Last two Practical Test successes at HSC for 2011!
December saw the successful completion of two end-of-the-year Practical Tests at Hollister Soaring Center. French citizen David Bastard accomplished the addition of a Glider Category Rating to his Private Certificate/ASEL on December 11th. And Jim Katra was successful in his Practical Test for an added Glider Category Rating on December 20th. Congratulations to both David and Jim for jobs well done!! Both applicants did their Practical Test with HSC's Designated Pilot Examiner, Dave Morss.
David came to HSC as the result of some successful outreach to the public and pilot communities during the 2011 Hollister Airshow. I first talked to him during that airshow, and then we commenced flight instruction during the following few weeks. David has a busy hi-tech work schedule which also takes him on overseas sales meetings quite frequently, so our training sessions were a bit bunched up or sparse over the summer. Add to this the fact that he travels home to France frequently and that resulted in his training taking a bit longer than a typical add-on rating does. David is a certificated pilot in the US and enjoys flying the Cessna 172 for San Francisco Bay Tours and other local flights. But he also wanted to explore the challenge and variety that is inherent in flying gliders and the sport of soaring. Now that he has the rating in his hand he's expressed an interest in joining BASA and pursuing the sport for the fun, challenge, and enjoyment that all of us know exists in the world of unpowered flight. Congratulations David, and welcome to the realm of glider-rated aviators, and join all of us who experience flying in the realm of hawks and the majestic eagle.
Jim Katra originally grew up and learned to fly in the S.F. Bay Area, but now resides in a rural area of Maryland. He is a very experienced aviator and owns several aircraft including a Pitts S2-B, a Mooney, a Diamond Twin-Star, and is building a Europa motor-glider in his garage! He still frequents the West Coast and was out in California in late September to attend the Salinas Air Show, where he was a guest of aerobatic performer Sean Tucker. Following the airshow Jim had to decide whether he wanted to go to Sean's Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety and fly with Sean (which he'd done before), or come to Hollister and do some glider flying. Well, Jim decided that the challenge of the day was flying gliders, so I spent a solid two days getting him up to solo in the last days of Sept. He went back to Maryland with the intention of coming back to CA in December to finish his solos and the added rating, weather permitting. Well, things did turn out as planned on this endeavor and Jim returned to Hollister to fly with Charlie Hayes on Dec. 19th and 20th. In one of the very few late-afternoon Practical Tests that we've had at Hollister, Jim passed his test with flying colors just before the sun sank into the western horizon on December 20th. Congratulations to Jim on the addition of a Glider Category Rating to his existing Certificate! And also congratulations to CFIG Charlie Hayes on a job well done to get Jim up to speed and prepped for the Practical in record time!
Congratulations again to David, Jim and Charlie for their hard work, and also for showing that glider flight-training can be done year-'round in Hollister. These success stories show that the HSC Winter Special does work in bringing aviation enthusiasts out to pursue Certificates and Ratings during this usually "slow" time of year.
We look forward to seeing David out again and hopefully getting involved in BASA. And we'll be awaiting a success story from Jim when he finishes his Europa and begins the process of getting his self- launch endorsement.
—Happy soaring in 2012 and beyond, Quest
HSC to offer Aerobatic/Unusual Attitude/Upset Training at a special, reduced rate • December 1st, 2011
Beginning on December 1st, 2011, and going until further notice, Hollister Soaring Center will be offering aerobatic/unusual attitude/upset training at a special, reduced rate.
For the purposes of dual aerobatic training, HSC will be offering tows at the "Panoche XC" rate of $83 per TOW for the first 6,000 feet AGL of tow, and $27.00 per 1,000 feet of additional tow after that. (This comes out to $14.00 per thousand feet, less $1. As far as I know at this time, this is probably the best tow rate anywhere in Northern California!) For dual aerobatic training tows which go higher than 6,000 feet, the rate for each additional 1,000 feet of tow will be $27.00/1,000 feet, which is $10 less per thousand feet than our regular retail rate.
Glider rental rates for the HSC SGS 2-32 will also be reduced 50% to $32.50/hour, which I am confident is much less than you will be able to find anywhere else for rental of an aerobatic glider.
Flight instruction for the dual aerobatic flight training will remain at the HSC standard rate of $65.00/hour for ground and/or flight training.
The aerobatic training will be conducted in the two HSC SGS 2-32s by me, and in the BASA DGs by HSC employee/CFIG Jonathan Hughes. I am personally providing the training in the 2-32 because of my level of comfort and experience in this ship. And Jonathan will be providing the training in the BASA ships because of his level of experience in the DGs.
The Schweizer SGS 2-32 is a great basic trainer for learning the fundamentals of aerobatics, as well as exploring unusual attitude recognition and recovery, and what is also known as "upset" training. We will proceed slowly into this realm for all new aerobatic students with an emphasis on preparation and safety at all times. We will wear parachutes and a complete briefing will be given before the flight. We won't do any radical, violent, or "extreme" maneuvers which might make you nauseous and therefore steer you away from future aerobatic experiences. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS END ANY AEROBATIC SESSIONS WITH A DESIRE FOR MORE, AND NEVER PUSH TO THE POINT OF FEELING SICK OR NAUSEOUS! IT IS QUITE EASY TO QUICKLY EXCEED THIS LEVEL DURING AN AGGRESSIVE ROUTINE IN AN "UNLIMITED" TYPE GLIDER!
Although the literature for the 2-32 describes it as "fully aerobatic", we will be doing what is referred to as "gentleman aerobatics", which are very graceful, fun and rewarding for the new aerobatic student. We won't be doing any inverted, or "negative G" flying in the 2-32s, which is also quite uncomfortable. If you are a BASA Member you will be able to experience this with Jonathan in one of the BASA DGs if you so desire.
Other maneuvers that we won't do in either ship are: snap rolls or "accelerated" maneuvers; tail-slides; tumbling maneuvers or Lomcevaks; and anything else specifically prohibited by the Flight Manual or placards.
I believe that it is very important to "train how you fly" by receiving instruction and practicing in an aircraft that is quite similar (if not identical) to what you fly on a regular basis. Advanced/unlimited aircraft rarely perform the same as most of the common ships flown, hence training in them may not be as beneficial as training in something closer to what you normally fly.
The fun, challenging, and fairly gentle maneuvers that we will work on are:
1) Loops (3.25 to 3.5 positive Gs)
2) Barrel rolls (positive G only, rolling 45 degrees off axis of a centerpoint.)
3) Upright spins.
4) Hammerhead stall-turn.
5) Zero-G push humpty-bump.
6) Lazy 8s
7) Wing-overs (more than 90 degrees of bank in a reversing turn.)
8) Lufberry turn (descending, constant, high-speed turns of more than 60 degrees
of bank, and up to 80 degrees of bank.)
9) Steep spiral recognition and recovery.
10) Deep stall recognition and recovery.
11) Unusual attitude recognition and recovery.
12) Zero-G with high pitch attitude recognition and recovery.
13) Aileron rolls which require "pushing" to the "outside" or "negative Gs against the straps" may possibly be performed in the BASA DGs
at the discretion of Jonathan Hughes.
14) 1/4 Cloverleaf and 1/4 reverse cloverleaf.
15) 1/2 reverse Cuban eight.
My intention is to have you on the controls and flying the maneuvers as much as possible. It does take quite a bit of practice on some of these maneuvers until you can fly them proficiently. That's why we'll begin with the basics, and only add the more advanced maneuvers when you're ready. Jonathan and I can demonstrate some of the more complex ones to you, but there's no sense taking the time for you to learn them unless you've got the basics down pat.
My experience in aerobatic flying includes the following:
Power aerobatics:
Dozens of hours flying aerobatics in: Citabria; Decathlon; Super Decathlon; Pitts S2-B and S2-C; Giles 202; Extra 300; Great Lakes; Waco Bi-Plane; Stearman; Avions Robin; Yak 52; Grob G115 (airplane).
I have completed the Basic and Advanced aerobatic courses at Sean D. Tucker's Tutima Academy of Flight Safety. At Tutima I flew with Ken Erickson and Ben Freelove, both of whom have performed in airshows with Sean. Ben Freelove attained #2 in the US National Advanced Aerobatic Competition this past summer, and is on the US Advanced aerobatic team. He was also on the US National Advanced Aerobatic team that competed in the International Competition in Europe during the summer of 2010. He was the highest performing American and came in 9th in the competition. It was a pleasure to fly with both of these professional pilots, and I learned an immeasurable amount from the two of them.
I have competed in two International Aerobatic Club sanctioned competitions at the Sportsman level. I flew the Pitts S2-C at Paso Robles in June of 2010, and competed in the Pitts S2-B at Delano in September of 2010.
Glider aerobatics:
I have flown more than a hundred total aerobatic flights both solo and while introducing HSC customers to the thrill of aerobatics aboard the SGS 2-32. Also, I have dozens of aerobatic rides given in the Grob 103 and ASK21 at Turf Soaring School in Phoenix, AZ.
I have completed the Basic and most of the Advanced aerobatic flight training program in the MDM Fox Unlimited aerobatic glider at Estrella Gliderport in Phoenix AZ. There I flew with Jason Stephens who is a multiple-time, US National, unlimited glider aerobatic champion. Flying in the Fox with Jason was a hoot, but is probably not recommended for those just venturing into aerobatics.
I have flown several flights in an MDM Swift Unlimited Single Place glider, which just happens to be the exact same ship which airshow performer Paul Jennings used when he performed at the Hollister Airshow in May, 2011.
I am working toward obtaining a Statement of Aerobatic Competency (also known as an "ACE" card) so that I may be able to perform a glider aerobatic routine at the Hollister Airshow sometime in the future.
I have flown some aerobatic maneuvers in the BASA DGs, but have not done enough to feel proficient in providing instruction in this ship.
Jonathan Hughes also has extensive experience flying aerobatics in the SGS 2-32, as well as the BASA DGs, so is fully qualified to provide excellent instruction in the BASA ships.
If you're interested in pursuing the fun of aerobatic training, or just experiencing any of the maneuvers listed above, please call or e-mail and I will put you on the HSC schedule whenever it's convenient for you.
Please remember to support your LOCAL glider FBO!!! We look forward to seeing you all out at Hollister at some point in the near future!
PS- A few months ago I began the long, arduous process of getting together the forms and documents necessary to apply for a waiver for an aerobatic practice area near the Hollister Airport. If there are any pilots or "lurkers" out there who would be interested in helping this project along to its completion, by all means get in touch with me. I am looking at a 1,000 meter by 1,000 meter area which is at the NW intersection of Fairview road and Fallon. There is nothing below this area but farmland, and it's about three miles east of the airport. This is the "quietest" area around Hollister Muni and no one flies through this area on a regular basis. A waiver could allow us to do aerobatic training and routines in the area above that spot, and would even waive the regulations regarding proximity to Victor airways. We would be able to do acro down to 1,500 feet AGL, and still easily be able to enter a left base for Runway 24 with no problem. (I know because I flew at 1,500 feet over this area and was easily able to get to Rwy. 24 on a left base entry). If successful, this aerobatic practice area would allow customers and others to view the aerobatic flights from the area of the HSC picnic tables and office. While not quite "on" the airport, it would be great fun to watch the flights nonetheless.
Return of the "Winter Special" Awesome Flight Training Deal! • Nov 2011
Once again it's time to spread the word far and wide about the "Winter Special" Awesome Flight Training Deal that we're having again this year at Hollister. This discount plan for glider-pilots- in-training was initiated by Hollister Gliding Club on December 1st 2008, and now Hollister Soaring Center LLC is offering this deal again for the fourth consecutive year at Hollister.
The HSC 'Winter Special" will run this year from December 1st, 2011 through February 29th, 2012, and will be available to all pilots-in-training who do not yet possess a U.S. Glider Category Rating. The discounts we're offering are as follows:
1) A total of 20% off of the cost of the tows taken during any given training session, and
2) A 50% discount on the cost of the glider rental incurred during the course of any given training session. (Glider rental at this time is $65.00/hour, so this would be reduced to $32.50/hour. )
The cost of Flight Instruction from one of the HSC CFIGs will still be at our current rate of $65.00/hour, and all other products and services will remain at their current standard retail rates.
The genesis of this program came about a few years ago when I realized that many people who might be considering glider flight training at Hollister simply negate the idea of doing any training in the winter-time. This is because they usually think that the weather is simply too bad to achieve any progress in flight training during these months. But the truth is that except for storms and a few rainy/gloomy days, this time of year has many, many days which are actually EXCELLENT for flying and training. The winter howling winds and driving rain notwithstanding, there are usually very few days when we can't do any training at all. Besides all this, it's not blazing hot and there's no turbulent sea-breeze to make the training difficult!
So, if you or someone you know has thought about pursuing flight training in gliders, or you've let your training lapse over the last few months, now may be the best time to come out to HSC and get going on that Glider Category rating. Whether you're doing initial training or an add-on, we can tailor your training to your schedule and really help you get through that Practical Test before the spring soaring season rolls around.
Give a call to the HSC cell/office phone at: (831)-632-6235, or shoot me an e-mail at: hollistersoaringcenter@yahoo.com, and we'll get you on our schedule in a way that works with your schedule and lifestyle. 'Hope to see some new -and familiar- faces out at Hollister during the next few months!
— Happy Soaring and Discounted Winter Flight Training, Quest
Annual Panoche Fund Drive: Your help needed now! • Nov 2011
I am reaching out to all of you in the Hollister/Northern California soaring community for your help in raising the necessary funds so that we can continue to have access to the Panoche Valley Airstrip (aka Panoche International) for aero-retrieves and Gliderpaloozas in 2012. As of today, Hollister Soaring Center has committed $300 toward the goal of at least $3,500 that will be needed to secure use of the strip for another year. (This amount is down from the $400 that HSC provided last year because of the current HSC economic condition). In addition to this HSC money, I have a little over $500 in additional funds that are a surplus from the 2011 donations.
I was in touch with the owner Ziggy today and reaffirmed verbally with him our Agreement for continued use of the Airstrip. He told me that he would keep the yearly amount the same- $3,500- as long as payment was made to him on time (December 1st). He also informed me that he has been involved in attending the public hearings regarding the future SolarGen project which is being planned for the area. Ziggy seems to be pretty confident that there will be some sort of solar power generation facility built in the Panoche Valley at some point in the future, but that there will be quite a few delays because of legal challenges. Because of those delays, there almost certainly won't be any construction out there for at least another year. He did want to let me know that even if construction commences, the project would not impact his property or the area of the airstrip, and wouldn't really affect our ability to use that strip for glider ops. Ziggy actually seems to be in support of the solar project(s) because of the potential for tax income benefits to area residents from the revenue brought in, and doesn't understand why some locals are hurting themselves by opposing the development.
Another new development this year is that I/HSC will no longer be going through the "caretaker" Darrel for the payment and any other correspondence regarding the Airstrip and the soaring community's use of it. I will now deal directly with Ziggy in all financial and other matters related to Panoche International.
In order to meet the December 1st "deadline" for getting the payment to Ziggy it looks as if I will have to access my business credit line for the initial balance of $2,700 ($3,500 less the HSC donation and other funds present), and then take in funds as quickly as possible to pay back this outlay of funds. If there is ANYONE ELSE out there within the glider/soaring community who would like to volunteer to be the "bank" for the Panoche Airstrip "loan" this year, by all means please get in touch with me and we can make arrangements for the transfer of funds. I usually use my business credit line only for emergencies, which are almost always maintenance-related tow plane repairs that HSC needs so I can get it back flying quickly. If I use $2.7k out of my $5k business line, I am cutting my emergency funds down to a very low level. Any help this year would be most appreciated.
The average payment amount last year was about $100 from a total of about 40 pilots or soaring enthusiasts. Last year, HSC contributed $400 ($300 this year), and a few pilots gave $100-$300, but most were in the $100 range. Also, several folks gave $50, or even $25, so there really is no lower limit on the amounts that will help us retain use of Panoche. (And please remember that no pilot really WANTS to land there and use the strip- except maybe during the Gliderpaloozas. We would all rather be soaring above it and within glide of it, or know that it's available later in the day when returning from the south or east. So if you say that you don't want to donate to the fund because you don't plan on landing there, then you are the exact type of pilot that we need to contribute to keeping the Panoche Airstrip!)
Also remember that by making a donation, you are making a contribution to something larger than simply your own aspirations as a soaring pilot. It is a contribution to the health and continued success of an entire community. If you like to soar locally to Hollister or wherever you fly from, or have no intentions of going cross-country yourself, that is great. But please try to look at things with a broader view. By keeping Panoche Airstrip available, it is an anchor point for much of what goes on at Hollister, all the way from new student starts to aspiring BASA cross-country pilots, to new mad-dash records and everything in between. Sometimes a sport or avocation such as soaring needs to have its own "Mt. Everest" to climb to keep enthusiasts focused and provide goals to shoot for. The Panoche Airstrip really is that lynchpin around which most of what goes on at Hollister revolves around for pilots once they get their glider rating. Please help the sport to stay healthy and allow pilots to have goals and aspirations that may take them away from the local Hollister area, even if you yourself have no plans to fly XC in the near future. Thanks in advance for your support.
If you would like to donate, please confirm this wish by sending an e- mail to me at: hollistersoaringcenter@yaw-hew.com. (The address is actually yahoo.com, but putting in the full address may get this message blocked as it goes out to the chat groups.) I would like to get some type of response or "pledge" from those who are planning to donate so I can generate a running total of the amount of funds I can expect to see come in later. You can then send a check made out to: Hollister Soaring Center LLC(or HSC) to: HSC; P.O. Box 1581; Hollister, CA 95024. Or, if you'd rather make a donation with a credit card, please call me on the HSC cell phone (831) 632-6235, and I'll run your credit card info through the computer terminal at our office. The best time to get me for one of these transactions is in the evening (5PM-8PM), and during my "work week" which is Thursday through Monday. You could also try during a Tuesday or Wednesday, but you'll have less of a chance of getting me during one of those days.
Thanks for your support, and with your timely donations we'll be able to keep the Panoche Valley Airstrip for use by the soaring community throughout 2012.
Please cross-post this onto any and every other chat-group which you think might help our chances of raising the necessary funds as soon as possible.
—Happy soaring, Gliderpaloozas, and aero-retrieves from Panoche, if necessary, Quest
Rajat Chopra is the latest success story at HSC!! • August 2011
In August Rajat Chopra passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss and obtained an Initial Private Pilot Certificate with a Glider Rating. Congratulations Rajat!!
Rajat had met BASA Member and HSC employee Jim Britton at their place of work, and Jim had invited Rajat out for a ride in the DG505 a couple years ago. That first ride was enough to get Rajat fired up about training for his Private Certificate. He began his training with me shortly thereafter and took advantage of the HSC Winter Special during the winter of 2010. He continued his training into the spring and eventually soloed at HSC on June 23rd of 2010. Rajat then continuously flew for the next few weeks, and built up all the required solos needed for the Practical Test. But alas, his work in the hi-tech/code-writing field pulled him away from gliders and soaring for the better part of a year. In fact, for a while it looked as if Rajat may need to move back to India, with the final stretch of his goal slipping further and further away. But things worked out so he could stay in Silicon Valley to work, and we finally saw him come out to finish his training these past couple months.
Rajat has been taking a few of his friends and family up for scenic rides in the HSC SGS 2-32, but is seriously interested in joining BASA and pursuing the finer points and the joy of soaring flight in high-performance fiberglass ships.
Once again, congratulations Rajat on a job well done, and we are looking forward to your presence within the local Hollister/Northern California soaring community! And my apologies for taking so long to post this message!
—Happy soaring, Quest
Nicolas Gascon adds a Glider Rating to his Private Pilot Certificate, July '11!
Earlier this month Nicolas Gascon successfully passed a Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss for the addition of a Glider Rating to his Private Pilot Certificate. Congratulations Nicolas! Great Job!
Nicolas came to HSC last fall already possessing a rating for Airplane, Single Engine Land, and wanted to experience the fun and challenge of working to become a glider pilot. He had a couple hundred hours in airplanes such as Cessnas and other small GA aircraft, as well having a few flights in an Extra 300. I knew right away that he'd probably have some pretty good stick and rudder skills. This was borne out during the first few hours of training when Nicolas made steady progress at mastering the coordination and sight picture required to fly the HSC SGS 2-32. In what seemed to be a very short period of time, Nicolas was on the eve of his Practical Test when that evil monster known as "his career" intervened and pulled him away from his goal for several months. Nicolas is French, and works as a software programmer for a company that puts French satellites into orbit. It just so happened that his company was about to launch one of those infernal machines and they needed his expertise 24/7 to get the satellite operational. He was required to drop everything immediately and devote himself totally to the completion of this task so we didn't hear from him for about six months. Finally, everything was all settled down and up to speed in the heavens and Nicolas came back to Earth at HSC to regroup, get current, and put in the necessary studying and flying to get him through the home stretch. Within just a few sessions Nicolas was back up to the level of solo, and very shortly after that I happily signed him off for his Practical Test. Dave Morss showed up one nice Sunday morning, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Nicolas had talked about wanting to pursue the art of soaring more in the future, as well as having an interest in being a part of the Bay Area Soaring Associates Club. So, notwithstanding any future selfish demands by his employer for his technical expertise in programming satellites and associated systems, we may very well see Nicolas back out at Hollister, joining the rest of us in our own particular, unique way of launching off into the heavens! Once again, congratulations Nicolas for a job well done!! We hope to see you back out at Hollister sometime in the near future!!
— Happy soaring, Quest
Dan Zitter passed his Practical Test to add a glider rating onto his Private, Airplane Single Engine Land Certificate on Sunday, June 19th, 2011!
This past Sunday at Hollister Soaring Center, Dan Zitter passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss to successfully add a glider rating onto his Private, Airplane Single Engine Land Certificate. Great job Dan!!
Dan had dropped by the Hollister operation a couple years ago when it was known as Hollister Gliding Club and talked with us about doing the add-on rating. Finally, several years later he was able to set aside the time to train with me at HSC beginning in March, and continued throughout the spring to a successful completion on June 19th. Dan got a few tastes of soaring during his training and was also at the controls in an HSC 2-32 when Haven ferried N87R down to Panoche for the Gliderpalooza on Saturday, May 28th. He also got a chance to do a very fun cross-country soaring flight in the BASA DG-505 with Kurt Thams as Kurt had an open seat on Sunday afternoon after Dan had finished his Practical Test. I think this is probably the best sales pitch that anyone could give to a newly minted glider pilot to get them jazzed about pursuing more fun, challenging experiences within the soaring realm of aviation. Dan may be joining BASA in the near future!
Dan spends his work hours immersed within the halls of a well-known Bay Area hi-tech firm, and also flies a Cessna Cardinal of which he is a part-owner. He likes to run marathons and play ice-hockey, and now I suppose he may need to make room for another addicting and demanding hobby that we all know so well: glider flying and cross-country soaring!
Congratulations again, Dan, for a job well done. And we hope to see you out at Hollister again in the near future enjoying the fun, challenges, and smiles which will inevitably come from soaring around the state in those long-winged fiberglass birds that you've earned the privilege to fly.
Happy soaring,
—Quest
Keep up with the times by sporting the 1st new clothing item from HSC that displays "Hollister Soaring Center" embroidered for all to see!
We just took delivery of a production run of fifty baseball-style caps in various colors, some of which I've never offered before. They're still priced at $20, which includes tax, 'cause that makes it easy to just lay down a 20 spot and be on your way. (Or just ask and we can add it to your invoice too!)
There are still a handful of Hollister Gliding Club baseball caps, so if you're a collector or are nostalgic for the past, this is your last chance to get one. I'm sure they'll bring in a great return on eBay in ten years or so ;-). (The only colors I have for the HGC caps are Bright White and Red).
Check 'em out the next time you're at the airport.
—Happy soaring and shopping. Quest
PS- We still have a few Bay Area Glider Ride short sleeve T-shirts, but the selection is getting low and I'll need to put in another order for those soon. We also have quite a few white, long-sleeve T-shirts with the silk-screened HGC logo on them. In time, I'll be getting another order of these long sleeve shirts, and the old HGC logo will remain the same but the wording will be updated to Hollister Soaring Center. I'll post on here when this production run has been delivered to us. (We're probably looking at sometime in late spring or early summer).
Congratulations to Soma Pullela on the successful completion of his Practical Test to add a Glider Category Rating to his Private Pilot Certificate • April 13, 2011!
Hollister Soaring Center would like to congratulate Soma Pullela on the successful completion of his Practical Test to add a Glider Category Rating to his Private Pilot Certificate, on which he already has his ASEL Rating. Great job Soma!!! Soma's CFIG for the bulk of his training at HSC was Charlie Hayes, so congratulations also go out to Charlie for a job well done with Soma.
Like so many other aviation enthusiasts in the Bay Area, Soma works in hi-tech in Silicon Valley and already had several hundred hours in various aircraft flying out of West Valley Flying Club in Palo Alto. (And he's also instrument rated). His experience extended to flying the Cirrus line of high-performance singles, as well as quite a few hours doing all sorts of aerobatics in the Club's Super Decathlon. He came to HSC in the fall of 2010, curious about what it would take for him to add a glider rating to his Certificate. Soma was looking for a new challenge and hadn't flown powered aircraft for a few years, so this was sort of a new beginning as well as a way to knock off the rust.
I began to fly with him at that time and we worked slowly and steadily toward him soloing in the HSC 2-32. After a few weeks and a few lessons, Charlie Hayes had returned from Alaska and began flight instructing at HSC so I turned Soma over to Charlie for his continued training. In an interesting coincidence, Charlie had actually been a Flight Instructor at West Valley back in the early 1990s, and had instructed Soma during his first flights in a powered aircraft way back in 1994! Charlie had worked with Soma all the way up to, and beyond solo, but then left West Valley to come to Hollister and instruct with the newly established Soar Hollister! Soma continued his flight training at West Valley and finished up with the power rating shortly thereafter. Because of their past history, it only seemed natural to put those two guys back together after more than 16 years had passed since they'd been in an aircraft cockpit together. After a few more lessons had transpired, Charlie signed off Soma to solo the 2-32, making him the same instructor to sign him off to solo in an airplane AND a glider, and after more than 16 years had passed!
Soma has already been back out to HSC as he has an interest in doing some dual cross-country. He and Charlie did an early-season, mini-XC last Sunday that saw them make it to the vicinity of Bumb Ranch, which isn't too bad considering their start was rather late in the day and conditions locally were a bit weak. Soma may be looking at going along for some cross countries in the BASA ships if he can get into an empty seat some time. I'll encourage him to post here if he wants to look for that empty seat.
Once again, congratulations to Soma for his newly minted Glider Rating that he achieved on Sunday, April 3rd, with DPE Dave Morss! And congratulations to HSC CFIG Charlie Hayes for a great job with Soma. This was certainly a deja vu-like coincidence that put them together once again, only this time it was from pre-solo all the way to a successful Practical Test.
—Happy soaring, Quest
***IMPORTANT!!!***
Special Meeting of the Airport Advisory Commission on Monday, March 14th, 2011
The City of Hollister will be holding a Special Meeting of the Airport Advisory Commission on Monday, March 14th, at 6PM. The meeting will be held at the Hollister City Hall at 375 5th St. just off of downtown Hollister.
There are several important items on the "New Business" portion of the agenda, one of which is the Aris Helicopters contract that is currently in the process of being approved. Aris Helicopters will be moving into the hangar previously occupied by the Gavilan College A & P program, at the north end of the ramp adjacent to the glider and towplane tie downs. Aris operates and maintains several very large, transport-category, heavy-lift helicopters used in fire-fighting and external sling-load operations. They are moving their entire operation from the San Jose International airport to Hollister, where they will home-base their entire fleet as well as perform maintenance operations, etc.
This would be the chance for any glider pilots out there wishing to have a say in what's going on at Hollister to come out and get your 2 minutes in at the podium.
This may turn out to be a very important meeting. It seems to me that this meeting had been shifted from Wednesday the 16th to Monday. This may have been so that the Aris contract can get the rubber stamp of approval before it goes off to the last City Council meeting before April 1st, which is the contract start date.
I encourage all of you out there who don't want to see huge helos hovering over gliders going to and from the runway or while being assembled/disassembled, to come and see what this is all about. And to protest if we think that this would be in our best interest.
—Quest
On Sunday, March 13th, 2011, Joe Karam successfully passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss and received his initial Private Pilot Certificate with a Glider Rating!
Congratulations Joe for a great job well done!! Joe trained with HSC CFIG Charlie Hayes who guided him through all the trials and tribulations that were involved in successfully surmounting the challenges encountered in working toward this lofty goal. Great job Charlie!!
I'm not sure how Joe heard about HSC, nor from whence came his interest in becoming a glider pilot, but he arrived in our office just before Christmas of 2010 with a high level of enthusiasm to begin his flight training and take advantage of our Winter Special. Charlie began working with Joe immediately and the two of them were able to spend quite a few successive days in ground and flight training as Joe had set aside a couple weeks of vacation for nothing but flying. Once he was passed this initial concentrated training, Joe scheduled half- day sessions at least one day a week and made steady progress. After a couple delays because of weather, Joe soloed a few weeks later and was on his way to meet the Private Pilot requirements throughout February. He was an information sponge for soaking up aviation knowledge from dozens of questions posed to Charlie, and his curiosity and desire to learn helped him master the intellectual aspects of the training. This dedication to learning and mastery enabled Joe to get 100% on his FAA Knowledge Exam. Congratulations Joe!!
Joe has expressed an interest in learning more about gliders and soaring, and will be taking a look at joining BASA within the next couple weeks. We certainly wish him well in whatever direction he decides to go in aviation, and would like nothing more than to see him enjoying his newly minted Certificate in the BASA ships, and learning from all the experienced glider pilots who soar out of Hollister.
Once again, congratulations Joe and Charlie for jobs very well done indeed!
—Happy soaring, Quest
Sergey Sinyachkin: 1st HSC Practical Test of 2011 Passed!! • Jan 15, 2011
Hi everybody, The Northern California glider community has a new CFIG as Sergey Sinyachkin successfully passed his CFIG add-on rating with DPE Dave Morss at HSC on Saturday, January 15th. Congratulations Sergey!!!
Sergey's CFIG for his CFIG training was Charlie Hayes, so a big round of applause goes out to Charlie for his hard work and dedication in bringing another student at HSC through to the successful completion of his aviation goals. Thank you Charlie!!
Sergey is not new to obtaining a glider rating from training with Charlie Hayes at Hollister. He came out to HGC about two years ago and successfully added his Commercial glider rating during the first year of our very successful "Winter Special" campaign. And though no longer eligible for the 'Winter Discount", Sergey had little trouble knocking out this CFI rating with Charlie during the sometimes unpredictable Holiday flying season.
Sergey has a "regular" job in the hi-tech field, but he sure seems to spend a lot of time flying and giving flight instruction! He is a power CFI at Aerodynamic Aviation (the former Amelia Reid Aviation) at Reid-Hillview airport, and shows up at Hollister quite often with students whom he is instructing in Citabrias. But not only is Sergey a power CFI in both Single engine and Multi engine airplanes, he's also an Instrument instructor as well as a CFI in Rotorcraft/Helicopters. That guy is one busy pilot and flight instructor! If you hear a pilot with a Russian accent on the airwaves while flying around Hollister - or anywhere else in the greater SF Bay Area - it's a good chance that it could be Sergey. This guy is very knowledgeable, low key, and has a great sense of humor, and may even end up towing at HSC sometime in the near or distant future.
Congratulations again to Sergey, the "Crazy Russian" :-), and Charlie Hayes, for two jobs very well done at Hollister Soaring Center LLC.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
The "Winter Special" Returns to Hollister! • Dec 1, 2010
Once again it's time to spread the word far and wide about the "Winter Special" Awesome Flight Training Deal that we're having again this year at Hollister. This discount plan for glider pilots-in-training was initiated by Hollister Gliding Club on December 1st 2008, and now Hollister Soaring Center LLC is offering this deal again for the third consecutive year at Hollister.
The HSC 'WInter Special" will run from December 1st, 2010 through March 31st, 2011, and will be available to all pilots-in-training who do not yet possess a U.S. Glider Category Rating. The discounts we're offering are as follows:
1) A total of 20% off of the cost of the tows taken during any given training session, and
2) A 50% discount on the cost of the glider rental incurred during the course of any given training session. (Glider rental at this time is $65.00/hour, so this would be reduced to $32.50/hour.)
The cost of Flight Instruction from one of the HSC CFIGs will still be at our current rate of $65.00/hour, and all other products and services will remain at their current standard retail rates.
The genesis of this program came about a few years ago when I realized that many people who might be considering glider flight training at Hollister simply negate the idea of doing any training in the wintertime. This is because they usually think that the weather is simply too bad to achieve any progress in flight training during these months. But the truth is that in between storms and a few rainy/gloomy days, this time of year has many, many days which are actually EXCELLENT for flying and training. Except for howling winds and driving rain, there are usually very few days when we can't do any training at all. Besides all this, it's not blazing hot and there's no turbulent sea-breeze to make the training difficult!
So, if you, or someone you know, has thought about pursuing flight training in gliders or you've let your training lapse over the last few months, now may be the best time to come out to HSC and get going on that Glider Category rating. Whether you're doing initial training or an add-on, we can tailor your training to your schedule and really help you get through that Practical Test before the spring soaring season rolls around.
Give a call (831)-632-6235, or shoot me an e-mail at: hollistersoaringcenter@yahoo.com, and we'll get you on the schedule in a way that works with your schedule and lifestyle.
Hope to see some new—and familiar—faces out at Hollister during the next few months!
Happy soaring and Discounted flight training,
—Quest
William Herrick Passed His Practical Test at HSC! • Nov 14, 2010
On Sunday, November 14th, William Herrick passed his practical test at Hollister with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss to successfully add a glider rating to his Commercial Airplane Certificate. Congratulations Bill!!
Bill is a power pilot in single and multi-engine airplanes, has an instrument rating, and is also a Certificated Flight Instructor in singles and twins. He's based at the San Carlos airport and is involved with the United Flying Club as both a Member pilot and instructor. This flying club is made up of current and former employees of United Airlines. Bill enjoys shooting practice instrument approaches and giving flight instruction in UFC's Cessna 172. His professional specialty is in accounting, and he works in the financial sector of a high-tech firm near KSQL in Redwood Shores.
Bill came to HSC last January to check into earning a glider add-on rating and took an Introductory Lesson with us. He enjoyed the challenge of flying a glider so I began working with him shortly thereafter. He was able to take advantage of the HSC "Winter Special" rates during the early part of his training. Similar to most aviation-oriented individuals living in the hi-tech world, Bill has a busy schedule so he flew with us when his schedule permitted and we completed his training in early Fall. He was all set to do this practical test a few weeks ago but then we got three successive weekends of crummy weather! But finally luck was on our side, the stars were in alignment, and everything came together on Sunday the 14th for a successful Practical Test.
We may see Bill coming back to check out the possibility of flying the BASA ships as we move into 2011. We hope he does as that'll put him right on schedule to be checked out and ready to fly when the great soaring weather shows up in the spring. Once again, congratulations Bill for a job well done!!
Happy soaring,
—Quest
Fall Gliderpalooza Wrap Up • Oct 6, 2010
Hi everybody, I just want to say "thank you" to all the folks who came out and participated in the Fall Gliderpalooza this year, and for helping to once again make it the really fun event that we look forward to throughout the year. Saturday had the best lift, and I was able to do some decent soaring with a couple different glider pilots, so it was fun for me too.
Thanks and applause are in order for all those folks who volunteered and performed other good deeds to make the day a success. Joy Pierce and Jim Britton went above and beyond by coming out before the event and mowing large sections of the parking area and runway, without which the flight and ground operations might not have been possible. Joy also performed many other great task such as shuttling folks to and from Panoche; shopping for picnic/BBQ supplies; organizing and transporting all sorts of stuff to and from the event, etc. Also, thanks to Jim Britton for purchasing hardware and supplies and installing a second windsock at the east end of the Panoche airstrip. Haven Rich once again went above and beyond by gathering up the fuel tank from Bob Peed (thanks Bob!!) and filling up his truck with all the maintenance stuff that we (thank goodness) didn't need to use. He also stayed at the strip to act as "guard dog" during the night on Saturday. Thanks go out to John Pierce and Jim Britton's wife Clare who acted as shuttle drivers to get folks to and from the event. Also, thanks go out to my brother Tom who came to visit me on his vacation and I put him to work helping out wherever needed throughout the weekend. Thanks also to the tow pilots Allen White, Guy McIlroy, Eric Maupin and Paul Fewel who helped make the towing go smoothly and without incident. Thanks also to Harry Fox, president of BASA, for doing a lot of work to coordinate BASA ships, pilots, time slots, ferrying flights, etc. Thanks tons for your organizational work Harry! And another "thank you" goes out to Larry and his wife Cheryl at the Panoche Inn for a wonderful BBQ and excellent hospitality both before, during and after the event. We couldn't have our Gliderpalooza without them!!
It is my hope that we'll be able to have two of these social soaring events at Panoche again in 2011. One will be during the Memorial Day weekend which will most likely coincide with the Hollister Airshow and "GliderFest 2011", and the other will again be late-Sept./early Oct. just as we did this year. In order for us to have access to Panoche Airstrip we will again need to renew our User Agreement with the owner and caretaker, which will be up for renewal on December 1st. At this time I have gathered about $1,500 toward the eventual fee of $3,500, so I'm hoping that pilots and other donors can get funds to me very soon so that I'll have the entire amount ready to hand over when I sign the 2011 contract. The average donation has been $100, with lows of $25 and highs around $300. HSC has pledged $400 for this coming year. To contribute you can call HSC at 831-632-6235 and I'll take a credit card number over the phone. Or you can send a check made out to Hollister Soaring Center LLC to HSC; P.O. Box 1581; Hollister, CA 95024. Also, you can add the $$$ onto your invoice when you came down and fly anytime between now and the end of the year. Thank You to all the pilots who have already contributed to the Panoche Fund up to this point.
Thanks again to all of you for a great Gliderpalooza weekend, and for those of you out there who didn't make it down, we're looking forward to seeing you in 2011.
Happy Soaring,
—Quest
Congrats on Four Recent Solos at HSC! • Aug 23, 2010
Over the last couple of months, the flight training that we've been engaged in at Hollister Soaring Center LLC has paid off with solos by four of our hard-working and dedicated students. I'd like to offer them a very loud and resounding CONGRATULATIONS!!! Great job guys, and I'm hoping that you will all keep up your training as time goes by so that you can successfully complete the practical test and obtain your glider rating sometime soon!
1) Rajat Chopra soloed N87R on June 23rd and is continuing his training in preparation for the taking the practical test for his initial Private Pilot Certificate with a glider rating sometime in September. Rajat came out to Hollister and took a glider ride in one of the 2-32s with Jim Britton in the spring, and got bit by the flying bug. He considers it "addicting" and has enjoyed the challenges that he's faced and mastered with this new hobby. Although for a while it seemed that Rajat might need to move back to India, which might have prevented him from finishing his training, that's changed and he'll be around for a while now and hopes to get his certificate very soon.
2) Francisco Pauda had flown at Hollister Gliding Club several years ago and soloed one of the 2-32s at that time, so he's no stranger to the world of soaring. But after being away for about seven years he's returned with the intention of completing his training during the summer before he needs to go back to school. Francisco soloed N87R on July 23rd after his multi-year layoff, and we're ramping him up for the final push to the Knowledge Test, and the Practical Test soon thereafter. Francisco is a student in the UC system (I can't remember which one right now!), and we'd certainly like to send him back to school this fall with a newly minted Private Pilot Certificate. That's our plan right now, and I'm confident that Francisco can accomplish his goal soon!
3) Will Blair completed his first solo flight in N87R on July 31st, but now he's off to USC so we won't see him back at Hollister until he has a break around Thanksgiving. Will has decided to study Aeronautical Engineering so I'm certain that we'll see him back at Hollister Soaring Center LLC sometime later this fall as his enthusiasm and desire for flying are high and growing stronger every day. Will came out to Hollister and took an Introductory Flight with us back in the late winter, and also worked running the line at HGC for a few months before he had to leave. We'll miss him at the airport but know that he's off beginning his studying for a future in aviation, and that's very exciting. We look forward to helping Will pursue his dreams as soon as he can make it back to HSC!
4) On Sunday, August 22nd, Nicolas Gascon took off in N87R by himself and thereby completed his first solo flight in the only type of aircraft within the FAA glider aircraft category. Great job Nicolas! Nicolas came to HSC just a few weeks ago for an introductory lesson and very soon decided that he wanted to continue on to pursue the addition of this category rating to his Private Pilot Certificate. He currently has his Airplane Single Engine Land rating and about 400 hours of total flight time. He's flown Pipers, as well as Citabrias, Decathlons and has even soloed an Extra 300! Nicolas' skills are really top-notch and he soloed with only about sixteen flights or so. Now he'll continue on to get his nine additional solo flights and the Practical test will be fairly soon thereafter.
Great job, all of you, and congratulations again for being dedicated to your goals and putting in the hard work and studying required to solo a Schweizer SGS 2-32 glider. All of us at Hollister Soaring Center LLC are looking forward to helping you realize the next phase of your glider training and the ultimate dream of obtaining your glider category rating. Good luck to all of you!
Happy soaring,
Quest
Andy Jardetzky Passes His Private Glider Checkride! • July 14, 2010
Hollister Soaring Center LLC would like to congratulate Andy Jardetzky on the successful completion of his Practical Test for an initial Private Pilot Certificate with a glider Category rating. Great job Andy!!
Andy passed his test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on Wednesday, July 14th, which also just happened to be Andy's sixteenth birthday. So at the same time HSC would like to wish Andy a happy birthday! Andy is one of those people (and there seem to be fewer and fewer of them these days) who got his pilot Certificate before obtaining a driver's license. But those of us who know the allure of flight can understand this out-of-the-ordinary alignment of priorities.
At thirteen years old, Andy came out to Hollister more than two years ago accompanied by two very supportive parents -Alex and Adrienne- and took an Introductory Lesson with Jeffrey Hazlegrove. Very shortly thereafter I took on Andy while a very green CFIG and we both began an interesting learning experience. After some time, Andy was taken on by Charlie Hayes who shaped and molded the aspiring aviator to a point where he soloed in January '09 at about 14 1/2 years old. (Thanks for your help Charlie, as you helped shape Andy's skills in the early months. Congratulations are in order for you, too!).
After a few more months, Charlie departed KCVH for points north and I again continued Andy's training. I found that Andy had very good skills and a calm temperament, so it was a challenge for me to keep him interested as I needed to fill about a year and a half before his Practical Test. During this time we did just about everything a glider pilot -student or certificated- could do at Hollister. This included: a lot of flying in weak wave, thermals and convergence; dozens of simulated rope breaks and no-spoiler approaches; landing on tow; landing at Christensen Ranch and Frazier Lake; soaring for several hours over the Panoche hills during Gliderpalooza; soaring for hours with Charlie Hayes; aerobatic practice; rides with BASA pilots; acting as a CFI from the back seat as I played "stupid student" in the front; and even a planned landing-on-tow airshow performance that was nixed at the last moment by the FAA! Needless to say, Andy had lots of fun in preparation for the Practical, and Dave Morss commented that his piloting skills were perhaps the best and smoothest of any pilot with whom he's flown at Hollister. In addition, Andy also comes out about twice a month to run the line which is really good for HSC, and for keeping him mentally sharp within the airport environment.
Andy came from a background of flying RC airplanes, as well as spending lots of time on various flight simulators and this really showed up in his glider flying skills from the very start. I'm really convinced that there is a connection between these activities and good stick 'n' rudder skills and Andy's another great example of that.
Andy's uncle is a helicopter pilot and he's been a source of inspiration to Andy during his training. More recently, Andy has set his sights on being a Naval Aviator, so he's got his work cut out for him over the next few years. Along with playing the trumpet in his High School's marching band, he'll need to keep his grades up and do all the other things required to get into Annapolis. All of us at HSC wish him the best in the coming years. If you fly at Hollister you'll see Andy out working the line every so often, so feel free say "hi" and congratulations to HSC's first success story!
Andy and I are going to keep up the hard work so Andy can pass the Commercial Glider Practical, and possibly also the CFI Practical, on his 18th birthday. With any luck, in two years we'll have a repeat of two very proud, beaming, parents taking pictures and video as if it they were on the red carpet during the Academy Awards. Maybe in Andy's case his ultimate award may be his admission to the Naval Academy. We all wish him the best. Great job, Andy!
Happy Soaring,
Quest,
Manager of
Hollister Soaring Center LLC
Peter Heis Passes His Private Glider Checkride! • March 14, 2010
HGC would like to congratulate Peter Heis who on Sunday, March 14th, passed his Practical Test for the addition of a Glider Category Rating with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss. Great job Peter!!
Peter is from Austria, where he owns his own glider (a Ventus 2, I believe he said), and has about 450 hours of cross-country soaring experience in the Austrian Alps. He spends quite a bit of time in the USA, so he decided to get the US power rating and also the US glider rating while he was at it. He's on vacation here for several weeks and has been flying almost every day. Peter was in the process of working on his Private Pilot ASEL rating in a Citabria at Aerodynamic Aviation in RHV when he attended Harry Fox's "Soaring The Southern Alps Of New Zealand" presentation in Hayward with his power CFI a few weeks ago. (Incidentally, Peter's power CFI is Tristan Duplan, who recently earned his own CFIG rating from the folks in Byron- small world!)
Peter talked with me at Harry's presentation and was interested in doing an accelerated glider add-on rating as soon as he passed the ASEL Practical. Well, a few days later I flew with him to assess his skills and after a couple intro lessons I knew that he'd have no problem doing the rating pretty quickly. He then completed the ASEL Practical Test successfully on Monday, March 8th, and we began training in the Schweizer 2-32 the next day. He'd never flown a Schweizer before coming to HGC, but flew very well and soloed by mid-day Thursday the 11th. He was excited to go get his phone and call all of his friends back in Austria to tell them that he'd soloed a Schweizer! (Peter originally learned in a Duo Discus!) Throughout Thursday and Friday he knocked out the required solos and prep flights and was ready for Dave on Saturday but the FAA IACRA site was down! Finally, the site came back up and Peter completed the Practical Test on Sunday afternoon. He even thermalled during the flight with Dave and gained about a thousand feet. It certainly didn't hurt to impress the examiner with his thermalling skills!
Peter is currently getting a checkout in a Cessna 172 at Aerodynamic Aviation and he says it's the easiest thing he's flown yet!
Peter's been having a truly American experience as he's been traveling around in a rental motorhome with his super-smart dog Lara accompanying him on his adventures. (Peter had Lara flown over from Austria, and she got her daily exercise by running alongside us in the golf-cart as we went from the office to the flight line and back several times a day!) Peter's wife will be joining him in the US soon, and we wish him all the best in his flying, traveling and adventures here in this country. Once again, congratulations Peter! Great job!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
New Changes at Hollister Gliding Club Starting December 1st, 2009:
1) HGC's New Days of Operation
Beginning on December 1st, and continuing indefinitely, HGC will be open for business Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. HGC will be CLOSED on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. However, as with anything else, there are
some exceptions:
i) HGC will open if there is a pre-arranged group whose members are taking scenic and aerobatic glider rides through Bay Area Glider Rides.
ii) HGC will open and provide tows if there is a "critical mass" of interest in soaring and taking advantage of forecast wave or thermal conditions. This could be for cross-country as well as to explore excellent local forecast conditions.
iii) HGC will open for previously arranged flight instruction sessions with one or more beginning students, or a power pilot seeking an added rating.
iv) HGC will open (if there is sufficient demand) on those Mondays that are taken by federal and some state agencies as holidays. This would include Labor Day, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, MLK holiday, etc.
If I know that any of the above are going to occur during the Monday through Thursday that HGC is usually closed, I'll post as soon as I can on the hgcgroup to let others know that tows will be available. (There may be limited or no ground support on those days so bring a friend to help you out!)
Please pass this information on via word-of-mouth, e-mails, cross-posting etc., and any other way that seems good to spread the word about HGC's new schedule.
2) New Tow Rates!
Beginning on December 1st, HGC will begin NEW, LOWER, extremely COMPETITIVE, tow rates, making us one of the BEST VALUES in aero-towing anywhere. HGC will consolidate our current Operations Fee, High Towplane Maintenance Costs Recovery Fee and regular tow rates into one easy-to-understand rate. Additionally, the rate schedule will be logical in that there will be lower rates for the lower altitude tows (pattern tows and sim. rope breaks), and higher rates as a glider
is towed higher and the climb rate slows down. BUT, the exception here is that we will have a SPECIAL on Panoche and Cross Coountry tows that will make soaring at Hollister very attractive and competitive with any other soaring operation in California or western Nevada.
New rates will be:
$25/1,000 feet for the first 2,000 feet.
$35/1,000 feet each additional 1,000 feet.
No additional fees or costs.
Those pilots who belong to the HGC Tow Plane Club will still be able to take $10 off of each 1,000 feet of tow. Licensed glider pilots can join the HGC in-house Tow Plane Club for an annual fee of $600. (This in-house Club exists so that HGC
can raise money for its aircraft annuals, and at the same time offer discounted rates to pilots who plan to take 5,000+ feet of tow per month).
Now, here is the new Panoche/Cross Country Tow killer rate: (This is a tow to 6,000 feet where the glider pilot tells the tow pilot to take him to "release ranch at 6,000 feet", or another release point for a Cross Country flight)= $83.00 WOW! That's a dollar LESS than a 6,000 foot tow at $14/1,000 feet that's being offered by one of the "leading brand" aero-tow operations in California!
However, there is a little bit of a catch here. The price for an aero-retrieve from Panoche will be going up. This past year, a Panoche retrieve was $100, but it will now go up to $123. So, if a glider pilot chooses his day and direction carefully, he can get a great bargain on a day of cross-country flying. But, if he has to land at Panoche and get a retrieve, then the total cost is still exactly what it was last year. Nothing to lose, and everything to gain! So, do you feel lucky???
Aspiring cross-country pilots and those seasoned hot-shots who are out there can now come to Hollister and be in a win/win situation. If you choose a day where you can get off tow low locally, you'll get great soaring for as low as $30 for a
2,000 foot tow if you belong to the HGC Tow Plane Club. Or go cross-country toward the Panoche valley or wherever conditions are good for even LESS per 1,000 feet. Now, there's no excuse to not come to Hollister and take advantage of the great soaring that is justout our back door.
(In order for a glider pilot to get the $83.00 Cross Country tow rate they must fill out and drop off a completed Cross Country declaration sheet with the HGC office before getting airborne. Also, they must carry a SPOT Messenger with them and HGC must have an Internet link so that we can view your flight trace at the ofice. HGC has a SPOT Messenger for rent for pilots who don't yet have a personal tracking device of their own.)
(Just FYI: Aero-retrieves with HGC towplanes going to other than Panoche are charged at $150/tach hour.)
3) HGC Winter Special!
HGC Winter Special. Beginning on December 1st, and going until the 1st day of Spring, HGC will again be offering those pilots WHO DO NOT YET HAVE A GLIDER RATING a special deal to help you in your goal of passing your Practical test
for that Rating. At the end of each training session, your tow bill will be reduced by 20%, and the rental rate for the Schweizer 2-32 will be 50% off, down from $65/hour to $32.50. You can't beat those prices anywhere!
So, there's really no better time than the coming months to come to Hollister for soaring or flight instruction. And no more reason to grumble about high prices at Hollister, either. Tell a friend, or several, and pass the word around that Hollister is now THE PLACE for great value in flight instruction and competitive rates for local and cross-country soaring.
Landing on Tow Clinic • Saturday, October 24, 2009
The Landing-On-Tow Clinic involved dual instruction in one of the HGC 2-32s with Quest along as the CFIG. Each participant did three tows, each to about 1,400 agl, with two touch-and-goes and one full stop landing. We offered a special price for this training excercise which was fun, educational and a bit out of the ordinary for the average glider pilot. Not only did it give pilots a chance to practice a rarely used emergency maneuver in a controlled environment, but it got them current for carrying passengers. (Except for Andy Jardetzky, as he was the sole Student Pilot in the bunch). All the rated pilots were able to meet the recent flight requirements of the FARs as they were the sole manipulator of the controls.
We began at about 9:30AM, and went until 3PM or so and did the takeoffs, touch-and-goes, and landings on runway 31 as the winds were mostly calm, or right down 31.
We had a great end-of-season BBQ going beginning at about 11AM with various burgers and hot dogs available. Joy Pierce worked her magic at the grill, as usual, getting all the food items prepared and served.
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The predicament of not being able to release from tow is not all that uncommon (it happened to me on my first solo flight at Turf in 1999). But for both the glider and towplane to not be able to release surely ranks up there in odds along with winning the lottery or getting hit by lightning. So, just for this Saturday the 24th, nine pilots gave up playing the lottery or hanging around thunderstorms and instead came out to Hollister for a truly fun and challenging glider flying experience.
Thanks to all of you who came out and made it a wonderful day!!
—Happy soaring, Quest
2009 Gliderpalooza • Saturday & Sunday, September 26-27!
On Saturday and Sunday, September 26th and 27th 2009, Hollister Gliding Club hosted another of our famous and fun Gliderpalooza soaring events. HGC moved its base of operations to the Panoche airstrip in the Panoche Valley about 35 miles southeast of Hollister. Here, for two days, all participants got to experience the exhiliration of soaring in very strong early Autumn thermal conditions in an area not affected by the local seabreeze. In addition, participating pilots got to take off and land at a classic narrow dirt and gravel glider strip instead of a municipal airport such as Hollister which has long, wide asphalt runways. Larry and his wife at the Panoche Inn cowboy bar provided a great BBQ on Saturday for only $10 per person, and many participants camped that night at the nice nearby resort Mercey Hot Springs. These Gliderpalooza events are always fun for everyone, and and this year's was no different as everyone had a terrific time. We're
already looking forward to planning at least one, possibly two, events at Panoche Airstrip in 2010. And we're hoping to see as many or more soaring pilots come out to Panoche for our Gliderpaloozas in 2010 as we had this year.
Thanks again to all the pilots, friends and family who came out to Gliderpalooza this year! All of you made it a great success!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
On Sunday, Sept. 13th, HGC held a grass-strip clinic at Frazier Lake Airpark
Hollister Gliding Club, in conjunction with Bay Area Soaring Associates, held this fun clinic at Frazier Lake Airpark so that glider pilots who regularly fly out of Hollister could see what it's like to land on a grass airstrip. It also gave each of the four pilots who participated the chance to see Frazier Lake up close and personal, instead of from several thousand feet in the air. Each pilot was accompanied by CFIG Jonathan Hughes in one of the BASA gliders, and got a chance to take off from Hollister, tow to the vicinity of Frazier Lake, and then complete a pattern and landing there. Each participant then received two tows out of Frazier Lake, each one of which took them to an area that simulated a low return to Hollister and a need to execute a landing at Frazier. The final tow for each pilot got them back into the vicinity of the traffic pattern at Hollister so they could land and turn over the glider to the next person in line. All in all, everyone who participated commented that the day was lots of fun and gave them some new skills and confidence that was definitely valuable should they need to land in an unfamiliar off-airport location in the future.
HGC BBQ August Saturday 29th: "New Office Celebration!"
Glad you were all able to com out to Hollister on Saturday, 8/29, to help us celebrate our great new office location at the airport. Thanks again to Joy for getting the grill fired up and sizzling with all sorts of good food!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Pat Dolan Passes His Commercial Glider Checkride! • August 10, 2009
On Monday, August 10th, Pat Dolan successfully passed his Commercial Glider Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss! Congratulations on a great job Pat!
Pat came to HGC about 3 1/2 years ago with virtually no piloting experience. He worked hard training with Drew Pearce and obtained his Private Glider Certificate in early Spring of 2006. He then joined BASA almost immediately and began getting checked-out in the Grob with Ruth Cook. He also became an employee of HGC and began working the Line, a job that he still enjoys doing a couple times a month. For those of you who fly regularly at Hollister, you're probably familiar with Pat and his enthusiastic and energetic personality as he gets things done quickly and efficiently out on the Line. (Pat has been the Senior Line Person for about two years now, and has trained quite s few of the newer Line Workers.)
Pat made a focused effort to get as much flight experience as he could, and did it fairly soon after the Practical Test. This allowed him to quickly move through the BASA requirements so that he could qualify to be PIC in the DGs and Pegasi. Pat completed a checkout in the DG505 with Jeffrey Hazlegrove, and then went on to get a couple dozen hours of cross-country flight experience with Jeffrey up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Several months ago, Pat expressed an interest in moving up to the Commercial Certificate level, with the possibility of being a ride pilot for Bay Area Glider Rides. He began working with Charlie Hayes during this last winter, and then I took over and finished up Pat's training throughout this Spring and Summer. Pat was a great student who studied intensely and took the training seriously which showed when he got a 98% on his Knowledge Test.
Pat works as a designer of large, refrigerated facilities and machinery for the fresh produce-processing and packaging industry in this area. He's done some great machine work and welding for us, including the fabrication of the nifty stainless steel hooks that we use to grab the tow rope when the Cherokees are getting in position for a tow. He also owns a few really cool cars, but I'll let him expound about those details if anyone is interested.
Once again, congratulations Pat, on your successful transition from Private Pilot to Commercial Pilot. We're looking forward to having you come aboard as a Commercial Ride Pilot here at HGC and Bay Area Glider Rides. You'll soon be able to bask in the great feelings of enjoyment, pride, and satisfaction that all Commercial Glider Pilots get to experience at the end of every successfully completed Scenic Ride. (You'll also need to know where the bucket and disinfectant are stored for those less-than-successful rides!).
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Alan Larson Passes His Private Glider Checkride! • July 5, 2009
HGC would like to congratulate Alan Larson who successfully passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss for the addition of a Private-level glider category rating to his Private airplane, single engine land certificate. Great job Alan! Alan owns his own Cessna 172, and has about 800 hours of total flight time in powered aircraft, but wanted to try his hand at the challenges involved in flying a sailplane. He came out to Hollister a little more than a year ago to begin his training, but with a work schedule in the demanding IT sector, it was sometimes tough for him to get away on a consistent basis.(Alan is a systems administrator for a large ISP in the Palo Alto area.)
Alan is very meticulous and likes to delve into the more obscure areas of aviation and the aircraft that he flies. He's helped us with info on the tail dataplate requirements for gliders, as well as some interesting info regarding the use of our handheld units at the glider operation. (Alan is also a ham radio buff).
Alan started out at HGC flying with Jeffrey Hazlegrove in April of 2008, and then moved on to Drew Pearce, Charlie Hayes, and finally finished up with me. I'd like to thank all of the previous instructors for the parts that you all played in getting Alan to the point of reaching a successful Practical Test. Congratulations and a big Thanks! to all three of you.
Alan's C172 just came out of the shop with a new paint job, and I believe a new engine, so flying the Skyhawk around may be his main aviation endeavor for the near future. But we'll certainly look for him to come out to Hollister and delve further into the details of soaring any time that he'd like to in the future.
Once again, congratulations Alan for a job well done on the occasion of obtaining your hard-earned glider rating on July 5th, 2009.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Jerry Cronin Passes His Private Glider Checkride! • June 5, 2009
HGC would like to congratulate Jerry Cronin, who on Friday, June 5th, passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss for the addition of a Glider category rating with Private privileges. Great job Jerry!
Jerry walked into HGC in the middle of March and did an initial Introductory Lesson with me. We then set up a steady training schedule which worked out as planned to get him his Rating before summer.
Jerry had actually soloed at Fremont after only a handful of flights back in the late seventies. He flew some sort of side-by-side trainer there that I can't remember the name of, and it's completely unfamiliar to me! He'd also been flying paragliders in Idaho, and has about 150 take-offs and landings, but said that he wants to move onto something a little bit safer!
Jerry was a military power pilot and flew R4-Q Flying Boxcars, F6-F Hellcats as well as F9-F Panther jet interceptors. As a civilian, he flew DC-3s and Piper Cherokees that belonged to a company he formed and ran for many years.
With summer soaring just around the corner, Jerry is hoping to purchase a DG-500M self-launcher and do a lot of learning and soaring in the mountains of Idaho during the next few months. He hopes to bring the DG-500M back to Hollister in late September or October for the winter. So, if you're out at Hollister in the Fall and see this DG, you'll know who it is and you can say "hi" to Jerry.
It's never too late in a person's life to take on the challenges involved in flying gliders and soaring, as demonstrated so well by seventy-seven years young Jerry Cronin. Congratulations again Jerry, and we'll want to hear your soaring stories when you come back to Hollister in the Fall.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Soaring to Mt. Whitney: Matt Gillis & Larry Birndorf, Ramy Yanetz • May 17, 2009
HGC would like to congratulate Matt and Larry who flew together in BASA's DG505 and Ramy Yanetz who flew his own ASW27 for great flights out of Hollister, the first time ever this has been done, and "around the horn" as well (south around the bottom of the San Joaquin Valley first then following the mountains east and north). Ramy set a new "3TP" (Three Turn Point) Record out of Hollister with this flight, and Matt & Larry's flight is certainly noteworthy as well. Great job all of you! See the details on the Records Page. Matt's story will be coming soon!
Two more checkrides passed — Dan Sauter and Jonathan Hull! • May 7 & 11, 2009
Hi everybody, HGC would like to congratulate Dan Sauter and Jonathan Hull, both of whom recently passed their Practical Tests for an added Glider Rating with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss. Great job, both of you!
On Thursday, May 7th, Dan Sauter added a Glider Rating to his Airplane, Single-Engine Land rating on his Private Pilot Certificate. Dan has several hundred hours of flying experience, and even owns his own Ryan Navion aircraft that is currently tied down at the San Carlos airport. In his younger days, Dan was a Marine (I guess once a marine, always a Marine, right Dan?), and for many years now he's worked as an A & P mechanic. For a while, he wrenched on small GA aircraft for a government agency, but now works for United Airlines and helps keep all the 700 series birds flying out of SFO. Dan came to HGC in April of 2008, and began his training with Jeffrey Hazlegrove. He was in no hurry, and set a leisurely pace, eventually flying with Jeffrey, Drew Pearce, Charlie Hayes, and finishing up his training with me. Now Dan is working on a back-seat check-out in an HGC SGS 2-32, and is hoping to join BASA at some point in the future. His "stick-to-it-ness" paid off in taking him through a successful checkride, as well as helping him conquer other challenges he's faced in his life lately. He even came out and rode his Trek bicycle with several of us in the Condor Classic Bicycle ride last October, finishing a great 50 mile (give or take a few miles) ride.
On Monday, May 11th, Jonathan Hull added a Glider Rating to his Airplane Rating on his Commercial Pilot Certificate. Jon enjoys flying rental aircraft such as C-172 and C-182 from a large flying club on the Peninsula, and recently had an enjoyable flight down south to a small airstrip in the Death Valley area. Jon works in the Hi-Tech industry in the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area, and is also involved as one of the Director Members of the San Carlos Airport Pilots Association. Jon originally began flying at HGC with Ruth Cook a couple years ago, and had made quite a bit of progress toward his checkride when his work became too demanding. In early 2009, his work load lightened up so he felt that now was a good time to finish up. Jon came back to HGC just a couple months ago and began flying with me in earnest and made great progress by flying about once a week. He was very enthusiastic about his training, and went over and above the required work to find new sources of soaring weather information that turned out to be a learning experience for me too. He placed all of his notes and materials into a very organized binder so that it could be at his fingertips during the oral exam, and later told me that this worked very well during Dave's questioning. I hope to have all my students follow his example in the future! I'm sure that if Jon decides to come out and go further into the sport by getting experience in the fiberglass gliders that he'll be an excellent soaring pilot!
Once again, thanks to both of you for all of your hard work and dedication which paid off in the successful completion of your Practical Tests. Congratulations on the beginning of a new chapter in your aviation adventure, which is the continuing exploration of the exciting and challenging world that we as pilots experience when we take to the skies.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Ramy Sets New Hollister Mad Dash Record By Flying to Yuma, AZ! • April 15, 2009
Just 10 months after Eric Rupp flew his record-setting 444 mile flight to Calexico, CA, on the Mexican border, Ramy Yanetz has upped the ante by flying 489.4 miles to Yuma, Arizona! Before Eric's flight in June 2008, the previous Hollister Mad Dash Record had stood for over five years. Congratulations to Ramy on an amazing accomplishment. Read his story about the flight here.
Another checkride passed at HGC — Congratulations to Ido Ofir! • April 5, 2009
On Sunday, April 5th, Ido Ofir (son of BASA member Ram Ofir) passed his practical test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss and was issued his Initial Private Pilot Certificate with a Glider Rating. Congratulations Ido! Ido is a twenty one year old student at UC Davis studying for an EE (electrical engineering) degree in Computer Engineering, which encompasses both hardware and software. During his winter break from college studies in December, he took advantage of the HGC Winter Special to begin glider flight training with CFIG Charlie Hayes. (Congratulations Charlie!) Ido trained in earnest by coming out to Hollister quite a few weekend days in January, February and March, and was able to get prepped for the practical test in a surprisingly short span of time. (I guess it helps that he has flown with his father Ram in the two-place BASA ships many times over the years!) So, once again, congratulations Ido, and Charlie Hayes, for your great work and dedication in the pursuit of yet another success story at Hollister Gliding Club. We hope to see Ido, and Ram, coming out to take advantage of the great spring soaring conditions that are just around the corner here at Hollister. Great job everybody!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Hervé Goguely and Robert Harley Get Private Glider Ratings • March 18 & 23, 2009
HGC would like to congratulate Hervé Goguely and Robert Harley for passing their Practical Tests for their Private Glider Ratings. Great job both of you!
Hervé passed his practical test on Wednesday, March 18th, after just a few concentrated training sessions with Charlie Hayes. Great job Charlie! Hervé has a foreign power license, as well as a foreign glider license, but wanted to have the US certificate too. He owns a Stemme self-launcher, and has been getting quite a bit of time flying it around on a solo self-launch endorsement. But he felt that now was an ideal time to spend some quality time at HGC and get finished up with the US rating, and get an aero-tow endorsement to boot! We hope that Hervé will drop in from time to time and say "hi" whenever hés out in his Stemme and the soaring conditions take him in or around the Hollister neighborhood. Once again, congratulations Hervé for a great job done in record time!
Robert (Bob) Harley passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on Monday, March 23rd, to add the Private Pilot Glider rating to his Commercial Airplane Certificate. Bob is a dentist in the South Bay who has several hundred hours of powered flight time and enjoys doing intense aerobatics and tumbling maneuvers in an Extra 300 out of Hayward. Recently, he was treated to an "extra-seat" flight in the BASA DG 1000 with Member Wolf Weber, and was introduced to the thrill of soaring that the rest of the glider flying community knows all too well. Bob got bit by "the Bug", and decided to plunge head-first into a concentrated training program. He headed out to HGC a couple times a week to train with me for the last six weeks or so, and picked up the skills needed to nicely handle the SGS 2-32 in short order. Now that he's got the ticket in his pocket with the ink still wet, he wants to join BASA and get into flying the glass ships ASAP. His ultimate goal is the brass ring of the DGs and Pegasi, and then, as they say, "the sky's the limit"! Great job Bob, and HGC welcomes you into the next great adventure in your aviation life: piloting a glider to soar on the rising air so that you may enjoy all the freedom that your skills will allow you to reap!
Happy Soaring, Quest
Jonathan Hughes Flies "Alby" to Avenal • March 22, 2009
Alby enjoyed his stay at Hollister but he was getting restless and wanted to get going on his journey to the east. Alby wanted to get to Avenal and I offered to give him a ride in my glider. He has enjoyed flying around in a Discus, ASW-27, and DG-800 so he was looking forward to seeing what it is like to fly in an Jantar. He wanted to go last weekend but the high cirrus made that impossible. This Sunday was looking promising and with the rain coming in on Saturday evening it was looking like a good post-frontal day.
I got a late start on Sunday and didn't get to Hollister until a little after 11:00AM just in time to see BG take off. I quickly collected Alby from the HGC office and tucked him snuggly into his traveling case. I have been working on various little projects on my glider for the past several weeks so it took me a little time to make sure everything was back together and ready to go before taking off (more about that later). In the meantime, a rain shower had moved in from the north which delayed us even more.
I finally took off about 1:30PM and took a 3,700ft AGL tow to Kelly's Ranch airstrip 4.5nm northeast of Hollister which was the closest thermal. The rules for Alby state that you should release below 3,000ft and to the west of the airport when Alby is flying east. I clarified with the Albymasters that the conditions in Hollister would probably require special dispensation and received a waiver from the tow height and release rules for my flight. Alby said he felt our flight met the spirit of the rule as we released as low and close to Hollister as possible on the day we flew.
Conditions were soft at first and the wind was blowing from 305 at 21kts. I was able to climb up to about 5,000ft before heading out towards Los Banos. I was finding lots of sink in some areas and not being very high I was a little worried about how easy this flight was going to be. Alby said not to worry and found a few thermals when we got low. Every time I found myself in a position where I either needed to climb or head towards my landout option Alby found a thermal.
At about this time I noticed that the arrival altitude for my landout option on my PDA was changing but the distance didn't seem to change. I also noted that the direction of flight seemed to be in the wrong direction. A little bit of troubleshooting revealed that the logger was communicating with the PDA but the logger thought we hadn't moved from just south of the San Luis Reservoir. Alby said not to worry, we could complete the flight using ded reckoning and since I always have a sectional with me we didn't have any trouble figuring out where we were.
Our route of flight was from Kelly's Ranch to the north east towards Los Banos and then south towards I5. Conditions got stronger as we got closer to Mercy Hot Springs and by the time we made it to Harris Ranch I knew we had Avenal in glide. The problem was a line of rain showers that stretched from San Benito peak past Coalinga to the foothills east of Avenal. I was fairly sure we could get through but I couldn't see the runway and wasn't sure what the condition of the surface would be after all the rain.
As we approached from the east it became obvious that the rain was more to the south and the airport was in the clear. I flew a little past Avenal to show Alby the direction he would want to go later before landing at Avenal about 3:35PM. Ironically, with all the wind at altitude the winds at Avenal were light when I landed but picked up later in the day by the time I towed out. No one appeared to be around when I landed and I was a little concerned about leaving Alby alone but Loyal Savaria showed up a little while later and gladly accepted Alby on behalf of the Avenal club. A little later, a member of the Avenal city council showed up and gave Alby an official welcome.
Loyal said he didn't want to tow me all the way back to Hollister with that headwind so Harry Fox came in our Citabria and towed me back home. I released 12 miles south of Hollister at almost 7,000ft and I was still worried about making it back into the headwind. It was almost like standing still. I got back to Hollister just in time to get disassembled and put away before it got dark.
Although Alby and I only got to fly together for 2.1 hours we had a good time and I'm looking forward to following his journey as he makes his way across the country. I don't have a logger trace for the flight but the route was right over I5 most of the way. I got as high as 7,000ft and as low as 3,600. Winds were strong from the north but there was no wave found.
Buzz Graves and "Alby" have flown from Byron to Hollister • March 5, 2009
Buzz Graves soared from Byron to Hollister on March 5th, 2009, with "Alby," a bronze trophy in the shape of an albatros. Alby's goal is to fly across the continental U.S., from soaring-site to soaring-site as he rides along in different sailplanes. Read more about Alby's voyage at: http://albysvoyage.blogspot.com
Buzz said: "My flight from Byron to Hollister..... it was a ground skimming experience...dodging rain and hail...you name it!"
And yet another checkride passed at HGC: Ed Luhrman • Feb 28, 2009
HGC would like to congratulate Ed Luhrman who on Saturday, February 28th, passed his Practical Test for an initial Private Pilot Certificate with a glider rating. Great job Ed!! Ed flew with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss, and Ed's primary Flight Instructor was Charlie Hayes. Congratulations Charlie, for a job well done, and for all your hard work in getting Ed up to speed for the exam.
Ed first came to HGC about three years ago when we were operating primitively out of those depressing gray storage containers. He flew quite a bit with Ruth Cook, but then something called "work" got in the way of his aviation pursuits, and he had to stop for a while.
Ed came back to us a few times after those first initial sessions, but just couldn't get into a groove to knockout the rating until late last summer. Finally the lure of the sky was too much, and he dove in head first to get 'er done. Ed flew with Drew Pearce a few times, then myself, and then picked up full speed with Charlie Hayes last fall. After a few weeks off for holidays, weather, etc., it all came together for Ed during the last couple weeks, and we were treated to that big, ear-to-ear grin that people get when they've slipped the surly bonds and are presented with a Temporary Airman Certificate from the DPE.
Ed hopes to be joining BASA shortly, so some of you local BASA soaring maestros may be getting an e-mail from Ed in the spring. He'll be looking for backseat time and the osmosis-type learning style which experienced pilots can offer for how best to soar in thermals, ridge, wave, and all the rest. Congratulations Ed! Welcome to the glider pilot family, and may all your soaring flights take you to the tops of the thermals!
— Happy Soaring, Quest
Another checkride passed at HGC: Steve Sutton • Jan 30, 2009
From left: Examiner Dave Morss, Steve Sutton, CFI Charlie Hayes
HGC would like to congratulate Steve Sutton who passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on Friday, January 30th, 2009. Great job Steve!! Steve's main Flight Instructor was Charlie Hayes, and HGC would also like to thank Charlie for all of his hard work and dedication in getting Steve up to speed for his checkride. Great job Charlie!
Steve came to HGC last fall with the desire to add his Glider Rating onto his Private Certificate, which he already held with an Airplane Single Engine Land rating. Steve did an introductory lesson with me, and then I worked with him for a few sessions before I was able to hand him off to "The Master", Charlie Hayes, for the bulk of his training. Steve took a few weeks off during the holiday season, but came back in early January and, being the excellent "stick" that he is, finished up in no time.
Steve has been living in the Oakland area while attending law school at Cal in Berkeley, and belongs to a flying club on the airport at Oakland's North Field. Quite often, Steve would fly to Hollister for his lesson with HGC in one of his club's Skyhawks to avoid traffic and cut down on transit time. That's a great way to stay current in the powered equipment, while at the same time making his glider training as efficient as possible. (Power pilots out there thinking about a glider rating, take note!)
Steve is learning one type of law at Cal, but we're also glad that he came to Hollister and learned about all the laws that glider and soaring pilots must know about and master. These are the aerodynamic and physical laws that we must know about in order to thwart the one law that a very famous rabbit never studied: the Law of Gravity!
Good luck in your law career, Steve, and congratulations once again for a job well done in adding your glider rating to your Certificate. Have fun in all of your aviation endavors, and hopefully we'll see you again out at Hollister some time during the good soaring weather.
— Happy Soaring, Quest
Kevin Weber, Collin Tsai and Juan-Pablo Mejia Pass Checkrides • Jan 17, 2009
Andy Jardetzky's First Solo • Jan 16, 2009
On Saturday, January 17th, Kevin Weber, Collin Tsai and Juan-Pablo Mejia all passed their practical exams with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss to achieve their individual dreams of being glider pilots. Also, on Friday, January 16th, 14-1/2 year old Andy Jardetzky flew his first solo flight in a glider. Congratulations to all of you for jobs well done! HGC's very own Charlie Hayes was the CFIG who provided the excellent training that brought these applicants up to the knowledge and skill level to be able to pass their checkrides. Congratulations Charlie!!
Kevin Weber came to HGC in the spring of 2008 with the desire to pursue an initial pilot certificate, having no previous aeronatutical experience. At 6'5", we had to be creative with cushions to get Kevin to fit in the SGS 2-32, but we did it. He flew with Jeffrey Hazlegrove, followed by Drew Pearce, then me (Quest), and beginning in early October, Charlie Hayes. Thanks go out to Drew and Jeffrey for laying the solid early foundations of flight training for Kevin. Kevin loves to sail, and go angling for tuna and other offshore game fishes. Now he can sail the sky on invisible wind currents, and go "angling" for those elusive and powerful "fish of the sky" that we call thermals. Congratulations again, Kevin, Charlie, and all the CFIGs who helped you along the way.
Collin Tsai is about 16-1/2 years old, and has been training and flying at HGC since he was 14. Collin soloed under the authority of CFIG Ruth Cook back in the fall of 2006, and has been improving his skills with almost all of our Flight Instructors ever since. He's flown with Ruth, Jeffrey, Drew, Charlie and me, and I think that we all helped to advance him to where he is today. Collin enjoyed doing thermalling training with Ruth, and even participated in our 1st Gliderpalooza back in September of 2006. Collin's parents, Andrew and Leslie, have been very supportive of his training, giving him encouragement all along the way. Before Collin turned 16, and was able to drive himself to his lessons, Andrew and the entire family would come out to Hollister and patiently watch all of Collin's training flights. Now that's what I call dedicated parents! Once again, congratulations to Collin for working hard to get the certificate and rating, and to Charlie Hayes for his great instruction and dedication. Great job both of you!.
Juan-Pablo Mejia came to HGC with a Private Pilot Certificate, Airplane Single Engine, Land, and wanted to add a glider rating to his certificate. Juan-Pablo has a few hundred hours in Cessna 172s, and wanted to take on the fun and challenge of learning a new and exciting form of aviation. He flew with Drew Pearce (great job Drew), as well as myself, and transitioned to Charlie Hayes when Charlie came to HGC in October. Juan-Pablo is a professional, free-lance, website designer, which gave him a large degree of freedom to come out and train on his own schedule. Because of this flexibility, Juan-Pablo was able to add his glider rating with a relatively small number of flying days, each having many flights, but compressed into just a few months. Congratulations once again to Juan-Pablo, and Charlie Hayes, for tireless dedication to a goal, and great all-around jobs from both of you.(If the HGC site takes on a "new" look over the next year, you'll know who the designer probably is!)
Andy Jardetzky is a busy young teenager with very supportive parents who also come out to the airport and sit-in on his lessons and watch most of his take-offs and landings. Andy began his training at HGC with Jeffrey Hazlegrove, and then went off on a vacation to Cape Cod where he had the pleasure of getting in a glider lesson at the Marston's Mills airport there. Upon his return, Andy flew with me for a few lessons over the summer, and we worked hard at getting the basics down really solid. Because Andy is very involved with playing the trumpet in his high school marching band, his training slowed up a bit in the fall as he practiced and went off to competitions. Then, after the band season was over, Andy resumed training with Charlie Hayes and his progress was very good in getting up to solo. Everything was in place on Friday the 16th, and Andy was allowed to take N87R up into the sky by himself with his happy parents and Charlie Hayes looking on from below. We all waited and watched as he performed a perfect landing on runway 31 with many camera shutters clicking as he rolled by the reviewing stand. After he exited the glider there were hugs all around, as well as a bottle of water poured over his head! Congratulations Andy, and we look forward to seeing you progress with Charlie Hayes over the next year and a half as you gain the skills necessary to pass your practical test on your 16th birthday. Great job Andy, and great job Charlie!
HGC congratulates all four of you, with special applause for Charlie Hayes for his great work as your Flight Instructor. Thanks also to all of the other flight instructors, as well as the tow pilots, line personnel, office workers, and Joy Pierce, for their work and dedication to HGC and soaring in general. Also, thanks to Haven for keeping everything going so we can have these successes at Hollister on a regular basis.
—Happy soaring, Quest
Sergey Sinyachkin Adds Glider Rating to his Commercial Pilot's Certificate • Jan 3, 2009
From left: CFI Charlie Hayes, Sergey Sinyachkin, examiner Dave Morss
HGC would like to congratulate Sergey Sinyachkin for passing his practical test with examiner Dave Morss on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009. Great job Sergey!
Sergey successfully added his Glider Rating onto his Commercial pilot certificate, where he already has single and multi-engine airplane, single-engine seaplane, helicopter, and maybe a few others (Powered lift? Airship?). Additionally, Sergey did his training and checkride in a very short period of time. He began with us in mid-December, soloed in just a few days, flew all of his required solos in just a couple days, and aced the checkride in just about two weeks. Sergey's flight instructor was Charlie Hayes, and HGC would also like to congratulate Charlie for a job well done.
Sergey is one of those guys who tinkers with silicon-based life and creates funny looking codes on computer screens in order to satisfy his addiction to being in the air. Thanks for coming to Hollister and flying with us for the past couple weeks, Sergey, and we hope to see you out here again when the spring soaring season gets up and going. Congratulations again to Sergey and Charlie for jobs well done, and proving that Hollister does offer great conditions year-'round for training with that great between-storm weather that we have here in the Bay Area.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Ido Ofir's First Solo • Dec 29, 2008
CFI Charlie Hayes congratulates Ido Ofir on his first solo on Dec 29, 2008.
Kevin Brown Adds Glider Rating to his Commercial Pilot's Certificate • Dec 9, 2008
CFI Charlie Hayes congratulating Kevin Brown
HGC would like to congratulate Kevin Brown for the successful completion of his Practical Test with DPE Dave Morss on Tuesday, Dec. 9th. Great job, Kevin! Kevin added the Glider rating onto his Commercial Certificate with the help of CFIG Charlie Hayes. Great job Charlie! Kevin had also done quite a bit of training with Drew Pearce, as well as Jeffrey Hazlegrove, so thanks also go out to those two Instructors for their hard work and dedication. Great job guys!
Kevin flies a business jet out of San Francisco (as well as being a CFI in Power and tailwheel guy), and had to do some very tricky scheduling to get his training done in between those demanding turbine trips. He began with HGC in the Spring of this year, and was also able to put in a couple solid days of flying at the beginning of summer, which got him up to solo. He came back to Hollister when he could during the summer and fall to knock out his solos, and then did the slam dunk to finish up in the last few days. We're all hoping that Kevin will get tired of that darn "yaw dampener" at some point and come back to Hollister to enjoy the pleasures of using the rudder, and soaring with the birds!
Once again, congratulations Kevin, and we hope you think of us when you're cruising above us in the Flight Levels. (But watch out for those guys in the wave windows! You might be looking up at them!)
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Ian Kluft Adds Glider Rating to his Commercial Pilot's Certificate • Nov 3, 2008
Ian Kluft being congratulated by CFI Quest Richlife
Another pilot at HGC has passed his practical test for a glider add-on rating to his Commercial Pilot Certificate! Congratulations are in order for Ian Kluft for a successful checkride with examiner Dave Morss on Monday, November 3rd. Great job Ian!
Ian had begun his glider training at Tehachapi back in the summer, but decided to transfer over to HGC around the end of August. One of Ian's hobbies is advanced amateur rocketry, which took him down to the Mojave Desert from time to time, and that's when he'd stop off at Tehachapi to fly gliders. But the trips were infrequent, and the distance too far for consistent flying, so he opted to become a regular at HGC. Now that he has the ticket, he'll be joining BASA and getting checked out in the Grob and Junior. He'll also be looking for an empty seat in the DGs whenever there's lift to explore and a BASA Member wants to share costs.
Ian has spent many years in the hi-tech software and hardware fields. And relatively recently he's also moved into aviation as a multi-engine rated pilot and single-engine instructor, operating out of Squadron2 flying club at Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose. Ian is also an amateur radio/ham radio operator.
Ian's CFIG for his training was me, Quest, and additionally Ian also did some Phase Check training with Charlie Hayes. Thanks, Charlie, for some great ground and flight training to help get Ian prepared for the checkride. Thanks, Ian, for being my very first student to get prepared for, and pass, a Practical Test for a certificate or added rating. I've had the Power CFI ticket for five years, but this is the first time I've trained someone all the way to the Practical. Thanks for giving me a 100% success rate so far!
Congratulations again Ian, and we look forward to seeing you enjoy soaring and the camaraderie that we all experience at Hollister.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Flight Instructor Charle Hayes Returns to Hollister • Oct 27, 2008
HGC has recently acquired the full-time services of CFIG Charlie Hayes who I believe to the be THE BEST glider flight instructor that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Charlie will be available to give instruction during the regular HGC days and hours of operation (Thursday thru Monday, 9-6), and by special request on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, if possible. Charlie can do any type of training, from primary through BASA check-outs, currency, and Flight Reviews, up to private owner ground orientation and self-launch sign- offs. He is also qualified for aerobatics and cross country soaring techniques in the appropriate ship of your choice. As soon as we have access confirmed to Panoche, and the airstrip has been brought up to snuff, Charlie can perform Panoche check-outs as long as the weather doesn't turn rainy.
Charlie is also a power pilot and CFI in power, and has performed thousands of glider tows, so you may find yourself in a glider being towed behind him while he is in the Pawnee or a Cherokee.
Charlie has been around gliders, soaring and airplanes for almost all his life, and is a skilled professional who lives up to all the characteristics we all want and expect when we go up with an instructor. He has flown and instructed out of Fremont, Hollister, and many places in the Sierra over the past 20 years or more. If you fly with him, he will put you at ease and make the experience enjoyable. In the FAA Flight Instructor Handbook, they say that a flight instructor should be Firm, Fair and Friendly, and Charlie is all that and more. In Russell Holtz's Flight Training Manual For Gliders, he says that a good instructor is organized, patient, adaptable, creative, conservative, and modest. Charlie is, again, all of these and more, with modesty probably his most important characteristic. He teaches much by example and is always learning and bringing his techniques up to ever higher levels of mastery.
With Charlie, you won't ever get an uncomfortable, confrontational feeling during your instructional sessions, but he will make you work, and will challenge you to be your best. He will never use sarcasm or use belittling comments, and he always acts in a cool, calm, steady, professional manner. He is a glider pilot's best mentor, and is a wealth of knowledge and experience just waiting to be tapped. He's naturally reserved and soft-spoken, so he lets his superior airmanship, experience, judgment and demeanor speak for themselves. Charlie is genuinely respected within the glider and soaring community, and his great reputation is peerless.
Give HGC a call, and plan to come out to Hollister and find out just how much fun dual instruction in gliders can be by scheduling some glider or soaring instructional time with Charlie Hayes.
See you at Hollister!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Allen White Makes His 10,000th Tow! • Oct 21, 2008
Hi everybody, Sometime within the last two weeks or so, Allen White, our tow-pilot/Pawnee pilot extraordinaire, passed the 10,000 tow mark, and I feel that this is quite the impressive milestone, so he should be congratulated. Allen is the personification of cool professionalism and dedicated service to his craft. His 10,000 safe tows are something he, and all of us, can be proud of, as we all look to constantly improve our flying skills and airmanship (airwomanship, too?). Next time you're out at Hollister, feel free to give Allen a friendly congratulation, and thank him for being one of the main forces keeping the soaring community alive at Hollister. It is HGC's hope that Allen will be around for a long time into the future, giving tows at Hollister and setting an example for all the other tow pilots as well as our glider pilots too.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Mathew Hoevet Adds Commercial Glider Rating to his Pilot's Certificate • Oct 14, 2008
Examiner Dave Morss congratulating Mathew Hoevet
On Tuesday, October 14th, Mathew Hoevet passed his checkride with Designated Examiner Dave Morss to add a Commercial Glider rating onto his pilot certificate. Great job Mathew! Mathew's flight instructor was Drew Pearce, who worked with Mathew in an accelerated program over the last few months. Mathew is a business jet pilot for a private individual and he sometimes has a few days to himself when the jet job brings him to the Bay Area. He took advantage of those free days and flew with Drew, doing accelerated, full-day training a few times. A final full day of polishing up on everything and it all paid off in flying colors when he flew with Dave on the 14th. Congratulations once again to Mathew and Drew for another HGC success story, and to Drew for reacquainting another pilot with those two pedals on the floor that work almost exclusively on the ground in those fancy jets.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Eric Rupp sets new 444 mile distance record from Hollister!! • June 21, 2008
HGC would like to congratulate Eric Rupp on his record-setting 7.5 hour, 444 mile straight-out glider flight from Hollister to Calxico on the Mexican border! It took more than five years for a strong-willed, talented and skilled glider pilot to persevere and break the previous straight-out record from Hollister. As his prize, Eric will receive the $500.00 worth of tows that was promised by HGC for the accomplishment of such a task!
Eric looks out over his wingtip at the Sonoran Desert on his way to Calexico.
HGC will continue to offer another $500.00 worth of tows to any glider pilot who can exceed Eric's record by at least 10%. And there is absolutely no reason why a determined pilot cannot venture a few dozen miles into Mexico if all of the proper preparations and paperwork are correctly lined up. Where there is a will, there is a way!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
THREE more checkrides passed at HGC!! • June 13, 2008
GC would like to congratulate Joy Pierce, Gabriel Flores and Yossi Meshulam on passing their initial Private Pilot Glider checkrides with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss. Congratulations to all three of you! Great job! HGC would also like to thank Jeffrey Hazlegrove for his great work and dedication in getting all three of these applicants perfectly prepared for the sign-off for their checkrides. Great job Jeffrey! HGC would also like to thank both Ruth Cook and Drew Pearce for their contributions as flight instructors as they performed phase checks and other student instruction with our three new pilots. Thanks you two!
Joy Pierce, who is also HGC's dedicated Office Manager and BBQ organizer/cook (as well as being a dedicated glider crew member for a private owner), came to me a couple years ago saying that she wanted to pursue her license. Now, she has finally accomplished that dream and we are all very proud of her. Joy passed her checkride on Friday, June 13th(!).
Examiner Dave Morss with Joy "Red Baron" Pierce.
Gabriel Flores came to us from the ranks of hang-glider pilots. He said that he's decided to move on to sailplanes as he "wanted to go somewhere" in the sky now, and hang-gliders were just not fast enough for him. As Gabriel moves ahead in his glider flying and soaring, look for him to be joining BASA and learning to fly cross-country from all of the great cross-country pilots who fly out of Hollister. Gabriel passed his checkride on Thursday, May 29th.
Examiner Dave Morss with Gabriel.
Yossi Meshulam still has his original logbook from a brief stint he did in the Israeli Air Force many years ago. There are about a dozen glider flight entries logged in there, but we got him a new logbook for his current training. Yossi has already joined BASA, and is checked-out in the Grob. He's hungry for thermals, so any BASA members who'd like to pass on their soaring/thermalling knowledge and techniques are welcome in his empty seat! Yossi passed his checkride on Thursday, May 29th. Congratulations again to all three of you, plus your Flight Instructors, for a job well done. We look forward to seeing all of you flying at Hollister very soon.
Examiner Dave Morss with Yossi.
—Happy Soariong, Quest
SPOT provides real-time tracking of your favorite glider pilot!
We now have a page on this website where you can follow the progress of your favorite SPOT-equipped glider pilots on their cross-country exploits. See our new Hollister SPOT page for details!
Two more checkrides passed at HGC!! • May 25, 2008
HGC would like to congratulate Mike McKinley and Winfried Wilcke, both of whom recently passed their checkrides with DPE Dave Morss for the addition of a Glider Rating onto their pilot certificates. Both Mike and Winfried added the Rating onto their Commercial certificates. Congratulations are also in order for CFIG Jeffrey Hazlegrove for his great work in preparing both pilots to perform at the high levels of flight proficiency and knowledge that HGC requires of its students. Great job guys!
Winfried has been enjoying flying his C172 and Bonanza. And now he's jumping right into the exotic world of cross-country soaring as he is a co-owner, with Wolf Weber, of glider "5W" which is Ramy's old LS-4 (previously known as "TG"). The glider may possibly have embedded within its fiberglass structure old memories which will give it the inate ability to find and stay in lift!
Mike is a retired SF firefighter who owns an Aviat Husky and spends lots of his time flying a P-51 and T-6 out of Hollister. He enjoys doing formation flights, fly-bys and training clinics with war-bird enthusiasts from all over the country. Additionally, he's expressed a desire to join BASA so that he can pursue the challenges and rewards of advanced soaring in their high-performance modern ships. Let's warmly welcome Winfried and Mike to the family of sailplane pilots and soaring aficionados who enjoy one of the purest forms of aviation within the entire spectrum of flight! Congratulations again to all three of you for jobs well done!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Hollister Airport Improvements Will Include New Facilities For Gliders
The latest (May 30, 2008) Airport Layout Plan ("ALP") for Hollister Airport shows new proposed facilities for glider operations, including a glider staging area to expedite glider operations on Runway 24. You can download PDFs of the Interim and Ultimate ALP here: Excerpt of the Interim ALP showing just the areas with glider elements (Adobe PDF file, 292 kb) Interim ALP (Adobe PDF file, 1.4 MB) Ultimate ALP (Adobe PDF file, 1.7 MB)
Second Weekend of 2008 Hollister League Race Results • May 3 & 4, 2008
Saturday 5/3:
Task was up to 3 turnpoints with 20 miles radius turn area: Lookout north of Black, Twisselmen and New Cuyama. Most claimed 2 turn points by going as far as the north end of the California Valley between Twisselmen north and south. Results:
1 - Jonathan (Std Jantar) - 362km - 95.3 kmh - 95 kmh handicapped
2 - Ramy (ASW27) - 512km - 105.76 kmh - 93 kmh handicapped
3 - Darren (DG800) - 412km - 105.76 kmh - 88 kmh handicapped
4 - David (DG300) - 325 km - 85.45 kmh - 81 kmh handicapped
5 - Tom (Discus 2) - 225 km - 80.46 kmh - 75 kmh handicapped
Sunday 5/4:
Task was to the Lookout turn area and New Cuyama. David, Jonathan and myself made the New Cuyama turn area, the rest went as far as Avenal and Lost Hills area. Plenty of landouts and relights due to blue holes and OD.
Results:
1 - Ramy (ASW27) - 597km (to 18 miles SE of New Cuyama and back to Hollister)- 111.50 kmh - 93 kmh handicapped (with 5% ballast penalty)
2 - Jonathan (Std Jantar) - 349 km (to 20 miles from New Cuyama, landed at Avenal) - 93.21 kmh - 93kmh handicapped
3 - Darren (DG800) - 410km (to Belridge area, relighted at Panoche)- 92.78 kmh - 77 kmh handicapped
4 - Eric (DG300) - 358km (to Belridge, landed at Harris Ranch) - 77.42 kmh - 69 kmh handicapped (with 5% ballast penalty)
5 - David (DG300) - 443 km (to 20 miles from New Cuyama, landed at Harris Ranch) - 71.73 kmh - 68 kmh handicapped
6 - Rodger (Discus) - 245km (to Avenal area, landed at Los Banos) - 72.35 kmh- 67 kmh handicapped
7 - Steve Saglio (Pegasus) - 138 km (to New Idria, landed at Hollister) - Task not completed All traces are available on OLC
Few rule clarifications and reminders:
1 - At least one turn point must be made to score. The 100 km minimum distance was for pilot selected tasks, not turn area tasks.
2 - The standing is based on rounded handicapped speed. In case of a tie as above, the longest distance wins.
3 - Water ballast is optional and carries additional 5% penalty, unless dumped at the beginning of the flight.
4 - All landouts (or relights) are scored as well.
5 - I was asked why am I using statue miles for turn area instead of Nautical miles. Well I checked the contest rules on SSA web site, and indeed task distances are measured in statue miles by default, unless specified otherwise. So we will keep it at 20 statue miles, which is 17.38 nautical miles.
And last, a tip: The earlier you launch, the higher your chances to complete the task. Waiting for conditions to get stronger will improve your overall speed, but reduce your chances to complete long tasks, so plan your launch time according to the day's conditions and the task length.
— Ramy
Opening Weekend of 2008 Hollister League Race Results • April 26 & 27, 2008
Saturday April 26:
Task was up to 3 turnpoints with 20 miles radius turn area: Lookout north of Black, King City, Lick Observatory. Due to marginal conditions locally at Hollister, it required a Panoche tow towards Chemise to get away, which only Ramy took, and as such was the only one to fly a task by flying west of EL4 to claim 2 turn areas (Lookout and King City). Harry almost made the Lick turn area, but was short by 0.5 mile.
Results:
1 - Ramy (ASW27) - 160km - 52.17 kmh - 46kmh handicapped
Sunday:
Task was up to 3 turnpoints with 20 miles radius turn area: Lookout north of Black, New Cuyama, Lick Observatory. Most pilots turned near Center Peak to claim the Lookout turn area and over San Antonio valley to claim the Lick turn area.
Results:
1 - Jonathan (Std Jantar) - 311km - 80.22kmh - 80kmh handicapped
2 - Ramy (ASW27) - 361km - 86.49kmh - 76kmh handicapped
3 - Harry and Kurt (DG505) - 295km - 80.15kmh - 74kmh handicapped
4 - Buzz (DG800) - 381km - 86.9kmh - 72kmh handicapped
5 - David (DG300) - 324km - 72.69kmh - 69kmh handicapped
6 - Steve (Kestrel) - 218km - 56.15kmh - 50kmh handicapped All traces are available on OLC
Monster Wave Day! • March 16, 2008
On March 16th Hollister had an amazing day of wave lift, and several Hollister pilots got to 18,000 feet over Santa Cruz! Watch this video made by Kurt Thames on YouTube:
Ali Rastegar Adds Private Glider Rating to his ASEL Pilot's Certificate • Feb 9th, 2008!
On February 9th, Ali Rastegar passed his checkride at Hollister with DPE Dave Morss to successfully add his glider rating onto his Private Airplane Singe Engine Land Pilot's Certificate. Congratulations Ali! Thanks also go out to Ali's CFIG, Jeffrey Hazlegrove, who worked with him through the fall and into the winter. Great job Jeffrey! Ali had been weathered out twice before over the last few weeks with the storms and rain that we were having, so the clear skies of Saturday morning were a welcome sight. Ali is a hang-glider pilot, and has flown the Cessnas at Gavilan Aviation on the Hollister airport. He'd begun his glider training at HGC late last summer, flying with Ruth Cook, and occasionally going for some great soaring flights with Drew. After a brief absence, Ali got back onto the HGC schedule with Jeffrey Hazlegrove. Congratulations once again to Ali, Jeffrey, and everyone else who helped along the way toward his successful checkride!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Ettore Leale Rang in the New Year by Passing his Private Glider Checkride!
Mr. Ettore Leale rang in the New Year by passing his private glider checkride with examiner Dave Morss to add his glider rating onto his ASEL certificate. Congratulations Ettore! Ettore began flying with Jeffrey Hazlegrove just about three months ago, and made very fast progress towards excellence in glider flying. He soloed after just a couple full-day training sessions, and seems to be a truly natural, gifted pilot. Ettore made great strides quickly, and then was away for the holidays. When he came back, all he had to do was brush up a bit, and his checkride was a breeze. Great job Ettore! And also congratulations to Jeffrey for doing a truly excellent accelerated training course with Ettore to make it all look easy. Great job Jeffrey!
Ettore lives in San Francisco, and flies power on the Peninsula. We're looking forward to seeing him when the weather gets warm, and he especially wants to come to Hollister to experience Panoche Valley. We'll definitely reserve a time slot for him at the next Gliderpalooza in the fall.
— Happy Soaring, Quest
Lars Fore Passes Commercial Pilot Glider Checkride! • November 27th, 2007
Hi everybody, HGC would like to congratulate Lars Fore for successfully passing his checkride for a commercial glider add-on rating to his airplane certificate. Additionally, Lars required only one flight to get the job done with examiner Dave Morss. Great job! Lars has been flying at Hollister off and on for about six months, coming out when he has a few days off from his job flying as a First Officer for a large commuter airline. HGC's very own Ruth Cook was the proud Flight Instructor who deserves a great round of applause for another job well done. Congratulations once again to both of you, and Lars may now enjoy the unique pleasures of soaring flight that only a glider pilot can truly appreciate.
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Johannes Zadrozny Passes Private Pilot Glider Checkride! • November, 2007
Another checkride passed at HGC! Hollister Gliding Club would like to congratulate 16 year old Johannes Zadrozny for passing his Private Pilot Glider checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on Friday, November 16th! Great job Johannes!! CFIG Erick Teeters was Johannes' Flight Instructor, and another big round of applause goes out to him too.
HGC would also like to congratulate and thank Johannes' parents, Graciela and Peter for their complete and unwavering support for Johannes over the last three years of his pilot training. Johannes becomes the third generation of pilots in his family. His father is a power pilot, and his grandfather was a glider pilot.
Johannes chose to begin his training in gliders after being encouraged to do so by airshow performer Sean Tucker, whom he'd talked to one year during the Salinas Airshow. He began at Hollister as a member of the Youth Soaring Academy when he was thirteen. Johannes worked the line on many Saturdays and took his first few lessons with Russell Holtz. He then moved on to fly with Brett Hinze, and when Brett left HGC for greener pastures, he hooked up with Erick Teeters, another HGC success story. Johnannes is now attending a preparatory college, and hopes to go into international business law. He also wants to begin working on his Airplane SEL rating as well. And with his determination, as well as his refusal to never give up, I'm sure he'll accomplish all the goals he sets for himself. Congratulations again to Johannes, as well as to Erick, Brett, Russell, and his parents! Great job everybody!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Anders Vernblom and Mike Morrison Pass Their Checkrides! • October, 2007
HGC would like to congratulate Anders Vernblom and Mike Morrison (pictured with Jeffrey), both of whom passed checkrides with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss earlier in October. Congratulations!
Both Anders and Mike hold Power Pilot Certificates with Single Engine Land ratings, and we enthusiastically welcome them to the ranks of Private Pilot- Glider! Anders worked with Ruth Cook over the last few months, and he also enjoyed coming down to our Panoche weekend Gliderpalooza a couple weeks ago.
Mike Morrison worked diligently under the guidance and tutelage of CFIG Jeffrey Hazlegrove, coming down to Hollister from Silicon Valley every other Friday beginning in early May. All the work has now paid off, and HGC wishes to thank both students and instructors for a truly great job! We're looking forward to seeing Anders and Mike out at Hollister flying as Private Glider Pilots sometime soon!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Deepak Aatresh Passes Private Pilot Glider Checkride! • Monday August 6, 2007
Congratulations to Deepak Aatresh for completing the goal he set for himself last Christmas: To become a licensed glider pilot! Deepak successfully passed his private pilot glider checkride after completing his training with instructor Ruth Cook on August 6th. Good job, Deepak!
Ferenc Omasz Passes Commercial Pilot Glider Checkride! • Monday July 16, 2007
HGC would like to congratulate Ferenc Omasz for passing his Commercial Glider checkride with Designated Examiner Dave Morss on Monday, July 16th. Congratulations Ferenc!!!!!
Ferenc is a First Officer on the Boeing 757 and 767 for a Major Air Carrier, and we warmly welcome him to the ranks of Commercial Pilot, Glider! I guess he just wanted to come someplace where he could use the rudder a little bit! The day after his checkride Ferenc was off to fly the San Francisco to Honolulu route, so maybe he'll venture over to Dillingham and do a fam. flight on Oahu with them. Ferenc is Hungarian, and we hope to see him frequently at Hollister after he visits relatives in Budapest.
HGC would also like to thank CFIG Ruth Cook for her dedication to Ferenc's training, and to CFIG Jeffrey Hazlegrove for his phase-check flight with Ferenc before the checkride on 7/16. Congratulations all of you for a job well done!!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
David Schoenwald Passes Private Pilot Glider Checkride! • Friday May 25, 2007
HGC would like to congratulate David Shoenwald for passing his Private Glider checkride to add his Glider Rating onto his Private SEL Airplane Certificate!! Congratulations David!!
David passed his checkride with Dave Morss on Friday, May 25th. David's flight instructor was Ruth Cook, and she also deserves congratulations for a job well done. Great job both of you!!
David is a power airplane pilot who hadn't flown for quite a few years, and decided to get back into aviation by aggressively pursuing his Glider add-on Rating. David and Ruth worked out an accelerated training schedule which involved David flying all day for a handful of days, spread out over a couple weeks. This just shows what students and instructors can do by using enthusiasm, hard work, planning and dedication.
David has also jumped right into cross country flying, as he and Ruth towed to Panoche, soared, and did a Panoche retrieve on Memorial Day, only three days after the checkride. Once again, great job David and Ruth, and we welcome David to the ranks of Private Pilot, Glider. We hope that you continue learning the art of soaring, and gradually break those apron strings to discover the true joy of cross-county flight!
—Happy Soaring, Quest
Multiple Pilots Attempt Mad Dash to Mexican Border Town of Jacumba • Thursday May 24, 2007
Forecast onditions looked right for Ramy Yanetz's "fantasy flight" to the Mexican border on Thursday. Four pilots accepted the challenge, but Ramy made the longest straight out flight of the day at 571 kilometers (355 statute miles).
Ramy reports: Mexico will need to wait for a better day. Made it to Apple Valley (around 50 miles east of Crystal, south of Barstow). It was a great day, but not enough. It was completely blue, did not see a single cloud the whole flight, but lift was strong and topped around 10K. I had a fast run to New Cuyama, getting there at 2:30PM, 2.5 hours from start.
But once in the Cuyama valley it was hard to find the shear line, and needed to polish some rocks until finally got over Mt Pinos and climbed to 13K, the highest for the day. But it was all down hill from there, the sea breeze was already in the Mojave desert and it was a slow progress. At some point I had Palm Spring in marginal glide, but when trying to get over Bear Mountain I lost the glide. Eventually I ran out of lift and backtracked to Apple Valley.
Apple Valley is a nice big airport, and luckily I met a flight instructor there which is also a CFIG and used to fly gliders. So I got a ride to Ontario, caught the last SouthWest flight to Oakland, and am back at home. Will make a trip to Palm Spring this weekend and retreive the glider.
David Schoenwald's First Solo in a Glider! • Monday May 14, 2007
Congratulations to David Schoenwald, and his CFIG Ruth Cook, on the occasion of David's first solo in glider N87R on Monday, May 14th. Great job both of you! David is a power pilot with single- and multi-engine ratings who's been out of aviation for a few years, and is getting back into things via gliders and HGC. He's doing an accelerated add-on, so look for news of his successful check-ride sometime within the next week or so. Good luck David!
Lars Fore's First Solo in a Glider! • Monday May 7, 2007
We'd like to congratulate Lars Fore on his first solo flight in a glider at HGC on Monday, May 7th. Great job Lars!! He accomplished this feat under the watchful tutelage of CFIG Ruth Cook. Congratulations to both of you! Lars is a power CFI, as well as being an airline pilot, and seems to be gifted and skilled in all aspects of aviation. We'll be keeping an eye on him as he pursues his Commercial Glider add-on to his existing certificate. Next stop: checkride!
Deepak Aatrash, Mike Morrison & Joy Pierce all Solo! • May 4 & 5, 2007
On Friday, May 4th, Deepak Aatresh soloed an SGS 2-32 under the watchful eye of CFIG Ruth Cook, and Mike Morrison did likewise under the direct supervision of CFIG Jeffrey Hazlegrove. On Saturday, May 5th, Joy "Red Baron" Pierce soloed perfectly (well almost) under the telepathic back-seat voice of CFIG Jeffrey Hazlegrove. Joy has been a dedicated student at HGC since last summer, and we all applaud her venture into the air with an empty back seat! Joy has also been our chief chef at the HGC BBQs, and will be working in our new office on assorted Saturdays, Sundays and weekdays. Congratulations to all three of you, and I'm looking forward to scheduling your checkrides at some point in the near future!
Hollister League: Thermals & Wave! • Saturday May 5, 2007
Saturday was a mix bag of some strong bullet thermals, wave and wind. We all launched after 2PM, releasing near Casa De Fruta. Earlier the lift was stronger and I climbed from 4000 ft to 8000 ft in thermals, contacted a wave and climbed almost to 10,000 ft in wave. Later the thermals were not strong enough to get back to the wave, so we spent the rest of the day in thermals up to 6K. The best lift was in the valley right over Hollister. Kurt used an iron thermal and reconnected with the wave later, when it got stronger and climbed to 12, 500.
We didn't declare any long tasks as it wasn't clear how far we can go today, so the nearest turnpoint was a 20 miles turn area around Reid Hillview. Some of us made it past South County to the turn area, but I have no results yet and not sure how many of us flew more then the minimum requirement of 100km OLC distance. Sunday should be warmer, better thermals, and more easterly wind. If the wind will be light we should have good thermals locally, and if it will be strong we should have good wave as the direction will be more favorable than today. Lets be ready to meet at 11AM.
—Ramy
The Hollister League Starts with a Bang! • April 28 & 29, 2007
Saturday 4/28:
1 - The short task was Hollister to Lookout turnpoint (on the ridge before Black Mtn) to King City and back to Hollister with optional landing at Salinas for the show. The Lookout area turnpoint allowed pilots to turn as short as EL4 or as long as Black Mtn. King City area turnpoint required a minor detour west of EL4 to get within 20 miles.
2 - The long task was Hollister to New Cuyama to King City and back to Hollister (500km). There was some confusion regarding the last turn point (King City) so we decided to not count it.
1st - Darryl in DX - 62MPH handicapped - 458km
2nd - Ramy in TG - 61MPH handicapped - 577km
3rd - Shannon Madsen in EP - 58MPH handicapped - 580km (first time flying at Hollister)
4th - Darren in U2 - 57MPH handicapped - 524km
5th - Jonathan and Morteza in 1CH - 50MPH handicapped - 469km
6th - Eric Rupp in ER (completed short task)
7th - Steve Saglio in JH (instrument problems, stayed local)
Sunday 4/29:
Sunday started slower with high clouds and stronger winds, however the shear line was exactly as predicted by Blipmap and RASP, way east. It was coupled with some wave activity just west of I5 to 10,000 feet. The wind was below 15 knots, yet there was sink and rotor and weak wavelets. It was definitely an interesting day, but slow going. The long task was again an AAT to New Cuyama and back and the short task to the Lookout and back. Due to the slow going and the easterly route we modified the long task to Avenal and back.
1st - Harry in JH - 46MPH handicapped - 321km
2nd - Ramy in TG - 44MPH handicapped - 347km
3rd - Jonathan in UV - 42MPH handicapped - 273km
4th - Joel Taylor in 7H (went to the MW towers and back)
5th - Darryl in DX (had a bad day, did not complete)
6th - Kurt in PS (stayed local to Panoche)
Overall it was a very successful weekend: No landouts, 3 flights of over 500km, personal best for at least 4 pilots, and 5 new participants. I invite the new participants to share their experience with us.
Kevin De Van Passes Private Glider Pilot Checkride! • April 9, 2007
On Monday, April 9th, Kevin De Van passed his check-ride with Dave Morss (in just one flight!) and successfully added his Private Glider Rating to his Private Airplane SEL Certificate! Congratulations Kevin! Kevin began flying with Drew Pearce in late spring of 2006, and then transferred over to Jeffrey Hazlegrove during the summer. He flew with Jeffrey a little bit into the fall, but then stopped sometime in October because of a lack of time. We were glad to see him show up back at HGC just a few weeks ago with enough time available to put the finishing touches on his training. When Kevin came to us last spring, he began using a small headset while flying in the 2-32. It worked so well that we decided we liked the idea, and now we have headsets available to all students who fly N87R. Thanks for the idea, Kevin! Please welcome Kevin into the ranks of Private Pilot, Glider!
Eiji Hagiwara Passes Commercial Glider Pilot Checkride! • March 22, 2007
Today at HGC, Eiji Hagiwara, flying with Dave Morss, passed his Commercial Glider rating add-on to his Commercial Airplane certificate. Congratulations Eiji!!! (Pronounced AJ) I think that Eiji also has a helicopter rating in there somewhere, as well as a selection of instructor ratings in his native Japan. Congratulations also to his dedicated instructor, Jeffrey Hazlegrove. Great job both of you! Eiji began flying with Jeffrey at HGC last summer, and kept at it into the fall, and even completed one of the cross-country tasks in a 2-32 with Ruth last September during our Panoche weekend! He vanished after Panoche, and just resurfaced a few weeks ago wanting to finish up his rating ASAP. It came right down to the wire as he's getting ready to move back home to Japan (Tokyo) on April 1st. In fact, he had to run out on the movers today to come and do the checkride. Talk about cutting it close! He's got a "For Sale" sign on his Mercedes convertible. and will be out of here very soon. Thanks for flying with us, Eiji, and HGC wishes you well in Japan, and hope you find a gliding club to fly with over there. (In fact, where DID the Fox go to over there??) Congratulations again Eiji! Bon voyage!
John Goldsworthy Passes Private Glider Pilot Checkride! • March 12, 2007
John Goldsworthy passed his private glider pilot checkride with Dave Morss on Monday, March 12th. Congratulations John!!! John began his training at HGC last spring with Drew, and then took up with CFIG Ruth Cook in the summer. He's been coming out to Hollister religiously, and the hard work finally paid off! Congratulations also to his instructors: Drew Pearce, Ruth Cook and Jeffrey Hazlegrove who did a final phase-check. Great job, all of you. John has been working the line for us the past few months on the weekends, and his tireless efforts and dedication are much appreciated. John went to the SSA convention this year in Memphis, and is looking into purchasing his own ship. (Possibly a Labelle). Please welcome John to the ranks of Private Pilot, Glider, a goal which he's been wanting to achieve for some time, and has now realized his dream! Again, congratulations John!
Post-Frontal Fun! • March 1, 2007
Each of the recent storm systems moving through the area have resulted in some great pre- and post-frontal soaring conditions around Hollister, often with beautiful cloud streets running off in all directions. Last Friday Joel & Matt took the DG 1000 for a 100k jaunt north to Loma Prieta Peak (west of Morgan Hill), back south to Fremont Peak and then south east to Bickle. A 3 hour and 6 minute flight from a 1,700 foot tow! Max altitude was 6,500 feet. The next day Jeremy & Miguel flew the DG on another 3 hour local flight. They would have stayed up longer except for the chill at altitude (-5 degrees. Remember to wear your wool socks!) The same day Jim spent the afternoon brushing up on his thermalling in the Junior, and he "had a blast."
Good Wave Soaring Over the Holidays! • January 8, 2007
Over the Holidays we had a few good soaring days. Charlie and Hud soared to 12,500 feet in wave lift over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The first week of the New Year started off well with a few wave days. Matt and Haven had a great Wave flight that lasted 5.5 hours with a max altitude of 13,500 feet.
There will be a fun competition consisting of a thermaling contest and mini race both days. The contest will be designed so that participants can launch from Hollister, Panoche or Avenal. And a few adventurous souls have considered trying to make the flight down from Truckee. We will decide on the contest requirements each morning. If you will be launching from a different airport we will find a way to let you know the race for that day. Please RSVP for our planning needs and bring tie-downs if you will need them.
Gaggle of gliders thermalling in the Panoche valley.
The BBQ will be on Saturday afternoon and will be provided by the Panoche Inn. They will start serving around noon and have food available throughout the day. The BBQ will be $10 a plate plus drinks. Please indicate if you prefer beef or chicken if you plan to attend the BBQ. The BBQ is open to all the Panoche Inn customers so we will have a chance to mingle with the locals. Sandwiches are available at the bar.
Ziggy, the new owner of the Panoche airport, hopes to be there that weekend as well. He has been very gracious in allowing us to continue using the airport with the same arrangements we had with Bill Parker. Because the airport has not been fully cleaned up yet and Bill still has some of his aircraft in the open hangar, we have been asked to not congregate on the airport property but to use the Panoche Inn as our hang out spot. We need to make a good impression with the new owner, so please let anyone you bring down know our concerns.
We have access to the gate so you can trailer down or trailer out if you fly in. Glider pilots that want to fly down in a power plane should contact us for approach and departure procedures that we are requesting to minimize the noise impact and for safety.
The Mercey Hot Springs Resort is a short drive away for those of you who want to camp in the valley that Friday or Saturday night.
The Mercey Hot Springs airstrip has X's on the runway because of county airport regulation issues. The owner said that if somebody needed to use it that he would not care. The last reports about the airstrip were landable but very hazardous.
Tows will be available out of Hollister all day Friday and Saturday morning until everyone has launched then the tow planes will relocate down to Panoche for the weekend.
'Hope to see all of you there, or at Hollister, for a fun, friendly, challenging weekend of soaring and comraderie. We'll say goodby to Summer and hello to a promising local Fall soaring season. (HGC will still be operating as usual out of Hollister during that weekend.)
Look for frequent updates on this forum regarding the activities of that weekend. I'll post them as needed.
Happy Soaring,
Quest
NEW HOLLISTER AIPORT GLIDER OPERATIONS PROCEDURES • JULY 2006
Do you know where spectators are permitted? How about where you should turn off after landing? Things have changed since HGC moved to its new location on the ramp. Download the PDF file and check out the latest HGC Operations Procedures. - HERE
GUIDE TO FLYING PANOCHE Panoche is a grass strip 30 miles south of Hollister in the Diablo Mountain Range. Unlike Hollister, Panoche is protected from the summer sea breeze. Thermal lift here often goes to higher than 10,000 feet. This Guide is for flying the Panoche Run from Hollister. You will aerotow from Hollister to Panoche, fly in lift at Panoche, land there, and then get an aerotow back to Hollister. You do not need to be X-C checked out to fly at Panoche. Download the PDF "Guide to Flying Panoche" for an overview of requirements and procedures - HERE
Robert (Bob) Harley passed his Practical Test with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on Monday, March 23rd, to add the Private Pilot Glider rating to his Commercial Airplane Certificate. Bob is a dentist in the South Bay who has several hundred hours of powered flight time and enjoys doing intense aerobatics and tumbling maneuvers in an Extra 300 out of Hayward. Recently, he was treated to an "extra-seat" flight in the BASA DG 1000 with Member Wolf Weber, and was introduced to the thrill of soaring that the rest of the glider flying community knows all too well. Bob got bit by "the Bug", and decided to plunge head-first into a concentrated training program. He headed out to HGC a couple times a week to train with me for the last six weeks or so, and picked up the skills needed to nicely handle the SGS 2-32 in short order. Now that he's got the ticket in his pocket with the ink still wet, he wants to join BASA and get into flying the glass ships ASAP. His ultimate goal is the brass ring of the DGs and Pegasi, and then, as they say, "the sky's the limit"! Great job Bob, and HGC welcomes you into the next great adventure in your aviation life: piloting a glider to soar on the rising air so that you may enjoy all the freedom that your skills will allow you to reap! 
HGC would like to congratulate Ed Luhrman who on Saturday, February 28th, passed his Practical Test for an initial Private Pilot Certificate with a glider rating. Great job Ed!! Ed flew with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss, and Ed's primary Flight Instructor was Charlie Hayes. Congratulations Charlie, for a job well done, and for all your hard work in getting Ed up to speed for the exam. 
Kevin Weber came to HGC in the spring of 2008 with the desire to pursue an initial pilot certificate, having no previous aeronatutical experience. At 6'5", we had to be creative with cushions to get Kevin to fit in the SGS 2-32, but we did it. He flew with Jeffrey Hazlegrove, followed by Drew Pearce, then me (Quest), and beginning in early October, Charlie Hayes. Thanks go out to Drew and Jeffrey for laying the solid early foundations of flight training for Kevin. Kevin loves to sail, and go angling for tuna and other offshore game fishes. Now he can sail the sky on invisible wind currents, and go "angling" for those elusive and powerful "fish of the sky" that we call thermals. Congratulations again, Kevin, Charlie, and all the CFIGs who helped you along the way. 
Andy Jardetzky is a busy young teenager with very supportive parents who also come out to the airport and sit-in on his lessons and watch most of his take-offs and landings. Andy began his training at HGC with Jeffrey Hazlegrove, and then went off on a vacation to Cape Cod where he had the pleasure of getting in a glider lesson at the Marston's Mills airport there. Upon his return, Andy flew with me for a few lessons over the summer, and we worked hard at getting the basics down really solid. Because Andy is very involved with playing the trumpet in his high school marching band, his training slowed up a bit in the fall as he practiced and went off to competitions. Then, after the band season was over, Andy resumed training with Charlie Hayes and his progress was very good in getting up to solo. Everything was in place on Friday the 16th, and Andy was allowed to take N87R up into the sky by himself with his happy parents and Charlie Hayes looking on from below. We all waited and watched as he performed a perfect landing on runway 31 with many camera shutters clicking as he rolled by the reviewing stand. After he exited the glider there were hugs all around, as well as a bottle of water poured over his head! Congratulations Andy, and we look forward to seeing you progress with Charlie Hayes over the next year and a half as you gain the skills necessary to pass your practical test on your 16th birthday. Great job Andy, and great job Charlie! 
HGC has recently acquired the full-time services of CFIG Charlie Hayes who I believe to the be THE BEST glider flight instructor that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Charlie will be available to give instruction during the regular HGC days and hours of operation (Thursday thru Monday, 9-6), and by special request on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, if possible. Charlie can do any type of training, from primary through BASA check-outs, currency, and Flight Reviews, up to private owner ground orientation and self-launch sign- offs. He is also qualified for aerobatics and cross country soaring techniques in the appropriate ship of your choice. As soon as we have access confirmed to Panoche, and the airstrip has been brought up to snuff, Charlie can perform Panoche check-outs as long as the weather doesn't turn rainy. 
Hi everybody, Sometime within the last two weeks or so, Allen White, our tow-pilot/Pawnee pilot extraordinaire, passed the 10,000 tow mark, and I feel that this is quite the impressive milestone, so he should be congratulated. Allen is the personification of cool professionalism and dedicated service to his craft. His 10,000 safe tows are something he, and all of us, can be proud of, as we all look to constantly improve our flying skills and airmanship (airwomanship, too?). Next time you're out at Hollister, feel free to give Allen a friendly congratulation, and thank him for being one of the main forces keeping the soaring community alive at Hollister. It is HGC's hope that Allen will be around for a long time into the future, giving tows at Hollister and setting an example for all the other tow pilots as well as our glider pilots too. 
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