“This glider was unique. First of all, she was no contest sailplane. Most competition-oriented pilots could see that.” — Stan Hall (1956) Stan Hall dryly made this statement in his report about the first flight of the Cherokee II in the November/December 1956 edition of Soaring.While the glider was not designed as a competition ship,…
Dear Soaring Pilots: If you have never flown in New Castle, you certainly heard about us – a 1000k contest flight, a club glider to 19600 in wave, the unmatched hospitality of the Blue Ridge Soaring Society. If you have flown with us, you have experienced the incomparable beauty of the ridges and valleys of…
This is my second contest and both were nothing short of OUTSTANDING. It is easy to see why Perry is such a favorite among so many pilots. One gent, Pete Alexander, came from California. There was a strong contingent of our friends from north of the border, representing Ontario Canada. There were 89 registered for 65 slots. Rhonda and Al Tyler were great hosts and let no effort get in their way to provide a fantastic soaring event.
Robin Clark caught Frank with his signature smile a few days ago in front of the now famous “Micro-castle”. First, I need to let everyone know that our friend Frank Paynter had to leave the contest this morning. I went to the cook shack this morning to begin my morning routine. On arrival, I saw…
I think you all know by now that we did not fly today at Perry. We woke up to low clouds and it got worse later. Weather aside, we had the pilots’ meeting per the schedule and it included a WX brief that confirmed our collective wisdom…. NO flying today. One simple guide for us…
Day 2 brings a new point of learning for this Nugget. The task was a MAT, a modified area task. Because the weather guy expressed concern that Perry might suffer damaging winds, hail, and other nasty stuff, the CD shortened the day. The sports class was given a MAT that had two turn points specified and a minimum…
No flying today at Seminole – 20-30kt from the south with higher gusts.
I’m sitting in my micro-castle at Seminole Lake Gliderport, getting ready to start my soaring season tomorrow. I rolled in this morning and have spent the day getting set up and ready for Russel Brown to annual my ship in the morning. Oh yes, and watching an absolutely beautiful soaring day go by in the process ;-).
In an effort to fulfill Dale Kramer’s MIRA (mandatory if rentals are available) vision to have nearly 100% participation in contests, a handful of generous, farsighted and proactive pilots have donated funds for the purchase of portable PowerFlarm units to be administered through a rental program directed by Rex Mayes.
Sailplane racing is an intricate and challenging blend of soaring skill, mental toughness, and strategic planning. Anyone seriously interested in improving their competitive performance needs to sharpen all aspects of their soaring skill set. The book, “Competing in Gliders” by Leo and Ricky Brigliadori, provides a valuable resource to help pilots of all levels perform better.
