Post by Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III on Nov 12, 2006 18:59:01 GMT -6
When I was about 10 years old, I was hunting dove with my Dad. I looked to the sky and saw a strange airplane that looked unlike any I had seen. “That is a glider!” my Dad said when I asked. I watched for some time as it magically flew among the clouds without an engine and decided then I wanted to learn to fly. My dream came true in 1991 when I moved back near those fields my Dad and I used to hunt when I was a kid and while driving to the hospital in Chester, SC (a very small town but back then a major glider port!) I saw a tow plane pulling up a glider. I had just gone by the Chester airport and it reminded me of that day many years ago . . .
Flying gliders is magical. There is little noise, other than the wind blowing by. Many times I have flown with eagles off my wing . . . Golden Eagles in Montana and Bald Eagles here in Florida. To see these majestic birds in flight right beside them is ecstasy beyond belief.
I thought I would take a moment and post some pictures of a couple of memorable flights that took place out of Minden, NV, which is in Carson Valley, just east of Lake Tahoe. Enjoy!!
The picture below shows a Pawnee tow plane and a glider about to take off.
Here they are in flight!
This is looking north from the Minden Airport. These clouds are wave clouds. . . they sit there and don't move. We'll see these again from above.
Here are those clouds from above!!
A self portrait at about 26,000 feet!
A picture of the control panel. I'm at about 26,950 feet.
This is South Lake Tahoe. You can see the lake to the right and Heavenly Moutain to the left.
Another glider above me. We are at about 27,000 feet here!
Another picture of South Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley.
And the same!!
The ship that just took me on my high adventure above the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
All in all, a pretty cool adventure!!
............Bob
Flying gliders is magical. There is little noise, other than the wind blowing by. Many times I have flown with eagles off my wing . . . Golden Eagles in Montana and Bald Eagles here in Florida. To see these majestic birds in flight right beside them is ecstasy beyond belief.
I thought I would take a moment and post some pictures of a couple of memorable flights that took place out of Minden, NV, which is in Carson Valley, just east of Lake Tahoe. Enjoy!!
The picture below shows a Pawnee tow plane and a glider about to take off.
Here they are in flight!
This is looking north from the Minden Airport. These clouds are wave clouds. . . they sit there and don't move. We'll see these again from above.
Here are those clouds from above!!
A self portrait at about 26,000 feet!
A picture of the control panel. I'm at about 26,950 feet.
This is South Lake Tahoe. You can see the lake to the right and Heavenly Moutain to the left.
Another glider above me. We are at about 27,000 feet here!
Another picture of South Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley.
And the same!!
The ship that just took me on my high adventure above the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
All in all, a pretty cool adventure!!
............Bob
