Soaring in Durango

Next stop after Mesa Verde was a visit to my cousin's place in downtown Durango. First cousin Judy and I decided to take a glider ride. What an experience.....very different from piston powered flight that I'm very familar with. Below is a shot of Judy getting belted in.

The Pawnee tow plane gets ready to do its job (below).

(below) A view from behind the tow plane as we climb to 3000 AGL which is about 9500 MSL.

The really exciting part of the flight is the takeoff and landing. The sense of speed during the landing is high (although it's only at ~52 KIAS) because your butt is about 6" off the ground. Sort of like tearing out across the pasture in a go-kart! Click here to see a video of the takeoff and landing.

(below) Pilot 'Ty' in the back seat. Ty was the PIC on this flight.

-Charlie