if you've ever thought about flying a glider, here's a first hand POV of flying a glider, and how much time is spent just looking for thermals to gain altitude
I had the opportunity to fly in one over 40 years ago. I rode in the front while the pilot controlled the flight from the back seat although he did allow me to do some subtle turns from the front. I don't care for flying on any level but it was GREAT! We flew for about an hour over a frozen Oneida Lake in upstate New York on a sunny day. There were tons of cumulonimbus clouds and we could have stayed up indefinitely. Totally quiet and peaceful with no turbulence other than when we were getting towed up by a small powered airplane. I Piper Cub I believe. If you get the opportunity jump on it.
about 20 years ago, it cost about 100 dollars, and we were up for about 20 minutes... seemed like a fun thing to do with a girlfriend, so, the next time the opportunity came along, and a nice woman (Beth Thompson) who was a delight to look at, pleasant to talk to, and willing to go for a flight thought I was a bit unusual to suggest such a thing. Well, of course it is, because it's fun! Turns out, she proves that people can freeze from fear. Solidly locked up. Took her about 15 minutes to get out of the glider. She either slept on the hour drive back, or pretended to, either way, that was the last time I talked with her. I saw her only one more time when I told her to come by and pick up her book that I'd been working to find. So, she'd mentioned that the very most amazing book she'd EVER had was stolen from her in college, it was a book by Dostoyevsky "Crime and Punishment" and when she put so much emphasis on how much that one book meant to her, well... I took the hint, and while out among the used book stores (this was 1999ish) as I often was, I bought an example of every hardcover printing that any store in town had. I figured, there's no guessing what printing she'd had, but if I got lucky and found one just like the one she'd had, that would be a very cool and well received birthday present. Hell, I've never had anyone take that level of focus on making me happy with a gift. Anyway, of the 2 dozen or so examples of published books, by many different book companies, of different color covers, and different sizes... I did not happen to find one exactly like the one that she had been missing for years. I also don't think she realized just what a cool little project I'd been on to make her happy. Regardless, she did accept one in the spirit of book appreciation that it was offered in, as I am most certainly easy to see as a guy that appreciates books, and my personal collection/library of about 2000 books proves. But, she and I didn't have a good chance to get any farther in knowing each other. Damn shame, she was a catch in many ways, and no doubt about it, has made some guy VERY happy to realize every day that he's got a fantastic woman to live with. That's a rare thing, in my experience
I had the opportunity to fly in one over 40 years ago. I rode in the front while the pilot controlled the flight from the back seat although he did allow me to do some subtle turns from the front. I don't care for flying on any level but it was GREAT! We flew for about an hour over a frozen Oneida Lake in upstate New York on a sunny day. There were tons of cumulonimbus clouds and we could have stayed up indefinitely. Totally quiet and peaceful with no turbulence other than when we were getting towed up by a small powered airplane. I Piper Cub I believe. If you get the opportunity jump on it.
ReplyDeleteabout 20 years ago, it cost about 100 dollars, and we were up for about 20 minutes... seemed like a fun thing to do with a girlfriend, so, the next time the opportunity came along, and a nice woman (Beth Thompson) who was a delight to look at, pleasant to talk to, and willing to go for a flight thought I was a bit unusual to suggest such a thing. Well, of course it is, because it's fun! Turns out, she proves that people can freeze from fear. Solidly locked up. Took her about 15 minutes to get out of the glider. She either slept on the hour drive back, or pretended to, either way, that was the last time I talked with her.
DeleteI saw her only one more time when I told her to come by and pick up her book that I'd been working to find.
So, she'd mentioned that the very most amazing book she'd EVER had was stolen from her in college, it was a book by Dostoyevsky "Crime and Punishment" and when she put so much emphasis on how much that one book meant to her, well... I took the hint, and while out among the used book stores (this was 1999ish) as I often was, I bought an example of every hardcover printing that any store in town had. I figured, there's no guessing what printing she'd had, but if I got lucky and found one just like the one she'd had, that would be a very cool and well received birthday present.
Hell, I've never had anyone take that level of focus on making me happy with a gift.
Anyway, of the 2 dozen or so examples of published books, by many different book companies, of different color covers, and different sizes... I did not happen to find one exactly like the one that she had been missing for years.
I also don't think she realized just what a cool little project I'd been on to make her happy.
Regardless, she did accept one in the spirit of book appreciation that it was offered in, as I am most certainly easy to see as a guy that appreciates books, and my personal collection/library of about 2000 books proves.
But, she and I didn't have a good chance to get any farther in knowing each other.
Damn shame, she was a catch in many ways, and no doubt about it, has made some guy VERY happy to realize every day that he's got a fantastic woman to live with. That's a rare thing, in my experience