HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. The really big news is that we now have a tow plane that can tow any of our gliders at full gross weight. Thanks to Quest Richlife, owner of Hollister Gliding Club, who made this plane available to us. Thanks also to Allen White who generously switched his day at Hollister to be with us at Avenal towing in the Piper Cherokee 235. Without their agreement and logistics, we'd still be looking for a tow plane for dual flights. It was great towing behind the 235 with its power and climb capability. In no time at all we were at 3800 msl and the tow plane was on its way back down for another tow. Between the two tow planes, I believe we did more than 20 tows for the day.

2. It was indeed a gorgeous day for soaring. And the grass covering the hills and pastures was as green as it gets. On this day, Ireland couldn't have done any better. The sun shone, the cumulus were forming everywhere, and although the lift wasn't strong, and the heights not very high, Morgan Hall and Pancho Herrera managed to remain aloft for 3.3 hours. Yes, they were in the Duo Discus, and yes, that's one heckuva sailplane, especially in weak conditions. But others who flew today were able to remain aloft for varying periods of time, enjoying the scenery, and the warm sunshine. If you decided to remain at home instead of coming to Avenal today, you missed a fun day with lots of good friends on the field.

3. John Scott flew down from Concord, CA, in his beautifully restored Piper 180, which you should have seen, and hooked up with Alex Caldwell for a checkout in the Blanik. Three flights later, he got his sign-off. Perhaps he will join our club someday, but we realize that flying down from Concord is not a quick and easy flight. We have others who travel from that area and farther including Paul Hanson from Hayward, Bart Klusek from Davis, Rich Miller from Berkeley, Dave Pilati from Berkeley, and Steve Schery from San Jose. John seemed to enjoy the time here, including interacting with our members, and watching the operations. Maybe he'll be back.

4. James Beckman arrived with Morgan Hall and wanted to get started on his glider training. We did two flights and I was surprised at how well he handled the controls. He was making turns early on, and easily slipped into a steep turn that didn't seem to bother him, and it was well coordinated. For someone that early on in training, the yaw string remained markedly straight back most of his flying. Welcome, James. We look forward to having you as one of our club members.

5. Anthony Squires and Brenda Petty, his fiancée, visited today. Anthony has been a club member for more than ten years but living in So. California makes visiting Avenal a bit difficult. They took some excellent pictures of the operations today and I've put them on this site without indicating ownership. Just assume that the majority are theirs.

6. Morgan Hall brought his Duo Discus to Avenal and that was a very big event. He has been flying it at Santa Ynez because we had no tow plane to launch with. Now, however, it flew here, and might very well fly here again soon. He and Pancho Herrera were aloft for 3.3 hours, flying the mountains and down southeast to the 41-33 intersection. That sure is a luxury sailplane with more room in the cockpit than most small cars.

7. Durval Frietas and Allen White did the towing and did it well. Thanks to both of you for your time and careful flying.

8. There were a few others out today including Jeff Lowe, Bart Klusek, Rich Miller, Joe Anastasio (and dog), and Brad whose last name I didn't get and who enjoyed the warm sun lying on a mat in the grass.

9. Now is the time for new students to get moving towards solo, and for our current solo students to move rapidly towards their license. The weather will keep getting better and the thermals stronger. The training is still the best time right now so take advantage of it and build experience for when the air  will be stronger and more turbulent. We also encourage our licensed members to come out and enjoy Avenal again, now that we have two tow planes available for whatever the glider gross weight. Many of you are a bit rusty from having no flights during the winter doldrums. Come on out, get the rust out, thermal high, and head cross country. There's more to soaring than just hanging around the field comfortably within gliding range. Take a chance, head out, don't look back until you can no longer see the gliderport. Then your concentration will sharpen quickly, and your focus will be intense. The thrill of being that far out and managing to return is worth the effort.