Here's Melissa in the front seat with the seat belt and shoulder harness off after we landed and parked. She was a wee bit apprehensive but as we towed up past the lower- level natural turbulence into the smooth air she started to relax. The release from tow at 6000' over Prunedale, above the fog covering the Monterey Bay, was exciting for her as we turned and banked away, slowing to 50mph for a smooth ride back to the airport. After about fifteen minutes of gliding and talking, she said she was feeling very comfortable. It's a whole new world for most passengers and just takes a little "acclimatization"!
Apricots drying in the sun a few miles east of our airport:
Kiyo's ride started out the same as Melissa's but after we released, he took the controls and flew the glider smoothly for his first flight lesson. Some of my passengers just have "The Right Stuff"! He said he'd never flown before this event but that was hard to believe as he turned and banked with excellent control while "feeling" what his control inputs were doing. I think we have another sailplane pilot in the works!
Jamie and John chose the ride for two so I removed the control stick so they could fit together in the rear seat while I flew from the front. Although my head and shoulders blocked some of their view, they certainly appear to be enjoying the ride!
For my last ride I took the male half of a couple who had to split up for individual rides because the man's body was just a little too big. As a college football and basketball player his stature served him well but the glider designers were trying to make their aircraft more efficient with minimum cockpit space! Our Schweizer 2-32 gliders are the most spacious. I've had a 6'7" grandson in the front seat for his ride. Alan was very comfortable in the front seat for his Mile High ride and we enjoyed our conversation while flying over the hills east of Hollister.
No comments:
Post a Comment