Ready for that Glider add on?

we are in the Econo Lodge in Wichita Falls, TX. another 8 hours or so of driving tomorrow, but all in the same state!

drive down was uneventful, with some fog until kansas city or so. other than that great weather, 2 fuel stops. walked over to a neighboring hotel to get a drink when we got here and saw a drunk guy slide his motorcycle into an intersection. no cars around thankfully. he was a little scraped up, bleeding from his forehead (no helmet). he'll probably have a long night at the police station.

hopefully getting out of here by 8 AM so we can be to MRF before sunset.
 
Gotta love driving in Texas. I've driven I-10 all the way through Texas. When you enter on the east side of the state they've got a mileage sign, I believe it goes something like this:

Beaumont: 24
El Paso: 798

You know someone at TX-DOT did that just because they could. :)
 
Traveling across Texas is sort of like Hotel California. Drive across all you want but you can never leave.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Gotta love driving in Texas. I've driven I-10 all the way through Texas. When you enter on the east side of the state they've got a mileage sign, I believe it goes something like this:

Beaumont: 24
El Paso: 798

You know someone at TX-DOT did that just because they could. :)
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In Barstow, CA there is a sign along I-40, "Wilmington, NC 2554". A similar sign exists in Wilimington with mileage to Barstow.
 
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Richard said:
In Barstow, CA there is a sign along I-40, "Wilmington, NC 2554". A similar sign exists in Wilimington with mileage to Barstow.
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Yes, but the beauty of the Texas signs as they're within the same state.
 
awesome! we'll probably be giving rides and doing training all afternoon. Pizza Foundation sound good for tomorrow night?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Gotta love driving in Texas. I've driven I-10 all the way through Texas. When you enter on the east side of the state they've got a mileage sign, I believe it goes something like this:

Beaumont: 24
El Paso: 798

You know someone at TX-DOT did that just because they could. :)
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It's worse than that, Ted. It says El Paso: 899. :yes:

Richard said:
In Barstow, CA there is a sign along I-40, "Wilmington, NC 2554". A similar sign exists in Wilimington with mileage to Barstow.
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There's one at the eastern end of I-70 westbound, just after you come off 695 at Baltimore, that has the mileage to Denver and Richfield, UT IIRC (and there's 40 miles of rocks after that before 70 runs into 15 and ends.)
 
well we're having a great time here in Marfa town...

we wont be out of texas for nearly a week, and we'll love it!

beautiful sunset this evening, as the Blanik and the 180/150 were touching down.

at least 75 miles to the nearest stoplight, 150 to nearest Wal-Mart.

greeting from West Texas!
 
It's grand, ain't it?

Great pilot-world day today; breakfast with Lance Flynn, and then flew to T82 (bumpy and 50 knot headwinds!), and heard Dave T on frequency (why does that sort of brief and random contact delight so?).

Hope to see you ones out west on the 1st or so!
 
can't wait for you to get here Spike. we'll be standing by ready to give you and Tomster a glider ride.

i swear if i get laid off from another job, im just going to come here and live.
 
tonycondon said:
can't wait for you to get here Spike. we'll be standing by ready to give you and Tomster a glider ride.

i swear if i get laid off from another job, im just going to come here and live.
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Get in line, buddy!
 
flyingcheesehead said:
It's worse than that, Ted. It says El Paso: 899. :yes:
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I thought Ted's number was a bit off, but didn't have the exact figure handy. That mile marker is also the highest numbered one in the Interstate system.

flyingcheesehead said:
The old trucker saying is "The sun did rise, the sun did set, and we ain't outta Texas yet."
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Amen. I once took a driving trip to LA from Houston, and it was a day and a half before I left Texas. I would contend that the 300 or so miles from 100 west of San Antonio to Van Horn are the dullest in the entire Interstate system.
 
jmaynard said:
Amen. I once took a driving trip to LA from Houston, and it was a day and a half before I left Texas. I would contend that the 300 or so miles from 100 west of San Antonio to Van Horn are the dullest in the entire Interstate system.
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I dunno, I've only run that stretch at night, but I'd have to contend that crossing Indiana and Ohio (on either 70 or 80, or running north-south on 65, 75, or 77) would certainly have to be up there. Booooooooooo-ring!
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I dunno, I've only run that stretch at night, but I'd have to contend that crossing Indiana and Ohio (on either 70 or 80, or running north-south on 65, 75, or 77) would certainly have to be up there. Booooooooooo-ring!
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San Angelo to New Orleans on I-10 (most of the way) worst drive of my life. I swear I fell alseep and stayed on the road for at least ten minutes. Even Naples to to GA on I-75 was shorter than the I-10 Texas run.
 
smigaldi said:
San Angelo to New Orleans on I-10 (most of the way) worst drive of my life. I swear I fell alseep and stayed on the road for at least ten minutes.
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:rofl:

Well, there's also I-80 across the salt flats in Utah. 45 miles without a single degree of turn!
 
No we havent looked for the Marfa Lights yet. We're planning a trip out to the McDonald Observatory on Friday night for a star party.

We've been flying like mad for the last 3 or 4 days (i can't keep track). tons of fun, food, and drink. Dave Taylor has come out a few days and joined in. We're looking forward to seeing Spike in a few days.

I just signed Pete off for his commercial glider checkride, which he will take tomorrow.

Adam Kite's CFI-G checkride is on Saturday. Chris (Longus) and Chris (Brevus) have been getting some good glider flights, and Brevus has gotten some good time in the towplane too.

I spent almost all of yesterday towing in Burts Cessna 150 with a STOL kit and 180 hp conversion. not your momma's 150, as he would say.

great time down here in west texas!!
 
Tony, you all are having entirely too much fun.

Keep at it and keep us posted. :)
 
Is it possible to have too much fun? It is always a great time here and it was nice to meet Dave! I have been flying gliders, tow planes, bicycles, and cars. It is nice to be towing Tony and Chris Brevus to pay them back for all the tows I got from them! I hope to meet some more POAers while I am here.
 
Pete passed his checkride! Ill let him tell the story when he gets back to the internet. Chris Brevus and I did the towing for most of the ride. Adam got a couple of flights in for CFIG prep. i think that we're going to get a few of the other gliders out of the hangar tomorrow. DG-1000, Schweizer 1-36, and Standard Cirrus.

And hopefully Spike will show up tomorrow. Will have to give him and Tommy a ride if they do.

another beautiful sunset tonight.

happy new year everybody
 
Happy New Year Tony.. and the gang at Marfa.
Congrat's on the check ride.

We'll be digging out the birds on New Years Day, forecast to hit the low 60s with a high overcast.. rain moving in Sat evening.

Alway's start the new year with a glider flight!!
 
another great day in th sunshine. We got an earlyish start and got Chris Longus solo'd in the Blanik this morning. Then Matt and Burt did a bunch of flights with Chris Brevus in prep for him to solo. I did 12 tows in the mighty 180 hp 150 by 2 PM. Then Spike showed up! I got Tommy up for one of the best glider flights of the day. We circled in some weak lift off the greenhouses and gained 400 feet between 1500 and 1900 AGL!! Finally it was time to return to earth and Spike and Dave got photos and video of it. Im sure it will get posted. Then I took Dave up for a ride. We really need to get him back into glider flying!

Burt got out the DG-1000 and gave us a few rides. I took a 2000 foot tow and had a great time flying the glider. My first flight in a fiberglass ship, and by far the highest performance glider (at 48:1) that i have ever flown. It handled sweetly in all axes. Great way to end the day.

Tomorrow is our last day of flying. more sun and a little wind forecast. Im hoping to get out in a few of the single seaters.
 
Thanks for the terrific flight, Tony! (also to the ground crew, and Burt for providing the equipment)
 
It is nice reading about you guys having fun in the sun.
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I wish I was there also.

I think there should be a Controlled Airspace forum titled "Soaring and Glider Stuff" so these posts do not get lost in an unrelated forum.

Rick
 
we finished the week by pulling the ASK-13 out. Matt gave us all rides. what a sweet flying glider! Incredibly powerful rudder allowed for at least a 30 degree slip angle. powerful airbrakes and very well harmonized controls, simple to coordinate.

Driving home tomorrow.
 
tonycondon said:
we finished the week by pulling the ASK-13 out. Matt gave us all rides. what a sweet flying glider! Incredibly powerful rudder allowed for at least a 30 degree slip angle. powerful airbrakes and very well harmonized controls, simple to coordinate.

Driving home tomorrow.
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Great.. You'll get here just in time for the next cold snap. It's been warm for most of the past week, but should be returning to 'normal' on Sunday. Enjoy the warm west Texas sun while you can! :)
 
CJones said:
Great.. You'll get here just in time for the next cold snap. It's been warm for most of the past week, but should be returning to 'normal' on Sunday. Enjoy the warm west Texas sun while you can! :)
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yea it hasnt actually been THAT warm down here. daytime highs have flirted with 70, but the overnight lows have been 20ish, or less. it doesnt start to get semi comfortably warm until 10 or 11, and then about 4 or 4:30 it starts to get chilly again. i never got to wear the shorts or sandals that i brought.
 
tonycondon said:
yea it hasnt actually been THAT warm down here. daytime highs have flirted with 70, but the overnight lows have been 20ish, or less. it doesnt start to get semi comfortably warm until 10 or 11, and then about 4 or 4:30 it starts to get chilly again. i never got to wear the shorts or sandals that i brought.
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But something tells me that you got to wear that bucket hat that you took with you.
 
bucket hats arent for the heat, they are for the sun. and yes, both of mine got use.

we left Marfa at 630 AM Saturday. Enjoyed viewing the peak of a meteor shower before the sun came up. Stopped in Ft. Stockton to snap some pictues of a midget mustang for sale, and then pressed on. 3 fuel stops and a cold front later we were scraping the ice off my car in Ames. Home safe and sound by 100 AM Sunday. Pete will head to Madison tomorrow.

Adam passed his CFIG checkride today!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!
 
Glad you made it back safe. If I drop a few dozen pounds, I may join you next time you do this! And congrats Pete, Adam, and all others who got new ratings during this!:yes:
 
Your host Burt Compton here in Marfa, west Texas -- I sure enjoyed having the lads down here -- we did a ton of glider flying including 2 Commercial glider ratings and 2 CFI ratings (the initial CFI for Adam and the CFI renewal for Matt.)

Thanks Chris R, Chris U, Pete, Adam, Tony and Matt for making the trip down to Marfa. Great to see Dave Taylor back in a sailplane!

I'm looking forward to seeing any of you again in Marfa anytime or at our Texas Glider Rally April 4 - 11, 2009, or at the International Vintage Sailplane Meet on Harris Hill, Elmira NY, June 26 - July 4, 2009. Or meet me in Germany for 3 weeks of glider flying in September. Check my website for more info.

Stay in touch. See ya'll soon!

Burt Compton, Master CFI Glider / Airplane
FAA Designated Pilot Examiner
2009 CFI of the Year - Lubbock FAA District
website: www.flygliders.com
Marfa Gliders Soaring Center, west Texas
 
Glad you guys made it home alright, THANKS for all the help in making sure I was ready for the CFIG practical test! I look forward to the next trip, only three months away!
 
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