Great flight today

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Mar 9, 2005
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15,459
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Wichita, KS
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Tony
I volunteered to tow today because no one else was scheduled. We didnt get started till after 1 but the lift was killer. tows were fast and most everyone was getting off below 2000 AGL and easily climbing away. Another towpilot happened out and was kind enough to offer to relieve me so i got the glider out, aired the tire and hit the air.

I released at 1500AGL. Every other time that I've done that has turned out to be a major mistake. Im pretty sure that I could've released at 1000 AGL today. amazing lift. within 15 minutes of takeoff I had maxed out at 6500 feet. I decided to check out conditions to the northwest and see how it was going. I was actually dissapointed. I scratched around fighting for altitude for about an hour but never found any booming thermals until i retreated back over town and towards the airport. Over downtown it was another rocket back to 6500.

I joined up with our club president. It was his 40th birthday and he was celebrating with over a 3 hr. flight. was a blast flying along side him, our gliders perform similarly but im pretty sure mine is better ;)

After breaking off from him I found our DPE thermalling over the airport and headed that way. so did club president. The three of us were more or less at the same altitude gaggling over the airport and managed to climb to around 5500 or 6000 feet. what a riot, we all had way more fun than should be legal. Those two decided that 3 hrs was enough for them and packed it in with the airbrakes open and down they went.

I found the clubs 2 seater which had an instructor and student in it. they were down low in weak lift. i found their thermal and was orbiting a couple thousand feet above them waiting for them to come up. finally i decided to go down and join them. with airbrakes open and accelerating the astonishing speed of 80 mph i was soon down at their level and gaggled with them while i helped them center the lift. we had a ball. my rear was starting to hurt and the day was starting to die. plus i wanted to thank club prez and DPE for a great shared flight so i packed it in soon after that. 2 hours and 20 minutes, not bad for not getting launched until around 3:30. I think I'll be high off this flight for a while. Or at least until the crops start to come out and I feel better about flying cross country again :)

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You just reminded me that I have to make a call to set up an intro glider flight. That sounds like such a blast... I'm worried I'll be disappointed by the actual experience. Descriptions like this can't possibly be accurate... otherwise, it would be illegal. Right?
 
Great write up, Tony. Marty, I'm with you... though I've called and emailed every contact I can find for over two months now, and can't get anybody from TexasSoaring.org to call or email me back. Guess they don't want any new members?!?

Or maybe Dave Taylor is hacking my email so I'll come out there and get my training with Burt at Marfa Gliders instead... (which is probably what I'll end up doing!).
 
Great write-up Tony as usual.

But you should have been home studying your ATP written material, not off goofing around in your glider.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Lance F said:
Great write-up Tony as usual.

But you should have been home studying your ATP written material, not off goofing around in your glider.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
Click to expand...

If you think gliding is 'goofing off', wait till you see what he's doing now! (Video to follow soon). ;) :D :D :D

Edit: Tony's alternative for studying for ATP Written:

 
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hahaha well chris is probably just mad because i go over to his house to play guitar hero with his wife
 
Lance F said:
Great write-up Tony as usual.

But you should have been home studying your ATP written material, not off goofing around in your glider.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
Click to expand...

yea yea yea. i was going to study tonight. got home from a charter and within a half hour of landing the 421 was on tow. too late of a start though, just scratched at 2000 feet for a half hour and landed. then i had supper and went to the Joneses for some guitar hero (as you can see)
 
Cool beans... pretty good gliding over here today, too. I finally got back up for some dual after about a month, and did pretty well. Lots of narrow thermals surrounded by wicked sink... got up past 5000 on the second tow while sort of learning to work thermals again.
Coming back on the second flight, we were joined near the field by by club "hot shot" Andrew, who'd been out with the 1-22 to God knows where... rode the last good thermal with him opposite us, and he even got a picture of the 2-33 in flight.

Mostly just two review flights, but it was fun, and a good day overall. I even got a little stick time in JP's L3... a long-overdue dose of Champ for my system! :)

Today's low: we (accidentally)found an interesting gulley in the strip while landing long to get near the tie-down area, and touched down right into it... I think I'm an inch shorter now, LOL!
 
Hmmm. Playing "Guitar Hero" with his wife? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
 
You got to be kind to youor instructor in the 2-33. A hard landing sucks in the front, but the back is MUCH worse. He is probably a good 2" shorter :)

Well I didn't get out on Sunday, but had a great 1:45 flight in the Ka-6 again.
 
tonycondon said:
hahaha well chris is probably just mad because i go over to his house to play guitar hero with his wife
Click to expand...

You can have all the Guitar Hero you want. The fact still remains that I am the one that gets to curl up beside her in bed at night. ;)
 
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