Nice Flight Soaring out of Estrella

Those of us who fly, and in particular, those of us who are fortunate enough to soar, often feel compelled to share our experiences and stories with others. This attitude is vitally important to the promotion of our sport. Camaraderie and a high level of esprit de corps allow these events to happen quite frequently. This article is about one day of soaring at one glider port. Fortunately, events of this type occur regularly within our membership.

DCF 1.0A fellow US Airways Captain from Phillidelphia, Woody Menear, called me on the afternoon of September 27th of last year. Could I show a friend of his, another aviator-type, around the Phoenix, Arizona area that afternoon? Naturally, the answer was an immediate “Yes!” Contact information was exchanged, and within minutes I was on the telephone with Brian Sargeant, from Scotland! I asked: “Brian, what would you like to do today?” As it was well past noon, any activity had to be somewhat local. Estrella Sailport is a world class gliderport, and it is within easy driving distance of the Phoenix area, so we opted to go for a glider ride.

The day was relatively cool, with a high and thin overcast. The temperatures were only in the 90s. We opted to make the short drive to Estrella in the topless Ford Cobra that was waiting in the garage. Why not? We can pull out all the stops for a visitor from so far away! The ride to Estrella was fast, and hotter than expected. In fact, we absolutely baked in the cockpit of the Cobra, as we endured the nostalgia and charm of a British sports car, while enjoying spirited conversation.

It was during this short ride that I learned that Brian is actually a retired Royal Air Force Officer! Brian’s career with the RAF spanned some of the hottest years of the Cold War. Europe was a region that was heavily contested during this era. Of course, Scotland was well within this sphere of activity, and Brian was responsible for some very high-level activity within the Air Traffic Control Branch of the RAF. Certainly, many of Brian’s stories are too secret to be told, but he did share a fascinating story about being the United Kingdom airspace controller during a speed record flight from RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, England, to Los Angeles, California. This record flight was made in 1974, and it was very complex due to the multiple in-flight refueling events that had to be coordinated with multiple KC-135 tanker aircraft. This speed attempt had to be repeated twice, because on the first attempt, the certifying authorities were not sure that the Blackbird went through the start gate accurately. A return to base was made, and the record flight was successfully accomplished on the following day. These speed records, and other demonstrations of performance, were very important contributions to the Cold War effort. The cooperation within and among the various NATO nations provided a good demonstration of resolve for the entire world to see. People like Brian Sargeant, working all over the world, together brought the Cold War era to a peaceful conclusion.

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Tow Pilot Joey Flies (left) and John Bergeson

We drove through the quickly-growing city of Maricopa, and turned west on Highway 238, eventually driving up the long and curving gravel road that ends at the Estrella Sailport office and hangar facilities. Betty Horvath was at the front desk. I had called earlier, and Matthew Stephens had a Grob G103 waiting for us in front of the hangar. Expert tow pilot Joey Flies was ready in the Pawnee. (Tow pilots seldom get thanked: Joey Flies is among the best of tow pilots. He has an uncanny ability to tow his glider pilots into the best areas of lift. Thanks Joey!) After a careful preflight, Brian got into the front cockpit, as I climbed into the rear. The tow was almost glass smooth, and we got off in a puff of lift over the famous “white spot.” We circled in this puff of lift as I slowly figured out how to co-ordinate rudder and ailerons of the two-seat ship.

The lift improved or the turns became smoother, (probably the former,) either way, we got a two thousand foot climb over the white spot, and then Brian took the controls and we flew northwest, along the western edge of the Estrella ridge, in a lovely curtain of lift! We had a consistent climb of two-to-three knots, and turned around as we approached the edge of the Phoenix Class B airspace, and then turned back toward the white spot while making good speed. We enjoyed a four thousand foot altitude gain during this flight, which was remarkable as it was so late in the day. Too, the wind on the surface was from the east, but we found lift on the west side of the Estrella ridge. Our wonderful soaring fight included a short cross-country segment, and it occurred late in the season, as well as late in the day, after some of the monsoon rains of early September. After flying out of Estrella for two decades, I’m continuously amazed at the weather and the wonderful soaring conditions we are gifted with! Our flight was only forty-five minutes in duration, as we had to land so that the good folks at Estrella could stack the hangar and lock up for the night. If I had been flying my Glasflugel 304CZ, I would have stayed up until sunset…

John Bergeson

John Bergeson

The drive back to Phoenix was rather fast, as we were going against the heavy flow of traffic. As an aside; most of the traffic was going to Maricopa, which is now a rather large town with restaurants and hotels, along with stoplights and speed limits. This growth has made the town of Maricopa a great hot-spot for thermals, as well as more inviting for soaring pilots who come to fly at Estrella. Brian and I drove into Phoenix, and shared dinner and more flying stories at Los Dos Molinos, a favorite Mexican food restaurant for flight crews and a destination place for people visiting Phoenix. Brian and I are planning another soaring trip at Estrella this September. I’m sure the wonderful soaring weather will be waiting!