I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join the cadets from my Civil Air Patrol (CAP) squadron at the Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK), today. We had a great time learning how to prepare, launch, and fly our wing’s glider.
The weather was sunny and clear, with a 10 knot wind blowing steadily from 280 degrees. We launched each of the six sorties on runway 30, using a Maule MT-7-235 as our tow plane.
We released the glider from the tow plane at 3000′ AGL, which gave us about 30 minutes of soaring time. All of the cadets and I found our orientation flight both exciting and educational. We learned the fundamentals of turns, slow flight, steep turns, stalls, and wing overs. As a pilot of powered aircraft I found it the sensations of the glider not unlike those that I experience in powered aircraft, but it was a bit unnerving to enter the traffic pattern and setup for landing knowing that there really is only one opportunity to get it right. It reminded me of my simulated engine-out landings, but this really was a one-change, no-power landing.
The silent soaring environment helped me feel as if I were flying. The bubble canopy afforded a unobstructed view on both sides of the aircraft as well above. When I started following the hawks and picked up a thermal, I felt as if I were flying, not just piloting an aircraft.
Our CAP hosts were gracious teachers. Both the senior members and cadets taught my squadron’s members the safety and operational procedures of flightline ground operations. We had to move quickly on the ground because we had only a couple of minutes to push the glider onto the runway, connect the tow line, and get the aircraft underway…we didn’t want to hold up other powered aircraft that were about to enter the traffic pattern.
The mother of one of our host cadets spent the day being our "tow mom", and she patiently waited for each sortie to land so that she could help us by towing the aircraft on grass, back to its lauch point at the end of the runway. If it weren’t for her willingness to stay with us, we would have had to push the aircraft through the grass, a task that I would not wished on anyone!
I was impressed by the high standards that all of the senior and cadet members displayed, especially in regard to safety. We stopped operations half way through to hold a second safety briefing, a valuable procedure that prevents overconfidence and carelessness.
As one of my squadron’s Aerospace Education Officers, I helped the cadets, all of whom are middle or high school students, to understand the airborne operations that take place around a busy municipal airport. The cadets practiced keeping track of aircraft in the traffic pattern and listening to the radio for incoming jet traffic on a runway that was perpendicular to our active runway.
I encourage all young people (and those who are young at heart) to consider learning more about the Civil Air Patrol and its mission as the United States Air Force Auxiliary. You may find more details at cap.gov.
