St. Louis Soaring

Today was our Pre-Season Soaring Seminar. Thanks to Glenn Collins from the Soaring Safety Foundation for presenting on the topic of Loss of Control at Low Altitudes.

Today was our annual pre-season safety seminar. Excellent presentations this year.

Sunday October 8, Francesca and Andreas Fredricks soloed. Their father, Paul, strapped them in and ran their wings for their first solo flights. Congratulations to the Fredericks! Jerry Bernatz, CFIG, (L) and Rick Hoffmann, CFIG, (R) were their instructors.

BBQ and club meeting after soaring today.

SLSA Members from the Seniors. Monday's SGP race and the crew, Gene Franklin, and Back seater, Mark Oberg are getting ready for another FL race day. Great race today, right up until it wasn't. 52 miles south and suddenly the LX9000 systems and electrical went dark on our way to the 4th turn point, Chalet Suzan! Deviated to SLGP to get back and find that all electrical was lost due to a blown fuse. Great lesson- when the light go out... you're Miami Sectional reading skills better be up to s***f and your butt better be tuned in to the slightest bump of rising air! Great experience for Mark- I think--

First Day of the 2023 Seminole Lake SGP. Club member Jim St. Clair was my back seat today and got his introduction to a tough cross-country race. Mark Oberg is here as well and is next up for the next race. Weather was warm, thermals were broken, but we got to 4,800' above the FL terrain. Jim just might have been more worn out that I was- he got a good view of the ground several times today while we were digging ourselves out- far more times than I wanted, but he was a great asset the entire flight.

Got a chance to use the Rotisserie Sunday! Crummy day for X/C but training continued in force. Plenty of time and crew to help around the hangar assembling gliders, pulling them apart, and finally mounting the break-away tail wheel back on the Grob.

Club member Randy Tielking, ZR, traveled to Soaring Mecca, Moriarty, NM to work 5-6 knot thermals at 14,000'+. Exploring new soaring opportunities is just one of the many benefits of developing cross-country skills at St. Louis Soaring Association. Joe Gieseke and I will be joining Randy this week. We have room for a fourth!

Jerry Bernatz and SLSA President Charlotte Taylor arrived at SLSA late afternoon today having travelled to Baltimore, and back, to pick up the club's new K-21B fresh from Germany. Charlie Tango will be ready for the FAA and the SLSA flight line shortly. What a great addition to our fleet!

A Rotisserie is more commonly found in a Maintenance or Paint facility but we now have one to help with glider repair and servicing. It will turn 360-deg allowing you to work on the underside of the glider while you're standing. Beats crawling on your back and belly like a reptile!

SLSA's Private Ship Hangar- slowly but surely the member's private gliders are prepared for winter stowage. Everyone's anxious for Spring already and a few are still flying and training!