Let's start off with an important ingredient for soaring......a newly formed cumulus cloud...........
Now, add a beautifully shaped sailplane.......
A really neat shot taken by Mike Deffenbaugh from Mid Georgia Soaring Association's (MGSA) G103 Acro (piloted by John Bojack) above the ridge at Chilhowee Gliderport in southeastern Tennessee.
Put it down on the ridge........
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Cruising down the ridge on a nice ridge day at Chilhowee Gliderport
Throw in a cloud street.....
The photograph was taken from the cockpit of High Country Soaring's DG-300 Elan from 16,500 feet over the Pine Nut Mountains (Minden, NV). This "cloud street" is one to really cruise under and the view is quite spectacular, to say the least.
....and a little bit of "static art".....
.....and you have an AS-W19B , manufactured by Alexander Schleicher in Germany. This sailplane, named by its contest letters "6T" was built in October 1979 and was numbered 288 of a production run of about 475. The ship, which I fly quite regularly, has about 2300 hours and was completely refinished in Prestec by my former partner, Mike Rossi and myself. Here at Andrews-Murphy Airport, North Carolina, 6T has just been assembled at its trailer and awaits its trip into the sky. Click on specifications to see the performance data.
6T is sharing the spotlight with a distant "cousin", an A-10 "Warthog." This was photo, taken by Turbo Tom Wyatt at the 1991 Neighbor's Day at Peachtree-Dekalb Airport in Atlanta. On this afternoon, 6T and I performed an autotow (using a well worn Ford LTD with 1500 feet of rope) in front of about 5,000 people. While most people were startled by my take-off climb, show MC Sam Lyons (artist and glider-rated pilot) did a great play-by play!
6T as viewed from John Bojack's "wingletted" LS-6CW-18 over the Sequatchie Valley (Matthews) Tennessee. This particular ridge has sported about 20 Diamond Distance flights as well as many more Gold Distance and Diamond Goal flights. Flights have started at the southern end of Gadsden, AL at the Lookout Mountain ridge and continued north well into Virginia.
Soaring is a cool sport.......it allows you to share the experience with your buddies. Here I'm flying with Dave Bauer, a power pilot who for years heard me talk about soaring. So finally he and I went up in Mid Georgia Soaring Association's beautiful new K21. Dave is in the front seat. Is Dave happy?????? I think so!
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