We flew 16 sorties on Saturday, May 31st. We started launching gliders a little after 10:00AM and ended the day at 5:30PM. Winds were blowing gently from the northeast, so we figured the predicted thermals would form west of the airport, which they did. We were lucky today, as the Canadian wildfire smoke was not overhead. The Missouri River seemed to act as a dividing line between us and the smoke, and thankfully it stayed east of us.
We had visitors from Georgia today; two corporate pilots on a layover dropped in. One of the two gentlemen has been flying gliders since he was 14. He’s a glider instructor (CFI-G) and a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). He’s flown gliders all over the world, visiting many different clubs. While we visited, we asked him if he saw anything unsafe about our flight operations that he felt we should change. He said he saw nothing, and he complimented us on what he had observed. It’s always good to talk about safety, and it’s also good to hear that visitors feel we’re operating safely.
Today’s flights:
– Jose C. flew a total of three flight lessons with Steve R.
– Sean S. was towed aloft in his Jonkers JS-3. He went up a second time when the clouds started popping and completed a 1.5 hour long flight.
– Ryan K. got his rear seat endorsement in the L-23 over the course of five flights. The view from the rear seat takes some getting used to – it’s much more restrictive.
– Jim D. came out to get some rear seat time in the L-23, with Steve riding along as the passenger. Jim flew a total of four flights, the longest of which was about an hour and ten minutes to an altitude of 6,000’ MSL. Jim also practiced two simulated rope breaks, because, again, the view from the rear seat is quite different from the front seat.
– Bud S took his Grob 102 up for just over an hour. Bud also brought out his high-performance ASH-26 to fly, but a low performance battery was dead and wouldn’t take a charge. So, Bud sat on his ASH, but did not fly it. Wait….what?!
– Jeff F took his 1-26 up for a 38-minute flight. and then we hurried to get everything put away, as it appeared a thunderstorm might move into the area.
For the month of May, we flew 126 sorties and held flight operations on 12 days. We also added three new club members. This is a great start to our soaring season!
Frank did all the towing today.
Thanks to everyone who came out to fly and help with flight operations.
OSCI
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