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.

BTW, Solberg Airport hosts the annual NJ Festival of Ballooning:


Credit: Mary Beth Bellando-Zaniboni (more balloon fest pics)

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:

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:

And a video: