"W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.)." wrote in message
...

Ansgar Sambale I think, I remember him well.
Not at all crazy, and not particularly old in the days when you and I knew
him.

Sorry, I didn't intend to come across as rude. 'Crazy' was a term I was
using, in this instance, with affection.

Having said that, I can't imagine why on my very first flight EVER, Ansgar
considered it appropriate to demonstrate a full brake approach in a creaky
Capstan which left me dangling from the straps as we pointed down at what
felt like 90 degrees. I think it was all part of his "treat 'em rough,
make 'em tough" philosophy. I remember him muttering darkly one spring
morning that in his younger days the gliders would be on the field ready to
fly at sunrise. He couldn't understand why we didn't share his enthusiasm
for flying from early dawn 'til dusk.

Unsurprisingly, he was at Portmoak the day I arrived with youngest son and
offered to fly him in the Falke as he didn't qualify for a 'friends and
family' flight in a pure glider. I politely declined, lacking the courage
to see my favourite child thrown about the sky by a pilot who is no longer
in the first flush of youth. However, it was a typically generous gesture
by a man who has a life-long commitment to flying in all its forms, and to
passing on his love of gliding to subsequent generations. As you
suggested, he's a fine guy, and those of us that have met him are all the
better for the experience.

Your mention of the legendary Jeffries - together with your own notoriety
(another term being used with affection) within the gliding community - has
turned this into one of those "they don't make 'em like the used to" posts.
And, sadly, they don't. However, before I get too misty-eyed, why the hell
didn't you guys sort out gliding when it was salvageable? If you chaps had
acted in the 70's and 80's instead of swanning around in your Kestrels, we
might have had a vibrant and challenging sport, rather than a refuge for the
wealthy but largely talentless individuals cluttering the thermals today.


Roger.