Monthly Archives: December 2020

You wouldn't believe it, but they can happen to you too! Occasionally I find myself too relaxed during my pre-takeoff checks, often because I have hundreds of hours under my belt in any given 12 month period, other times too because people are talking to me right up to hooking on the rope - this is not the time to be complacent! One needs to be positive & focused, if people are talking nearby you,

“Unable to control Altitude” 
“Unable to control Airspeed”
“Unable to control Heading”
“Other than that….everything is A-OK”

The YouTube video of Kalitta 66 has been watched over 1.4 million times.  Kalitta 66 was a Lear 35 that slowly lost pressurization in the Flight Levels, causing the crew to suffer from unrecognized extreme hypoxia above

Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance, SkySight is the tool that I use for this. A beautifully thought out & well-developed weather forecasting web-based application put together by Australian, Matthew Scutter. With excellent customer service & constant development,

National Champion...or Not

This is a story about the fastest, most locked in, the most gorgeous thermal flight I ever made, which counted for absolutely nothing.

The Task

It was June 25th 2017 at the Club Class Nationals in Hobbs NM. Up to that point, I was having a decent contest and was in the top ten with a shot at the podium. The forecast for the day was good enough by

Gliding Resource Management

Used primarily for improving safety, GRM focuses on interpersonal communication, leadership, and decision making on the ground and in the air to ensure the best possible outcomes. It is a set of training procedures for use in environments where human error can have devastating effects. GRM can come into play to foster better friendships, improving the club atmosphere