The Thermal - Episode #40

On Episode #47 of The Thermal - doing it right when your sustainer motor won’t stow. We talk to a pilot who executed the perfect emergency landing. 

Existential Angst…the anti-aviation movement targets Boulder Airport and the local gliding club.

Unbridled enthusiasm. We talk to a 14-year old glider pilot that can’t stop smiling. 

That’s all on Episode   #47 of The Thermal.

In Episode #46 of The Thermal, we talk to the pilot and author behind The Art of Soaring. A book that puts you in the cockpit with amazing photos and stories. 

We also speak to Monique Taylor, the author of Suicide Jockeys – The Making of the WW2 Combat Glider Pilot

PureTrack is a new gliding tracking App from New Zealand. We find out why it’s gaining in popularity. 

And finally -  remembering Martin Simons. The author of numerous books about gliding and a huge contributor to the gliding movement in general.

On Episode #45 of The Thermal, a feature interview with longtime American contest pilot Chip Bearden.

 Chip is the author of Goodbye Papa Golf. It’s an autobiography about Chip’s life as a contest glider pilot, marathon runner, tech entrepreneur and family man.

 It’s written in a way that’s fascinating for glider pilots but is also a good read for those not necessarily interested in aviation.

On this Episode of The Thermal, competing at the 15 meter World Gliding Contest in Narromine, Australia. We follow-up with Dutch competition pilot Jeroen Verkuijl to find out what it was like.

What do you to when you’re about to turn 80? Well, you buy a high performance motor glider and go on an epic cross-country flight to Australia’s famous Morning Glory wave system. And get your glider pilot’s license in the process.  John Riedl tells us all about it. ( reedle like needle)

Imagine a cockpit with almost unlimited visibility and you have the Ultra-Vision glider concept. I speak to the aeronautical engineer behind this innovative design. 

That’s all on Episode   #44 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, a primer on the upcoming World Gliding Championships in Narromine, Australia. I speak with contest organizer Beryl Hartley and Dutch competitor Jeroen Verkuijl will be flying a JS-3. 

Welcome to Episode #42 of The Thermal. 

In this Episode of The Thermal…a feature interview with gliding rock start Gordon Boettgner.

Gordon will tell us first-hand how he broke the world distance record for gliding along with his co-pilot Bruce Campbell.

We’ll find out about the equipment and tactics and how a combination of skill, luck and mother nature made this 3000 km flight happen.

That’s all on Episode  #42 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, I speak to Dirk Corporaal…the winner of the 2022 FAI’s Pirat Gehriger Diploma. Dirk has spent over 20 years writing and developing an exceptional student manual for glider pilots…that’s now available in multiple languages.

And remembering a rock star of aviation and gliding…Einar Enevoldsen…the man behind the Perlan Project. His longtime friend Ed Warnock tells us about this remarkable man.

And a history flashback. Scott McGaugh the author of “The Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin”…puts us in the cockpit with American combat glider pilots and their missions in World War Two.

That’s all on Episode   #41 of The Thermal.

On Episode #40 of The Thermal…a feature interview with IGC President Peter Eriksen and the growing concern over mid-air collisions. 

I also speak to this year’s winner of the BGA’s Bill Scull Safety Award. Wolf Rossmann tells us all about his on-line safety tool FlySafe.

And Dr Dan…talks to me about the real danger of Altitude Decompression Sickness and the impact on glider pilots. It’s another danger we need to pay attention to.

That’s all on episode #40 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, Mathias Schunk tells us what it’s like to crash a JS-1 at 100kmh and survive. It’s a hell of a story…not to be missed.

 And we hear from Dutch pilot Jeroen van Dijk and his epic 2022 summer flying his LS-3. Jeroen flew not just one but two 1000 km flights out of his home base…the Amsterdam Gliding Club.

That's all on Episode #39 of The Thermal. 

In this Episode of The Thermal, Crisis in the Air. We hear from a British pilot who kept cool and saved himself and his glider.

American pilot Roy Bourgeois knows how to escape the Northern Winters. He has just returned from his 27^th gliding adventure in South Africa…he gives us the inside scoop.

And there’s a new App for analyzing IGC files. One that will help you figure out if you’re a safe pilot.

That’s all on Episode  #38 of The Thermal.