Alfonso Jurado

On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 9:06:30 AM UTC-4, Echo wrote:
Good Morning,

I am entering my 4th year as the 3rd owner of ASW20 #20463, better known as Alfonso's 20. I grew up soaring in New Castle, VA, and saw Alfonso a few times but never really knew him. It is my understanding that he has bad dementia now. I know the former Miami gliderport was his home field, however he never logged any soaring outside contests. I've heard many things, such as him soaring to the keys, aileron rolls with water, soaring with the canopy open, and impossible landouts. In an effort to write down all the legends, myths, and stories, I'm hoping to document all the stories and keep them with the airplane documents. Thanks!

...and yes, it still looks and flies pretty well! (and still manages to get me home)

Jordan
ASW20 'E'

Fonz stole a national championship from me. Last day of Sports nationals in Elmira and I went into it with a "comfortable" lead over Fonz.
At start time we were getting to 1700 above Harris Hill with storms in 3 quadrants. None of that comfortable fair and safe stuff back then. When the task opened, the only "reasonable" way to go was north east to avoid the storms, knowing we likely would not be returning. I went that way,of course, and ultimately landed out, along with most everyone else.
Fonz, knowing he had to do something different, went off to the west into one of the storms. It did not work well and he ended up quite low. I recall mention of his climbing away off a tree line. Only the Fonz could do that stuff.
Anyway, he got back and stole my championship from me.
Someday I may forgive him.
I'll always love the Fonz.
UH

That 29 flies like it knows what to do, that's for sure. He definitely put some kind of enchantment on it. Any truth to the Florida keys thing?

Jordan

That 20 definitely seems to know what to do, whatever magic he put on it! Any truth to the florida keys Soaring?

Jordan

On Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 4:52:18 PM UTC-4, Echo wrote:
That 20 definitely seems to know what to do, whatever magic he put on it! Any truth to the florida keys Soaring?

Jordan

Jordan,

My dad was a partner in an Open Cirrus at Kendall Gliderport and mostly flew there (or Richard's Field), back in the early to mid 1980's (Bill Harris was his flight instructor I believe). Eventually, he joined Thermal Research but by the 90's his business in the Upper Keys and our kids' weekend sports activities left him with little time for himself to fly gliders. I am aware of a first person account told by Frank Manson (of Marathon), where he and a handful of the regulars (so I would have to assume that would have included your dad), flew a sea breeze front that extended down the Keys down to Marathon but they chickened out before going any further to Key West. My understanding of it was that as the convergence built up there was lift that allowed them to climb up the side of the clouds so they were able to get up to 10-12k'+ maybe higher. I was just a kid at the time and didn't totally understand what all they were talking about but I've known that story for a long long time. In any case, if you ask around you might get the rest of the story.

On another note, Tom is right. I rented Miami Glider's Std. Cirrus once at Homestead General and when I got to 8,000+MSL right on the edge of Florida Bay I was really tempted to final glide to Tavernaero Airport (Plantation Key), where my family has a lot on the airport. If it hadn't been a rental ship I surely would have done it just to be the first to saor the Keys. Ironically, my dad's dream was to buy a Lark motorglider and routinely soar up and down the Keys. I still have a copy of a Purchase Order for a Lark that cost about $48k back in the early 80's. He must have backed out because he never bought it.

Best regards,

Chris Schrader

I took our family to vacation in the Keys for a number of years (Tavernier/Key Largo in the north for a couple of years and Duck Key near Marathon for a couple). I swung by the FBO at Marathon one morning to just shoot the breeze and ran into a guy with a PA-18 Supercub who claimed to soar the seabreeze front all the time. He said he could maintain altitude and cruise at 70kts at idle. Can't recall his name, but he would've been in his late 60's about 5-6 years ago. Sat on a boat fishing lookng at some very obvious convergence lines on a number of days...


On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 12:49:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 4:52:18 PM UTC-4, Echo wrote:
That 20 definitely seems to know what to do, whatever magic he put on it! Any truth to the florida keys Soaring?

Jordan

Jordan,

My dad was a partner in an Open Cirrus at Kendall Gliderport and mostly flew there (or Richard's Field), back in the early to mid 1980's (Bill Harris was his flight instructor I believe). Eventually, he joined Thermal Research but by the 90's his business in the Upper Keys and our kids' weekend sports activities left him with little time for himself to fly gliders. I am aware of a first person account told by Frank Manson (of Marathon), where he and a handful of the regulars (so I would have to assume that would have included your dad), flew a sea breeze front that extended down the Keys down to Marathon but they chickened out before going any further to Key West. My understanding of it was that as the convergence built up there was lift that allowed them to climb up the side of the clouds so they were able to get up to 10-12k'+ maybe higher. I was just a kid at the time and didn't totally understand what all they were talking about but I've known that story for a long long time. In any case, if you ask around you might get the rest of the story.

On another note, Tom is right. I rented Miami Glider's Std. Cirrus once at Homestead General and when I got to 8,000+MSL right on the edge of Florida Bay I was really tempted to final glide to Tavernaero Airport (Plantation Key), where my family has a lot on the airport. If it hadn't been a rental ship I surely would have done it just to be the first to saor the Keys. Ironically, my dad's dream was to buy a Lark motorglider and routinely soar up and down the Keys. I still have a copy of a Purchase Order for a Lark that cost about $48k back in the early 80's. He must have backed out because he never bought it.

Best regards,

Chris Schrader

On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 2:53:08 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
I took our family to vacation in the Keys for a number of years (Tavernier/Key Largo in the north for a couple of years and Duck Key near Marathon for a couple). I swung by the FBO at Marathon one morning to just shoot the breeze and ran into a guy with a PA-18 Supercub who claimed to soar the seabreeze front all the time. He said he could maintain altitude and cruise at 70kts at idle. Can't recall his name, but he would've been in his late 60's about 5-6 years ago. Sat on a boat fishing lookng at some very obvious convergence lines on a number of days...


On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 12:49:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 4:52:18 PM UTC-4, Echo wrote:
That 20 definitely seems to know what to do, whatever magic he put on it! Any truth to the florida keys Soaring?

Jordan

Jordan,

My dad was a partner in an Open Cirrus at Kendall Gliderport and mostly flew there (or Richard's Field), back in the early to mid 1980's (Bill Harris was his flight instructor I believe). Eventually, he joined Thermal Research but by the 90's his business in the Upper Keys and our kids' weekend sports activities left him with little time for himself to fly gliders. I am aware of a first person account told by Frank Manson (of Marathon), where he and a handful of the regulars (so I would have to assume that would have included your dad), flew a sea breeze front that extended down the Keys down to Marathon but they chickened out before going any further to Key West.. My understanding of it was that as the convergence built up there was lift that allowed them to climb up the side of the clouds so they were able to get up to 10-12k'+ maybe higher. I was just a kid at the time and didn't totally understand what all they were talking about but I've known that story for a long long time. In any case, if you ask around you might get the rest of the story.

On another note, Tom is right. I rented Miami Glider's Std. Cirrus once at Homestead General and when I got to 8,000+MSL right on the edge of Florida Bay I was really tempted to final glide to Tavernaero Airport (Plantation Key), where my family has a lot on the airport. If it hadn't been a rental ship I surely would have done it just to be the first to saor the Keys. Ironically, my dad's dream was to buy a Lark motorglider and routinely soar up and down the Keys. I still have a copy of a Purchase Order for a Lark that cost about $48k back in the early 80's. He must have backed out because he never bought it.

Best regards,

Chris Schrader

What you are referring to is a flight that Bennie Flowers and I had back in the day where we encountered a strange cloud formation and rode a Florida Wave to over 10K. There was an article written about this flight in Soaring magazine titled, Catching A Florida Wave. Bennie and I actually did it twice, it was one of the best rides ever, we could have made Bimini. Bob