Soaring the sky a glider pilot's Podcast

Dan Johnson is a retired AME and internist, living on the west coast of Wisconsin, close to the airport from which he flies sailplanes and airplanes. He's flown airplanes since his father bought a Cessna 150 with observer doors in 1962, and has flown gliders since 1986. He's been speaking and writing on aviation physiology for 30 years and is also the medical advisor for the Perlan Project. Today he will share with us his journey as well as chatting with us about his most recent article in...

Today our featured guest pilot is Patrick McMahon, Patrick is a Canadian cross country soaring pilot and flight instructor located in Alberta Canada. Today he flies at The Cu Nim Gliding Club, having learned to fly with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program, and learned to soar in southern Ontario at York Soaring Association. During the week Patrick manages various energy efficiency programs across Canada, with an emphasis on residential retrofits. Soaring is an extension of this work as he...

Honored to have Triple Gliding World Champion George Lee MBE with us on the podcast today. George was Born in Dublin in 1945. Joined the Royal Air Force in 1962 as a technical apprentice. He then Became a pilot and flew primarily the F4 Phantom. He Joined Cathay Pacific Airways in 1984 where he flew 747s for fifteen years before retiring to Australia. George Started gliding in 1963, became an instructor and gained all three diamonds. Started contest flying in 1970, and flew in five World...

Scott E. Ashton is President and CEO of Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems, based in Bonita Springs, FL. Scott is an aerospace industry executive with more than 25 years of experience working in engineering, sales and marketing, and executive roles. He has extensive experience in aircraft sales, operating business aircraft and helicopter charter operations, and MRO operations. He has served as President of the Connecticut Soaring Association and also as President of the New England Air Museum,...

On this episode of the podcast we first head to The Prescott Soaring Club in Coyote Springs Arizona, just north east of Prescott Valley as we speak with glider pilot and instructor Peter Steinmetz. Peter is a research neurologist and computational neuroscientist. He was fascinated by flight and space from an early age but a busy career deferred his pilot training until 2015. Since then he has completed his instrument rating and is a certified flight instructor in both gliders and single...

On this episode we bring you our interview with World famous Glider Pilot Stefan Langer! Stefan is a successful cross-country and competition pilot who loves to share his adventures on YouTube. His YouTube channel was the first pure gliding channel and now has over 100,000 subscribers. Stefan's passion is to see the world from a birds eye view and capture these moments on camera to show the excitement of our sport to others. Stefan also enjoys competing and has earned the German Junior...

On this episode of the podcast we first talk with Jack Jenner hall, Jack is currently UK's Youngest Pilot! He started learning to fly gliders at age 11. Jack Recently flew his first solo flight in a glider on his 14th birthday. He is currently working towards his bronze exam while also learning glider aerobatics. One of his goals is to get more young people like himself into aviation and show them that there are many affordable ways to get into flying. Join us as Jack shares his aviation...

On this episode of the podcast we first talk with Pete Appleby, Pete is a soaring pilot with the Merlin Soaring Association club in Virginia. He has been flying gliders since 2012 and discovered sailplanes through building and flying R/C model planes. He has participated in wave and XC soaring camps as well as finishing 5th in the sports class for his first regional contest in Perry South Carolina in 2018. Pete is currently flying a 1980 DG 200 and just finished his Gold Badge in May of this...

On this special Veterans episode we first speak with Julie Bennett of the soaring academy in Los Angeles County about their Warriors Soar program and getting Veterans in the cockpit of the glider. We will hear from some of those Veterans about their experiences soaring and what it has meant to them. Later on this episode we have another Soaring Tale with Dale, (30:16) called "Class A Experience". Also, Daniel Sazhin (32:20) joins us to talk about his latest blog and his recent experience...

On this episode of the podcast we first head to the west coast of Sweden to find glider pilot David Holmen soaring at the Gothenburg Soaring Club. David got his enthusiasm for aviation from his fighter pilot father, after seeing his Dad in the cockpit he soon started flying himself at the age of 15. David would later introduce his father to a type of flying he had never done, soaring. Next on the episode we hear a new story from glider pilot and author Dale Masters on our "Soaring Tales...

This episode is packed full of great soaring content with five guest pilots! First we will be checking in on some of our previous guest pilots and find out what they have been up to and what they are doing at their club. (3:25) Wendy Carson a school teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, model and glider pilot soaring in New Mexico. She chats with us about her future plans and what we can learn about ground school and what she has found helpful from a teachers point of view. Later on the show...

Our guest pilot today, Mitch Thomson, started his soaring journey 15 years ago picking up RC gliders after years of flying powered RC planes and building scale airplane models, he realized quickly that he wanted to scale up from RC into his own glider when the opportunity presented itself. Soaring in his own glider was something he put on his bucket list for over a decade, and culminated in an orientation flight at Warner Springs California back in 2018 where his first flight took him up...

Kempton Izuno has been soaring since he was 14. With 45 years of soaring gliders he has a lot to share. Today he shares his story and also how he is contributing to this great sport. Included below are some links he shared of some great soaring content he has written for soaring magazine as well. Don't miss his amazing journey! Later on this episode we join blogger and glider pilot Clemens Ceipek as he shares with us his journey to get his 750k Diploma and how he finely achieved his goal...

Today on the podcast we first chat with Daniel Sazhin about his blog, The Soaring Economist. Daniel talks about his most recent flight soaring in two air masses and what he learned from it. (2:22) Then it's our Soaring Safety segment with Enis Englehardt from Berlin Germany. Also on this episode Todd Chapman a glider pilot at Central Coast Soaring Club north of Sydney Australia talks with us. (29:20)Todd will share his adventures in the air and how he thinks soaring could get a big boost...

Our guest pilot on this episode of the podcast is Tony Condon. Tony learned to soar in central Iowa while attending Iowa State University. He is the President of the Kansas Soaring Association and lives in Wichita, KS with his wife Leah. He works as a charter pilot and is a Designated Pilot Examiner. Today Tony will share his story and some amazing adventures he has had along the way. In 2015 and 2017 he represented the USA in the 13.5 Meter World Championships. He also shares some stories...

Rob Cluxton currently flies a triple seven with the Airlines but his adventure started at the age of 19 at Caesar Creek Soaring Club. Rob will share his adventures not only soaring in the United States but other spectacular places as well. Rob has flown 20 different types of gliders and owned or shared 6 different types. Later Daniel Sazhin joins us for our Soaring Safety Segment. And we will be bringing you some Soaring Tips and Techniques with another guest pilot Scott Manley as he talks...

JP Stewart 2021 U.S Club Class World Team Member and SSA chairman of the Youth/Junior Committee loves soaring sailplanes and just about anything that flies. At an early age he flew RC but soon discovered gliders. This year alone he has flown two 1000km, two 750km and two 500km flights. His career has also given him a chance to fly in some amazing places. One story he shares with us today is a flying high over the Swiss Alps in a Paraglider! Don't miss his adventures on this episode. Later...

On this episode of the podcast we talk with Rosita, also known as Pilot Bambi on Youtube, a glider pilot in the Netherlands who soloed in the DG 1000 at the age of 15. Now 22 she continues to fly and has organized camps for young aspiring pilots and finds so much joy in carrying on this tradition. She also enjoys encouraging people to jump out of her airplane? She loves sharing her aviation adventures and will share with us today her aviation journey. Later on the podcast Andrew White joins...

Hanicka Treslova from the Czech National Gliding team joins us on this episode. With both her parents being pilots she has been around aviation her entire life. She has competed in two Junior World competitions and four Woman's World competitions and other competitions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Today she shares her journey and aviation adventures soaring the sky. Later on the podcast Dale Masters joins us from SoCal for our Soaring tips and techniques segment. SkySight will have a...

On this episode we first head to central Chile in South America and join David Flint. He is a glider pilot flying his Libelle H-301 enjoying the beautiful Andean playground. David will share with us what it is like flying over the Andes mountains and soaring with condors! He will also share with us his aviation journey. [20:33] On our soaring safety segment Rich Mataus joins us for some safety tips recorded live in Fairfield PA last summer at Mid Atlantic soaring Open house. [33:20]And then...