A Glider Pilot Learns to Play Mother Nature
Ten days ago, on Aug 1, 2026, Zach (YA Nimbus 4) and I (CC Ventus 3M) flew the first declared 1000+km Quadrilateral task in Colorado. YA finished the task 26 minutes sooner. His task speed was a very impressive 152.3 kph. I was 6.3% slower at 142.8 kph. What will I need to Continue reading "Can An Apple Keep Up With An Orange? Or: a Ventus 3 With a Nimbus 4" The post Can An Apple Keep Up With An…
On July 8, 2025 I completed a flight that set new Colorado State Records for Longest Declared FAI Triangle (1111.1 km distance) and for Longest Free FAI Triangle (1159 km distance). And also a new record for fastest speed around a 1000+ km declared triangle. The flight trace can be found here: https://www.weglide.org/flight/637007 It s only Continue reading "A Declared 1111.1 km FAI Triangle…
(Correction: an earlier edition of this article incorrectly stated that in scoring flights for the Williams Trophy Glider Handicaps would be only used for for the Speed Score and the Total OLC Score but not for the scores for Away-from-Home Distance and Triangle Distance. Fortunately there is no such issue because the scorer applies handicaps Continue reading "Pete Williams Trophy 2025" The post…
Most recently I explained why I chose a V3M as my first self-launching motor glider. This article explores what it means to me to fly one. Everyone can readily see that motor gliders bring independence from tow planes: pilots can take off when they want and from where they want. But does the impact go Continue reading "The Competitive Advantage of a Motor Glider My Adventurous First Season with…
Now that my Ventus 2cxT has found a new home, I m ready to share the reasons that led me to buy a new Ventus 3M directly from the factory. It s not often in life that we get to splurge on a hobby like that so this was a carefully considered decision. In this article I Continue reading "Why Did I Buy a V3M? Plus: Was It the Right Choice?" The post Why Did I Buy a V3M? Plus: Was It the Right Choice?…
Edit (November 2024): V1 has found a great new home and will continue to soar high above the American West. If you re looking for a similar high performance glider, look at the classifieds on Wings and Wheels. You can also contact the various airplane dealers as they may know in advance of gliders that may Continue reading "Ventus 2cxT V1 Now For Sale, Ready to Fly" The post Ventus 2cxT V1 Now For…
After another successful soaring season in 2022, here are my goals for 2023. If you’re interested in setting your own soaring goals, you can find some tips towards the end of this article from last year. 1. Stay Safe by always heeding my own advice. This goal remains unchanged. Flying safely is essential and the pre-requisite for Continue reading "My Soaring Goals for 2023" The post My Soaring…
A little later than planned, here s a review of my progress against the soaring goals I had set myself for 2022. Overall, I am pleased with my continued progress. Goal #1 Stay Safe by Heeding My Own Advice I think I can give myself an A on this one. In 2022, I flew more Continue reading "My Soaring Performance Review for 2022" The post My Soaring Performance Review for 2022 appeared first on…
A few weeks ago I had a scary situation when towing fully ballasted behind a Piper Pawnee. I had my camera running and published a short instructional video about the incident. I hope that it helps others avoid similar situations in the future. Here is the video: The comments indicate that these incidents are relatively Continue reading "Tow Plane Flies Too Slow Glider Heavy with Water Ballast"…
There s been a lot of interest in my recent accident analysis Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot How To Avoid Microbursts. Within days it has been read by more than 5000 people, a significant number for our relatively small community. I also received a lot of feedback and questions, some public, some private. Most were Continue reading "Are Dry Microbursts Really An Invisible Trap? Responding to…