Why a glider?

I've had a lot of people ask why I want to fly a plane without an engine. This is a question that cannot be answered that easily. Do you remember a long time ago in elementary school? I'm talking about an eon ago. You could order books from The Weekly Reader. My Mom said I could order two books. I already had one picked out so I frantically searched for another. I found something about airplanes so I told her that's what I wanted. It turned out to be about sailplanes. Destiny?

Later while in high school I got involved in model aviation, specifically free flight. My dad saw the poor performing models we had built and decided to build from scratch and fly a plane from his youth. I believe it was either a Buzzard Bombshell or Miss America. It really was better than kit built junk. Then I met Bill Gieskieng, a local model airplane nut and eternal tinkerer, who introduced me to some high-powered free flight planes. I was hooked when I saw the long wings.

Years later after I joined the Air Force I wanted to build free flight planes but didn't have a suitable flying area for a plane with no controls. So I got into radio control gliders. I bought an Aquila Grande, a plane with an enormous 124 inch wingspan. I enjoyed countless quiet flights with no engines, fuel residue, or propellers to cut my fingers.

Fast forward a bunch of years...

In February 2004 Peggy gave me an introductory flight in a power plane at the local airport. It was nice but way too short. I considered learning how to fly but secretly longed for something with long wings.

In September 2005 I got an introductory ride in a glider at the airport in Mountain Green, Utah. I had never realized how dynamic the air is and I was hooked on the fact that a pilot can harness this upward energy and convert it to distance and speed. I knew this is what I wanted.

Now I have my Private Pilot Glider license and I can tell you that there is nothing more serene than looking down at the earth from which you have outraced gravity, knowing you got there by your wit, skill, and by the power from long wings at your side. A quiet whistle of wind slips by the vent in the canopy, you can feel your heart beat. Soaring birds come to see what this big white bird has found for a thermal.

That is why I fly sailplanes.