In soaring, mental readiness is as crucial as physical safety. Every moment demands acute attention, from pre-flight checks to securing the aircraft. It's about engaging with every detail, adapting to uncertainty, and making informed decisions with precision. Embracing the endless learning curve ensures not just immediate success, but also lays the groundwork for future triumphs in the soaring journey ahead ..read more

Progressive wear (on hinges, canopy seals, brake discs and pads, tires and tip wheels, skid plates, fabric, cracks in Gelcoat, etc.) may not prohibit this flight, but if you fail to inspect them today, you’re more apt to forget next time ..read more

On that remarkable Memorial Day, as I groomed the cat on the porch, fur wads defied gravity, hinting at something extraordinary. It turned out to be our region's greatest soaring day, with towering cumulus clouds. Yet, I was confined to short flights and lessons, watching as others seized the skies, making history ..read more

"Until then, this one goes into my book as the GRANDEST THERMAL EVER. And the magic ingredient was, it found us exactly when we needed it least, painting the sky with a brush of unforgettable wonder ..read more

Crystal Squadron celebrates two diamond victories, with pilots mastering Mojave's thermals and tackling Owens Valley heat. Mike Koerner's 456-mile journey to Elko showcases strategic prowess amidst shifting lift and cirrus challenges ..read more

"After running alongside, catching a wingtip, and proudly helping the pilot push off, I was anxious to know how in the world he got this far on such a weak day, but first extended a smiling hand, 'Hi, I’m Dale.' That’s when he chose to remove his parachute, staring beyond my ear for signs of human activity at our little terminal building. Crickets, as they say ..read more

I got bored and worked my feet down through those openings beside the aft pedals, so my legs were hanging straight into a coffin size space below the floorboards. This left no quick access to rudder control, revealing more about my judgment than any supposed trust in that particular front-seater. And worse, having committed the sin, it was impossible to get my feet back up ..read more

First time I soared from Crystal to Big Bear, the outbound leg went so quickly I never bothered to look down, so on the way home I stopped, determined to go no further until identifying Hesperia airport. I loitered over the wide city bleeding altitude, scanning everywhere left and right more than once, and could find no open spaces even big enough for an airport ..read more

One November evening I was standing out front of the empty lodge on the flat below those cliffs and heard a sudden boom that sounded like a shotgun ..read more

Tibor flew from our field for several years and always displayed the most abysmal judgment, consistently landing his Cessna like a glider, but his glider like a Cessna. He once stalled in so high and so short that his tailwheel fell off from the impact ..read more