HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. Irene Wiegand brought her father, John Ruch, out to Avenal today for his first glider flight. John and I went up over Black Mountain towing to 5300 msl and had a very nice, smooth flight over the mountains until it was time to head back to Avenal. Earlier in the day, John tripped over a concrete wheel stop at a local gas station and injured his leg. But that didn't stop him from climbing aboard the glider and having a nice ride.

2. Sean Smith brought his wife, Leda, and daughter out to Avenal today to give his wife a glider ride for her birthday. She easily boarded the glider and we had a nice time aloft where she photographed the surrounding area, and took time to be just a tourist viewing the beautiful countryside.

3. Curtis Modin worked hard on his four flights and is preparing for his solo flight which might take place next week. His final pattern flights were quite good and I suspect he may be ready for the big event next Saturday.

4. Joe Anastasio thankfully repaired the Blue Whale's canopy  that had cracked when the cable holding it tore away. Joe did a nice job and although the crack is all too evident, at least the repair is strong and safe. THANKS, JOE.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6th, 2007

5. Our good friend, Christoph Maurer and his lady, Ulla, flew to the United States from Munich, Germany last Saturday and had to at least fly once at Avenal while they were here. So they chose Tuesday and I met them there. We began with lunch at Debbie's and then headed back to the gliderport for Christoph's three flights in preparation to carry passengers. Once done, he and Ulla took a high tow and went over Black Mountain for some great views and a smooth flight. Ulla was impressed but I don't think too terribly excited about glider flying, at least for the moment.

6. During the day, a young man showed up from Lemoore and wanted a demo flight. Timothy Ables and I went aloft in the Blanik and I was quite surprised at how smooth he handled the controls. I was sure he had prior flight experience, but he assured me this was the first time he has ever tried to fly anything. By the end of the day, Timothy decided to join the Club and we welcome him to the CCSC. He should be an excellent student. CONGRATULATIONS, TIMOTHY!!

7. Because Richard Walker sometimes comes to Avenal on the weekdays, he was there today and it was a good chance for him to try and land the Blanik without using the dive brakes. His newly purchased glider is a Schweizer 1-35 that has very effective flaps, all the way to 90 degrees, but no dive brakes. And he plans on flying the 1-35 this coming weekend. So we tried three flights and couldn't get the Blanik down properly without using the dive brakes at the last minute. But since the flaps on the Blanik and the flaps on the 1-35 are different enough, it didn't seem to be any problem for his coming first flight in the 1-35.