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Dennis Wright - Cross Country Pilot



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 24th 05, 04:40 AM
Larry Pardue
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Default Dennis Wright - Cross Country Pilot

Soaring Society of America Executive Director, Dennis Wright, came to SSA
from powered flight but made a commitment to get a glider rating. He did
that quickly after taking the position.

This afternoon, Dennis made the most significant flight a glider pilot can
make, in my opinion. He flew silver distance, and he did it the old
fashioned way, with low technology and a low performance glider. The way,
it seems, that the badge leg was originally meant to be earned.

About 2:30 Dennis took off from Hobbs, NM, hooked to some discarded
oil-field wire being pulled by the club Chevy pick-up truck. After climbing
up to about 6,000 feet AGL he lit out north for Tatum with a nice tailwind.
His equipment was a chart, a barograph and a camera. Dennis made it to his
goal of Tatum fairly quickly but his intent was to return to Hobbs, in order
to avoid a retrieve. He quickly found out about 1-26's and headwinds, which
were as high as 15 knots. He told me that it felt like there was a giant
bungee pulling him back toward Tatum.

Dennis persevered, and never did get too low. Patience was needed for the
many climbs while drifting backward with the wind. Judy will be the judge
of the technicalities but I watched the takeoff, the turnpoint and the
landing and know it was a flight to be proud off.

Sometimes I am a bit afraid the sport is being suffocated with high
technology and high prices but all that stuff is surely not necessary. This
flight will be billed by the club at the sum total, including tow, of $18
(with a discount for the flight time on a badge flight).

I find it refreshing that our (US) Executive Director not only sees to the
office but does grunt work at contests, drives the launch car for the local
club and gets a big kick out of flying a 1-26.

Larry Pardue 2I


  #2  
Old July 24th 05, 04:45 AM
Kevin Anderson
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Default

Larry,

Thanks for the update, and tell Dennis he is invited and expected at the
1-26 Championships next year in Parowan UT, the last two weeks of June.

Kevin R. Anderson
192

"Larry Pardue" wrote in message
...
Soaring Society of America Executive Director, Dennis Wright, came to SSA
from powered flight but made a commitment to get a glider rating. He did
that quickly after taking the position.

This afternoon, Dennis made the most significant flight a glider pilot can
make, in my opinion. He flew silver distance, and he did it the old
fashioned way, with low technology and a low performance glider. The way,
it seems, that the badge leg was originally meant to be earned.

About 2:30 Dennis took off from Hobbs, NM, hooked to some discarded
oil-field wire being pulled by the club Chevy pick-up truck. After
climbing up to about 6,000 feet AGL he lit out north for Tatum with a nice
tailwind. His equipment was a chart, a barograph and a camera. Dennis
made it to his goal of Tatum fairly quickly but his intent was to return
to Hobbs, in order to avoid a retrieve. He quickly found out about 1-26's
and headwinds, which were as high as 15 knots. He told me that it felt
like there was a giant bungee pulling him back toward Tatum.

Dennis persevered, and never did get too low. Patience was needed for the
many climbs while drifting backward with the wind. Judy will be the judge
of the technicalities but I watched the takeoff, the turnpoint and the
landing and know it was a flight to be proud off.

Sometimes I am a bit afraid the sport is being suffocated with high
technology and high prices but all that stuff is surely not necessary.
This flight will be billed by the club at the sum total, including tow, of
$18 (with a discount for the flight time on a badge flight).

I find it refreshing that our (US) Executive Director not only sees to the
office but does grunt work at contests, drives the launch car for the
local club and gets a big kick out of flying a 1-26.

Larry Pardue 2I



  #3  
Old July 24th 05, 02:37 PM
John Sinclair
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Default

Way to go, Dennis and congratulations on successfully
cutting your umbilical cord. Cross country flying is
what this sport is all about. I remember my Silver
C in a Duster, like it was yesterday. Great sense of
accomplishment.
I too wonder where this sport is headed when I see
1/4 million investments in ship & motorhome at our
contests. Little wonder we don't attract new blood
to this sport when newcomers see what is perceived
as 'rich old men, playing airborne polo'.
Welcome to the club,
JJ

At 04:00 24 July 2005, Larry Pardue wrote:
Soaring Society of America Executive Director, Dennis
Wright, came to SSA
from powered flight but made a commitment to get a
glider rating. He did
that quickly after taking the position.

This afternoon, Dennis made the most significant flight
a glider pilot can
make, in my opinion. He flew silver distance, and
he did it the old
fashioned way, with low technology and a low performance
glider. The way,
it seems, that the badge leg was originally meant to
be earned.

About 2:30 Dennis took off from Hobbs, NM, hooked to
some discarded
oil-field wire being pulled by the club Chevy pick-up
truck. After climbing
up to about 6,000 feet AGL he lit out north for Tatum
with a nice tailwind.
His equipment was a chart, a barograph and a camera.
Dennis made it to his
goal of Tatum fairly quickly but his intent was to
return to Hobbs, in order
to avoid a retrieve. He quickly found out about 1-26's
and headwinds, which
were as high as 15 knots. He told me that it felt
like there was a giant
bungee pulling him back toward Tatum.

Dennis persevered, and never did get too low. Patience
was needed for the
many climbs while drifting backward with the wind.
Judy will be the judge
of the technicalities but I watched the takeoff, the
turnpoint and the
landing and know it was a flight to be proud off.

Sometimes I am a bit afraid the sport is being suffocated
with high
technology and high prices but all that stuff is surely
not necessary. This
flight will be billed by the club at the sum total,
including tow, of $18
(with a discount for the flight time on a badge flight).

I find it refreshing that our (US) Executive Director
not only sees to the
office but does grunt work at contests, drives the
launch car for the local
club and gets a big kick out of flying a 1-26.

Larry Pardue 2I






  #4  
Old July 24th 05, 04:32 PM
Stewart Kissel
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Default

I too wonder where this sport is headed when I see
1/4 million investments in ship & motorhome at our
contests. Little wonder we don't attract new blood
to this sport when newcomers see what is perceived
as 'rich old men, playing airborne polo'.



JJ-Don't forget the part about these same guys have
a bunch of spare time...

This subject gets batted around on a somewhat regular
basis here, I don't begrudge those with the bucks and
time to do what they choose. And for that matter,
I suspect this situation has always been present in
the sport. Pilots can choose whether to enter the
arms' race, or go sports class or 1-26, or not race.
How much time and energy we members want the SSA
to put into high dollar racing...is something we can
discuss as a group. I recently read an article on
the Seniors Contest in Soaring...and the author started
the article stating he though the SSA was making a
mistake not being more supportive of this type of racing.
I don't necesarily agree with that author...but that
is for another thread.



  #5  
Old July 24th 05, 04:49 PM
Bob Whelan
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Default

Major Cool - thanks for the vignette. Congratulations to Dennis!

And if he hasn't already been pointed in the direction of "Soaring" mags
from the early 1970's, review of the badge pages therefrom will provide some
fun reflective moments concerning how fundamental 1-26s were to badge
collectors then. (For those lacking magazine issue access, it wasn't
uncommon to see more than 50% of badge legs through the Gold level being
accomplished in 1-26s.)

Looking forward, in soaring there's a lot to be said for learning the basics
WITH the basics.

Regards,
Bob Whelan


"Larry Pardue" wrote in message
...
Soaring Society of America Executive Director, Dennis Wright, came to SSA
from powered flight but made a commitment to get a glider rating. He did
that quickly after taking the position.

This afternoon, Dennis made the most significant flight a glider pilot can
make, in my opinion. He flew silver distance, and he did it the old
fashioned way, with low technology and a low performance glider. The way,
it seems, that the badge leg was originally meant to be earned.

About 2:30 Dennis took off from Hobbs, NM, hooked to some discarded
oil-field wire being pulled by the club Chevy pick-up truck. After

climbing
up to about 6,000 feet AGL he lit out north for Tatum with a nice

tailwind.
His equipment was a chart, a barograph and a camera. Dennis made it to

his
goal of Tatum fairly quickly but his intent was to return to Hobbs, in

order
to avoid a retrieve. He quickly found out about 1-26's and headwinds,

which
were as high as 15 knots. He told me that it felt like there was a giant
bungee pulling him back toward Tatum.

Dennis persevered, and never did get too low. Patience was needed for the
many climbs while drifting backward with the wind. Judy will be the judge
of the technicalities but I watched the takeoff, the turnpoint and the
landing and know it was a flight to be proud off.

Sometimes I am a bit afraid the sport is being suffocated with high
technology and high prices but all that stuff is surely not necessary.

This
flight will be billed by the club at the sum total, including tow, of $18
(with a discount for the flight time on a badge flight).

I find it refreshing that our (US) Executive Director not only sees to the
office but does grunt work at contests, drives the launch car for the

local
club and gets a big kick out of flying a 1-26.

Larry Pardue 2I



  #6  
Old July 25th 05, 11:42 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I find it refreshing that our (US) Executive Director not only sees
to the
office but does grunt work at contests, drives the launch car for the
local
club and gets a big kick out of flying a 1-26.

This says it all. While this thread threatened to degenerate into
a diatribe against the high costs of soaring and a paean to the 1-26
(worthy causes, both), the most significant thing to me is that the
SSA's top full-time executive joined the ranks of cross-country soaring
pilots.

I watched him do a great job helping to run the Standard Class
Nationals in Hobbs last summer. And this latest achievement provides
further hope that our SSA will have the enthusiastist's inside
understanding to be able to meet our sport's needs in the U.S.

Congratulations, Dennis!

Chip Bearden

  #7  
Old July 26th 05, 08:25 AM
M B
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Posts: n/a
Default

It is wonderful to see top management getting a very
clear idea of the exact challenges we face in growing
this sport by actually doing it.

Beyond that, he seems to also be ENJOYING it. Dennis'
flights and efforts, and the amazing things done by
Garret Willat really broaden the appeal for soaring.
And both pilots do so while still being supportive
of the 'big sky' theory that all comers are welcome
and whether you are young or old, rich or poor, or
fly metal, fabric, or plastic: soaring is FUN.

It's nice to see good news! Yeah!

At 23:06 25 July 2005, wrote:


This says it all. While this thread threatened to degenerate
into
a diatribe against the high costs of soaring and a
paean to the 1-26
(worthy causes, both), the most significant thing to
me is that the
SSA's top full-time executive joined the ranks of cross-country
soaring
pilots.

I watched him do a great job helping to run the Standard
Class
Nationals in Hobbs last summer. And this latest achievement
provides
further hope that our SSA will have the enthusiastist's
inside
understanding to be able to meet our sport's needs
in the U.S.

Congratulations, Dennis!

Chip Bearden


Mark J. Boyd


  #8  
Old July 26th 05, 02:08 PM
Alistair Wright
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Default

Congrats to Dennis for earning his badge in the way the original founders of
gliding intended. Though long retired from the sport I can well understand
how Dennis must feel. I did my five hours in smoky thermals over
Stoke-on-Trent (UK), my height off a very low launch at Sutton Bank in
Yorkshire both of those in an old wooden Olympia 2. Distance was in a Ka8
from Dunstable. It took fourteen years all told because I was instructing
within a year of going solo and could never get into a single seater. In my
view all sports are going the same way -- high performance equipment being
used against the old low performance goals. I guess the Silver distance
should be at least 150Km to level the playing field.

Alistair Wright
UK Silver 4769


  #9  
Old July 26th 05, 06:01 PM
Robin Birch
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Default

In message , Alistair
Wright writes
Congrats to Dennis for earning his badge in the way the original founders of
gliding intended. Though long retired from the sport I can well understand
how Dennis must feel. I did my five hours in smoky thermals over
Stoke-on-Trent (UK), my height off a very low launch at Sutton Bank in
Yorkshire both of those in an old wooden Olympia 2. Distance was in a Ka8
from Dunstable. It took fourteen years all told because I was instructing
within a year of going solo and could never get into a single seater. In my
view all sports are going the same way -- high performance equipment being
used against the old low performance goals. I guess the Silver distance
should be at least 150Km to level the playing field.

Or done in a T31 :-)

Robin
Alistair Wright
UK Silver 4769



--
Robin Birch
  #10  
Old July 26th 05, 09:42 PM
Alistair Wright
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Robin Birch" wrote in message
...
In message , Alistair
Wright writes
Congrats to Dennis for earning his badge in the way the original founders
of
gliding intended. Though long retired from the sport I can well
understand
how Dennis must feel. I did my five hours in smoky thermals over
Stoke-on-Trent (UK), my height off a very low launch at Sutton Bank in
Yorkshire both of those in an old wooden Olympia 2. Distance was in a Ka8
from Dunstable. It took fourteen years all told because I was instructing
within a year of going solo and could never get into a single seater. In
my
view all sports are going the same way -- high performance equipment being
used against the old low performance goals. I guess the Silver distance
should be at least 150Km to level the playing field.

Or done in a T31 :-)

Robin


That's a bit harsh! I did know a guy who did it in a T21b though. The cross
country was always the challenge in the UK in the 60s -- there were some
quite competent aircraft around but most of us did not own or get to fly
them. I scored the 1971 Nationals at Husbands Bosworth and setting a 300k
O/R was a big deal -- and only a few got round. Plastic hadn't been
invented and everybody flew wooden ships. We got a lot of outlanding
practice in those days.

Alistair Wright


 




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