- Ephrata Dustup 2009
May 2009 - DG-1000 on TV
Apr 2009 - Flying the A36 Bonanza
Dec 2008 - Soaring in the ASH-25 Mi
Nov 2008 - Flying the Cessna 340
Sep 2008 - Flying the Stearman PT-18
Sep 2008 - Northwest Soaring & Flying
Summer 2008 - Flying the Kitfox on Floats
Jun 2008 - Flying Old Yaller in Alaska
Apr 2008 - Flying the Chang (Pt2)
Jun 2007 - DG-1000 in Australia
Mar 2007 - Father/Son Soaring
Dec 2006 - Flying the Nanchang CJ-6
Dec 2006 - Soaring in Australia
Dec 2006 - Soaring in the DG-303
Nov 2006 - Soaring in Poland
Jun 2006 - Soaring in the 304 CZ
May 2006 - Flying the Lake Renegade
May 2006 - Soaring in Hemet, CA
Apr 2006 - Flying the Cessna 120
Jan 2006 - Flying the Jet Caproni
Jun 2005 - Warrior Flying
2004-2005 - DG-1000 Soaring
2003-2005 - Ridge Soaring in Hawaii
Mar 2005 - Flying the 1946 Swift
Nov 2004 - Flying the Goodyear Blimp
Oct 2004 - Flying the Cirrus
Sep 2004/Aug 2006 - Soaring in New Zealand
Mar 2004 - Check Out in the DG-1000
Sep 2003 - Ephrata Encampment
Jun 2003 - Flying the Stemme S10-VT
Oct 2002 - Darrington Expedition
Jul 2002 - Winter Soaring in Florida
Feb 2002 - Flying the T-33
Oct 2001 - Soaring in Ireland
Aug 1999 - Soaring in the U.K.
May 1999 - Flying the F-15 Eagle
1978-1987 - Other Fighters
1975-1985 - Flying the Phoebus
May 1976
Father/Son DG-1000 Soaring - December 2006
I had instructed my son David in a number of soaring flights while he was in high school, and he soloed years ago, accomplishing a great 5.3 hour solo flight in the club's 1-26 early in his college years. His soaring opportunities had slowed while finishing college, getting a full-time job and moving from Washington state to California. In April 2006, I had the chance to get David re-acquainted with soaring when we both flew at Hemet, CA with the Orange County Soaring Association.
Although David had a great soaring re-introduction, I knew he was very involved in scuba diving instruction, and I didn't expect much more soaring involvement for awhile. However, without letting on, David joined OC Soaring in late summer, and set about getting soloed again and began working on his Private Pilot Glider certificate in earnest. David prepared well, and flew on a bunch of Wednesday mornings with OC Soaring instructor Mary Rust. He successfully achieved his Private Pilot license on December 22nd, 2006, as a special Christmas present. Needless to say, I was very pleased.
To celebrate David's new Private Pilot's license, I arranged with Lynn Weller to borrow his DG-1000 for a few flights when David visited over the Christmas holidays here in the Great Northwest. We lucked out with a beautiful sunny day with outstanding visibility, and got two enjoyable cruising flights along the Cascade foothills. David did very well on the takeoff, tow, cruising and getting to know the DG-1000's flight controls, plus flying two full patterns and landings. I also demo'd a few Lazy 8's to show off the DG-1000's maneuvering capability.
Here's a description of flying the DG-1000 from David's perspective:
"Imagine you've been learning to drive (fly) in a minivan (Blanik L-13/L-23), spending lots of time with your parents (instructors) learning the ropes of driving (flying). Oh sure, you got to fly by yourself in the minivan (Blanik L-13/L-23) now and again, and your friend let you drive (fly) his old VW Bug (1-26). You even got to take a jaunt in a nice Lexus (Grob 103). Then imagine you're handed the keys to a beautiful Porsche 911 Turbo (DG-1000) and allowed to simply have fun with it!
That's about the best analogy I can give for my experience in the DG-1000, by far the best ship I've had the privilege to fly. The controls are so light and easy, the cockpit is very comfortable, the view from the front simply stunning, and the performance of the DG is absolutely breathtaking. The glide ratio just blew me away as we were able to easily make it back to the field from altitudes you'd never have a chance from in a plane like the L-13.
A big thanks to Lynn for letting us borrow the plane for some Father/Son bonding, and thanks to my Dad for all the training and encouragement that helped me along the way to my Private rating!"
