Bill Hill - Thoughts on Cross-Country Soaring

Bill in his Discus 2 flying over Moriarty, New Mexico

This is the first in a series of interviews with the pilots of Moriarty, New Mexico.

Aviation Experience

Bill Hill has been flying gliders since 1963. He is an instructor and an accomplished cross-country glider pilot. He has been in numerous glider competitions and is a mentor to many of the younger glider pilots at Moriarty.

Bill retired from Air Traffic Control as an Assistant Air Traffic Manager in 1993. He has been employed as a commercial pilot ever since. He has flown for Sky West, Seven Bar Flying Service, Rio Grande Air, Westward Airways and presently flies for Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque.

How did you get started flying gliders?

While on a flight from the Frederick Municipal airport in Frederick MD, I spotted a glider circling near the town of Leesburg VA. As I approached the area in which it was flying, the glider started a descent toward the Leesburg airport. Fascinated by the prospect of engineless flight, I followed it to the airport, landed, tied down my trusty Piper Super Cruiser, and took a glider ride. Three flights later I soloed in a Schweizer 2-22 Utility glider and was hooked for life.

What is your most memorable flight?

Since memorable need not equate with pleasurable, I would have to pick the mid-air collision between myself and another competitor during a national soaring championship in 1984. I was hit from behind by the pilot of another sailplane which did substantial damage to my glider. Rather than bail out of my crippled craft, (which in retrospect I should have done), I elected to fly it back to the airport of origin. I had the good fortune to make a successful landing and was able to have the glider repaired. The other pilot who’s sailplane sustained only minor damage also returned for landing.


Why do you think you are such a successful cross county pilot?

Assessing the subtle nuances of change in the atmosphere and making adjustments in tactics enables me to maximize my time spent in cruise and minimize the time spent climbing in thermals. The net result is a higher average cross country speed combined with a greater number of miles flown.

An additional part of the tactics involved in cross country flying is determining how close to the ground you are willing to fly before accepting a weaker thermal in order to keep from landing. This in turn is a function of knowing when to fly slower and when to speed up which is all part of the tactics of assessing change and applying the best technique in order to maximize the entire soaring day.

What usually causes pilots to land away from the departure airport?
Generally the lower time glider pilot tends to get tunnel vision and therefore loses his focus and ability to assess conditions. As he gets lower, his ability to center a thermal is compromised by his level of anxiety which in turn increases as he gets closer to the ground.

The novice pilot becomes distracted by such things as his desire to get home regardless of the conditions. He fails to realize that in order to get home, he must first keep flying. This may require a deviation from his intended route to his destination in order to avail himself of soarable conditions.

Bill’s two favorite books on cross-country flying are:

Cross Country Soaring by Helmut Reichman
http://www.skysailing.com/pages/sup.html

and

Winning on the Wind by George Moffat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_B._Moffat,_Jr.

About the Author

Diana Roberts in a Schweitzer 2-33, Sundance Aviation, Moriarty, New Mexico


I am a student pilot at Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, New Mexico. This blog started out as a school project. I wasn't sure if anyone would let me interview them but it turns out that all the pilots I asked were extremely enthusiastic. This has been a fun project and will probably continue after the semester is over.

How did I get started flying gliders ?

When I was a child I use to dream about flying around town. I would take a few steps and then be airborne. Gliding around my old neighborhoods was an incredible experience. I miss those dreams.

Last year while hiking in the Sandia mountains I ran across a few hang glider pilots. One of the pilots spent about 30 minutes patiently explaining the process of flying these giant human kites. Then he put the 80 lb kite on his back, took off running and jumped off the cliff. It was amazing to watch him transform from a average man into an eagle. The idea of hang gliding was becoming very enticing. However, there was one little glitch, I was not about to put a heavy kite on my back and jump off a cliff!

A few weeks later I was sitting in the Copper Lounge with friends having $3.00 burgers and $2.00 martinis when I had a brainstorm. Why don't I find a place in New Mexico that offers glider lessons? Gliders are real planes, not kites. You can control them the same why you control a plane. The only difference is that they don't have engines. The appeal to me was that I could soar around town looking down at my neighborhoods like I did in my dreams.

The next day I found a website for Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, New Mexico. I sent an email to them asking for more information. The owner, Rick, called me about a week later. He spent a good hour on the phone explaining to me what it would take to learn how to fly gliders. I liked him so I decided to take my lessons from Sundance. It was a good choice. The instructors are great and not only have I discovered a new hobby but I have met some wonderful people along the way.

My best flights:

Last summer while taking a lesson from Rick I discovered that he is a tenor. I love opera and one of my favorite operas is Eugene Onegin by Pushkin. I asked Rick if he could sing an aria from Eugene Onegin. He sang to me from the back seat of the Schweitzer. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Rick's girlfriend, Aimee, thinks he should offer singing glider rides. Aimee is right, the music made the experience so much richer.


My next incredible flight was this summer. A friend of mine took me on my first cross country flight in his Stemme. We flew for 6 hours without an engine. We went from Moriarty to White Sands and up to Santa Rosa and back to Moriarty. He let me fly 95% of the time. On our way to Santa Rosa we circled in a thermal with an eagle. There is nothing more beautiful than looking up and seeing an eagle in your thermal. This was definitely the best day of my summer.

If you are interested in learning how to fly gliders here are a few websites in New Mexico:

http://www.soarsundance.com/

http://www.abqsoaring.org/