HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. Yes, it was 109 degrees in the shade on the patio. Out on the runway it seemed like 129 degrees. But the show must go on, and it did. For the first Saturday in a long time, we had a tow plane and two tow pilots. So there was no delay other than refueling and that didn't take too long. Those who headed to the mountains did get higher and therefore were cooler. The rest of us who needed to stay around the gliderport had only brief respites of cool air as we released at 3800 msl. Then after a few altitude-eating minutes of maneuvers, we were back down into the hotter air. In all though, having the tow plane back again was worth suffering the heat. It sure was good to see activity back on the field with a lot of interested pilots going for the skies. It looks like we've got our tow plane issues solved and hope that the coming weekends prove to be money makers for the benefit of the club's cash flow.

2. Peter Sahlberg was up first for a refresher flight and a renewal of solo privileges. He hasn't lost his fine skill at flying gliders and was signed off again. This time I think he'll be working toward his license since he's so close to it anyway.

3. Makynzee Balucas was out today for the first time, perhaps to actively pursue his glider license. His Dad, Mark, runs the Fresno Chandler Airport cafe, "Maks Landing", and it's a great place to eat if you fly into the airport. Mak, by the way, was the BMX National Champion in the 12 yr old class two years ago. Quite an honor for this young man. He did very well on his two flights and I fully expect him to move quickly to solo flight if he continues to come out to Avenal on a regular basis.

4. Chris Crescioli, a good friend and flying buddy of Morgan Hall, arrived to see what full scale gliders are all about. He has been flying hang gliders with Morgan for years and as we know from experience, those pilots make great soaring pilots with an uncanny knack for finding thermals and getting into them in great position. It would be nice to see Chris go forward and get his license. He did very well on just the one flight we had today but knowing how well Morgan did on his first flight, Chris will likely emulate Morgan's march to his license.

5. Bob Engellener is long time member and now associate of our club. Bob used to man the starting gate for our contests. You may recall seeing him lying prone on his lawn chair, with binoculars pointed skyward, calling out the identification numbers of the gliders as they passed overhead. Of course those days are gone because of GPS and data loggers, but at the time, Bob was probably the best of those we've ever had working the gate as spotters. Today he brought out two friends of his, and his daughter, KC. The friends, Bri Arth and Curtis Beard, enjoyed the demo flights. Since they live out of town, we likely won't see them again, but it was nice to have met them and taken them up for a great view of the surrounding countryside.

6. Chris Karapostoles brought out another of his flying buddies, Charles Wickware, a fellow FA-18 pilot, who we hope decides to pursue his license in gliders. Charles flew with Alex in the Crush and had a good flight. Chris had to get back to Lemoore early but Charles stayed around and helped out when necessary. Maybe we'll see him again soon.

7. James Bishop was out today just to see the operations. He brought his two children out on June 6th for a demo flight for each. Brandon and Cierra had fun, especially with weightlessness. Today James just stayed involved and we hope he follows through on his plan to get his glider license.

8. Norm Lambert came out today to fly but decided not to because he didn't feel up to the task. That was a confident thing to do since we strongly encourage all our pilots to preflight themselves first, then preflight the glider. In this case, Norm traveled all the way out from east Fresno and might have been pressured into flying when he didn't feel up to it. But he made the smart decision and didn't fly. I applaud that and hope all our pilots are able to withstand the pressure and make a similar decision when it becomes obvious. Thanks for the good example, Norm.

9. Joe and Alex Caldwell, and friends, gathered around and helped assemble the GAPA for Alex next try at auto towing. They did pretty well getting up near 500 agl on the last flight. With more practice, it could go higher but not likely as high as 1000 agl. One must immediately snag a thermal, otherwise make a rapid turn around and land. This little glider has a glide ratio much like a pet rock. But once in the air, mostly by aircraft towing. it really is a lot of fun to fly.

10. Harlow and Chris Karapostoles did most of the towing today with Harlow getting the lion's share of the activity since Chris had to leave early. Both are getting better at towing, but we still need additional members and pilots to volunteer for towing on the weekends. And those of you who could tow during the week please get in touch with Dan Gudgel and let him know.

11. Bart Klusek drove down from Davis, CA, and flew the Blanik over the weekend. He sure is a determined pilot to drive that far, stay overnight and fly all weekend. We're happy to have him as a member.

12. Yutaka Buto, Richard Walker, Joe Anastasio, Ethan Ronat and Peter Sahlberg all flew today in various gliders at various times during the day. By day's end, we had accomplished 21 tows, a good number for the day and we look forward to maintaining that level for the remainder of the year.