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cookwithgas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 159
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 Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:10 am Post subject: Flying Story |
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I decided not to fly on July 4th. We have my sister's boys at the house and we decided to stay home all day, then go to a Texas Rangers evening Baseball game and watch the fireworks there.
At about noon the first gliders were being towed over the house and I was watching while everyone was splashing around in the pool. I yelled at the kids and we all stopped and watched the tow plane dive to the left and a red glider soar off to the right climbing.
About two hours later, the red glider came across the fields really low, bobbed over a farm house and landed in the cow pasture behind us. Huh? I watched for a minute and noticed the guy walking around the airplane checking for damage so I jumped on my Mtn. bike and went to see if he was OK. He was. I asked him if he needed a ride to the glider port and he asked how far it was. I then realized he didn't know where he was. I grabbed up all the kids and we drove him back to the soaring club which is about 1 mile from our house.
After getting him to his truck and trailer, he followed me back to the field and cut the chain on a gate, then drove the trailer to his airplane and took it apart in 5 minutes and loaded it up. He met my 15-year-old daughter and found out she was studying to be a pilot and asked her if she wanted a glider lesson. We told him she had been wanting to do that after seeing all the gliders being launched over the house. He set up a lesson and in a few minutes an instructor and tow pilot came out and briefed her, then put her in a glider with a parachute and some ballast (she didn't weigh enough). Off they went into the air.
She logged .7 hours of glider instruction in her new logbook. She joined the Youth Program at the club where she can work at the airport and make $10/hour in glider dollars which she can then turn in for flight lessons. Several kids have solo'd and several others have received their glider certifications this way and she is excited about doing the same. Since the glider port is close to the house, she can ride her bike over there any time she wants to earn some glider dollars or take a lesson. They are rebuilding one of their four tow planes and she can get credit by helping the guys work on the tow plane. They are doing first class work over there too.
Here is a short video - it ends with the fireworks finale at Ranger Stadium last night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylqs9mvlZFQ
I'm attaching a picture of the tow plane in restoration with my nephew Jacob in the picture.
Scott Laughlin
601XL/Corvair
150+ hours and climbing
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tigerrick(at)mindspring.c
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:45 am Post subject: Flying Story |
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What a great story, Scott!
I can't think of any better way to honor American exceptionalism than partaking of our unique freedoms that are so rare in other parts of the world. And it looks like the flying hook has been set with your daughter, and we can take heart that another member of her generation will do her part in perserving our flying freedom by exercising it!
Top it off the day with baseball and fireworks, and I really can't think of a better 4th.
You didn't mention hot dogs and beer, but I'll assume they were included somewhere....
Thanks for a real day brightener.
Rick Lindstrom
Zenvair N42KP
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