Chilhowee Gliderport to Host Region 5 West and XC/Team Flying Camp

Sarah Arnold, who owns and operates Chilhowee Gliderport near Benton, Tennessee, informs us that Chilhowee will host the U. S. Region 5 West contest in conjunction with a cross country racing and team flying camp  during Labor Day week, September 1-9, 2012.

The SSA-sanctioned Region 5 West (R5W) contest is a split-period contest that will take place over the Labor Day weekend (September 1-3) and the following weekend (September 8-9).

The GTA (Georgia-Tennessee-Alabama) race series will hold a 3-day race during the Labor Day weekend. GTA members will integrate with the other activities during the first weekend and GTA pilots flying in the R5W regional will also get a GTA score.

A two-prong cross-country and team flying practice camp will be held during the week on September 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Pilots are welcome in all three events. Those wanting to make a full week of fun-filled activities can elect to participate in one, two, or all three soaring events, and/or enjoy the many hiking, rafting, and other activities that the local over-hill area offers during the week.

R5W Regional: Register on the SSA website. Contact Sarah Arnold at info@chilhowee.com . Registration is $200 plus $43 per tow. Price of the first 2000′ tow and Saturday night dinners on the 2nd and 9th are included. Guest registration for one weekend only is $120 plus $43 per tow with one Saturday night dinner included.. Extra dinners are $15.

XC Racing and Team Flying Camp: The camp will have two parallel sessions. One will cater to pilots desiring to discover cross country soaring and to pilots who are relatively new to racing. Morning lectures will focus on the fundamentals of cross country soaring, with topics such as preparation, instrumentation, thermaling, route optimization, McCready, etc., and will also review the basics of cross country flying. Based on participants’ interest, afternoon flying will include flying in small groups over small practice circuits with each group being led by an experienced mentor pilot including some members of the U.S. Soaring Team.

The second session will be for more advanced and experienced pilots and will focus on team flying methods and techniques. Morning lectures will include some materials from the U.S. Team practice week. Afternoon flying will focus on pair flying over practice tasks, followed by reviews, critiques, and discussions in the the evening or over dinner.

Costs: $80 plus $43 per tow. No extra charge to full Region 5 West registered pilots.

Contact: To allow proper scheduling of two planes, events, lectures, material needs, etc., please let Sarah know your intent to participate in the camp, including which session (cross country or team flying) as soon as possible.

But that’s not all Sarah’s up to this summer. As we write, she’s towing at the 32nd WGC in Uvalde, Texas. Here’s a quote from a recent email: 

“I’ve been having a great time towing at the World Gliding Championship in Uvalde, Texas this past week. It was exciting to watch Concordia’s first landing at Uvalde and then to tow that magnificent bird on Butler’s first two launches here.”

Sarah will represent the U.S. at the 2013 WGC in Argentina next January. She will compete in the club class.

In mid-July, Sarah was interviewed by Chattanooga’s News Channel 12. The interview, which aired on July 19th, is on YouTube. Here it is: