He had a good Time
I am a German Air Force officer who was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas from 1995 until 1998. While there, I was able to continue soaring in my DG-400. Soaring Society of El Paso members initially introduced me to desert soaring in their Lark and Schweizers, operating from a West Texas Airport. True soaring, however, started when my glider arrived from Germany in July of 1996 and I began to explore the area by flying cross-country. What a great area for soaring!
Although we were a bit hampered by the Mexican border to the south and White Sands Missile Range to the north, many exciting flights followed. Whenever possible I flew self-declared tasks like out-and-back, triangle or multiple-turnpoint flights, and the results were great.
From July of 1996 until the end of my tour, I made 88 flights, accumulated 380 hours and covered more than 21,000 km. Thirteen flights exceeded 500 km distance.
My glider was parked in a hangar very near the runway. Those who know how easy the DG-400 is in ground handling understand the advantage of this. Getting airborne required minimum ground time after the necessary flight preparation.
Flying cross-country over West Texas is very impressive, especially when you are use to European terrain and weather conditions. Over this landscape, and in view of the variety of weather phenomena, including severe thunderstorms, you never lose respect for Mother Nature.
Landing out did not seem to be desirable, which meant one of the biggest advantages I had was my stand-by engine! I had to use the motor very briefly just four times. I know the opinion many glider pilots have about using a motor, but I think they are wrong, as this is the way for the future. Motor glider flying requires all the skill of "pure" glider flying and soaring, but the motor opens boundaries and lets you explore and experience even more enormously rewarding flights. Needless to say, you also become more independent.
Naturally, you still plan your flight along known land out sites or airports, if possible. Very often, though, I enjoyed rather impressive cruising speeds with 8-10,000 ft cloud base and good thermals. Also, not known to many, in winter we also experienced nice wave off the Franklin Mountains at El Paso, which took us up to near 18,000 ft on occasion. Although not very exciting for those used to wave in other Rocky Mountain regions, for us it was a nice change. I did make it to Minden, Nevada the first week of April in 1998 where, according to the locals, it was a rather average week. However, I was happy with my more than 28,000 ft absolute altitude with a gain of 22,000 ft.
I returned to Germany in October of 1998 and know I'll continue to enjoy soaring, alternating between alpine areas and less elevated terrain but for sure I'll remember my soaring flights in the U.S. I wanted to express my gratitude for having been able to enjoy a unique soaring environment with wonderful flights allowing me - in the true sense - to soar with eagles! I met friendly people, but know I saw and experienced only a small part of soaring in America. I look forward to returning in the not-to-distant future. Meanwhile my SSA and ASA memberships and Soaring Magazine ensure my staying in touch.
ECKART WIENSS - Hennef, Germany
Eckart Wienss was the "Safety General" in the German "Bundeswehr".
He is responsible for all questions concerning safety for pilots.
This article was published in the American Soaring Mail.
