On Wednesday, August 13, 2014 2:28:02 PM UTC-4, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Wednesday, August 13, 2014 11:06:47 AM UTC-6, Robin Clark wrote:

What if America's national training center for soaring was mobile?







A two-place,self-launching sailplane towed by a motor home driven by the SSA's chief of training



could show up a week before a regional contest. The instructor would conduct seminars, take students aloft and encourage others to follow in their own planes. Other times, clubs could pool interested members to bring SSA training to town. It might be popular enough to require bidding with sites bringing the most paying students getting the trainer first.







The chief training officer could write a column for Soaring magazine, have winter chores in the offices at Hobbs, help put on the convention and other national events.







The project would be partially self-funding, but mostly supported through the SSA with the most subsidy aimed at the instructor community, because we want our instructors to convey excitement about cross country flying. Some sailplane manufacturer would get the benefit of a top-of-the-line product being demonstrated across the country.



Robin Clark



Last time I checked, first solo in a self-launching sailplane was not insurable. I know there was interest at one time in forming a training club around a Grob G-103 SL, but lack of insurability for first solos put that idea to bed.



Frank Whiteley

All flights in an SSA sponsored self-launched two-place would be with the SSA's chief instructor aboard. Instruction would be for advanced cross country and racing with the idea of improving overall US performance and eventually our results internationally. There would be a minimum skill requirement to fly with the instructor. Training on the ground would be open.