HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. It wasn't a particularly fabulous day, the heights weren't all that great but the racing sailplane pilots stayed up for hours. One can milk a lot of weak lift for hours with an L/D of 40 or more. And that's what happened for at least some of the pilots. Others were in training and really needed to sharpen up their flight skills. The day remained cool, not getting much above 90 deg which for Avenal in August is remarkable. Lift was in the 3-5 knot range but certainly enough to remain aloft as long as one could hold out.

2. Jack Wiegand and Julie Butler are scheduled to take their checkrides next Sunday and Monday respectively. They both have been working hard studying and practicing the flight maneuvers and I know they'll be up to the challenge. And indeed it is a challenge. There are no giveaways in getting a pilot's license. The skies would become crowded if that was the case. But an applicant for the license must really prove themselves worthy by not only passing a written test, but must face an oral exam of 1-2 hours and a flight test that covers all the required maneuvers one would expect of a licensed pilot. The FAA rightly insists that anyone with a pilot's license must meet a high standard in order to insure that the public, when invited to ride in an aircraft, can be assured that the pilot can be relied on to fly them safely all during the flight. Our soaring members who are licensed pilots are indeed safe and can be counted on to act accordingly when taking any of the public for a glider ride.

3. Norm Lambert was out again for his continued quest of solo flight, and then later on, becoming a licensed pilot. Norm is getting better at the tow and the landing and those are usually the final elements in qualifying for solo flight. But he, like others before him, is continually reminded to "keep the wings level", when not turning or slipping. Norm has written a nice short piece on his frustrating quest for solo flight and either he will agree to make it available to our readers or you will see it when he gets it published.

4. James Bishop continued his training with Alex Caldwell and is progressing nicely towards his solo flight. He also has been most helpful in bringing full gas containers with him from the Coalinga airport for fueling our tow plane. That saves us all a lot of time lost and we really appreciate his efforts. Thanks, James.

5. Peter Sahlberg helped out a lot today, as he usually does, then went flying in the 1-26. He wasn't terribly pleased with his flights and that's only because he has been working every weekend for the past few months and hasn't had any time to go soaring. That will change because he is a dedicated student of the art of soaring.

6. Makynzee Balucas continues his training. He has improved remarkably in his thermaling, going up twice today and at one point gaining over 1400 feet. He takes more of the tow each time and will soon have the tow under his control completely.

7. Bart Klusek arrived early at Avenal and started cleaning up the 2-33 right away. Anyone who has come out to Avenal and had to both clean up the glider and preflight it will appreciate Bart's efforts. Thanks to you, Bart. He also flew with Alex in the 2-33 having changed over from the Blanik because he will be taking his checkride in the Blanik. In the meantime, the 2-33 is booked pretty solidly and Bart had no choice except to ask for a checkout in the 1-26. He did well, especially on the first part of the tow and the rest of the flight went quite satisfactorily. Now he has a choice when the 2-33 is being used by others.

8. Mike Edelstein was visiting the Avenal area and decided to come over for a look at our operations. In the process he decided to take a demo ride since he's already a power pilot at a base in Florida. Mike seemed to enjoy the flight with Alex and perhaps when he returns to FL he'll take up our sport.

9. Morgan Hall, Mario Crosina, and Jerry Badal all went soaring in the mountains. Naturally they were aloft for something in excess of four hours simply enjoying the cool air aloft and flying with one another.

10. Jerry Smeltzer pulled his Nugget out of the box and did some work on it. Not sure when he'll fly it for the first time but that day won't be far off. He did get the ailerons adjusted at Warner Springs and now the control surfaces seem to be operating properly.

11. Yutaka Buto flew the 1-26 and reported a very satisfactory flight. He is already an accomplished commercial pilot flying for AmeriFlight on cargo flights around California. He is also planning on being part of the tow pilot roster of which we are adding new pilots each week.

12. Ethan Ronat flew the Blanik up northwest along the mountains and at one point joined up with Morgan Hall. Morgan, seeing a photo-op took a few pictures of Ethan and both flew on in different directions.

13. Thanks to Harlow Voorhees there was no lapse of tow coverage. He towed all day with a few exceptions to train additional tow pilots for our roster. Harlow is an energizer bunny when it comes to flying. Even after 23 flights today he seemed as if he could have gone on another few hours. He tows very well, is empathetic with the pilot on tow and knows what to do and what not to do during the tow, especially in strong turbulence.