HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. Indeed it was a fun day for all who managed to get out here. You know the old cliché, "You shoulda' been here today". Well, that was true in all respects today since anyone who wanted to get high or go far could have done so. In fact, three pilots actually achieved Silver Badge altitude, getting up to 8400 msl after starting low. Silver gain is 3281 feet above your lowest altitude. But to claim the badge they needed to have either a data logger or a barograph trace, neither of which they carried with them. But that's OK since the achievement is what counts. The Badge comes later.

2. Jerry Badal and Cliff Stone both hit 8400 msl. It was the highest Jerry has ever soared in a glider and it was the highest Cliff has been in a glider in over 25 years. So CONGRATULATIONS TO JERRY AND CLIFF !!!

3. Steve Schery also hit 8400 msl but I believe he has been doing that any time the conditions are right. He flies often at Avenal, and during the week, so he can take advantage of the great lift conditions when they occur. Still, a gain of that magnitude isn't to be made light of. Nice going, Steve.

4. Richard Walker soared a long time and gained to 6300 msl. Depending on how low he got before he arrived at that altitude, he also might have gained Silver Badge altitude. It would seem that way if he just got lower than 3000 msl. before climbing to 6300 msl.

5. Rich Miller in his LP-49 had a wonderful flight. He got to 7200 msl, a sure Silver Badge gain, then flew 75 nm and was up for 2.5 hours. He headed north to Harris Ranch, then along the Kettleman Hills, then south to the intersection of 41 and 33, then back north again, just flying around with all that nice altitude to spare.

6. Meanwhile, Jeff Lowe started his flight training in earnest today. We took a high tow, then started doing basic maneuvers. When we got low, we'd thermal back up again to around 4500 msl, then do more maneuvers. Then after another loss of altitude, we'd thermal up again, and kept that going for a nice long training session. He's coming along fine and is more than dedicated to getting his license. Stay tuned for Jeff because his first solo won't be too far in the future.

7. Kathleen Morse was here today training in the 1-26 in preparation for her eventual flight in her recently purchased ASW-19. She's gong about it in the right way, getting solo time in both the 1-26 and the Blanik and gaining the right kind of experience for her ASW-19 solo day. Keep up the good work, Kathleen.

8. Joe Anastasio and JB Jones were out today and both just enjoying the beautiful weather and quiet of our wonderful gliderport.

9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANNA !!! Yes, it is Hanna's birthday today and for her birthday, her parents bought her a chance to defy gravity. But gravity won and she came back down to earth, most of the time at terminal velocity. A skydiving trip to Taft, CA, with Mom and friends, and would you believe it? Her Mom jumped out of a perfectly good airplane as did Hanna. Hmmmm. Not sure of the genetics there, they both used to seem like normal humans, not mental patients, but after Saturday morning at Taft, I'm no longer sure about their mental stability. Nice to see they survived and showed up at Avenal in the afternoon just to let us enjoy a MOST DELICIOUS chocolate cake baked my Hanna's Mom, Toy Marlette. Wow, was it GOOD !!! Later on, early evening, we stopped at Harris Ranch for a celebration dinner and then headed home in the dark. It certainly was a long day for the two of them but they held up under the strain quite well.

10. Loyal is still towing and may be doing that for the rest of this year since he has no imminent plans to move to Hawaii. Durval showed up in his Cessna 140, helped out for a time, then headed home mid-afternoon.