Best places for a soaring pilot to retire?

On Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 7:29:23 AM UTC-8, Roy B. wrote:
This seems like a good topic to resurrect in anticipation of a convention soon in the Southwest. I expect to retire in 2018 and would love to meet some people at Reno who could answer questions about various clubs, towplane reliability, real estate prices, and summer XC possibilities. Winter XC is not so important for me as I spend most of my winters flying in South Africa. But I am trying to find a good retirement place in the Southwest.
ROY (who is really tired of shoveling snow)

Roy,

Why don't you set up a "meetup" at the convention for this topic?

Matt

OK - Once I figure out a way to do that ("a meetup" at Reno) I will.

As for Ephrata, no offense, but go back and read the part of my post about snow shoveling . . .I want a place where Home Depot doesn't even have a snow blower department.

Seriously, I have kids in San Antonio & Boulder and a ladyfriend with a daughter at Arizona State. So the Southwest really makes a lot of sense to us.
ROY

On Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 11:00:59 PM UTC+3, wrote:
i want to post a reply with a suggestion not put forward yet, but also post up a related topic..

Suggestion -- fly out of Ephrata Washington ... you can live a LOT of places, but the hidden gem I'd suggest is Richland WA.

Yes, nice place.

I was in the USA based at Seattle for a couple of months in winter 1998/9. On Jan 1 (Friday) I drove with my family to from Seattle to Richland via Yakima to stay with some internet friends there. We had a look around the area on the Saturday and then drove back to Seattle via Portland on the Sunday..

The terrain and climate looked nice, and 250k - 300k is a good size for a nearby metro area. Big enough to have almost everything, not so big to have traffic.

Looks like it has lots of nice connections to SEATAC and LAX and less so to Salt Lake City, Denver, MSP, SFO.


Ephrata has excellent soaring -- perhaps not quite as good as Moriarty etc

Somehow, I always had the impression when I saw this name that it was in New England somewhere.

And the Richland area has excellent health care and a more cultural things going on that you would expect -- the big DOE laboratory makes it a highly-educated community. It's very sunny there, not terribly hot in the summer, and almost no snow during the winter.

Yes, looks good. Much like Canterbury in New Zealand. Or the Pyatigorsk area here (coincidentally formerly a centre of uranium mining and processing).

* I'm a CFI-G/ASEL, got my -G in 1971, and I love teaching, particularly in the club setting. I'm also a tow-pilot, have towed using just about every towplane type used in the USA, currently tow in Pawnees. I realize nobody wants to take an unknown pilot at word-value, but I am looking for places that have some interest in another CFI and Towpilot ... who isn't guaranteeing to hang around for ever. But I can fill-in tow on weekdays etc. I've instructed in everything from 2-22s (at Torrey Pines!) on up, currently instruct mostly in G-103s - own a Discus B and a Ka-6.

If you're not wedded to taking your own glider with you, several clubs in New Zealand take on foreign instructor/tow pilots to enable a seven day a week operation in the summer (northern winter). They're not paid positions, but you get free food&board and an old car to drive and all the flying you want.


* any idea of really relocating needs to pass "the Annie test," and so far that seems a high barrier, and a lot of places that glider people like just aren't going to pass it.

I'm not familiar with that one.

While good info......is this a "gliding tour guide" or a "I want to go somewhere, here are my credentials so hire me PT"?

Decent points, not taking anything away from that.
I'm flying not all that way south of you, lots to be had, but yes, you and I have to shovel snow (I did yesterday....).

On Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 10:29:23 AM UTC-5, Roy B. wrote:
This seems like a good topic to resurrect in anticipation of a convention soon in the Southwest. I expect to retire in 2018 and would love to meet some people at Reno who could answer questions about various clubs, towplane reliability, real estate prices, and summer XC possibilities. Winter XC is not so important for me as I spend most of my winters flying in South Africa. But I am trying to find a good retirement place in the Southwest.
ROY (who is really tired of shoveling snow)

Roy, I also found Moriarty a great place to fly. As long as you carry an oxygen supply, you can fly over the mountains and view beautiful places like Santa Fe.
Bob

On Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 2:05:11 PM UTC-7, Roy B. wrote:
OK - Once I figure out a way to do that ("a meetup" at Reno) I will.

As for Ephrata, no offense, but go back and read the part of my post about snow shoveling . . .I want a place where Home Depot doesn't even have a snow blower department.

Seriously, I have kids in San Antonio & Boulder and a ladyfriend with a daughter at Arizona State. So the Southwest really makes a lot of sense to us.
ROY

Roy,
As I look at your comment... "Seriously, I have kids in San Antonio & Boulder and a ladyfriend with a daughter at Arizona State. So the Southwest really makes a lot of sense to us, " Moriarty would be right in the middle. You can head north up I-25 to Boulder or west on I-40 and then south on I-17 at Flagstaff to go to the Phoenix area and ASU! San Antonio is east on I-40, south on US 285 to I-10 and then you are on your way!

I really do not need to talk about the soaring at Moriarty, but the outstanding soaring conditions in central New Mexico are very well known. Most gliders at Moriarty are fully assembled in hangars and we have an excellent FBO in Sundance Aviation (Rick Kohler), two glider repair facilities (one operated by Robert Mudd and the other by Fidel Ramirez) and MM Fabrication (manufacturer of glider handling equipment) which is owned by Mark Mocho. There is someone at Moriarty that can essentially handle any glider repair or service requirements that you may have. Living in New Mexico also has a lot to offer with: relatively low taxes, outstanding weather, a very reasonable cost of living and the beauty of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and the great southwest! Definitely come visit NM before you make your final decision. Thanks and good luck in your search! Renny

Thanks Renny
I do plan to visit NM again and also hope to meet with some Moriarty pilots at Reno. Right now my "short list" is Phoenix, Tucson and Albuquerque. My son Dan flys an ASW-20 out of Boulder and I've flown out of there a bit as well as out of Hobbs, Estrella, Durango (many years back) Salida, & Aspen. So I've a little of the taste of how nice it is.
ROY

15 years ago I would have recommended Boerne Stage airport in Boerne,
TX, northwest of San Antonio, but I drove through there a couple of
weeks ago and it seems that San Antonio has grown out to engulf it.Â*
Maybe take a look at Uvalde, or TSA (Dallas/Fort Worth), Caprock, Fault
Line, etc in central Texas.

On 12/26/2017 2:05 PM, Roy B. wrote:
OK - Once I figure out a way to do that ("a meetup" at Reno) I will.

As for Ephrata, no offense, but go back and read the part of my post about snow shoveling . . .I want a place where Home Depot doesn't even have a snow blower department.

Seriously, I have kids in San Antonio & Boulder and a ladyfriend with a daughter at Arizona State. So the Southwest really makes a lot of sense to us.
ROY

--
Dan, 5J

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I would welcome a CFIG / Towpilot (1958 C-182 tri-gear) at Marfa in southwest Texas, near the scenic Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. I fly year-round but it's a relaxed schedule.

Bring your sailplane and crew and soar like Moffat in "The Sun Ship Game" film.

For local info go to www.visitmarfa,com
Several nice RV parks here as well.

See you at the SSA Convention in Reno, Feb 28-March 3.
I'll be around the Soaring Safety Foundation booth and seminars.

Burt Compton
Marfa Gliders Soaring Center
www.flygliders.com

("Burton Compton" on Facebook for your amusement.)

My understanding is that there is still no regular aerotow support at Uvalde when there is no contest in session. Does anybody know differently?
ROY