Recent Badges

Congratulations Bill Gage for achieving your first SSA Badge!
Well done!

Both Bruce Roberts and Richard Duggan fulfilled requirements
and achieved their WINGS Phase II
Congratulations!
Well done!

Well done guys!

-- Monique Weil

From the Thermaling Camp

Silver Altitude Claim: Larry Suter, Taylor Nichols

SSA B badge: Taylor Nichols

SSA C badge: Taylor Nichols

SSA Bronze badge: Larry Suter

WINGS phase IV: Peter Kelemen

Congratulations to all!

-- Dave Cunningham

CONGRATULATIONS to Ben Hirashima for his FIRST SOLO today!

Ben had three high solo flights, climbing to 4,800' in convergence lift
on his last solo of the day.
It was a long flight, 2.5 hours and in addition to his SSA "A" Badge,
Ben completed the requirements and earned his "B" Badge,
as well as one half the "C" and "Bronze" Badges.

I do not remember anyone getting so many accomplishments on his first solo.

The wind strength increased steadily during the late afternoon hours,
reaching over 20 Knot, gusting to 26 Knot.
Every landing Ben made was excellent.
He just wouldn't come down.
We hinted but he kept asking how many more badges he could earn if he
stayed up still longer.
Ben was also lucky that the day was quiet, with little traffic or
competition from other students for the Blanik.

Thanks very much to Dave Stiehr, our Field Manager, who stayed late to
wait for Ben to land.

Well done Ben! I see the start of a great soaring career.
Now, get down to the hard stuff and study for your written exam.

--Monique Weil

On the Wings of the Wind

The very latest news from 1929!

I have scanned, OCRed, and uploaded Howard Siepen's On the Wings of the Wind from the June 1929 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

-- Johan Larson