HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. I wasn't sure a safety meeting was necessary based on the overall safety record here at Avenal. So when Morgan and Harlow suggested we have one I was not entirely convinced. But after hearing all the great input from the participants and the suggestions for safer operation, I now know that the meeting was valuable and timely and cleared the air on numerous issues on which there had been confusion developing over the years and among newer members. Thanks Morgan and Harlow for a valuable seminar. BTW, Julie Butler videotaped the seminar and will be making it available to our members who were unable to make it here this morning. Look for her announcement soon.

2. Bart Klusek went up early in the Blanik, caught some good strong thermals, and remained aloft for just over an hour. He was our good sniffer and all those who followed found lift fairly quickly.

3. Darren Council arrived with his Dad, Mel. After the safety meeting, we took the Orange Crush and headed aloft. The first flight was mostly maneuvers and he did very well on those. The second flight was exceptional. He had no real experience in thermaling but with just a little demonstration and some talking during his efforts, he thermalled very well, gaining altogether 2400 feet of altitude and we were aloft just about 45 minutes. That was quite a nice accomplishment for a student with only 7 flights in his logbook. And we gained rapidly, getting up to 4750 quickly. So we decided to abandon that thermal and do some sightseeing, heading to the mountains near Tar Canyon and giving Darren some time to enjoy the altitude he earned for himself.

4. Pancho Herrera had the Orange Crush after Darren and took advantage of the beautiful day to launch twice. The first flight was his initial unsupervised solo after first soloing two weeks ago and the highest solo tow ever. The first flight found him a bit rusty on tow, but the second not only smoothed out the towing but he gained a few hundred feet of altitude and was quite proud of his accomplishment, as he deserved to be.

5. James Beckman arrived here with Morgan and Julie prepared to follow on from his previous excellent flights. Last time out James "got" the tow and he was hoping that today, he hadn't lost it since then. The first flight might have discouraged another, but James was determined to regain that "key" to towing well. The second flight was his usually good skill at towing and from then on, he simply knew for sure that he had it down pat. On the third flight after a few necessary maneuvers, James snagged a good thermal and that was the beginning of a flight nearly one hour long. He really learned more during that process than in any other way. He had to "wear" the glider like a glove, feeling its inputs, reacting appropriately, and holding his controls steady and sure. He did all that and more, thermaling for nearly an hour under difficult conditions. He was "scratching", as we say, meaning that none of the lift he was using came easily. He really enjoyed the challenge and the learning process. He may very well solo within the next 2 or 3 flights.

6. We had a good turnout of the high performance glider pilots. Mario Crosina, Rich Miller, Steve Schery, Andy Reistetter, Dave Pilati, Morgan Hall, Julie Butler, and Bruce Patton. Most of them worked their way around the mountain including Black Mountain and Castle Peak. Some went down towards Paramount Farms and others went north of Coalinga. All had good flights with some as long as 4.5 hours. Altitudes were in the 5000 msl range.

7. Remember that this time of year is excellent soaring weather. Even though the predictions sometimes don't get it right, they are correct more often than not. Use Alex Caldwell's RASP forecast since it is the most accurate for the mountains north and south of Avenal. Don't miss out on the wonderful soaring weather we have here in Avenal. We also have great club members who enjoy the camaraderie of visiting everywhere on the gliderport, but especially on the patio. See you next time.