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May 26, 2021
During a landout in a glider, you may find yourself in a hostile environment lasting for several hours to several days. While most US pilots think of the desert or Rocky Mountain areas as the likely place for an extended stay to occur, it can just as easily happens closer to home. In April 2007 a very experienced ridge soaring pilot went down along the forested Alleghany Mountains in Pennsylvania.
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November 17, 2019
I landed out in a canyon once, with nobody around and no cell coverage. I could not reach anyone on 123.3. I made a call on 121.5 and quickly had someone respond. We switched to 123.3, and he was happy to relay my coordinates to the contest site where they sent my crew to my location on a very long dirt road. One of those roads that country music songs and horror movies are written from, but it was
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June 23, 2016
What is in the back of your sailplane?
I always recommend people carry a land-out kit to expect the worst. I think I was the only pilot at the UK Open Class Nationals with one, they told me you could walk to the nearest pub.
Some of you may have read about Dale Kramer's accident on a record attempt flight on the ridge. He ended coming to a stop with the wings removed and upside down.
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June 02, 2016
Standing in a Field in Finland after being in the country for less then 8 hours.
I drove out of the docks by 9:30 am in Helsinki and drove straight to the Rayskala airport which would be my home for the next month in preparation for the upcoming WGC. I arrived on the airfield just after grid time.
The Contest Director recommend I grid and get some points. Someone volunteered