HIGHLIGHTS:
 

1. We haven't seen Steve Ballard at Avenal in a few years. When he was based at Bakersfield and doing power instructing down there, he was a regular at Avenal both flying and flight instructing. Then he signed on with FedEx, first flying a 727 and now, finally a Captain on the MD-11, photo to the right. Although he's based out of Anchorage, Alaska, he might just be coming out to Avenal more often. I know, that's hard to believe, but these airline captains have an interesting commute to wherever they are based, and Steve is no exception. It has been a long time since we've seen him here and we welcome him back maybe even as another Flight Instructor.

2. Jeff Lowe arrived back again after some time off and took right up where he left off, first flying a dual flight for a refresher, then flying the 1-26 in which he soloed some months ago.

3. Julie Butler continues her quest for her license. She's amassing solo flights in the 2-33 enroute to her being checked out in the 1-26. That may be soon depending on how many flights she does in the 2-33. Stay tuned.

4. Scott Naumann flew here in his Cessna 185 from San Luis Obispo (SLO) and is thinking about joining the club. He's currently a United Air Lines captain on the 777 out of San Francisco as well as a licensed glider pilot. He would be a nice addition to the club and we look forward to his decision to join us.

5. Doug Staudmeister flew the Blanik today a few times. He maintains his currency in that glider particularly and might even take his checkride in that same ship.

6. Daniel Solis continues to get better at flying the 2-33 particularly since he soloed. His confidence level has improved significantly and he will continue to get better as he works toward his checkride.

7. Juan Rivera and Cassy Cantu arrived today and Juan decided to take his first glider ride. We thought Cassy might want to as well but not today. Perhaps she'll make that decision sometime in the future as she sees how safe and beautiful the flight can be. Juan really enjoyed the flight and took the stick for at least 15 minutes of the flight. Maybe one day he'll consider becoming a club member and working towards his license.

8. Morgan Hall is practicing turns and stalls in the Blanik in preparation for his transition to a high performance glider. He's already demonstrated his talent for finding, then remaining in, even the weakest thermals. He's also shown us to be one of the most valuable club members we've had here in years. As you know, he set up the gliderport camera in record time and didn't wait for anyone to form a committee to get it done. See the November 22nd story. He's also working on a new and very improved website that will be easier to maintain and more interesting for our club members since they'll be able to contribute to the site each week in a very convenient way. Other features of the site are planned or already available when it goes live.