Ron's Soaring Lore

Lore: A body of litterature that tells a story based in part on fact and in part on enhanced fact.

I started flying gliders in 1981. I soloed in a 1943 Schweitzer TG-3A. The TG-3A was a massive glider. It took both hands on the stick to move the ailerons. The glider had tremendous adverse yaw, you had to lead considerably with the rudder to turn it. I got silver duration in it and had many hours of fun flying it. Giving rides from the backseat with the sliding canopy open was a special thrill.

Over the next few years I got to fly many different gliders including: Slingsby Swallow, Ka-6 CR, Bergfalke 2-55, Schweitzer 2-22, L-Spatz, 1-34RM (a V-Tailed 1-34!) and a one of a kind made by my Dad, the Annebula.

I made my first cross country flights in the Swallow. I made silver and gold distance flights in the Annebula. I flew my first contest (a split weekend local only at Hutchinson) in the Annebula and had my first off airport landing it it.

In 1985 my Dad and a good friend of the family, Bob Park, bought an HP-16. They shared it initially with my brother Steve and I but I mostly flew the Annebula. In 19?? I bought the HP-16 for myself. The performance allowed me to fly more and farther than I could in the Annebula. I was thoroughly addicted by the adventure of cross country soaring and flew it every chance I possibly could. I'd travel from Manhattan Kansas to Hutchinson on the weekends and flew all the contests I could manage. When I moved to Kansas City, the marginal takeoff handling became a huge problem. I'd drop a wing and go careening off the runway with just about every launch. Changing a panel of flap to aileron and some creative filing to increase travel made it useable again. I spent over 400 hours flying the HP-16 and having a blast.

In ???? I bought my Dad's HP-18. The glider and trailer are both works of engineering art. The one man rigger and system of dollies and guides in the trailer is a great example of a very simple system that does its job. Putting the glider together is very simple with a bare minimum of putzing around with trailer and rigging equipment.

The HP-18 is a fantastic ship. There are many small details which really set it appart from other HP-18's, the most visible of which is a one piece front hinge canopy. I have added a center stick kit from Bob K and replaced the stock gap seals with mylar. The control forces are light, the handling qualities are very nice, a full flap approach allows a remarkably short landing and is spectacular to watch from in the cockpit or from the ground.

Most of my flying now is instructing and giving rides in MSA's 2-22. It is very rewarding to help someone progress through the learning process and to see the excitement when they are able to soar on their own.

The following are write ups of some of my soaring adventures.