Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Weekend Report May 23 - 25

There are several candidates for the highlight of the weekend. The contenders are the first glider solo by Bill Swartz, the first glider flight of the season by Andy Lumley, and the Saturday cookout. There are other runners-up as well.

On Saturday we had another of those grey training days - a lot of takeoff and landing drills and not much soaring. Bob D showed up early to tow, and we completed Tim's preparation for his flight test. 

Along the way, Bill took the Blanik up by himself. He made a nice flight and reported that it was surprisingly easy without all the distractions coming from the back seat. (Click to enlarge the photo by Paul D., who has challenged Pete for the position of club photograper. More of Paul's photos here.)

The Saturday evening cookout was popular and featured a surplus of food and drink. Thanks to everyone who contributed. The under-12 set was well represented by Jane, Ellenor, Ella, Christina, Ellie, Olivia, Andrew, Nathan,  Gretta, and Maia.


PMSC - The Next Generation

The best and worst weather of the weekend both occurred on Sunday. It rained in the morning and stayed overcast until around 2pm. When the sun came out, Skip (JS), Thomas (ZP) and Andy (PM) were ready. This was Andy's first solo glider flight since last October, and we can't even remember the one before that. If you think that being Club President, Chief Tuggie, Chief Mechanic, Chief Information Officer, and Family Guy leaves plenty of time for flying, think again. We should all look for opportunities to help Andy go flying.

The last day of the weekend, Monday, was difficult.  We assembled early and stood around for a couple of hours waiting for the crosswind to abate.  Finally, Tom (Blanik), Skip (JS), Thomas (ZP), Doug (3J), Steve (3J), and Tim (Blanik) went flying.  The lift was good, but it was a struggle not to get blown away.

Some of the survivors of the Saturday cookout returned on Monday and were joined by a few who weren't able to make it on Saturday.  The leftovers were augmented and dispatched.  There were fewer kids this time.  It was a school night.

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