Free Checkrides at Marfa, Texas

"One of these days" is NOW.

Congratulations to David Reitter who took a free checkride with me yesterday in my ASK-21 at Marfa to upgrade his "restricted" FAA Private pilot certificate to a regular FAA Private pilot certificate (no longer "based upon" his UK license and without restrictions.)

David is from Germany, learned to fly sailplanes in the UK, now a professor at Penn State and flies his Standard Cirrus at Ridge Soaring.

Mark Gartner from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is also visiting me at Marfa to upgrade his soaring skills and learn some of the "Compton family thermaling secrets" passed down from my late father, Fritz Compton. How about that! (Nice thermals yesterday to 9,500' msl.)

Burt Compton, SSA Flight Instructor, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner
Marfa Gliders Soaring Center, west Texas
Site of the 1970 World Soaring Contest, the 15th National Landmark of Soaring and the location of "The Sun Ship Game" film of the 1969 national contest.
www.flygliders.com

Well, that was a fun spring break. Big thanks to Burt for making me (plus company!) feel at home. A great opportunity to do the checkride and associated prep in modern equipment and at a fine airport.

We came from and returned to low-20's Pennsylvania. The landscape around Marfa was sensational; the restaurants, art and life music were enjoyable, and of course you get a kick out of flying the same sky where The Sunship Game was filmed in 1969, with someone who crewed back then.

- David