Soaring News
Southern California Soaring Academy’s news
Southern California Soaring Academy’s news
Same everything, just about. It was her n-teenth solo and the canopy chain had failed, so we grabbed some scrap tow rope and tied it off at about the right length. Snip snip, go have fun.
Here’s what she told us afterward. At some point the stick wouldn’t move back far enough. Good everywhere except back. And the resistance increased from side to side. On a hunch, she slipped one shoulder out of its strap, reached with her other arm back to the empty aft cockpit and found that stupid rope slung around the stick.
Easy enough to fix, just remember to check it again before landing – and then shorten that stupid rope! Snip snip indeed.
The same girl now has her own teenagers. Who knows, that one poised and thoughtful act may have played an enormous, silent role in their very existence.
This week we honor two more first solos, John Laux and our very own Julie (it’s about time) Bennett. Welcome to the club guys!
The coming week will stay cool and windy. We’re getting down to the shortest days of the year, with thermals working to not much above pattern height, but the wind may provide soarable energy in the usual special places.
Remember, we’ll be closed after Monday Dec. 14, and will reopen on Saturday, Jan. 2. Good luck with all those holidays, and we’ll look forward to starting from scratch in the new year!
After ‘monsoon’ weather the week before, his past midweek has displayed early falllike symptoms. One little rain was followed by brisk thermals each afternoon, but low cloud bases and more than enough wind. Now things will change again. We’ll see weak springlike conditions Friday, then a late summer flourish on Saturday, and who knows from there. Yes our prime summer season is winding down but it’s not over, you hide and watch…
This soaring year ended with a couple weeks of unusually wintry weather, but we made up for it with lots of student progress. Four people flew their first glider solos on the last weekend, Marc Loftin, Max Swancutt, Mike Pattison and Toshi Kenda. Congratulations guys!
Now wait, you say, the year’s not over yet… But remember, we’ll be closed from now until Friday, January 2.
Enjoy your celebrations folks, and we’ll look forward to seeing you when the days go back to getting longer again!