This is a recall of a pleasant memory from twelve months ago. On that day I checked out and flew our soaring club’s Schweizer 1-26E single place glider. The 1-26 is very light and is called “a kite” by some of our members. Having flown four of the club’s gliders, I’m looking for one in which I can achieve a five-hour flight and earn my Silver Glider Badge. The 1-26 with its 40-foot wingspan is a good candidate.

The 1-26E requires that you wear a parachute which is bulky and uncomfortable when walking around prior to strapping into the plane. And the awkwardness of jettisoning the canopy and scrambling out of a broken, tumbling glider makes you wonder about the successful use of such a device, but rules are rules.

It was a beautiful, clear blue, March sky that day, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees. Not much lift unfortunately, but my goal for the day was to become familiar with the 1-26’s flight characteristics and practice a couple of landings.

The tug of the tow plane, just below me on the horizon, has me quickly climbing through 300 feet, more than enough altitude to circle back to the runway in case of a rope break.

Released from the tow plane at 3,000 feet, the silent soaring brings a smile to my face every time. Just like a bird I turn and bank, swoop and dive floating on air. No wonder our professional UPS and FedEx pilot members find gliders so rewarding. Where are those hawks? They seem to find uplifting air and circle endlessly, never flapping their wings. There’s that big black-top parking lot around the Walmart Distribution Center. It’s heated surface tends to generate lift … but not today.

With no thermals, the gradual decent demanded I search the air for other traffic and enter the landing pattern at 1,000 feet to negotiate my one shot at a successful landing. No wave off or second chances in a glider.

After announcing my landing intentions on the radio, and using the spoilers to control my decent, I roll out on final, perfectly aligned with the runway. Three hundred, 200, 100 feet, maintaining airspeed, a gentle flare, and then coasting to a stop precisely at the launching spot. Perfect! Gad, I love it. Let’s do that one more time.