The “Senior Nationals” (and yes, I *do* know that its not a real Nationals, and the SSA management takes great pains to point this out – to the extent of changing my post titles when they gratuitously copy my Soaring Cafe posts to the SSA contest reports site without my permission) has a number of…
45 search results for "John Mittel"
2013 Senior Nationals, Day 2
by Bill Elliott •
Ace weather guesser Richard Kellerman (QV) gave us the usual good news – bad news routine this morning. Winds from the south, apparently measured at around 30kt (Yikes!) out of the south, with the possibility of overdevelopment from the east and high cirrus from the west. Lions and tigers, oh my! There was some good…
2013 Seniors, Day 1
by Bill Elliott •
The 2013 Seniors contest got off to a roaring start today, with great (although a bit windy) weather. At the morning meeting, intrepid weatherman Richard Kellerman (QV) told us that we were definitely going to have problems with wind, and that we *might* have problems with either high cirrus coming in from the west and/or…
Chasing Ken Sorenson (aka ‘Rocket Man’) at the Seniors
by Bill Elliott •
Wednesday was a no-fly day here, so many of us occupied ourselves as best we could with maintenance tasks and watching the new arrivals roll in. I helped Dennis Linnekin (DL) and Rob Ware (DI) get their Flarm units configured and operating, and I also was able to repair a small problem with the parking…
2013 Soaring Season has Started – Finally!!!
by Bill Elliott •
I’m writing this from my Micro-Castle parked at the beautiful Seminole Gliderport, watching the sun come up over the runway. I don’t know if I’m having a great dream, or waking up from a winter-long sleep, but either way it feels pretty good. Team-flying partner John Mittell (BZ) and I got down here on Thursday,…
Thoughts on team-flying training and Condor
by Bill Elliott •
After this year’s WGC at Uvalde, there was a lot of talk about whether our U.S. teams lived up to our expectations (especially since it was held at one of our better known U.S. competition venues), and how much or how little of that was due to lack of expertise in team flying. I have…
Another no-contest day at Fairfield (Region 4 North)
by Bill Elliott •
Well, we flew today, but not very much and not very far. CD Erik Mann guaranteed us yesterday that we would at least grid today, and so we did. Weatherman Baud Litt’s forecast at the 0930 pilot’s meeting started with “I have my glider assembled and on the grid”, so we knew he was at…
Rain Day 1&2 at Fairfield (Region 4 North)
by Bill Elliott •
Didn’t post anything yesterday, so I’m writing for two today ;-). Yesterday was a classic rain day, with low temps thrown in for extra emphasis. It rained on and off all day, topped off by a very good lasagna dinner under the tent. Everyone was bundled up, but there was a lot of companionship and…
Team flying practice in Condor, Thursday, 10/04/12
by Bill Elliott •
John Mittell (BZ) and I have been flying together in Condor for the last three months or so. John flew with me in Condor a time or two last winter as part of my normal winter Condor instruction series, and then we met up in RL at the 2012 Seniors contest. After that he came…
Day 6 at Dansville (Region 3)
by Bill Elliott •
Well, the Region 3 contest is over, and what a contest. We flew 6 out of a possible 7 days, and every flying day was great! Helga Gertson (the late Kai Gertson’s wife) who was the registrar for the contest, told me that in all the 40 or so years she and Kai flew the…
