One of the pilots in our local soaring club was surprised to discover that he was sharing a thermal with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Yearly Archives: 2014
Upcoming SSA Convention Coverage at the Café
by Rand Baldwin •
If you can attend the 2014 SSA Convention in Reno, we strongly encourage you to do so, but if you can’t, we’ll try our best to be your surrogate eyes and ears. Our convention coverage begins Thursday, February 27th, so follow us on Twitter @SoaringCafe or watch for our daily (and hourly) reports on FaceBook. Longer posts will appear later on the Café website
Video – Soaring the Himalayas with Sebastian Kawa
by Bill Elliott •
Thanks to reader John Koch for recommending this video. Released on February 18th, it features spectacular videos of world champion Sebastian Kawa soaring an ASH-25Mi over the Himalayas.
Congratulations to Klaus Ohlmann: a Letter from Sebastian Kawa
by Bill Elliott •
A few days ago, probably while in the United States Gordon and Hugh were preparing for their next long downwind dash from Minden, I received an e-mail note from Poland: The Kawa-Team is busy preparing their next trip to the Himalayas where in November 2013 they had fought the elements to be the first sailplane…
“Don’t let age keep you from learning new skills.” Cal.
by Bill Elliott •
Last week I promised you to see if I could get some more details from the 81 year old pilot Cal, who made his first solo flight in a glider from Chilhowee. Cal was very helpful, so was Sarah. Thank you both for sharing!!!!! Cal and Sarah. Here is the story of the ” new…
A New Carbon Composite Powered Ultralight Glider
by Bill Elliott •
l would like to present a few photos and a technical description of a powered glider that my colleagues and I have developed over the past 20 months. The glider is designed so that it meets Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 103 -Ultralight Vehicles.
Taming the Tow in Condor
by Bill Elliott •
Your Café editors recently received an inquiry from a Condor simulator pilot (Larry), who needed advice on how to maintain a stable position during aerotow, so we asked our Condor experts, Scott Manley and Frank Paynter, to respond to the frustrated Condor pilot.
Gordo and Hugh Re-Set U.S. National Multiplace Free Distance Record
by Bill Elliott •
After a long day of soaring the waves between Nevada and Wyoming, Gordon and Hugh landed the Duo Discus at the Casper Natrona International Airport near Casper, Wyoming.
News Flash: Gordon Boettger to Attempt Another Record Flight – Monday, February 17th
by Bill Elliott •
At sunrise on 17 January, we are planning on launching in the Duo Discus glider from Minden at sunrise and aiming for Rapid City, SD as our goal, a distance of over 933 miles. Below is a link to the map with our position updates every 5 minutes.
The LX Zeus: A Pilot Report from Roman Mraček
by Bill Elliott •
I used the new LX Zeus during the European Gliding Competition (EGC) in Ostrow when it was installed in my Standard Cirrus. Once it was installed, I was very pleased, with the impression it created with its airliner type layout and particularly the labeled push buttons that made the system very user friendly for me.
