralight

History (1) (2) (3): The People

Hang gliding in Neepawa began in 1995 when Ed James and Jim Crook drove into Winnipeg for lessons with Prairie Wind Hang Gliding. Local interest grew to the point of engaging Barry Morwick to provide training in Neepawa. This group included Merv Sumner, Don Prior, Gordon Cormack, Neil McNarland, Richard Buchanan, Lyle Bremner, Murial Gamey and Dale De’Ath. Six of these (Ed, Merv, Don, Neil, Richard and Gordon) bought gliders and organized the Neepawa Hang Gliding Club.

The club designed and built it's own stationary winch, with the help of Penno's Machining. This winch, owned by Ed James, Merv Sumner and Don Prior, continues to be highly reliable and effective, and an essential resource upon which the club still depends.

In 2001, the club began to expand. New members included BJ McCaskill (from Gladstone), Dean and Margaret Lutz (High Bluff, near Portage) and James Komarniski (Dauphin), Henry Thiesen, and Martin Paskewitz (both Winnipeg). Dean/Margaret and James contributed platform winches.

Students trained and rated since 2002 include Ryan Wood, Ken McDowell and Loren White (all from Saskatchewan), Glen Kyle (Neepawa), Dale Olson (Portage), Gerry Gay (Winnipeg) and Ron Greening (Selkirk). Between ratings issued to original Neepawa club members and visitors, at least twenty pilots have been trained at Neepawa.

Only a limited number of students are undertaken annually, but our rate of completions and retentions has been very high.

The Flying Club

In spirit at least, Neepawa Hang Gliding is a rebirth of the Neepawa Flying Club that laid the foundation for our efforts.

Bill Tinkler and Lawrence (Tubby) Cathcart are the only original NFC members still in Neepawa.

The flight instructor for the NFC was Gordon Murray, who until his death in 2007 was also our friend and advisor. His 20,000 hours of flight experience was drawn upon.

Gordon Murray 2007