Sailplaning 1
September 2007

A good pilot can fly from thermal to thermal using clouds as a guide.
Since a sail plane can't take off under its own power, it must be towed aloft by a plane, in my case, the one pictured above. When I first saw this plane, it reminded me of a replica of a WWII P-51 airplane, except without the struts.




The photo at left was taken out the port (left) window. The one on right was taken straight ahead. There are two tubes stacked on the nose (one above another), one is the for the Vario, and the other is either Altimeter or Airspeed indicator. I don't know how Vince was able to keep track of the airfield. He is pretty amazing; part bird, part human. Vince instilled a lot of confidence and I felt very safe with him as the pilot. I did get a little nervous when Vince passed out. I had to take the controls until he came to. The cost of the flight was only $45. I figured they saved money by not having insurance and foregoing those pesky, time-wasting safety inspections. The canopy is a very thin plastic. it is used to shield the passengers from the wind but offers no structural protection. I thought it would be quiet up there but the wind came rustling through the seams between the canopy and body of the sail plane. As a result, it was hard for Vince to hear me. On the plus side, the wind really cooled me off and gave me the sensation of actually flying.
My friend John took the picture above, on his flight, with the camera facing backwards.
This photo shows us as we are landing. I think both my wheelchair and the sail plane have seen better days.
As I look at this picture, I realize I have seen better days as well. Do you like my shades? They are Oakley "M" frames with black iridium sweep lenses. Vince's car is directly behind him. Even though he really enjoys sailplaning and fast cars, he is very well "grounded" if you know what I mean.
For more information on sailplaning, see: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/nature/q0253.shtml