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Friday, August 16, 1985
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 84 No. 176
3
Weather: Today will be partly cloudy and mild with unsea
sonably cool temperatures continuing. Winds will be southerly
10-20 mph with a high of 80 (27C). Partly cloudy Friday night
with a low of 62 (1 7C). Partly cloudy again for the weekend with
a slight chance of precipitation through Sunday. Expect highs
near 80 (27C), lows in the upper 50s (14C).
Barb BrandaThe Nebraskan
Gliding: More
Gliding club seeks
increase in members
ByJeffKorbelik
Senior Reporter
High flying. Smooth sailing. Ear
popping. Those are phrases used to
describe an adventure in flying a
500-pound glider 2,500 feet above
the ground. An experience 10 mem
bers of the Omaha Soaring Club call
"old hat."
The club soared into existence in
June 1984 after club president Randy
Joslin and an ex-member purchased
the glider from a couple in Reno,
Nevada. The glider, a white and blue
Schweizer, cost them $4,500.
Joslin, an Air Force captain, said
he decided to form the club in order
to expose the public to the sport of
gliding. Joslin said he is only aware
of one other gliding club, a private
club on the north side of Omaha.
"We're unique because we offer
instruction," Joslin said. "We have
two members who are instructors
and two more who will be able to
teach after they get their instruc
tors license."
The club, based out of South
Omaha Airport near Papillion, offers
$28 orientation ride. The ride is
used to recruit new members.
"We want people to join our club
and the money we charge for rides
help defray our operating expenses,"
Joslin said.
Expenses include: insurance
$700 a year, hangar rental $45 a
year, inspection $150 a year, and
maintenance.
Pilots find gliding
safe and relaxing
ByJeffKorbelik
Senior Reporter
Flying a glider is unlike flying any
other type of airplane, members of
the Omaha Soaring Club said.
"It's fun and relaxing and that
says enough," Lt. Scott Harrison,
United States Air Force, said.
Harrison said he has recorded 90
hours (325 flights) in gliders and
has another 60 hours of instruction.
He is renewing his instructor's
license in order to teach incoming
members the "art" of soaring.
"Soaring is more of a sport," Har
rison said. "There is an element of
risk and skill in getting the (ther
mal) lifts."
Thermal lifts allow a glider to
stay in the air longer. As the glider
floats in the air, hot air rising from
the ground pushes the aircraft up
ward. Harrison said the club record
is 6,400 feet.
A glider does not have an engine.
The amount of time a glider can
remain in the air depends upon the
pilot and the weather conditions,
club president Randy Joslin said.
Clear, sunny days offer the best
uuathw hppnnsfl nf mnrfl thermal
IVlifts. he said.
The initial fee to join is $200.
Members will then pay $10 a month
in dues and an additional dollar
each time they fly the glider. Instruc
tion flights are $2 a ride.
"Someone without experience
will spend about $500 to solo for the
first time and about $1,000 to get a
license," Joslin said.
After purchasing the glider, the
club was faced with finding a tow
plane to carry the glider into the air.
Sam Wood, owner of a Piper Super
Cub airplane, offered his services.
The plane is ideal for towing a
glider, Wood said. The 150 horse
power PA-18 has a flat-pitched pro
peller which allows a quick take-off
. but a slow cruising speed.
The club gave Wood, director of
operations for the Strategic Air
Command war planning computer, a
reason to keep a plane he was going
to sell.
"It wasn't worth keeping the
plane because of the maintenance
costs," Wood said. "I'm still losing
money, but I'm losing a lot less."
Joslin said the club's biggest
problem is having only one plane.
He said he hopes they can get
enough members to get more air
craft. Joslin is optimistic about an
increase in membership.
"We have had a lot of response to
the rides," he said. "We're very
optimistic that by September or
October we will have 20 to 25
members."
Joslin, an Air Force captain, has
1 10 hours in flying gliders and over
2,000 hours in all types of aircraft.
Joslin said he has always had a "big
interest" in gliding and formed the
soaring club to expose others to the
sport.
"I like working with younger
people and instruct in a sport that
very few have a chance to become
involved in," he said. "To pass that
on is a real thrill for me."
Fred Wepperling, a retired Air
force pilot, has flown gliders since
1965. He has been a member of the
club for about a month after "check
ing it out."
Wepperling flies gliders "because
of the slow speeds and I can come
back where I started from.
"The people are more safety con
scious," he said.
The small 600 pound Schweizer
glider doesn't look as safe as the
members claim. But Wepperling,
who said he has flown "everything,"
found the glider the safest aircraft.
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Self, dies.. .Page 2
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Above: Senior reporter Jeff Korbelik and Omaha Soaring Club president Randy Joslin sail into
the wild blue yonder in the club's Schweizer glider.
Below: Joslin tells gliding stories before taking the club's glider up again.
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A glider flight consists of a tow by
an airplane to approximately 2,500
feet above the ground. At that point
the glider releases the 200-foot cable
and begins a slow descent. The
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flight of the glider is controlled by
wing flaps and a stick controlling
upward and downward movement.
The club's glider seats two and
does not carry a parachute. Harrison
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Mark DavisThe Nebraskan
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Mark DavisThe Nebraskan
said a parachute is not necessary
unless the glider does acrobatics.
"Safety isn't a factor because of
the amount of training, Harrison
said.
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