Minden Wave Camp Lives Again

I stopped by Minden yesterday with a list of things to do to get my
soaring season started and had the pleasure of stumbling into the
resurrected Minden wave camp - now hosted by Soaring NV. I have to
say it was one of the better organized and prepared soaring events
I've attended in some time. The wave had made an appearance the day
prior, but was taking a break when I arrived. Nevertheless, Fred and
Laurie form Soaring NV had things arranged for all possible
circumstances. Yesterday they had Rick Walters presenting and today
they had Kempton Izuno and Gordon Boettger talk to the group about
distance/record flying in the wave. They had great stories/insights
and truly amazing photos. The event also included airport management
and two guys from Reno center attending the sessions, which was
incredibly helpful.

I took the opportunity to get checked out in one of Soaring NV's
immaculate Duo Discuses. They also have an ASK-21 and an LS-4. The
thought of doing some dual XC this summer in one of those Duos is
really exciting. I believe this is one of the few operations in the
country that offers dual cross-country flying of this caliber. For
those of you who've been curious about how it's done this is a real
opportunity. Kudos to Fred and Laurie for making this available to the
soaring community. It's a great resource that I hope a bunch of us
utilize.

9B

Many thanks for the kind words, Andy. Living and flying in Minden's
fantastic soaring conditions it's hard not to think this place
deserves fine equipment and first-rate instructors. And the fact of
the matter is, soaring pilots are a fun bunch to be around with a lot
of knowledge to share. SoaringNV is happy to offer a place for them
to gather, share stories, and contemplate how we can all take
advantage of the super soaring available to us here.

We were particularly pleased to have champion glider pilot Mike
Bradford, now chairman of the Airport Advisory Committee, welcome camp
participants yesterday. He was uncategorical in his support for
soaring at Minden, sharing stories of his own record attempts here and
telling us that the new airport administration has a friendly vision
for an expanded future of our sport at this airport in cooperation
with other aviation activities. We've noticed a dramatic change in
attitude at our airport and encourage pilots who have not been here in
a while to come give it a try.

Tonight's the hangar barbecue. Any soaring pilots in the area, feel
to drop in and have an adult beverage and some barbecued chicken.

Fred

Like Andy, I dropped by the Wave Camp since I took a few extra days to
get my gliders ready for the soaring season. I was one of those guys
who looked forward to Wave Camp each Easter. Back in the 70's we
really camped out on the airport and pilot meetings were held on the
ramp. Things have changed over the years at Minden but one thing for
sure was it was much more comfortable having the meetings in Soar NV's
hangar! With over 40 years of soaring experience, I still learned a
lot from the speakers. The camp was very well organized and each
participant recieved a binder full of valuable information.

Perhaps the most refreshing thing I noticed was a change in the
attitude of the soaring personel and the airport administration. The
airport manager has come to realize the importance of soaring in
Minden and it is well included it in the airport plan. Glider pilots
feel less threatened and have a lot to look for too in the coming
years. I believe that Minden will once again become a soaring
destination and major contest will eventually be held there.

Thanks to Fred and Laurie for oraginzing this event. I have no doubt
that each pilot there will go home a better, more knowlegable, and
safer pilot than when they arrived.

Barry

I've watched Laurie and Fred put everything they have into building
SoaringNV over the past year and a half. Their friendly customer first
attitude, mentioned by Andy and Barry, is both genuine and refreshing.

The resurgence of soaring at Minden will be, in no small part, due to their
efforts.

Thank you!

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Minden