Due to the isolated landing site, a helicopter had be to be dispatched from Newcastle to retrieve pilot Paul Mander, who had to “outland” his glider in thick scrub south of Narrabri.

The two Tamworth-based helicopters were forced to cease winching operations in July 2013 as part of sweeping NSW government reforms of aero-medical services.

“I find it incredible the Tamworth chopper couldn’t be sent,” Mr Mander said.

“I had to wait over two hours for rescue. Had I been badly injured with internal injuries, there’s a fair chance I wouldn’t have survived.”

Tamworth Regional Council deputy mayor Russell Webb said this latest incident was just more ammunition in the fight to have winching capabilities reinstated at the Tamworth base.

He said the delay in having to get a helicopter from Newcastle was putting lives at risk and said, from a purely economic perspective, it “isn’t cost-effective”.

When new aero-medical retrieval contracts came into effect in 2017, Cr Webb said it was imperative all areas had access to the same level of service, including winching.

He said the council had sent a letter to the government asking for the winching decision to be reconsidered, and the Namoi Regional Organisation of Councils was hoping to get an audience with NSW Premier Mike Baird on the issue.

“It’s more ammunition for the community to say to the premier ‘enough is enough’. We had winching for 13 years incident-free ... and now’s the time to reinstate it,” Cr Webb said.

Tuesday’s rescue comes just a month after an injured climber in the Warrumbungle National Park had to wait for a Newcastle helicopter, despite a Tamworth chopper being first on the scene.

For Mr Mander, Tuesday’s unexpected landing had a happy ending though, the Sydney man sustaining no serious injuries apart from biting his tongue during the “jarring arrival” and coming to rest on a bull ants’ nest.

With no roads within walking distance of the landing site, Mr Mander stayed put and awaited help.

He had travelled from Avalon Beach to be a part of the national gliding championships at Lake Keepit.

Outlanding gliders is “part and parcel” of the sport according to Mr Mander, who described his landing as a “controlled arrival”.

Outlanding occurs when a glider runs out of momentum between thermal pockets which boost the machine through the air.

Mr Mander said he aimed to land among sapling trees but clipped larger trees during his descent which detached the wings from the machine and rendered it a write-off. 

The pilot has more than 48 years of gliding experience and put the forced landing down to an error of judgment.