http://www.ssa.org • August 2019 • Soaring 27

demonstrate the plane’s incred-

ible 40:1 glide ratio, covering

vast distances simply by con-

trolling their descent.

A seasoned glider pilot can

travel hundreds of miles in a

single day, climbing to heights

which require supplemental ox-

ygen, all without an engine. The

good ones can stay up all day till

the sun sets, the winds die, and

the warmth disappears.

Their main squeeze is the

thermal, a column of rising air

invisible to mere mortals, yet

painstakingly obvious if you

know how to read the clouds.

A flat-bottomed cumulus is

a great place to start. Often-

times, underneath you will find

a warm pocket created by heat

rising over an open field, a pile

of rocks, or a hot parking lot. A

dust devil is a surefire giveaway.

Once you hit a thermal, the variom-

eter, a noisy little devil designed to in-

dicate sudden changes in air pressure,

chirps to life. The pilot must bank im-

mediately to stay in the spiral, steeply

angling the wingtip toward the Earth,

pivoting round an imaginary point

drawn by his internal protractor.

Up and up and up he climbs, till

finally the world falls away, the only

sound that of the wind whistling

through the canopy.

Glider pilots often soar with eagles.

My job growing up was to serve

as scribe. At the annual competition,

glider pilots from across the region

would gather to prove their aeronau-

tical prowess. Twenty or more aircraft

would stage themselves on the tarmac,

waiting for a lift. One by one, they’d

hook up to the line, give the towplane

a thumbs up, and roll aloft.

Using my trusty clipboard and neat-

est penmanship, I would carefully no-

tate each call sign and roll-off time,

knowing that every second counts in

the game of flight.

Pilots are judged on three factors: al-

titude, distance, and speed. Points are

awarded for each category such that

the pilot with the highest, furthest,

and fastest flight wins. It is designed to

test the mettle of speed demons, long-

distance fliers, and mountain climbers

alike. The race acts mercilessly on ev-

ery man and woman who enters – you

must be a master of all three to win.

It’s important to note the differ-

ences between a glider and your typi-

cal Boeing 777. Littered with bells and

whistles, an airliner is programmed to

avoid failure at all costs. It is designed

to move tons of goods and hundreds of

people all over the world, all day long.

The glider, by contrast, is equipped

with only the most basic instruments.

Rudders, tail, flaps, and ailerons are

controlled by hand and feet. Whereas

a Boeing is practical, the glider is ethe-

real – a true zen experience to be un-

derstood only by the solo pilot.

The best glider pilots – and the ones

who often end up winning – are the

ones who take risks. Flying a glider

requires impeccable concentration and

calculation. You must constantly weigh

the myriad factors involved with stay-

• Cumulus Soaring: (952) 445-9033


• Craggy Aero: (530) 905-0062


• Wings & Wheels: 909-302-1811


• Jonkers Sailplanes: (931) 455-5994

800-468-8185 • 541-923-4100

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Heading across the Palisades with VH toward the

Columbia River.

Glider pilots

often soar

with eagles.

“

“