We had a very special weekend on August 15 and 16, with four new certificates or ratings.
Throughout the summer, and thanks to the prodding and prompting of the flight instructors, led by our cheerleader-in-chief, Greg, an unusual number of glider pilots have been preparing for their flight tests.
When you look at it closely, this requires a significant effort from all concerned. Ground school, knowledge tests, more ground school, flight test prep, IACRA, scheduling the examiner, getting the paperwork in order, organizing volunteers for the big day, etc.
This year we have had an unusually large number of pilots, towpilots, and instructors willing to put in the work to get the job done.
Mark Brisson took the first flight test on Saturday. Mark holds the most FAA ratings of anyone in the club, 13. He extended this to 14 by adding a Glider rating to his flight instructor certificate. Congratulations to Mark for becoming our newest CFI-G!
Next up was Zach LaRochelle. Zach took a few practice solo flights on Thursday, and he was obviously overprepared for his flight test in the 2-33. Congratulations to Zach on his new Private Pilot Certificate! When asked who his first passenger would be, he didn't have a clue.
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Finally, on Saturday, Dave Baxter took his practical test to add Glider privileges to his Private Pilot certificate. Congratulations to Dave for his additional rating in gliders! It isn't widely known that Dave has the PMSC record for the greatest number of students instructed. He has taught 2000 hang glider pilots how to fly! It is possible that the new rating means that he has officially retired from hang gliding.
On Sunday Toby Schine had an early appointment with the examiner, and by noon he was finished with his flight test in the Blanik. Congratulations to Toby for adding a glider rating to his Commercial Pilot Certificate!
Obviously, none of this would have been possible without Ed Winchester, our new Designated Pilot Examiner. Ed traveled from his base (Adirondack Soaring in Saratoga County, New York) to spend both days of the weekend with us. Ed worked tirelessly all weekend and we do appreciate his willingness to come to Post Mills. Ed is an experienced glider pilot and a glider-only DPE (the best kind). He told us that there are only seven of them in the United States. Nobody knows why they are so scarce. The average distance between glider-only DPEs is about 700 miles.
And the best news of all is that we will have another handful of applicants ready for their flight tests at the end of the season, and Ed is willing to come back and do it again!
