Our Soaring Society of America (SSA) Convention is just over a month away, FEB 17 - 20 in Greenville, South Carolina. Meet legends of aviation, racing pilots, designers, flight instructors, eager young student pilots and bunch of nice folks from around the world. (For me, our biennial SSA...

Right or left, it doesn't appear to matter. Burt Marfa Gliders Soaring Center, southwest Texas.

Marfa Gliders Soaring Center near the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas is NOT closing. Just a nasty rumor. Downsizing, yes. Closing, NO! I just sold a couple of gliders and my '46 J3 Cub and still own 7 aircraft, including two towplanes for year-round aerotows plus...

Initial CFI-Glider Boot Camp April 11- 19, 2018. Plus PVT, COM or CFI-Glider "add-on." Come prepared and get it done! Discuss details and dates with me via e-mail at: marfagliders at aol dotty com

The SOARING SAFETY FOUNDATION (SSF) invites you to participate in our training and safety presentations during the Soaring Society of America Convention at the Reno Convention Center, next to the Atlantis Hotel, February 28 through March 3, 2018. The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) Seminar...

I'm booked up EXCEPT for these available dates (2018): JAN 26 - 31 FEB 1 - 14 MAR 8 - 13 April, after the 8th. Come to scenic and historic Marfa on those dates for your "Rusty Pilot" course or your FREE checkride for PVT, COM, CFI-Glider category "Add-On", your INITIAL CFIG or CFIG Renewal or...

December 11, 2017 Georgie Lee Kahl passed this week at age 92, in her home in Marfa, Texas, with members of her family by her side. Along with her husband C.M. "Fritz" Kahl she was a significant part of welcoming glider pilots and soaring events to Marfa in southwest Texas beginning in 1960. The...

More info and registration: www.soaringmuseum.org and www.vintagesailplane.org In just three weeks I'll be flying my 1967 Schleicher ASK-13 with a second open "sport canopy" off of Harris Hill. Breezy but fun! Photos on my FB page under Burton Compton. Thanks to Thomas Wendl in Germany...

Born To Fly. A film about an aviator's memory loss and the onset of dementia. Not a happy topic but the subject of the interview is Derek Piggott, the legendary British glider instructor (a mentor of mine through his many books) and movie pilot (including "Those Magnificient Men and Their...

When I fly with students in training and seasoned sailplane pilots for their flight review, I notice that most do not turn their head to look around outside the cockpit as much as they should (perhaps mesmerized by a simple variometer or a more sophisticated display.) This video shows how an...

A film crew from "L.A." visited Marfa Airport in southwest Texas and produced this short promo video for their company, Anchorfield. Apparently they primarily specialize in commercials. Good guys to work with. http://www.anchorfield.com/ludwig Uncredited assistants on this all day film...

Your First Flight of the Year The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF), the training and safety arm of the Soaring Society of America, encourages all US glider pilots of all experience levels to make their "first flight" of the year with an instructor. This does not mean you should fly on January 1,...

Have any USA clubs or commercial operators done business with "Spot Reservations?" They apparently arrange glider rides and other "adventure activities." I've been unable to get details about the potential passengers such as age and weight.

I have a security chute that is older than twenty years of experience. Are you guys finding that the repackers are refusing to recertify past twenty years? Seems the manufacturers have put out service bulletins recomending twenty year service limits. I am interested in getting this chute...

I was recently towed by a tow plane that had no mirror installed. Two way communication was established using VHF and a club member was positioned ahead of the tow plane to relay ground signals. This was a US based club. This launch prompted me to wonder if in the US a mirror is actually...

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 1:56:40 PM UTC-5, Tom Kelley #711 wrote: I saw on Facebook, an FREE APP called SEARCH4ME, which I downloaded from Android APPS on Google Play. It not only shows you where your at with lat and long, but your altitude and a street address(if available), but...

Luckily our club keeps adding gliders! We are running out of room and would like to hoist our K13 off the hangar floor. Does anyone have any pictures of a cradle or strap arrangement that has been proven to work with a K13? Lane

Reading the latest Rules Committee meeting minutes I see item number 14 slips a "tax" in the rules. $50 charge by waiver for any contest pilot showing up without a crew. Note it is $50 PER DAY! This was not included in the pilot poll, we currently have a sanctioning fee surplus, the minutes...

Our club just purchased an ASK13 with a RST 542 installed. Unit is working great and we just need to add appropriate TX and RX crystals for 122.9 and 122.975. Jim at RST Engineering has been zero help. When I call him he just rants that "Jan Crystals" has the specs and wants me to only...

I need a fiberglass panel for the interior of my Std Cirrus. It is the piece that goes behind the pilot's shoulders and has the seat belts running through it. This is merely a trim piece. If anyone has one for sale please let me know. I am also looking to buy a Tasman Vario if anyone has one...