As I've noted in my earlier posts, I've been working on flying the ASK-21 as one of the final steps up the ladder in the aircraft that Harris Hill Soaring Inc. offers to its members. Technically, we have a Duo Discus for cross country flying, but it isn't something I'll be flying this year. Instead, we have several ASK-21's.
Today, I took two flights in the 21 with Sean Murphy, the instructor that got me from solo to glider rating. I hadn't flow with him in awhile, but as always, it was great to get instruction from him. We flew a couple of flights and he signed me off to solo in the 21. I've got a little more to go, though. I need to fly it in windy conditions with an instructor to make sure I'm good to go with passengers.
That's fine with me. My soaring goal this year was to step up to the 1-34 and ASK-21 and then fly them until I was comfortable with them. I've now got the license to learn in the 21 that will let me upgrade my soaring skills this season. I intend to take the airplane out and spin circles in it to learn how to catch and center thermals with it. This is a *crucial* skill for cross-country flying -something I may try to do next year, if I'm ready.
Right now, I've got my hands full with this fiberglass beauty. Even today, a dead calm, smooth air day, I found some rising air over the valley near the Elmira drive in that kept me aloft without losing altitude. The ship I was flying is our newest bird, perhaps 6 months old and straight off the boat this past December.
I also took a turn flying it from the back seat! This is the first time I'd flown a glider from the back seat, but found it was not too bad. A little different, but once I adjusted it was okay. The weirdest part is you can't see the towplane fuselage if you are in the proper position. The passenger's head covers it up. No matter. You can see the wings on either side and maintain position that way.
The landing wasn't too bad and actually, with your head and shoulders near the leading edge of the wing, it's quite a comfortable position to be in. I managed to touch down where I intended and rolled out to a nice spot on the flight line. Sean said, "okay take it up solo," and that's all there was to it.
The sign off in my log book says not to fly without an instructor at over 15 knots head or 5 knots crosswind. I wouldn't want to do that anyhow. Not right now, at least. For now, I'm satisfied to build some experience in the 21 and I'll work towards expanding the flight envelope later.
Good stuff!
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