Soaring Reports

Hi All, We started later than normal today, as we were waiting for the sky to clear.  As a result, we didn't end the day until 6:35PM, but that's okay as sunset wasn't until 8:55PM. The first four flights today were limited to 2,000' (AGL) tows, because of low...

Hello, all: It's the first of June, and there were some strong thermals today!  We had three flights that were close to 90 minutes long, and two others that were over 30 minutes each.  Today's flights: Eric H. and his son Ethan flew the L-23 for an hour and...

Hello, all: It was a good day for soaring in eastern Nebraska!  Thermals were accurately predicted by the soaring weather services.  The cumulus clouds were popping, and there was lift under each of those clouds.  The cloud base was approximately 6,000' MSL, and...

Hello, all: It was yet another quiet day for soaring, with only eight sorties flown.  All the 3,000' tows resulted in no flights greater than 20 minutes, so it was a good day for student flights and paid rides: Steve R. flew two 'Mile High' paid rides.  One flight...

Hello, all: Today was another day with quiet skies.  We only completed 8 sorties, all of which were no more than 20 minutes in length: Steve R. flew a 17-minute flight in the L-23.  Later in the day, he also flew a paid ride. Student pilot Jose C. flew two flight...

Hello, all: Today was a good day for student flights.  The skies were not generating any thermals, so sled rides, which are perfect for flight lessons, were the order of the day.  Today's flights: Student pilot Sean F. flew one flight lesson with Steve R. Student...

Hi, all: . The Omaha Soaring Club flew Tuesday, May 13th, with five gliders and six pilots completing nine flights. We don't fly on many Tuesdays, but the soaring forecast indicated it'd be a good day, so we flew.  With the winds blowing down the runway from the...

Hi, all: . We decided to fly on a Monday because the soaring forecast was so good.  The soaring wasn't bad, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as it had been on Saturday the 10th.  As it was, we had five pilots and five gliders out to soar.  The winds were blowing...

Hello, all: . The day started off with clear skies, smooth air and no lift.  Winds were from the East and the forecasted high for the day was 84 degrees.  It was looking like a sled ride day until a little after 3PM when the lift suddenly exploded.  Steve flew through...

Hello, all: It was a good Thursday to fly!  The winds were light and blowing from the northeast, and the temps were in the mid 80's.  We looked for and found thermals to the north and northeast of the airport.  They were small, and it wasn't easy to find where their...

Hello, all: It was another brilliant spring day in eastern Nebraska!  And, there was lift to about 5,000' MSL, exactly what was predicted.  We had multiple flights that could have stayed aloft for at least an hour, but most everyone came back and landed after 30...

Hello, all: We're back!  The first day of soaring operations for the 2025 soaring season was today.  For the first day of flying, we focused on our club members annual safety flights, which are used to reacquaint our pilots with flying a glider.  Most of our members...

Hi, all: Today may have been the final flight operations day for the 2024 soaring season. Rain, wind, and cooler temps are forecast. Plus, we're putting all of our aircraft into non-flying status for 90 days, starting on December 1st. This will save some money on the...

Hi All, We are less than six weeks from the shortest day of the year, and by mid-afternoon, the sun is already so low that you don't dare fly without sunglasses. Still, it was a nice day to be out flying. Today's flights: - Tom flew a solo flight in the L-23. -...

Hello, all: This morning, we flew ten CAP Cadet Glider Orientation flights.  It was a chilly morning with bright sunshine and a light 6 knot wind blowing from the southeast.  Dan P, Tom S, Bud S, Jeff F, and Frank M handled equipment set-up and flight operations for...

Hi, Club Members: Today was Oral Exam and Check Ride day for Jeff F and Ryan K.  DPE Tony C arrived in his Cessna 120 on Friday evening, and was at Skywerx and ready to go early on Saturday AM.  Jeff was first and spent about two and a half hours with Tony while they...

Hi all: Another chilly morning today! We're expecting our first frost and freeze this week. And yet, there were thermals popping late this afternoon. I took Will M. along for my flight, and we were up for 45 minutes and reached 4,900' MSL. Not bad! Today's flights: -...

Hi, all: A chilly start today! And, still no rain in weeks. The runway is very dusty. The badgers and ground squirrels can't keep their holes open, because their dirt tunnels just collapse on them. There's no moisture in the soil to hold the dirt together. The dust...

Hello, all: It was yet another nice, early fall day. We decided it was far nicer to be at the airport vs. at home doing fall yardwork. There'll be plenty of time for yardwork! There wasn't much in the line of thermals until late in the afternoon. The longest flight of...

Hi, all: The fuel pumps at Skywerx are still not functioning. So, we only had enough fuel for four tows. We checked into buying fuel at the North Omaha Airport, and we can't. We talked about sending the Pawnee to Tekamah to buy fuel, and decided it'd take too long. As...

Hello, all: What a nice day to fly unpowered aircraft in Nebraska! It was a fun day, even though we didn't fly many sorties. Today's flights: - Beth C. flew two flight lessons with Eric H. - Jonathan F. flew two flight lessons with Eric H. - Ryan K. flew a practice...

Hi, all: Another nice, but warm, day with eleven sorties flown. The local farmers are busy harvesting their bean and corn crops. Once the crops are harvested, the mostly bare ground will be heated by sun. When the sun heats the bare ground, thermals will form. When...

Hi, all: We flew eleven sorties today: - Jose C. flew two flight lessons with Steve R. instructing. - Sean S. flew two sorties in his Jonkers JS-3, launching once via an aerotow and a second time via self-launch. - Bob A. and Dave L. flew two sorties together in the...

Soaring Report - Sunday, September 22, 2024 Hi All, What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we were wearing shorts and t-shirts, and today long pants and a light jacket were needed to be comfortable. We can feel that fall weather is moving in. There are a lot of...

Hello, all: There's not much to report today. We started early to fly-off a group of the 'Mile High Experience' gift certificates that have accumulated. There were some flight lessons and check ride practice flights, and two bi-annual flight review flights. Otherwise,...

Hi, all: This morning started with a Ground School session in the Glider Pilot's Lounge at KBTA.  The session was open to all club members, but it was held primarily for the two members who have Oral Exams and Check Rides coming up in October (Jeff F and Ryan K) and...

Hi, all: Today we celebrated Jamie A’s 90th birthday.  For anyone who doesn’t know Jamie, he has a long history in aviation.   Jamie was a naval aviator back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.  He flew as a pilot for United Airlines for many years.  He taught in the...

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Hi, all: Today was Labor Day, and we felt it’d be best to celebrate it while we ‘labored’ at the airport.  We ‘labored’ our way through thirteen flights today: Steve R. took Matt L. up for his ‘Mile High Flight Experience’. Sean flew a flight in his Jonkers after...