Soaring
For twenty years (1979 to 1999) I was a very active glider pilot.
I got my pilot's license (with a glider rating) shortly after soloing
at the Ithaca Soaring Club in the summer of 1979. Four years later,
I got my instructors rating. From 1990 to 1999 I was chief flight instructor
at the Central Jersey Soaring Club.
Pictured above is my sailplane, Three Yankee (3Y).
It is an LS-4a made by Rolladen-Schneider, a small company near Frankfurt
Germany (see
http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/ls.htm).
I actually owned only half of 3Y. The other half was owned by
my partner, Keith Ashfield.
The picture was taken when 3Y lived with her previous owner in Tehachapi, CA,
which is just a final glide away from Edwards Airforce Base.
Here are some more pictures I took at Tehachapi.
Here are some more pictures of me in 3-Y taken at Solberg Airport in NJ.
Here are two pictures showing an LS-4 (not mine) on final approach and an
inflight cockpit view:
final approach
and
cockpit view.
Finally, here's some specifics about 3Y:
- 1981, Serial #4008, 1200 Hrs., Experimental.
- Refinished 1986 by George Applebay with Poly-Lux.
- Glass Teck Unlimited canopy seal, mylar seals, turbulators.
- GTU vented ballast bags.
- Pneumatic 200x50 tailwheel.
- Dual Tost hooks (CG and nose).
- Blue canopy, blue trim.
- Dual 14 Volt battery system
(5AH tail and 10AH baggage compartment).
Spare 5AH battery.
- Becker radio w/ Dittel boom mike.
- Cambridge S-Nav 3.5, G-meter, remote, ternpoint and hold switches.
- Winter mechanical vario, ASI.
- 35,000' altimeter.
- Hamilton compass.
- LC-2 clock.
- Av-Ox constant flow system with 22' bottle and Nelson flow meter.
- 5-point Pacific Scientific Harness.
- Cushioned seat.
- Relief tube (rerouted aft of main gear).
- Tie-down harneses for wingtips.
For more details, click
here.
And, lastly, here's a picture of multiple-world-record holder
Steve Fossett
in
his beautiful
Schleicher ASH-25 Mi:
