Free Checkride / Free Room at Marfa, southwest Texas

Re. 12 checkrides since December. I received an e-mail asking if there were really that many glider rating applicants in our remote town of Marfa, TX (population 2,000 plus a transient swarm of visiting artists, musicians and writers.)

Those who traveled to Marfa (usually via airline to El Paso) since last December and completed their free glider rating checkrides with me were from: Minnesota 3, Illinois 2, Pennsylvania 2, New York 1, Texas 4 (from Dallas, Austin, Houston, 400-600 miles east of Marfa.)

I am currently mentoring 3 local students who will be ready for their checkrides in May and June. More applicants are inbound to finish their training and checkrides with me throughout 2013.

Burt
www.flygliders.com
Marfa, west Texas
"Where yesterday's 'USA TODAY' arrives tomorrow."

From June 15 to July 15, 2013, I'm offering free checkrides and a free room in my guest house for FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (Glider) Renewals and Reinstatements at Marfa in southwest Texas.

Using my new ASK-21, you can likely enjoy some rippin' Texas soaring with me (see "The Sun Ship Game" film.) For your checkride, my time as your DPE, glider rental and 3 tows are FREE. Pre-checkride ground and flight training are at my regular rates (unchanged since 2010.)

Please arrive prepared to PASS. "Free" does not mean any shortcuts.

Note: A "recommendation" is not required on the FAA Application 8710-1 for CFI renewals and reinstatements, but if you are rusty on giving dual, teaching ground school or writing the endorsements, get up to speed before coming to Marfa with the new FAA Regs, Bob Wander's "CFIG Checkride Made Easy", Tom Knauff's update of the FAA "Glider Flying Handbook", and the Soaring Safety Foundation recommended procedures at www.soaringsafety.org,

This offer is not for new CFIG's at this time -- just for the 24 month renewals of current CFIG's and reinstatements of expired CFIG's. Our SSA members need you back in the game to give them basic and recurrent training to a high level of proficiency!

Find Marfa (MRF) at 5,000' MSL near the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. Nearest airline terminals are El Paso (ELP) and Midland (MAF), Texas, then a scenic 3 hour drive to Marfa.

Email me for my availability, details and rates at marfagliders AT aol DOT com

"Someday" is now!

Burt Compton, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner
Marfa Gliders Soaring Center
www.flygliders.com

Last night there was a very nice news piece about the charm of the town of Marfa, but sadly no mention of soaring. They portrayed it as just about the best place in the U.S. to live.

Well, the artists / musicians / writers community of Marfa, Texas, is known to be more quirky than charming. I did my best to get some coverage of the historical and present soaring activities at Marfa. I offered free media glider rides in my new ASK-21 to the CBS 60 Minutes production crew, the producer and to host Morley Safer. They politely declined, said it was interesting but they had no time to spare.

You can send feedback on the Marfa program of April 14, a "letter to the editor" at
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedba...ews_form.shtml

You can also see the Marfa segment video on the cbsnews.com/ 60 minutes website.

Since I've been giving rides for many decades I realize that a glider flight is not for everybody, but when Dan Rather was in Marfa a few years ago to inaugurate Marfa Public Radio (you can stream the KRTS broadcasts on the internet) he mentioned to me that a glider is the only category of aircraft he had not flown in, and would return someday to take a flight.

Visitors to Marfa in recent years have been Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Tommy Lee Jones, Randy Quaid, Beyonce, Robert Plant, Michael Nesmith, Sean Lennon, David Byrne, Will Ferrell. Marfa is a remote getaway / hideaway destination. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore was offered a glider ride. Our Mayor (one of my towpilots) and the Big Bend newspaper editor often suggest a glider ride to visitors although it might be an issue about insurance for the famous ones. (They ride Harleys, don't they?) Or maybe they don't "get it." I'll keep trying to educate and promote it as we need one of these "names" to become associated with soaring. However the hip aspect of Marfa requires that you gotta be cool about bugging the famous person sitting next to you in the Paisano Hotel bar.

The recent publicity for Marfa is definitely good for our already booming tourist town and therefore my glider business. We no longer have a "slow season" in our new restaurants and the renovated hotels (privately owned, no "chains" here.) Since I'm originally from Florida I like to say "A High Tide Floats All Boats" in Marfa! (Find Marfa on your El Paso aero chart to get that joke.)

So I'm cultivating the glider "brand" in Marfa . . . but maybe soaring is not "quirky" enough for the rich and famous. Gotta see what I can do about that. Maybe Salvadore Dali paint jobs on my gliders, dye my shaggy hair purple. Dig it.

Quirky Burt
-- dropping names in Marfa, southwest Texas USA

So I'm cultivating the glider "brand" in Marfa . . . but maybe soaring is not "quirky" enough for the rich and famous. Gotta see what I can do about that.

Maybe you can tap into your artsy side and do something with Blanik L-13s like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Ranch

Burt, might it be useful to develop a list of the famous Hollywood types
who took up gliding, and be ready to drop their names around these
high-profile visitors? They seem to respect one another. It is
interesting that a bunch of them participated and kept it quiet.


At 05:09 18 April 2013, Burt Compton - Marfa wrote:
Well, the artists / musicians / writers community of Marfa, Texas, is
known=
to be more quirky than charming. I did my best to get some coverage of
t=
he historical and present soaring activities at Marfa. I offered free
medi=
a glider rides in my new ASK-21 to the CBS 60 Minutes production crew,
the
=
producer and to host Morley Safer. They politely declined, said it was
in=
teresting but they had no time to spare. =20

You can send feedback on the Marfa program of April 14, a "letter to the
ed=
itor" at=20
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedba...ews_form.shtml

You can also see the Marfa segment video on the cbsnews.com/ 60 minutes
web=
site.

Since I've been giving rides for many decades I realize that a glider
fligh=
t is not for everybody, but when Dan Rather was in Marfa a few years ago
to=
inaugurate Marfa Public Radio (you can stream the KRTS broadcasts on the
i=
nternet) he mentioned to me that a glider is the only category of
aircraft
=
he had not flown in, and would return someday to take a flight. =20

Visitors to Marfa in recent years have been Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger,
To=
mmy Lee Jones, Randy Quaid, Beyonce, Robert Plant, Michael Nesmith, Sean
Le=
nnon, David Byrne, Will Ferrell. Marfa is a remote getaway / hideaway
des=
tination. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore was offered a glider ride.
Ou=
r Mayor (one of my towpilots) and the Big Bend newspaper editor often
sugge=
st a glider ride to visitors although it might be an issue about
insurance
=
for the famous ones. (They ride Harleys, don't they?) Or maybe they
don't=
"get it." I'll keep trying to educate and promote it as we need one of
t=
hese "names" to become associated with soaring. However the hip aspect
of=
Marfa requires that you gotta be cool about bugging the famous person
sitt=
ing next to you in the Paisano Hotel bar.

The recent publicity for Marfa is definitely good for our already booming
t=
ourist town and therefore my glider business. We no longer have a "slow
se=
ason" in our new restaurants and the renovated hotels (privately owned,
no
=
"chains" here.) Since I'm originally from Florida I like to say "A High
Ti=
de Floats All Boats" in Marfa! (Find Marfa on your El Paso aero chart to
g=
et that joke.)

So I'm cultivating the glider "brand" in Marfa . . . but maybe soaring is
n=
ot "quirky" enough for the rich and famous. Gotta see what I can do
abou=
t that. Maybe Salvadore Dali paint jobs on my gliders, dye my shaggy
hai=
r purple. Dig it.

Quirky Burt
-- dropping names in Marfa, southwest Texas USA

On Thursday, April 18, 2013 5:44:19 PM UTC-7, Nyal Williams wrote:
Burt, might it be useful to develop a list of the famous Hollywood types
who took up gliding, and be ready to drop their names around these
high-profile visitors?

I'm not sure the present generation of the "Hollywood types" that visit Marfa would remember "famous" glider pilots Mel Torme', John Denver, Cliff Robertson, Christopher Reeves and Hugh Downs, but it is worth a try!

Maybe dropping Steve Morse' name might help - he's a glider pilot and the lead guitarist in "Deep Purple" for the past 15+ years, formerly of the "Dixie Dregs" and "Kansas". I met Steve at the University of Miami, where I was in the business school and he was rippin' the jazz-rock riffs over at the music school. The U.of M. music school was a cool place to hang-out in the early 1970's, but as a musician I decided that business courses would serve me better, and they did.