Tim and Mary Hawkins

sssssssssssssssssssMary Hawkins in the 2-33

sssssssssTim Hawkins in the Pawnee

Tim and Mary Hawkins are one of the few married couples who share an enthusiasm for aviation. They are a tall, attractive couple whose cheerful dispositions and candid humor is contagious. After spending a few weekends hanging out with them it became evident that they enjoy each other’s company as much as they enjoy flying.

Tim started in aviation first. The first lesson that he has in his logbook was training from Ralph Brown in a 125 HP Super Cub at the old Ruidoso airport in September 1965. This airport is now a golf course.

Tim was a commercial pilot for many years. He left Ross Aviation in late 2006. Since that time Tim has been flying a Bonanza, Pawnee, Callair, Grob, std. Cirrus, and Citabria.
Tim is a tow-pilot for both Sundance Aviation and the Albuquerque Soaring Club.

Mary is Nurse Practitioner (which may explain why she has such a calm demeanor.) She just passed her check ride for the pilot certificate in gliders on June 8th, 2008. Mary has been flying the Schweizer 2-33, 1-26 and the Grob 103.


Mary Hawkins

Mary, have you always been interested in aviation or did you become interested after you married Tim?

Actually, I was interested in aviation from the time I was about 13 years old. I lived in Greely, Colorado just behind the Greely airport. My dad had been working at the airport and bought me a flight for my 13th birthday. After that I started hanging out at the airport to learn as much as I could about airplanes.

I didn’t get my pilot’s certificate when I was a kid. I didn’t start to pursue a certificate until I joined the Soaring Club.

What made you decide to fly gliders?

Well I had to decide between gliders and power planes because I didn’t know which one I wanted to do. When Tim started working as a tow pilot at Moriarty I came out to see if I would like it (gliders). After two or three rides I decided that is what I wanted to do.

What is the most interesting flight you have had either in a power plane with Tim or in a glider?

Now that’s tough because Tim and I have had a lot of fun flying around and doing different things; spending our weekends landing at little airports and camping out or flying to Leadville, Colorado which is the highest airport in the country. We’ve had a lot of adventures flying around New Mexico and Colorado. Alaska was very adventurous as well, flying low over glaciers and viewing the unusual colors and dramatic shapes were beautiful. We flew to California last Christmas in the Citabria which we are half owners in and that was an adventure because of all the winds we had to deal with.

I guess my most memorable flight in a glider, other than my first solo, was probably the day I flew in mountain wave with Stan, my instructor. We went up to about 18,000 feet. I had never been that high or in a mountain wave before so that was fun.

Did you thermal (turn) in the wave?

No, once we got through the rotor we just flew back and forth along the edge which I thought was the upper edge of the wave. I think Stan said we were in tertiary wave most of the time which my understanding of that I think is the middle part of the wave. It just sort of tries to lift you, it is not like circling in a thermal, you just try to stay in it.


What is the most interesting thing you have seen while you were in a glider?

I don’t know, one thing I enjoy is when I look out the window and see birds, dust devils and I think hum... I wonder if I want to fly in that or not. The clouds, the landscape from that perspective, it’s all great!

What are your goals with gliders?

Well, my first goal is to get my license. (Mary passed her check-ride on June 8th, 2008) I would like to fly cross country and get more experience in other planes. I would like to fly more in the 1-26 and the grob. My short term goal is to fly some short cross-countries this summer and figure out how to get back to the airport. My ultimate goal is to fly our glider, which is a Standard Cirrus.

Do you plan to learn how to fly power planes?

I love flying gliders and really enjoy the sport, but I love power planes also. Hopefully, I will eventually get rated in both.

Mary when you started flying gliders and told your friends who were not glider pilots about your new hobby what was their reaction?

It was kind of mixed. I had one friend that would make me call her after my training every Saturday because she was worried that I would get hurt or killed. I had to call her every Saturday for the first few months of my training because she wanted to make sure I was OK. Other people at work would want to know where I was in my training and were fascinated that I would do something like that, because they didn’t think they would have enough courage to do that, to fly something without an engine.

Why do you think some people believe that flying without an engine is more dangerous than flying with an engine?

I think that their view of it is that it is something more mainstay to have a plane with an engine. If you need to you can always use the engine to get from point A to point B and you have the engine as a back-up if you need it. A lot of people that you talk to think that flying gliders means flying hang-gliders. Some people have seen gliders but a lot of them don’t know what I am talking about at all.

What are some of the unusual comments people have said to you about flying gliders?

Some people think it is strange that you would allow a plane with a 200 foot rope pull you into the air. There are some people that have a hard time wrapping their head around that. Someone asked me one time “How do you land with that plane attached to you?” They thought it was like water skiing, you flew around with the tow-plane never releasing.
Do they ever compare it to ballooning?

Occasionally, they want to know who picks you up and where do you land. When you tell them about some of the more experienced pilots who fly to Colorado and back from Moriarty, which is amazing to us beginner pilots, they want to know how many times they land. When I tell them they don’t land, they just fly all day, they find that mind boggling.

Tim Hawkins

Tim, what is the most interesting flight you have had either in a power plane or a glider?

I have trouble answering that because just like Mary said there have been so many. I thought about making a list of the 10 most interesting or frightening times I have had in an airplane. When I think about interesting, I don’t know, perhaps a couple of flights in the north slope of Alaska.

Do you want to hear frightening?

Well one time in a little L-19 two place airplane, I was doing something I shouldn’t have done, I took another pilot who wasn’t checked out in that airplane, and I decided to give him some instruction. s

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I thought he was doing alright so I said you see that mine down there? That is kind of a fun place. Let’s land down there on that road. So we landed on the road and I was in the back seat and we hit a rock. s

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As soon as we hit the rock we came to a stop. We could see the tire was going flat and we are out in the middle of no where. And if we got caught out there in the middle of no where we would both be fired. So he says “Is there anyway we can get out of here with a flat tire?” So I got in the front seat and said, “Well it is downhill and I don’t know I have never taken off with a flat tire.” It was completely flat. We were sitting on the rim. I had it full power but it wouldn’t move in the sand, so I asked him to get out and push on the tail a little bit. I can’t imagine how sand blasted he got. Somehow we moved a little bit, we were still moving slowly so he jumped in, and out across the boondocks we started picking up speed. s

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So then we started flying around trying to figure out how and where we were going to land and what we were going to say. So anyway we decided to try to land on a dry lakebed close to the airport. Luckily the wind came up so I had a nice headwind to land into and everything was fine. Of course I didn’t exactly tell the truth about how we got the flat tire. I said, “Oh, it just went flat.” Nothing bad happened. I got away with that one.

What about flying into a hurricane?

I did fly into a hurricane once in Florida. I was flying for the Department of Justice and we had a prisoner that needed to get to Miami. There was a hurricane between us and Miami. They asked me if I could do that and I said “Well I could just fly around the hurricane.” I found that I could get closer and closer.

What were you flying?

A DC-9.

I started at the edge of the hurricane, there was a lot of moisture. What I didn’t know was that the air in the hurricane is real warm. That’s part of the definition of a hurricane. So I hit the warm air and couldn’t stay up to 35,000 feet. I had to come down to around 25,000 feet. But it was nice, there was no other traffic in that area. So I got to go where ever I wanted. It was not a big deal, it wasn’t that turbulent. I did not fly into the wall or the eye, I just went around the sides.

What is your most interesting flight in a glider so far?

Interesting?

OK, memorable?

A long time ago I first got my glider rating in 1975. I went up, I don’t know how high and there was a little cloud. I only had about 10 hours in gliders. I was in a 1-26 (Schweitzer) and that cloud felt like a vacuum cleaner. It just kept taking me right up. And somewhere around 18,000 feet I decided this is high enough, I need to get away from this vacuum cleaner.

I had another flight back then when I thought to myself , I wonder if I can do this 5 hour thing? It was part of the badge. I went up for something like 4 hours and 30 minutes. I had to go to the bathroom so bad that when I came down I did not want to land near where all the people where hanging out. So I landed at the opposite end of the runway. And I made up my mind that I was going to slam that thing on the ground just as fast as I could and jump out before anybody could get there. I know that’s silly but I remember that one clearly.

Have you ever been scared in any of your flights?

Of course. One time in a DC-9 I was going into Augusta, Georgia, I was the co-pilot. Over the airport we could see on radar that there was a thunderstorm. I asked the pilot, “Surely we are not going to land while there is a thunderstorm?” He said, “Well let’s just take a look.” s

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So we shot the approach into Augusta. I kept asking him, “If we go around which way are we going to turn?” because every where around us was a huge thunderstorm. And he said, “We’ll see what it looks like.” s

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I broke out of the clouds and in front of us was the lead-in strobe lights to the runway. We could see those clearly. Where the strobe lights ended and the runway began was a black wall of rain coming down, like you see those solid walls. We flew right into that. The second we hit the edge, lightening came out of a cloud and hit us. s

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As we touched down lightening hit us and we landed and came to a stop. We did a lightening strike inspection because we carried mechanics. It seemed like that took a couple of hours. During this time it rained harder than I have ever seen rain. s

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I found out later that the rain storm we landed in was the record rain storm in Augusta at that time. It rained five inches in one hour. No one else landed. ss

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When the rain ended we were the first to take off. As we were taking off we looked up and saw blocks of concrete laying on the runway. We flew over it and went to Florida. s

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The next day we flew back to the same airport (in Augusta) and a maintenance man asked if he could come up and talk to me on the airplane. He asked me, “How is your airplane?” I said, “I guess it is fine, we have been flying all over the last couple of days.” He said, “Well that lightening that hit your tail went through and broke up the runway and it took a yard and a half of material to fill the hole up.” So I have always considered myself very lucky to get away with that stupidity. That was one of my top ten exciting times.

Now that you are a tow-pilot for the Albuquerque Soaring Club and Sundance Aviation. Has anyone, (a pilot or a student) done something on tow that made you nervous?

A few times I have had gliders start to take off on the runway and lift the tail of the tow-plane. And I wonder how much of that I can tolerate before I have to release. Also I wonder if I would be quick enough to release before my prop would hit the ground. Fortunately I haven’t had to do that.

I had one tow for Sundance. I learned a lesson, never attempt to tow a heavy glider that is not fully lined up with the runway. Because, it points the tow-plane towards the edge of the runway. The only way to get the tow-plane lined up with the runway is to step on the break, but if you step on the break hard enough the tow-plane with go on its nose. I came a little close that time to having a prop strike. That got my attention.

I have found that towing can be exciting because sometimes the tow-plane experiences the same turbulence as the glider you are towing. When I am bouncing around I worry about the guy behind me. What is he feeling?

Advice to glider pilots on tow...

I would like to tell everybody who is being towed, don’t think that I can tell what you are doing back there, cause I can’t. I can’t see that well behind me. So all those little things they tell you in the manual, all those signals you can give the tow-pilot, most of them don’t work. If you pull off to the side and think that you are telling me to turn, I just think you are out of position. Surely you don’t want me to turn. If you want me to turn you need to call me on the radio.

OK, so the next time I am out of position I am going to claim I was just trying to make you turn :-)

If you want to help me out let me know when you get off tow. If there is a little bit of slack in the rope I can’t tell. If I can’t find you in the mirror the only thing I can do is keep climbing. At some point when I decide to write down that altitude, I just hope it is not too much higher than where you tried to get off.

So your advice to glider pilots is to call you and let you know when they are off tow?

I think that is the most economical thing to do unless you put some tension on the rope so that I can tell. I really appreciate it when somebody lets me know they are off tow.

Deor Jenson

Deor Jenson flying his old LS-4 over hwy I-40 between Cedar Crest and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Deor Jenson is a part-time glider pilot instructor and tow pilot for Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, New Mexico. During the soaring season he lives in New Mexico and winters in Arizona.

On meeting Deor I walked away with the thought that this is an incredibly nice person. His speech and mannerisms convey that of a kind and gentle soul. This is not what you would expect from someone who spent most of their career as military fighter pilot. The stereotypical image of an arrogant, aggressive, hot-shot pilot doesn’t fly here (pun intended).

Deor began his career as a charter pilot and flight instructor to help pay for college and family expenses. After graduation, he entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant and attended pilot training, also known as "the week of 52 years." There he flew the T-37, T-38, A-7D, AT-38B and A-10. After he retired from the Air Force he worked full-time for Rick Kohler at Sundance Aviation.

Deor’s other interests have been bicycle road racing and time trials. He participated in the US Cycling Federation Masters National Championship in 1987.


How did you get interested in aviation?

I can't remember not being interested in flying. However, I can point to something specific that turned me toward a career focused on aviation. The year was 1968. I was serving in North Carolina as a missionary for the LDS Church. I became acquainted with some of the Air Force fighter pilots that were assigned to Seymour-Johnson AFB. These guys were extremely enthusiastic about their "work" and were constantly telling exciting flying stories.

When I learned that it might be possible - even for me -to fly fighters for the Air Force, I decided to pursue the goal when I returned home from my mission. College and AFROTC lead to my career in the Air Force.

You fly both power planes and gliders, what did you learn first?

My first flight training was in a Piper Cherokee 140 in 1969. I didn't earn glider ratings until 1973.

Does anyone else in your family fly?

My younger brother got his private airplane license before I started flying. He now has a "real" job and hasn't flown for quite a few years.

If you could purchase any plane, what one would you choose and why?

The first thing that came to mind was some sort of fighter like a P-51 or F-5E. But, to be honest, my 59 year old body is past the point where high sustained "G" is a good idea. Besides, flying sailplanes has been the most satisfying recreational flying I've ever done. I'd pick an ASH-26E sailplane.

What type of glider do you own?

I've had a DG-400 for a little over a year and a Standard Libelle (my second Libelle) for about a month.

Why did you purchase those particular gliders?

The DG-400 is a motorglider. That makes it very convenient on busy soaring days when a dozen other gliders are in line for a tow. I simply extend the engine, take off under my own power and find a thermal, shut down the engine and go soaring. I can also fly from airfields where a towplane is not available.

I purchased the Libelle as a winter project and also because it's such a pleasant glider to fly. The Libelle is a good value - reasonable performance and not terribly expensive.

You are both a tow pilot and an glider pilot instructor, which job do you like better?

I enjoy the variety of both jobs. It's rewarding to help a student develop safe aviation skills and attitudes and to catch the soaring bug. I also love it when Rick at Sundance asks me on a busy day to climb into one of his towplanes and help get our waiting glider pilots into the sky.

What is your most memorable flight in a glider?

It was a Veterans Day Monday on Oahu.

All the military restricted airspace was cold because of the holiday. I took a tow in my Libelle out of Dillingham Airfield (northwest tip of the island) to the nearby ridge and released at 700 feet in good ridge lift.

I gradually worked east along the ridge climbing up to the 4000 foot summit of Mount Kaala and then crossed the normally hot and hazardous mortar firing range just west of the Army's Schofield Barracks. With the restricted airspace now available, I continued south along the eastern crest of the Waiane Mountains.

The trade winds provided good ridge lift and a street of big black-bottom clouds indicated nice thermal lift.

It occurred to me that my flight path covered the same route as the Japanese attack some 60 years earlier. Soon I had a fantastic view of Peal Harbor, Hickam AFB, Honolulu, and the famous Diamond Head. What a spectacular sight! I could see a steady stream of airliners and military jets flying over the beautiful south shore of Oahu on final approach to Honolulu International.

I continued downtown to the edge of the Class B airspace before starting the return trip to Dillingham. What an enjoyable flight!

What is your most memorable flight in a power plane?

Since three-fourths of my flying time is in powered planes, I've had lots of memorable flights in aircraft with burnable ballast. It's hard to pick just one but I certainly have lots of stories to tell.


What advice do you have for new pilots?

Keep your priorities straight. In order, this is what they should be:

1. Maintain aircraft control.
2. Never hit anything in the air or allow anything in the air to hit you.
3. Never hit the ground or anything attached to the ground.
4. Always be in a position from which you can make a safe landing.


What advice do you have for new glider instructors?

Be kind and patient. Figure out how the particular student learns best and teach in such a way that you meet the students needs.

If you want to learn how to fly gliders check out Sundance Aviation.

Ron Crawford

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Ron Crawford

Upper photo, providing tows for Sundance Aviation in the Pawnee.

Lower photo, playing his bagpipes in the hanger at Sundance Aviation.x

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Ron Crawford is a tow pilot at Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, New Mexico. On a slow weekday you can find him in the hangar playing his bagpipes. He is a member of the band, Order of the Thistle Pipes & Drums.

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Ron’s background is very diverse. He has worked in the Military, Aerospace, Agricultural Aviation, Part 135 Charter, Tow Pilot for Southwest Soaring and Calistoga Soaring , Broadcast Engineering and as a Computer IT Analyst. x

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How did you get into aviation? x

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I learned to fly sailplanes in 1967 when I joined the Arizona Soaring Club. I added a power rating to my Private license and then used the G.I. Bill to complete my Commercial ratings. x

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Why did you start playing the bagpipes? x

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I've loved the bagpipes since I was seven years old and when I crossed paths with an instructor. x

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I felt it was time to do it.What is Scottish Rite, Order of the Thistle? x

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The Scottish Rite is an extension of the Masonic Lodge. The Order of the Thistle is an Honor Guard and sponsor group within the Scottish Rite that sponsors our pipe & drum band. Our band is the "Order of the Thistle Pipes & Drums". I'm currently the Pipe Major of the band. We have both women and men that are pipers and drummers, as well as young people. We meet for practice in the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple on Tuesday evenings at 6:30PM. We teach piping and drumming to beginners and you do not have to be a Mason to join the band. x

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Do you play any other instruments? x

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Yes, I play the Guitar, Bass Guitar, and the French Horn. Also, I love to play the Native American Flute. x

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What is your educational background? x

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Electronics, Aviation and Music. x

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Did you serve in the military? x

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Yes, Naval Aviation. I was aircrew, a Morse code radio operator on the WV-2 Super Constellation, and ASW technician/radio operator on the P5M-2 Marlin seaplane.x

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What kinds of planes have you flown? x

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Sailplanes, many types of single-engine aircraft, several multi-engine aircraft. Mainly, I flew the Piper Pawnee, Cessna AG-Truck, Callair A9-B & B1, Grumman AG-Cat, and Thrush Commander spray planes. Most of my flying time though, is in the Air-Tractor AT-301/R-1340. x

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What is your most memorable flight? x

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Flying a Grumman AG Cat cross country... It was a lot like barnstorming. Also, flying for six and a half hours in my home built BJ-1 Duster sailplane at Caddo Mills, Texas. Still my best soaring flight.x

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What do you like about being a tow pilot? x

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Providing a service for other pilots to enjoy their sport of soaring. It also satisfies my need to fly.x

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Have you ever had to release a glider from tow? x

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Not yet.x

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Have you ever not been able to release? x

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No.x

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If you could purchase any plane you wanted, which one would it be and why? x

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I'm a hopeless "aviation" romantic and would purchase a Stearman PT-13A with a R-985 power plant, painted in U.S. Army colors, cause I love flying Bi-wing open cockpit aircraft. Would love to share that experience with others.x

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What advice can you give new pilots? x

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Your new "License" is just a license to learn. Humility should come to you if you fly long enough, as experience is gained by surviving your mistakes. Flying is less forgiving and no place for a "Cowboy" or "Cowgirl". Be safe... "Ego will kill you", as my first employer in the Ag business reminded me. I've never forgotten those words. Stay current and get proper training before executing extreme maneuvers, etc. Respect the privilege of flying, and then enjoy it!

To learn more about the Scottish Rite go to: http://www.scottishrite.org/

For glider flights or lessons go to: http://www.soarsundance.com/

Jon Held

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Jon Held doing a roll from the backseat of a Grob.

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Jon Held was born and raised in San Diego, near the ocean. He was introduced to glider flying at the age of ten when he attended a glider meet at Torrey Pines Glider Port, just north of La Jolla, California. He has worked as an instructor for Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, New Mexico.

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Presently he is working parttime giving glider rides at Warner Springs Glider Port in California. He also has a photography business with his girlfriend, Jenna Close. x

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How did you get involved in flying?x

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When I was about ten I attended a glider meet at Torrey Pines Glider Port just north of La Jolla, CA. I remember the thrill of watching the winch launches. x

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I did not fly until I moved to Boulder Colorado and in 1986. A friend gave me a gift certificate for a glider flight over the mountains there. It was great! x

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Then for the next four years I would watch these gliders silently drift over my house. But they weren't exactly silent. Some of them would emit this etherial moan. Finally the call was too great and I went out to the airport and began taking lessons. x

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Rick Kohler was my instructor.x

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Does anyone else in your family fly?

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Flight is not a family trait. Though my father was a competitive javelin thrower. x

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Do you fly both power planes and sailplanes? If so, which did you fly first?x

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Now that I think of it, I did take a ride in a Cessna low wing with my best friend Clark when I was fourteen. So powered flight was first. His dad flew us from Montgomery Field in San Diego to San Jose. And Clark and I spent many hours "flying" in planes we built from cardboard boxes. x

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Gliding ultimately proved to be a more captivating experience for me. Clark went on to become an airline pilot. I did get a Sea Plane rating in 2006 in Seattle. I have about 1 hour solo in a floatplane. I do not have a license for a plane with wheels. x

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What made you decide to teach flying?x

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As my girlfriend and I were driving to Seattle, where she was to attend Photography school, I suddenly announced that I wanted to fly gliders for a living. We had just barely moved into our apartment when I took off back to Colorado to fly as a commercial pilot for Val-Air in Durango for the summer. x

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It was such terribly good fun that I chose to fly for another summer. But I had made the decision too late and Val-Air had already hired all the pilots it needed for that summer. x

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I recalled that Rick Kohler once said that If I had my instructors rating he would hire me. I got my rating in Vermont at Sugarbush Soaring while we were visiting my girlfriends parents. Rick hired me the next week.x

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So, in essence, it was by default that I got my instructors rating, but it was a completely natural thing. I had been teaching juggling for all my life.x

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What do you like about teaching?

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There is much frustration and satisfaction in teaching. Moments of realization, epiphany, joy, stubbornness, and terror. I like all those things. And I like the student-teacher relationship. Anyone who gets in my airplane has to trust and respect me or they wouldn't be there.

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What don't you like about teaching? x

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The only thing I don't like about teaching is when I think I have personally failed a student in some way.

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What is your most memorable flight?

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The number one most memorable flight was on a strong wave day, meaning there were severe conditions and strong winds. I did not allow enough spare altitude as I came back to the field. I was entirely too low. My butt was spared by an unexpected area of strong lift, giving me the requisite altitude to land safely. I won't ever forget that. I was unprepared to take the necessary emergency action in the situation I was in. Meaning I was not prepared to make an unusual pattern or a landout. x

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In Durango I gave a ride to an 86 year old woman who had never before been in any kind of plane. This was her first flight experience. By the end of the hour she was flying the plane by herself. x

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In Moriarty I had a Bald Eagle come and fly a circle with me just a few feet above the wing. It was inside of my wingspan, less than 10 feet away.

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In Boulder I was at 16,000 feet and I saw a horizontal tornado. It looked exactly like a waterspout, about 400-500 feet long and about 30 feet in diameter. It was the rotor from a standing wave downwind of the Rocky Mountains..

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What did you do before you became a flight instructor?

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I have been a performing juggler for all of my employed career. I started out on the streets of Boulder, Colorado passing the hat and juggling torches and machetes and the like. Eventually I toured the world with a group known as Airjazz. We did lots of international arts festivals, international television and we were on the Tonight Showin 1984.

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How does your past profession compare to your new profession?x

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They both involve precision motor skills, and although it might seem dangerous to juggle torches, flight has a greater potential for disaster. x

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Instructing juggling is easier because we don’t have to teach all the safety issues. When you’re learning to juggle you can just go for it without consequences.

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In addition to flight instruction you also have a business with your girlfriend Jenna. What kind of business is it? x

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We have started a commercial photography enterprise. We specialize in corporate and industrial photography with a focus on alternative energy. This is a new but growing market, and something of a personal interest. And wind turbine blades are just like giant glider wings. x

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P2 Photography
Jon Held and Jenna Close

http://www.p2photography.net/

Jeremy Patton

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Jeremy Patton in the Grob at Sundance Aviation, Moriarty, New Mexico

Jeremy Patton grew up in Moriarty, New Mexico. He learned how to fly gliders while working as a line boy for Rick Kohler at Sundance Aviation. He spent the entire summer of 2007 at Sundance Aviation learning everything he possibly could about gliders and glider pilots. Presently he is taking time off to study at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM).

What got you started flying gliders?

I had been formally introduced to sailplanes when I had my interview with Rick back in March (2007). As a kid I had seen sailplanes being towed, yet never truly understood the concept of soaring until getting the job as Line Boy. So... I began flying soon after getting the job.

Have you ever flown power planes?

Yes, but only a couple times. Once with EAA Young
Eagles when I was a young lad of 11 yrs., and the other with Rick in the Maule.

Does anyone else in your family fly?

Yeah airlines here and there. I have a couple uncles who own a Piper Cherokee that's about it.

How did you find out about the job at Sundance Aviation?

One simple phone call. I was working at Buford Steakhouse waiting and bussing tables when I decided that I didn't like that job. So what did I do you ask? I looked for a new job. Now if you are familiar with Moriarty, you know that there are maybe few jobs that pay well and are actually fun. "Which ones?" you ask, well I'll leave the guessing to you to give Moriarty the benefit of the doubt, for I only know of one; working at the airport.

What did you like about working as a line boy?

Everything for the most part. I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy listening to all the stories, tall tales,etc. ha. I loath slow days, especially when I'm moody. Gah, I need something to do, Im depressed, ugh. ha. I learned a lot of new things, met cool people, met un-cool people, and got to FLY!

You managed Sundance for a few weeks while the owner was on vacation, what was that like?

Well, it was great experience for me. Looks good on a resume.

Would you ever want to own a glider operation?

That is a difficult endeavor to pursue. I wouldn't want to own my own glider op, but would possibly go into a partnership. Maybe someday perhaps.

What is your most memorable flight?

Out of all the flights I have in gliders, which isn't saying much, the most memorable is my first flight with Jim Harkins. "Jet Jockey" as I call him, annoyed me to a degree in which made me want to jump out of the plane when flying with him. If only I had a parachute. ha. He picked on every little flaw, making me practice whatever it was until I got it right, or- "good enough". I was so frustrated I wanted to clean his clock. And of all the days I could've flown with him, that was the day I soloed. After 5 grueling flights with the motor-mouthed fighter pilot know-it-all, I soloed. June 12, 2007. He dumped cold water on me when I got back haha.

Despite all of the mean things I said about Mr. Harkins, I love the guy. I learned so much that day, and in the months that followed, I grew to appreciate his overly-analytical approach to instruction as I witnessed men come to Sundance men, and during their time with Jim turn to putty, then leave men with better habits, haha. Jim's great.

Do you plan to buy a glider one day? If so which one would you buy?

Heck yes! When I'm wealthy enough to purchase one. I would like an ASW-20. better yet an ASW-27. That's the ultimate for me. I like the old school Labelles as well. oooh, You want to know what I really want though? That's right, an F4U supercorsair. * drool*

If you want to learn more about flying gliders contact Sundance Aviation
http://www.soarsundance.com/

Richard Kohler

Rick Kohler, President of Sundance Aviation, Moriarty, New Mexico

Rick Kohler grew up in an aviation family. His Uncle Ray was a captain for American Airlines and both his Aunt Emmy and Uncle Charles were a private pilots. Rick’s father was also an aviation enthusiast and took him to several air shows. As a child Rick would drive his mother crazy by running around all the time with models and toy airplanes. Rick was introduced to gliders by Tom Holloran, friend of Rick’s father who was a glider pilot. Tom owned a farm with an airstrip and provided Rick with several rides.

Rick took his first flying lesson at age 16. An injury and afterwards college forced him to take a break from his aviation activities. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1974 in English Literature. Then went back in 1975 – 77 and studied voice and Opera at the University of Cincinnati College conservatory of music. During his music career Rick performed with the Cincinnati Opera chorus.

Today Rick runs a successful glider operation in Moriarty, New Mexico. He owns a Schweitzer 2-33, two Grobs, an LS-4, a Pawnee and a Callair. He also shares a Maule with his girlfriend Aimee. Aimee and Rick take their vacations in the Maule and recently went to Michigan to obtain their seaplane ratings.

Hours: Total time in power planes, 2,500 hours. Gliders, over 10,000 hours.

You are both a power pilot and a glider pilot. What did you fly first?

I started with power planes. My first lesson was in a Citabria. I soloed in a Piper-Cub. I went on to get my glider rating in 1980 and my instructor rating in 1986. I started flying gliders at Caesar Creek Soaring Club in Waynesville, OH.

What made you decide to become a full time glider instructor?

In 1982 I went to work as an aircraft tech. Did that for a year. Then took a sales job for four years, 1983 – 88. I hated sales. I had been doing gratis instruction for the soaring club. Then I answered an ad as an instructor for Estrella sailport in Maricopa, AZ. I was there for a year then I went to Bolder, Colorado for five years and worked for Cloud Base Soaring Inc. From there I came to Moriarty and started Sundance Aviation in April 1994.

Have you ever flown with difficult students?

I had one guy in Arizona who was a licensed glider pilot and he wanted fly a high performance glider. I don’t think he was in full possession of his marbles. In fact, I don’t think he had enough marbles to play jacks. He was disoriented and was obviously confused. Who ever signed him off on his check ride did the aviation community a huge disservice. I had to keep taking over the controls, he got disoriented and couldn't find the runway.

He was flying a ridiculously long downwind and I told him to make a right turn, we were a mile and a half out at 500 or 600 feet above the ground. He opened the air brakes all the way at which point I said, "I am taking the controls." He replied, "No Rick, I am making this landing." He was a pretty big guy and would not let go of the controls. I asked him for the controls three times and three times he refused. Every time I tried to take the controls he would push the nose down more and open the dive brakes more.

Finally I told him, "If you don’t kill us on this landing I am going to kill you when we get on the ground." At which point he relinquished the controls. I dove it into ground effect to get it over the fence and we just barely made the runway, rolled out and stopped a little bit short. After we got out of the glider, he said, "Wow, I am really glad you took it I really learned a lot." My response was, "I don’t care if you learned anything I will never fly with you again. Do yourself and everyone a favor and find another hobby."

Another time I had a Japanese student with whom I was practicing stalls. He became terrified. He held the stick close to his chest and wouldn't let go. I ended up having to tap him on the back of his head to get him to release. He threw up his hands and started yelling stuff in Japanese. He was so scared he never came back.

What was your most memorable flight?

My very first flight as an employee with the chief pilot at Estrella. It was a really good soaring day. There was great lift. We got as high as 12,000 feet at one point. We were soaring over the Estrella ridge and after a couple of stalls and what not my instructor said. "OK, show me some spins. So I did a spin entry to the left and recovered after about half a turn. Then I did the same thing to the right.

Then in a fairly thick Hungarian accent he said, "Now I will show you how to make the glider really spin." And he did, except that after about ¾ of the first turn the glider went completely flat. We were not wearing parachutes. The first thing he did was to use all the standard spin recovery techniques. Rudder opposite the rotation and full forward stick, nothing. Then he tried opening the dive breaks which in the Grob have a nose down pitching tendency, nothing. Then he removed his shoulder straps and leaned his body forward, nothing, and then he said release your belts and come forward. I was ahead of him and was already on my way into the front cockpit, nothing. It stayed flat for about another 4 or 5 turns. We had lost about 4,000 feet at this point.

Finally he put everything into the spin, stick all the way forward and to the left and full left rudder. At that point the nose began to pitch down and come back up again. With each rotation you heard a big swish. After about two rotations of pitching up and down again we recovered. He was a very skilled pilot, he got us in and he got us out.

Upon landing and walking back into the operations office he made the following authoritative announcement, "We will no longer spin the Grobs!" That was the most scared I have every been in an airplane.

What is your most memorable land-out?

It was July 7th, 1992 when I made my first attempt at the 500 K diamond distance flight. The route was from Boulder to Eleven Mile Reservoir (which is just west of Colorado Springs) then on to Laramie and back to Boulder. It was a good flight but I just didn't make it.

What happened during that first attempt?

I had turned Laramie and was on my way back to Boulder. It was around 6:30pm. I was at about 15,000 feet MSL when I left Laramie and the cloud base was about 20,000 feet. There were plenty of clouds and I was about 20 miles from the mountains. However, I did not find one thermal between Laramie and the mountains. I ended up landing in a cow pasture at between 8,500 and 9,000 feet about five miles NE of Red Feather, CO.

How was the landing?

I ended up coming in too fast and touched down about 1/3 of the way into the cow pasture which was about 800 to 1000 feet long. I got on the brake, which lived up to it's reputation of being a suggestion of stopping rather than an actual device used to stop the glider. I went through the field, bounced across the county road on the only point on that road for 100 feet on either side that the shoulder was shallow enough not to damage the glider. I ended up rolling 20 feet up an embankment. I was amazed that the glider actually stopped and didn't roll back down the embankment. None of this was skill but pure dumb luck. I got out, walked to the top of the embankment and saw a 600 foot shear drop which really got my knees shaking. At that time I didn't know where I was. I went back to look at the chart and saw that the town of Red Feather was about five miles away.

Were there any people around to help?

I saw some dust coming down a country road, it was an older man, his wife and his 10 year old grandson in a Ford pick-up truck. The old man said, "You look like you could use a cold one." I replied, "That would be nice but what I really need is a telephone." He said, "Phone, what’s that?" Then with a chuckle he handed me a very modern cell phone (this was back in 1992 when not that many people owned cell-phones.)

I contacted my crew who started the long drive to this remote location. After calling my crew I found out that the old man owned the entire top of the mountain. He had a well house and a beautifully manicured campsite. I spent the time waiting for my crew riding around in ATV’s and doing target practice with his grandson. He fed me copiously. When my crew arrived he provided light for the de-rigging of my glider and then fed my crew copiously. I ended up mailing the family certificates for glider rides.

My crew did mention on the way up that he noticed there was nothing but trees, rocks and winding roads through many hills. He couldn't believe I found any place to land.

Three weeks later I made the same flight but I was at 16,500 ft over the cow pasture with final glide back to Boulder.

For Lessons or Glider Rides contact Rick at Sundance Aviation, 505-832-2222 or you can visit their website at: http://www.soarsundance.com/

David Sharp

Dave Sharp in the front seat of a Grob at
Sundance Aviation, Moriarty, New Mexico

History

David Sharp started flying hang gliders at the age of 19. He was a professional hang glider pilot, paraglider pilot and an instructor for 14 years. He got his first sponsorship after only two years of flying. On July 19th, 2000 he broke two world’s records in a ATOS glider (with a glide ratio of 19:1); the longest declared goal of 203 miles and the overall distance record. He flew his ATOS glider for 9 hours and went 311 miles (501 kilometers).

Outdoor Life Network hired Dave and two other pilots from the States to fly hang gliders and paragliders over ancient ruins in Peru. This was the brainstorm of one of the film produces who happened to have a wife from Peru. Dave was the #1 cross-county racing hang glider pilot in the U.S. and went on to become #1 in the world in 2000. The other two pilots Mitch McAleer (the top aerobatic pilot) and Kari Castle (one of the top hang gliding cross country pilots) joined him for a month of hiking and flying over Cuzco, Arequipa and Machu Pichu.

Dave started flying sailplanes in the year 2000 with Rick Kohler at Sundance Aviation. He now works for Rick part time as a commercial pilot and line boy. You can arrange an aerobatic flight with Dave or Rick by calling Sundance Aviation at 505-832-2222.

Dave owns IMG, Inc. which does real estate investment acquisitions. He buys and sells lower income residential properties in New Mexico. He has been married 17 years and has two children, a 16 year old daughter, Danielle and a 13 year old son, Ryan.

What got you into hang gliding?

I was looking for something to do when I got out of high school. I use to watch them fly off of Sandia Crest from my house when I was a kid. Of course my parents would not have anything to do with that. In January of 1985, when I was 19 years old, I took my first hang gliding lesson.

What was your most memorable flight in a hang glider?

The world distance record.

Tell me about the trip Outdoor Life Network Sponsored for you to fly your paraglider in Peru. What was it like there?

Peru has a magic feel about it, like: desert with red, yellow and white sands that meets the ocean, giant volcanoes near Arequipa, jungle, glaciers , Alpine. You really feel like you on another planet. Oh and the Andes have awesome soaring !!!

What were you hired to do there?

The Mission was to fly the Nazca Lines, Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Cusco and Pisco. We climbed Mount Misti, a volcano that is 20,000 feet above sea level. We were hired to paraglide off the top and land in the town of Arequipa below. It would be a 13,000 foot decent. We also flew over the ancient city of Cusco.

Tell us about the hike up. Did you have a guide ?

Franz was our local guide (Swiss born) he ran a paragliding school from his apartment on the beach at Lima. He had us take some sort of drug that allowed our blood to do a better job holding on to O2 molecules. We were supposed to take it 12 hours before the hike. We all did except Kari who took it the day of the hike and ended up getting swelling of the brain. We just about ran up to the first base camp, 14,500 feet. None of us slept much that night. Kari had a bad headache all night. The next day Franz was just gone he never slowed down except for smoking breaks. All the slow local hands passed us around 17,000 feet.

With less than 3 hours before sunset at about 18500 feet we just ran out of energy. Each step felt like a major effort. So I took off my 50 pound pack and pulled out 2 large oxygen bottles. I offered one to Kari but she had some sort of ego challenge going on and declined. I shared the Oxygen with Mitch which did not really snap us out of it. We slogged our way to the top with
1 hr and 20 minutes to spare.

Paragliders stall at about 12 mph and at 20,000 feet it could not have been slow enough. It took Mitch and I three attempts to get off the top but we did it. Poor Kari would only have enough energy to watch. Kari, Franz and the film crew spent the night sleeping outdoors in 6 inches of snow. They would not launch until 10 am the next day.

The Glide out was un-eventful except for a light head-wind which meant that I just cleared the foot hills and made it to the edge of town. We would enjoy pizza and beer that night and a warm toilet (as I had some problems for most of that trip.) The film crew had ran out of water during the hike and pissed orange for two days (dehydrated).

That event was something I have no desire what so every to repeat, too much pain and not enough joy for a big sled ride.

Why did you make the transition into gliders (sailplanes) from hang gliders and paragliders?

I wanted something interesting to do after retiring from hang gliding. Soaring seemed like a great substitution. I have a family and the traveling and maintaining the sponsorship took a backseat to my family. That led me to pursue flying sailplanes in my backyard.

What is your most memorable flight in a glider?

Doing the Diamond Distance (500 Kilometers) in Dior’s Ventus with water ballast in the wings.

Does any one else in your family fly?

My wife use to fly hang gliders, she got her intermediate rating and flew off the Sandia Crest a few times.

During a family vacation at Zion’s this July my daughter, Danielle and I ran up to Salt Lake to see my friend Chris Santacroce. Chris works for Super Fly, Inc. and is my old partner from the days of running the SOARING CENTER, a hang gliding and paragliding school. While we were there I arranged for Danielle to have her first paragliding lesson. It was fun to watch.

I think she has the knack as I watched her learn I can see little things. Like the way she tucks her arms in before the tandem launch (reduces the center of mass) making it easier for Chris to ground-handle the glider. Or during one of her bunny flights the way she twists and turns facing the PG. This is the correct technique as facing forward means you can get pulled over backwards. Little things like that make me think she could be a great pilot.

However you know how kids are, they have their own plans. Next summer I think both Ryan and Danielle may take the whole course.

You can see a video of Dave performing aerobatics in a Grob and a video of Danielle’s first hang glider lesson at: http://web.mac.com/tenpines/Site/Movie.html

If you are interested in learning how to fly hang gliders a great place to start is Super Fly, Inc. at: http://www.superflyinc.com/