Marfa, Texas, is the newest "National Landmark of Soaring"!     The National Soaring Museum in Elmira, NY, designated Marfa as the 15th US "Landmark of Soaring".  A plaque was dedicated on April 5, 2008 on Marfa Airport, followed by a banquet that evening at the historic Paisano Hotel.  Along with many veterans of soaring at Marfa, George Moffat was our featured banquet speaker.   George first flew at Marfa in 1962 and won the US Nationals at Marfa in 1969 and the World Soaring Championships here in 1970.   This event evolved into quite a reunion of many of the pilots, crews and spouses that came to Marfa in the 1960's, including Dick & Alice Johnson, Ben Greene, Hannes Linke, Bill & Nancy Snead, Claud Gilmer, Ann & John Byrd, Walt Cannon, Ed Byars, Bill Holbrook, Lanier Frantz, Neil Muxworthy, Sherman Griffith, Steve Parker (who brought the classic Sisu sailplane), Bob Bowden, Al Leffler, Bernald Smith, Georgie Lee Kahl, Ralph Kolstad, Bill Shurley, Robert Buck, Bob Ball, "Big John" Brittingham, myself and many more. (Who did I miss?)   Over 150 people attended the dedication to make it a significant, and indeed very emotional, once-in-a-life-time reunion. 

I'll try to thank all who helped make this event a success:  Kathie Compton, Roger Amis, Mayor Dan Dunlap,  Commissioner Danny Watts, Judge Jerry Agan (and Marge), Simine Short, Jim Short, Peter Smith, Moe Acee, Matt Michael, Adam "Danger" Kite, Chris Roberts, David Johnson, Barry & Ivonne Barkman, Trey Allison, Dennis & Candy Callas, Beth Aslaksen, David Larsen, Alice Johnson, John Earlywine, Bill Shurley, Mike & Julie "Lola" Brooks, Tony Smith, Ron & James & Rudy of Lewis Aircraft.  Vita Ceniceros for the magnificent flagpole, along with Bill "Bird" Parrott, Marfa's brilliant fabricator and welder.   Scott May for the new "Marfa Flyer" taxi (van) service and for sharing his house with us that first summer of 2001.  Ann Dunlap, Joni Marginot & Elizabeth Redding and the Board at the Marfa Chamber of Commerce.  Robert Halpern and staff at the Big Bend Sentinel newspaper for their excellent reporting on all of our gliding activities through the years.  Joe & Lana Duncan, owners of the Paisano Hotel for the beautiful renovation of this soaring pilots' venue.  Laura, Paul, Holly, Maria and the wonderful staff at the Paisano Hotel.  Carlos, Leslie and staff for the excellent service at Jett's Grill / Paisano Ballroom.  

All of our neighbors, the restaurant owners and staff in Marfa who made our friends feel welcome.  DW Construction for building our facilities.  Special thanks to Gilbert and Bert for mowing the airport, Ray Whittingham (WWII glider pilot) and Ann who served up the nachos every day.  Oh yes, Steve Leonard, Johnny Williams, Francis Wright, Chip Love and "Doc" Dave Taylor (Cozy dog's vet).  The support of Denise Layton and the terrific staff at our SSA office in Hobbs was essential to the promotion of the landmark dedication.   

Missing in action but here in spirit were my mentors - the two Fritz's:  Fritz Kahl and Fritz Compton.  Bless our recently departed brothers whose presence I felt during the dedication:  Joe Grimes of Oklahoma, and Peter Beres of Germany.  Only the good die young.  

I know I'm missing a few names here of our many friends whose continuing support and encouragement over the years have helped us establish a permanent soaring facility and a National Landmark at Marfa.  If I missed you, forgive me, then remind me, and the next round is on me at the Paisano Hotel bar, but you gotta come back here to collect!

Click on the "Landmark" button on this website for more photos and a history of soaring at Marfa.  

 

New Sailplanes at Marfa!  

DG-1000T.  We went to the SSA Convention in Albuquerque in early February and brought home a new sailplane.  After much consideration, research and comparison, my dream sailplane has been delivered to Marfa from Germany.  The DG-1000T is the top of the excellent DG sailplane line.  It is a high performance two-seater with a 20 meter wingspan (65+ feet) and a measured glide ratio of better than 46 to 1.  It has the sustainer engine option (DG-1000T = "turbo") with state of the art instrumentation.  It's built for speed, range and comfort, so come fly it with me at Marfa.  Perhaps I'll take it on a soaring safari around the mid-west and western USA so co-pilots will be welcome (Get on my list!)  Imported for me by Knut at Seminole Soaring near Orlando, Florida (www.soarfl.com)   See photos and details of the DG-1000T, my ultimate "Sunship", at http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/index-e.html   

We also have a beautifully restored Schleicher ASK-13, "the Mercedes of two-seaters" as it was described in 1968.  Wood and fabric wings, tube and fabric fuselage.  Come fly a vintage German sailplane with me at Marfa.  This restoration is "museum-quality" and the glider only has a few hundred flight hours on it.  Red fuselage, yellow wings - it's a classic beauty!

Winter 2007  Mr. Lynn Williams, drummer with the 1960's group "Ronny & the Daytona's", known for "Sandy" and their cool car songs including "Little GTO", added his glider rating at Marfa!   Lynn now leaves the drummin' to me, as he flies Boeing 777's overseas, or his LS-3a sailplane near Nashville.  There is room for YOU to fly at Marfa.  Bring your sailplane and crew or visit me for a few days to earn your glider rating near the mountains of southwest Texas! 

Fall  2007   I finished my Dad's flight, 50 years later.   Let me explain:  In 1957, Fritz Compton made a remarkable 320 mile soaring flight in his glider from Elmira, New York, due east to Plymouth, Massachusetts.  This flight earned him the 1957 Gold Bendix Distance Trophy (this award is now extinct and Dad's resides in my hangar at Marfa, along with his coveted Silver and Bronze Bendix soaring trophies) and a pilot slot on the 1958 US Team to the World Soaring Championships at Lezno, Poland.  "A mighty fine flight" he called it, when he reminisced about his aviation career. 

Now for the rest of the story:  He could have soared farther, east across the water to Provincetown airport on the tip of Cape Cod.  But Dad had flown beyond his maps, and even from 7,000' over the coastline of scrub pines and cranberry bogs south of Boston, he could not see Cape Cod, so he extended the spoilers on his modified LK-10A sailplane and landed at the little Plymouth airport.  After landing he learned it was only 26 miles across to Cape Cod, but not being able to see it in the haze, he wisely landed for the longest flight of the 1957 US National Contest and one of the longest flights ever flown eastbound from Elmira.   

"26 miles across the sea - old Cape Cod was waiting for me"  Dad would sing, and joked that I should "finish the flight" for him someday.  He repeated this whimsical request a few weeks before he passed on in 2006 at age 90.  I promised him I would do it but I silently wondered how I could make it happen.   I still have Dad's Open Cirrus sailplane, but it's a long drive from Marfa, Texas to Plymouth, Massachusetts, and since Dad's 1957 cloudstreet would probably not be there for me, extending out over the water, I contacted Don Post of Vermont, who has a Stemme S-10VT self-launching sailplane and he was very happy to help me "finish the flight".  So on September 21, 2007, 50 years and a couple of months after Dad landed at Plymouth airport, I met Don there and we soared his beautiful Stemme across the water to Cape Cod.  Like Dad's flight, it was very difficult to see the Cape in the midday haze until we had glided more than halfway across to Provincetown airport.   After landing (power off of course) I left some of Dad's ashes at the west end of the runway.  So, Fritz Compton finally made it.  "A mighty fine flight", he would probably say, "mighty fine".

Summer  2007   Good days and a few rain days.  Although most days we fly on the "dry" side of the famous Marfa Dry Line, we've had a mix of wonderful soaring days and some rain.  From the air, the grasslands of the Marfa Plateau are a beautiful mix of greens.  Doesn't take much rain for the grass around my hangar to "green up" and the wildflowers to bloom here!  The Davis Mountains are greener than usual and the cows on the range are very content.  We can soar year-round at Marfa, so a little rain is just part of our interesting and dynamic weather.

Soaring pilots at Marfa:  US National Soaring Champions Karl Striedeck, John Byrd, John Good, Rudy Allemann, along with Daan (& Crystal) Pare from Holland have been flying at Marfa.  Peter English of the "Fault Line Flyers" soaring club near Austin visited with his LS-3a and upgraded to a Commercial Glider rating with me.  Marfa soaring veterans (those who flew here in the 1960's) Bill Snead (& Nancy) and Tom McKnight (& Mimi) make repeated visits to soar with us.  

April 17 - May 27, 2007  Flying in Germany!  I've been invited to fly gliders in Germany at three sites, so no flying while I'm gone.  I'll return to fly with you, or give your private sailplane an aerotow, around June 1.  

April 2007  Our annual spring Thermal and Wave Camp was great fun.  A fine group of 24 pilots mentored by soaring legend Dick Johnson explored good thermal and wave lift.  Steve Leonard always brings an interesting classic sailplane from his collection.  Last year it was the big Glasflugel 604.  This year he brought his beautiful BS-1.  In 2008 I'm hoping Steve will bring his HP-14, the one Dick Schreder flew to second place here at the US Nationals in 1967.  I encourage all owners of classic sailplanes - especially those types that flew in the 1967 and 1969 US Nationals here - to bring them back one more time in 2008.

Burt Compton was been named the 2007 Flight Instructor of the Year by the FAA Lubbock FSDO district, which includes most of west Texas and eastern New Mexico (Hobbs).   

In local news, Marfa Gliders was named "Business of the Year" by the Marfa Chamber of Commerce.

March 2007  The SSA Convention in Memphis was a blast!  Also visited friends and family in Miami, Tampa and Dallas.  After a few days in Marfa to give a checkride and some flight instruction, I drove to Colorado to pick up a very nicely restored ASK-13, very much like the one in which my Dad taught me his secrets of reading the sky, sea-breeze front soaring and thermal centering in Miami in 1967.  I can share those secrets with you if you come fly with me at Marfa!

The new Swan trailer I imported from Germany that was custom made for my ASK-13 is beautiful, and represents good value for the money.   Hectic around Marfa now as my second hangar is being built, and we prepare for the annual Thermal and Wave Camp, April 1 - April 7.  Two sailplanes have already arrived for the Camp.  We expect twenty more to arrive soon.  

Spring is here as the grass around our house and hangar is "greenin' up" (a Texas expression).  Dustdevils mark the 10 knot thermals, while lenticular clouds mark the waves high over the Davis Mountains.  Wow!

Bring your glider (and crew) and fly your badge flights, records or just "personal best" flights.   E-mail marfagliders@aol.com in advance for scheduling a tow and accommodations.   Soaring doesn't end after summer!  We can soar  year-round at Marfa.  Fall or winter is best for training and checkrides for earning your glider ratings (a bit easier in the softer thermals!)

February 2007  I'm on the road to Dallas - Memphis - Miami - Lakeland (FL) in this month of travel to the SSA Convention, Soaring Seminars, and visiting friends and family.   On the road, but not out of touch!  Email me at marfagliders@aol.com

February 6 - 11  Rockin' in Memphis at our annual Soaring Convention.  In addition to my Marfa booth on the convention floor, I'll be helping out at the Soaring Safety Foundation seminars.  SSA Conventions are always fun and very worthwhile. The people, guest speakers, vendors, and sailplanes on display are wonderful.  This 2007 convention celebrates the 75th anniversary of the SSA, and the Vintage Sailplane Association plans a display of vintage and classic sailplanes.  For more info on the annual SSA Convention go to www.ssa.org

February 12-15  I'll rendezvous with Kathie and Cozy-dog in Miami, to visit family and friends and enjoy stone crabs, fresh seafood and REAL key-lime pie!

February 17   I'll be speaking at the FAA Soaring Seminar at the FAA Sun 'n Fun facility on Lakeland Airport.  That afternoon I plan to visit Seminole-Lake Gliderport near Clermont, FL to look at the new DG-1000 high-performance two-seat sailplane.  

Spring 2007:  Sometime in March, I will be picking up a beautifully restored Schleicher ASK-13 two seat sailplane in Colorado.  This classic 1968 sailplane has a steel tube and fabric covered fuselage, with wooden wings and empennage.  It is just like the sailplane in which Dad taught me to fly in 1967. (That exact ASK-13 is owned by Tom Knauff in Pennsylvania.)

Our Spring Thermal & Wave Camp will be the first week of April, then I may travel to Germany in late April - mid-May, so if you plan to visit Marfa, please contact me in advance via email at marfagliders@aol.com to check my travel plans.  Sorry, no glider flying or tows at "Marfa Gliders" while I am away.

We've started work on my new 60' x 60' hangar, across from John Byrd's, to hold our growing fleet.  

I'm also looking for a nice 1959 "straight-tail" Cessna 182, which makes a great towplane and a cross-country travel aircraft.  Our closest Home Depots / Office Depots / Super Wal-Marts are 180 miles away at either El Paso or Midland, Texas, so flying a hauler like a Cessna 182 will be useful.   

January 2007  Thermals persist thought the winter as we welcome more students and CFI-Glider applicants.  Barry Barkman visited as our Guest Instructor and had a fine time at Marfa (his second visit.)  Evenings spent celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Marfa were very enjoyable, especially after a day of flying.  

December 2006   One of our busiest training months each year, but I've got the Christmas tree decorated, and our wonderful neighbors on Third Street here on the north edge of Marfa town have gone all out with the holiday lights.  Among my students, J-L Cavallera and Mike Brooks of Houston, TX earned their CFIG ratings, along with Eric Haney of Kalamazoo, MI.  I enjoy helping create new glider flight instructors!  Susan Wright soloed and plans to go for her Private Pilot certificate, and I'm building another hangar on Marfa Airport.  Why?  Need another toy box for my toys!  Barry Barkman arrives soon from Florida as our guest instructor in this busy season.   Stand by for some exciting news in January 2007 from my FAA FSDO (Lubbock).  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Burt & Kathie Compton, and Miss Cozy, the Yorkie dog!

November 2006   I'm busy with students including Flight Instructor applicants.  After a single night of light snow - quite exciting for us - we are flying under unbelievably bright blue skies.  100 miles visibility aloft, as we can see far south into the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, and north to Guadalupe Peak near Carlsbad Caverns.

October 2006  On the road to the Soaring Safety Foundation and Soaring Society of America meetings at Albuquerque, New Mexico, then north to Colorado Springs by the invitation of the USAF Academy, to consult with them on their new Duo Discus sailplane.  This is my second visit to the USAF Academy in less that 12 months, and it is an honor to be invited back.  

Home in Marfa, we're enjoying a visit from my boyhood pal, Dennis Callas.  Dennis grew up near our family gliderport in Miami and first visited Marfa with Dad and I, back at the 1969 Nationals, when we crewed for Dad - flying his Open Class Cirrus sailplane.  That same big Cirrus resides in my hangar now at Marfa (never left the family) still with contest number "FC", for Fritz Compton.  I fly it once in awhile - for Dad.

Kathie's new book on dog training, "Dogs Made Easy", has been published and available at www.amazon.com

It is a concise (65 page) book for any dog owner, and she has taken some sophisticated concepts on dog behavior and human interaction and simplified them to make it an easy read for adults and children.  Kathie is a certified dog trainer of note in the USA.  If you know someone who needs help with their dog, this $9.95 book may have the answers they require to understand their dog's behavior and train it properly.  By the way, the title "Dogs Made Easy" was used with encouragement from Bob Wander, who publishes the excellent "Made Easy" series of books on glider training at www.bobwander.com  Thanks Bob!

Learn more about dog training and her new book at Kathie's website, www.texasdogtrainer.com

September 2006   We are on tour conducting Soaring Safety Foundation "Site Surveys" by the invitation of several clubs in the Pacific Northwest.  Click on the Site Survey tab for more info.  My cellphone coverage is intermittent, so it's best to also send me an email while on the road at marfagliders@aol.com

August  2006  Every year at this time, just a day or two of seasonal rain turns the grassy Marfa plateau and surrounding hills a nice shade of green with yellow patches of flowers.  The rancher's cows love it, and the view from above is wonderful.  Our flying weather is good year-round, and we are giving glider rides and flight instruction every day.  

Glider flying lessons:  Since I take only one or two flight students a week, I stay busy but at a level that allows me to give one-on-one flight instruction, which is the old-fashioned way to teach flying and help folks achieve their goals.  "Add-on" glider ratings are very popular with airplane pilots who already have a FAA Private or Commercial certificate, yet we enjoy teaching the "beginners" as well.  Many folks who take an introductory glider ride ask about flight lessons, and teaching someone from the very beginning is very rewarding for me.  I have been around aviation for 50 years now, since I was about 5 years old on my Dad's airport in Miami, where the sights, sounds and smells of Piper J-3 Cubs and vintage fabric gliders filled the air.  I'm so lucky to have this life in aviation, and I'm always ready to share some of my time with you.  

June - July  2006  We hosted the 2006 World Class (PW-5 Sailplane) US National Contest at Marfa.   Eight days of racing, fun and good friends.  Patrick Tuckey was named the champion.  Charlie Spratt came from Charlotte, NC to be our Competition Director, Rick Sheppe of Vermont was Scorer, and SSA Executive Director Dennis Wright ran the launch line and crewed for three "crewless" pilots on short notice.  

Why pilots come to a site like Marfa without a dedicated crew is beyond me. With contest sites and hosts getting harder to find, this is a consideration for future contest bids.  Crewless pilots at Marfa have been very lucky in their off-airport landings and retrieves, so far.  Having a crew adds to the fun and provides the pilot with a coach, a manager, a wing holder, a driver and a go-fer.  Some crew are soaring pilots themselves and they can learn much while crewing at a soaring camp or contest.  

For the 99% of you SSA members who don't fly contests (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!) and just want to come soar at Marfa for badges and your "personal best" flights, email me and we will make it happen!

April - May  2006  My father has "gone west".   I have posted some photos of his aviation career.  

Click on the Fritz Compton button above.  (To see all the photos, please scroll right to view the second & third columns.)

Captain F.B. “Fritz” Compton died peacefully on April 9, 2006 in Plano, Texas.  He was 90 years old.  

He was born in Manassas, Virginia on April 15, 1915, the son of Charles Burton and Mary Boyer Compton. 

His job and hobby was aviation.  He soloed in 1935 in an Aeronca C-3 airplane, and flew Piper Cub floatplanes from the Potomac River. He peddled airplane rides and did aerial photography until he was hired by Eastern Air Lines in 1939.  He started on the DC-2, predecessor to the famous DC-3, and completed his professional aviation career flying the Lockheed L-1011, when he retired in 1975 at age 60.   

His hobby was flying sailplanes, and he flew them well.   Fritz Compton was recognized by the Soaring Society of America in 1948 when he was awarded the Warren Eaton trophy, the highest honor the Society bestows upon its members.  The award was not for his exceptional flying skills, but for his contribution to safety by compiling the SSA Standard Signals, which are still used today.  

Fritz was a mentor to many sailplane pilots, encouraging them by sharing his knowledge of “reading the sky” and efficiently using thermals.  In sailplane competitions, he always flew “for the fun of it”, and would readily offer a helping hand to other enthusiasts.

In many US National Soaring Contests, Compton placed in the top ten several times in the late 1940’s through the 1950’s, and earned a pilot slot on the 1958 US Soaring Team at the World Soaring Competition, held in Lezno, Poland. 

One notable soaring flight was made in 1957, when he flew his highly modified Laister-Kauffman LK-10A sailplane 320 miles from Elmira, New York to Plymouth, Massachusetts, still the longest flight eastbound from Elmira.  Fritz had flown off his map and could have continued across the ocean to Cape Cod, but did not know the exact distance ahead to Provincetown.  He decided that a landing at Plymouth was prudent, and descended from 7,000’ to end this remarkable flight.  (Perhaps someday I will complete this flight for him - take Dad's Cirrus sailplane to Plymouth, get an aerotow to 7,000', then glide across to Cape Cod.)

Fritz Compton established the first gliderport in South Florida when he purchased 60 acres south of Miami in 1945, in order to have a grass runway for gliders and airplanes, and build a home in which he would raise his family.  

His wife, Davidina "Baby" Compton, passed in 2001 after 56 years of marriage.  He is survived by his son Burt Compton of Marfa, Texas, daughters Valerie of Texas, and Brenda  of Florida.

March 2006  I spoke at the Chicagoland Glider Council Seminar at Elgin, Illinois February 18th.  I was invited by my "Firesign Theatre" pal John DeRosa to travel to Chicago in February, but the anticipated wet winter weather was just blue sky and COLD!  I was one of several speakers that included George Moffat, Tom Knauff and Curt Lewis.  After the evening dinner, George Moffat and I gave our powerpoint presentation on the history of soaring at Marfa, culminating with George describing some of his winning flights in 1969 (US Nationals) and 1970 (World Soaring Contest) at Marfa.  

A suggestion that Marfa might be considered as a "National Landmark of Soaring" is an exciting thought.  I'll need to work on a presentation about the historical aspects.  Fortunately I have documents and photos given to me by the late Fritz Kahl, who hosted the early soaring events here, but I must put it all together in the form of a scholarly proposal.  I need more documentation and photos - so loan your old photos to me so I may make copies and preserve the history of soaring at Marfa! 

Our World Class (PW-5 sailplane) National Contest here this summer will see the return of serious contest flying over the Big Bend of Texas.  The long-term weather prediction folks say dry and warm weather in the year ahead will make soaring conditions exceptional, but tough on the ranchers.  The "Marfa Dry Line" will serve up some very strong thermals and high cloudbases.  Tighten your seatbelts and turn on your oxygen - we're gonna climb high and fast!

I have enjoyed a constant flow of glider students this winter and my scheduling book is filling up for the spring.  If you are ready to earn or upgrade your glider pilot certificate, I have a few days open - so email marfagliders@aol.com to inquire about my training courses and rates.   Next month:  Our April Wave Camp!

 

February 2006

   “The Gathering of the Tribe”   The 2006 Soaring Society of America Convention at Arlington , Texas          

It was a homecoming in many respects.  The very first SSA Convention was held at Arlington, Texas in 1972.  I’ve been to countless SSA Conventions and each one is different, not only because of the new venue, but because of the interesting people I meet.   

Anticipation.  We approach Arlington from the southwest, after a ten hour drive from west Texas.  I must control my excitement as this reminds me of the final miles of the long trips I made with my father to places like Harris Hill and Marfa, to participate in the National Contests of the fifties and sixties.  Back then, there was only one US National Soaring Contest.  Sailplane class racing had yet to be developed.  One contest.  One yearly gathering of the tribe.  As many as eighty sailplanes and pilots competed from around the world.  All the big-names and the up and comers.  Many of the SSA founders came to advise and guide us.  Hundreds of enthusiasts.  It was SSA’s Oshkosh, or perhaps Woodstock. 

Now we have the annual SSA Convention every winter. We don’t fly. We talk. Sometimes we hug.  We remember the good old days and plan the future of our Society.   Our founders have left us with a great responsibility.  They are probably glad that much of our soaring business is accomplished at our SSA Conventions.  Ideas are exchanged.  Secrets revealed.  Promises made.  Deals struck.  Memorable soaring stories are remembered.  Lifelong friendships are begun.   

An Exhibitor’s Perspective.  For the sixth year, I have purchased an exhibit space, a corner booth to best display the value of our services.  I am a glider flight instructor.  Kathie makes glider jewelry.  We have built a soaring school in a rather remote, but scenic location.  “Build it and they will come” does not work in the flight school business, at least not at my field of dreams.  Like the sixty other exhibitors, we must market our services and extend a warm invitation to potential customers.  Kathie and I stand in our booth for most of the convention.  Leaving our promotional videotape running on my rented TV monitor, I sneak away for one or two seminars, rushing back to the convention floor to find a group of potential customers pondering the images on the screen.  Endless questions are cheerfully answered.  Kathie knows the importance of promoting soaring, having co-anchored the SSA booth with me at Oshkosh for many years.  We work our booth as trade show professionals and every person we talk with is considered golden.  Someone suggests that attendance is not as good as last year, but we are continuously busy.  For us, the time and expense of exhibiting at the SSA Convention is worthwhile. 

The sailplanes and motorgliders are the main attraction, yet the variety of booth exhibitors is interesting.  The gadget and instrument vendors always have a good crowd.   Book sellers, model makers, insurance brokers, parachute manufacturers are busy showing their products. 

Klaus Fey of Eqip.de has a large booth that represents several German soaring vendors.  He offers a similar arrangement for US vendors at the April 2007 “Aero” exhibition in Friedrichshafen , Germany .  Seems like a very good idea.       

From my stationary post in our booth, I enjoy watching the attendees flow past, noting their expressions.  Most are smiling.  Some are quizzical, looking for something, or someone.  Squinting at nametags, they find new friends or locate the vendors they seek.

A tall fellow with shoulder length hair ambled towards my Marfa Gliders booth, striding in the casual manner of a west Texas native.  I was struck by a resemblance to my own appearance in the early seventies and I sensed this was a kindred spirit.  For some reason “Ben Greene” suddenly came to my mind, yet this was obviously not Mr. Greene, the southern gentleman from that golden era of soaring.  Could this be Bobby Bowden, Ben’s faithful crewman?  Indeed, the slow Texas drawl confirmed it, and the stories began of crewing in those exciting days of the first-generation glass ship contests of 35 years ago.  Back then the pilots always brought a chase crew.  Crewing required a dedication to the needs of your pilot, and a good crew was hard to keep.  The best pilots would try to hire you away for the next season.  Crewing was important, and fun.  It meant driving fast, out to the center of the task area, parking on a hilltop with the ideal but elusive combination of good radio reception, a shady tree and a Dairy Queen.  “See ya next time!” was probably the last thing Bobby had said to me in 1973.  Thirty three years later we meet again, and the memories flowed, and it was good.

Several of the 1960’s “kids” of soaring attended the 2006 SSA Convention at Arlington .  Among us were Rob Buck, Bobby Bowden, Walter Cannon, Mike Carris, Hank Claybourn, Burt Compton, Sherman Griffith, Ralph Kolstad, Steve Leonard, Eric Mozer, Neil Muxworthy, Dave Raspet, Lisa Setz and Peter Smith.  This not-so-young-anymore group witnessed the golden years of soaring, usually crewing for their father, and then becoming life-long enthusiasts or glider pilots themselves.  There are many of us “kids” out there, so we’ve agreed to meet every year at the SSA Convention, as we are the new old-timers, and we have two generations worth of stories to tell you.  

Soaring Legends.  Dick Johnson, George Moffat, Hannes Linke, Marion Griffith, Bertha Ryan, Al Santilli, Fred Robinson, Carl Herold, George Applebay and Academy Award winning actor, soaring pilot Cliff Robertson.  All together in one venue.  All accessible and easy to talk with.  I hear myself addressing them as “Mr. Johnson”, or “Mr. Moffat.”  They ask me to call them “Dick” and “George”.  Amazing.  I am 55 years old and still the awestruck kid. 

 More importantly, the future legends are in attendance.  Instructors, designers, entrepreneurs, record setters and young contest pilots.  I saw new SSA Directors, Foundation Trustees, SSA committee chairs and dedicated volunteers that will keep our SSA functioning.  New names.  New leaders.

Charlie Spratt.  At the awards banquet on Saturday evening, Master of Ceremonies Bob Wander asked the members of the huge audience to raise their hand if they know Charlie Spratt.  Hundreds raised their hands.  The powerful “Get Well Charlie” vibe resonated through the tribe and out into the Texas night sky towards Charlotte , North Carolina .  This tribe takes care of its own.  

The SSA Staff.  They work long hours and they are all smiling.  Dennis Wright has assembled a winning team.  Several veteran players lead the way:  Gaynell Temple, Denise Layton, Rhonda Copeland, Alan Gleason.  Relatively new faces at the smooth-running SSA registration booth include Mashell Stevens, Katherine Purvis, Susan Dew and Megan Woodfin.  Dennis has empowered them to solve problems, answer questions, serve the SSA membership and the convention exhibitors.  Our SSA Staff is still smiling on the last day.  

The Volunteers.  Local assistance is required at all of the SSA Conventions, and regional soaring clubs respond accordingly.  Working behind the scenes for more than two years with our SSA Staff, they organize the logistics, the speaker list, the careful set up of dozens of new and vintage sailplanes on the exhibit hall floor.  Oats Swartzenberger and Tammie Carswell assembled the Texas team. Thank you all.

A Long Week.  The SSA Convention runs from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday night.  My week at the SSA Convention officially began on Monday, helping teach the Soaring Safety Foundation “CFIG Wannabe” course.  My Tuesday was consumed with assisting at the SSF Flight Instructor Recertification Clinic.  Bob Wander is the lead presenter at the FIRC, along with Rich Carlson and Dean Carswell.  I’m also supposed to be an “expert”, but listening to these fine presenters reminds me that after 50 years around soaring (I started young), there is always more to learn.  Teaching effectively is the continuing challenge a CFI faces.  Thirty CFI’s attended the two day recertification clinic.  Wander and crew offer new perspectives and suggest innovative techniques on how to teach the essentials of soaring to help make our sport safer.  During the SSA convention, Bernald Smith and Gene Hammond, elder statesmen of the SSA and SSF Trustees, advise and encourage the younger instructors.  Listening to our mentors reminds me that knowledge and wisdom must be passed on by people such as Bernald and Gene.  This old-fashioned personal interaction greatly enhances the effectiveness of the modern powerpoint presentations and validates the importance of attending the unique seminars and clinics presented at the SSA Conventions.

For you, the SSA Convention might be a reunion.  East meets West, North meets South as distant soaring cousins rendezvous, sometimes after decades apart.  Email addresses and screen names are replaced with compassionate faces and warm handshakes.  At the SSA Convention, we are alive and human.  Bob Wander describes us as “The Tribe.”  We are a unique culture that includes passionate enthusiasts, dedicated flight instructors, inquisitive students and skillful pilots that share the excitement of soaring and the challenge of making the perfect flight.  We reaffirm our commitment to soaring at the annual gathering of our tribe.

Go to the SSA Conventions.  At Memphis , February 6 – 11, 2007 , we will celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of the founding of the Soaring Society of America.  In 2008, we will gather in Albuquerque, New Mexico.   Be prepared to meet some wonderful people.

January 2006  The SSA Convention (JAN 31 - FEB 4) is right around the corner!  Literally for us Texans - only 500 miles to Dallas from Marfa, so it will be a "short drive" in Texas terms.  (A "long drive" is when you leave the state.)  Anyhow, we're lookin' forward to participating in the activities, and encourage you to attend.  There is something for everyone.  The newest sailplanes, vintage gliders, booths featuring soaring equipment, gadgets, and books.  Look for us in our "Marfa Soaring" booth.  Meet the legends and talk with the leadership of the SSA.  Chat with our fine SSA staff from Hobbs.  Talk with our Executive Director Dennis Wright.  You'll be impressed.  There will be breakfasts, luncheons and evening events including a "sock hop" on Friday night and our annual Awards Banquet on Saturday night, FEB 4th.   All this happens at the Arlington Convention Center and the adjacent Wyndham Hotel south of DFW Airport, near Six Flags, between Dallas and Fort Worth.  Register now at www.ssa.org

The Soaring Safety Foundation, of which I am a Trustee, will have a booth at the SSA Convention at Arlington, and will host several seminars.

Monday, JAN 30   Want be a Flight Instructor?  Attend our "CFIG Wannabe" clinic at 3:00 pm.  Registration required.

Tuesday and Wednesday, JAN 31 - FEB 1   The SSF Flight Instructor Recertification Clinic (FIRC).  8 pm - 5 pm.  Hosted by Bob Wander, this FAA approved two-day course allows CFI's to renew their certificates (since a CFI's certificate expires every 24 months, the FAA accepts this continuing education course as a method to renew.)  NON-CFI's are WELCOME TO ATTEND!   The SSF FIRC is quality continuing education with a lively discussion of new procedures and teaching techniques.  Registration required.

Wednesday, FEB 1  The SSF Safety Seminar at 6:00 pm.   Presentations by Carlson, Costello, Compton & Wander. 

Thursday, FEB 2  SSF Instructor's and Towpilot's Breakfast at 7:30 am

Thursday thru Saturday FEB 2 - 4   Our annual SSA Convention.   More seminars, presentations, displays, fun!   We'll see you there!

"First Flight" is a Soaring Safety Foundation program designed to encourage every glider pilot at every experience level to make their first flight of the year with a glider flight instructor.  All of the SSA Directors, the SSF Trustees and other soaring luminaries have agreed to participate in the program.  The concept is simple.  Make your first glider flight of 2006 with a CFIG and get an evaluation of your basic flying skills such as use of checklists, collision avoidance, coordination and flying the new "Goal Oriented Approach" to land.  This refers to the flexible landing pattern that is not necessarily "square", but with the goal to land on your predetermined spot, rather than fly a precise pattern over points on the ground.  

The "Clipped Base" pattern developed by Derek Piggot in Britain (and now the standard in much of Europe) is a good example of the "Goal Oriented Approach".  We teach the clipped base method at Marfa due to the tremendous lift and sink found in the landing pattern.  A "square" pattern is not required by the FAA, nor is a left-hand pattern required for gliders.  A "square" pattern is not desirable on windy days, or when lift and sink greatly affect our relatively (to airplanes) slow-moving, lightweight gliders.  Be flexible!  Turn when it looks good to you, rather than trying to fly some imaginary "square" pattern like an airplane!  Give it a try and you'll notice that you can continuously judge your angles to your aim point and touchdown zone.  Recognize and react to what the air is doing to your glider and you'll never "land short".  Landing short of a perfectly good runway is probably the number one incident in soaring, around the world.   Spinning on base to final is the primary fatal accident around the world, so make those turns definitive with good amount of bank (no shallow turns with rudder!) a nice amount of speed (50+ knots) and good coordination.  Remember to never, ever, try to turn an aircraft with rudder. Rudders turn boats, not aircraft.  Use your ailerons to bank the glider to turn it.  Read Wolfgang Langeweische's classic "Stick & Rudder" book for a good explanation on why rudder does not turn aircraft.  I cringe every time I hear a glider instructor say to a transition from airplane-to-glider pilot "This glider will need more rudder than your Cessna airplane."  Geez, talk about setting someone up for a fatal spin someday by skidding the glider around the turn!  Bank your glider with aileron and while you are at it, learn to slip better.  Sounds like a good lesson plan for your "First Flight" in 2006!  

Slips.   As a Flight Instructor and Designated Pilot Examiner, I find that a major weak point for most applicants for a glider rating is slips to landing.  Slips with no airbrakes around the pattern (turning slips) is one challenge, along with slips for crosswind landings.  Slips are safe.  Unintentional skids are dangerous.  Do you know the difference?

On a more pleasant note, our good soaring weather continues at Marfa.  It's dry and range fires have not yet been a problem on the Marfa plateau.  I've been planning the PW-5 World Class Contest with John Byrd, and we're looking forward to bringing back to Marfa a US National Soaring Contest, June 20-29, 2006.

December 2005  Well, I advertised "finish your glider rating at Marfa" and by gosh, folks are coming to fly with us!  Guest Instructor Tim Collins and his wife Drenda visited us for a week to help out while our "regular" (?) CFIG / towpilot Roger Amis took a vacation.  Guest instructors are needed at Marfa from time to time - see the "Guest Instructors" tab under "Marfa Gliders" on this website.  

Christmas on Third Street.  Back in Miami, we hardly knew our neighbors.  In Marfa, we know them all.  From Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, our humble little street on the north edge of town glows bright as we all keep adding Christmas lights and decorations.  All the neighbors put up lots of lights - purely an amateur endeavor and a friendly celebration of this American holiday tradition.   In our home, a "real" Christmas tree looks and smells quite traditional and my father's 1937 Lionel train set is running circles 'round the tree.   Yep, it's good to be living in Marfa.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Soaring?  We've got thermals in December!  Lennies mark the wave coming off the mountains in Mexico.  Were flying every day!

November 2005  Kathie and I and Cozy dog hit the road for Colorado to conduct a few Soaring Safety Foundation Site Surveys, and speak at the Colorado Soaring Pilots' Seminar in Denver, at the invitation of SSA Governor Frank Whiteley.   Frank hosts this meeting and awards banquet once a year and gets a nice turnout of soaring enthusiasts.  He is an excellent role model for all SSA State Governors.   

I was also invited to observe and comment to "the brass" on the USAF Academy Glider Program at Colorado Springs.  It is a fantastic program. EVERY Cadet is given the opportunity to solo a Blanik sailplane, and the option to pursue an upgrade to Instructor Pilot and then compete for a place on the Academy Cross Country Soaring Team.  A new Duo Discus and Discus 2 were sitting in the huge glider hangar, ready for some lucky Cadets to do serious cross country soaring.  Highlight of this visit to the Academy was a reunion with first year Cadet Jonathan Aronoff.  He soloed with me at age 14 in Miami, earned his Commercial with me at Marfa, and was accepted into the Academy this year.  At over 250 hours of glider time, and 7 different sailplane types flown, he is on track to saddle up a USAF Discus next year.  Yeehaw!

Found Robert Mudd, old pal and importer of the Apis, Pipistrel and Sinus gliders, finally established at Moriarty, New Mexico.  He has set up his shop for glider repairs and annual inspections, and I highly recommend Robert's opinion if you are planning to buy a used glider.  He can conduct a pre-purchase inspection so you get a realistic idea of the costs involved to make a glider truly airworthy, and in compliance with all AD notes or factory bulletins.

Growing Our Business.  The most interesting news is that we have been very busy this fall with visiting pilots wanting to earn or upgrade their glider pilot certificates with me at Marfa.  Since I only take on one or two students at a time, it doesn't take much to keep me busy!  But it looks like our advertising is paying off, with more tourist rides and folks from around the USA making appointments to train with us this fall and winter.  If the trend continues, it may mark a turning point in establishing a viable soaring operation here.  Let's hope the calls keep coming in, as teaching soaring sure beats launching weather balloons before dawn like I was doing this time last year!  Gosh, maybe we might see Marfa Gliders succeed, but I won't bet that I see the light at the end of the financial tunnel, as it just might be one of the fabled "Marfa Mystery Lights".  Anyhow, thanks to everyone who has encouraged us, and please keep sending us student pilots to finish their glider ratings at Marfa.  As a FAA Designated Examiner, I can help you become a Private or Commercial Glider Pilot, or a CFI.   Email me today at marfagliders@aol.com  Let's talk about your goals and how we can make your soaring dreams come true.  Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

October 2005  I traveled to Memphis to attend the SSA Board of Directors meeting, and the Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) Trustees meeting.  I returned very optimistic that both the SSA and the SSF have talented, intelligent caring people guiding the future of soaring and soaring safety in the USA.  It's a good group.  Contact your SSA Directors and let them know your thoughts, needs and hopes for soaring.   See the list of these folks at the SSA website  www.ssa.org under "Governance".   They are your representatives, so communicate with them!    

Meanwhile at Marfa, thermal soaring conditions continue to be very good.  John Byrd, twice US National Standard Class Champion, is considering a straight-out distance flight north to Childress, Texas (near the Texas-Kansas border) to duplicate his flight in the 1969 Nationals at Marfa (his first contest / as seen in "The Sun Ship Game" soaring movie.)  He did it in his BG-12 then, and will fly it in his PW-5 soon - likely a distance record for the World Class.  Anybody want to team fly this task with John?  Should I offer a cash prize of a dollar-a-mile for the longest straight-out distance flight originating in Marfa that exceeds 500 miles each calendar year?  Is anyone reading this?

September 2005  The Miami Gliderport has closed.  The landowners have asked the club to leave.  The club sailplanes will be sold.    Lesson learned:  Always try to buy the land upon which your gliderport sits.  The "coulda, woulda, shoulda" is over.  The pilots of the private ships will buy tows at Homestead General Airport (X51), which will benefit the "Miami Gliders" commercial operation.

I was born in South Miami and grew up on my father's "Flying C Ranch" gliderport.  Cubs and sailplanes.  No neighbors.  Lucky kid.  When Miami built up and around my Dad's grass strip in the 1960's, soaring activities moved 10 miles inland to some "high ground" (9 feet msl) found along Krome Avenue.  An old indian site nearby was called "Inlakita", and that was the radio call for our Skycrafters tube radio in the hangar.  A club called "Thermal Research" was formed, later renamed "Miami Glider Club"  (apparently IRS wasn't buying the "research" deductions).  My childhood memories go back to the mid 1960's and the founders and characters of "Thermal Research".  With the sad news of eviction, I suddenly recall those times and the people. 

These images come to my mind:

As a youngster, flying with my Dad Fritz Compton in an ASK-13, learning about smooth, precise flying by slow absorption of the sounds and feel of the glider, which is the best way to learn to fly.  I learned to read the sky and center thermals long before I could drive a car.
The privilege to know smilin' Jim Parrott, a great CFIG who had a glider flight school there. 
Seeing German soaring pioneer Peter Riedel visit and fly. He showed me his scrapbook of soaring at the Wasserkuppe in the 1930's and told of his escape from Nazi Germany before WWII by sailing a small boat across the Atlantic! 
Soloing the ASK-13 in 1968 after a sign-off by the wonderful Fred Brittain. 
Listening to the swaggering EAL Captain John Randall brag about his brand new sailplanes - from his KA-6 to his Sisu - hearing his radio call "Inlakita - 9"
Watching Fritz Sebek land his awesome ASW-12 - slipping in over the wires with no spoilers (that sailplane had only a tailchute for landing drag). "Izzata fact."
Seeing the one and only Schweizer 2-25 based there, owned by George Arents.
Smelling the cigar of the jovial Paul "Pablo" Crowell, one of the real nice guys of soaring.
Following Professor Harry Senn around in thermals to understand the micro-weather that allows us to soar. His long flight debriefs to me were excellent lectures.
Enjoying a late day chat with Bourbon Rouse - what a nice guy.
Chicho Estrada and Alfonso Jurado - real cool cats - always gentlemen.
Running the sea breeze front with my Dad in his big Cirrus, me in the LS-3 and getting to 8,700' by climbing together up and over the west side of the cloud.
Topping 10,000' agl with Bennie Flowers in weird wave over the Everglades. (Look for bread-loaf clouds that lay 90 degrees to a west wind aloft, east wind below.)
Learning to fly real fast with UM classmate Tommy Beltz, who later was a multi-national soaring champion.
Helping Frank Mennitto assemble, then flying his monster Caproni sailplane.  Italian all the way.  
The Fox brothers - Jon & Kevin insisting that I fly every one of their sailplanes. What a terrific pair of optimistic and positive thinking guys!
Captain Bill Harris - a soaring legend in our midst - and most folks never knew about all his accomplishments in aviation. Nobody ever outclimbed Bill in his big Cirrus.
Scotty Bingham - shorts and deck shoes and never a hair out of place. Great CFIG. Always with a smile and excellent advice. 

There were so many more people that worked at making soaring fun at the Miami Gliderport. I wish I was a kid again and could see them one more time - hear more advice and encouragement. Now I'm the old-timer, teaching people to soar or towing the racers and the record-setters. I guess that's what I was supposed to do. 

We all had wonderful times - but it was the people - not the site. Not the lush green grass or the huge hangar, but the people that made it work. 

So now they must go to the pavement and obey the rules at Homestead Airport.  They will buy what they think is an "expensive" tow from the commercial operator.  Then, free of the chaos on the ground, they will run the seabreeze front or soar up the west side of a big cumulus.  Most will have a fine time.  Some may complain about the rules and the cost of a tow.  Few will remember the old days.

Let's remember why we love soaring.   Look!  Out over the Everglades near the bottom of a cumulus cloud - a mysterious flash of white wings.  Is it the ghosts of Paul Crowell, Bennie Flowers, Bill Harris, Fritz Compton, Jim Parrott, Frank Mennitto, Bourbon Rouse, John Randall?    If they could, what would they say to us now?   Probably "Let's go fly!" 

July 2005  Amazing soaring conditions continue.  Several soaring records established.  Morning temps at 58 degrees F, with highs near 90 F.  Not as hot as the rest of Texas, as our airport elevation is almost 5,000' above sea level.  We will soar everyday to August 15th, when we take a short break to visit the International Vintage Sailplane Meet (IVSM) at historic Harris Hill, near Elmira, NY.  It's the ultimate gathering of flyable vintage and classic sailplanes, the restorers, enthusiasts, and many of the famous "old-timers".  More info:  www.soaringmuseum.org

June 2005  Although we soar year-round, June marks the beginning of our absolutely amazing soaring conditions.  Like the surfing movie of the 1960's, I call it "The Endless Summer of Soaring".  Every day is tremendous.  Check our Marfa-specific soaring forecast on Dr. Jack's soaring weather website.   The "Marfa Dewpoint Front" or "dryline" stays east of the Marfa plateau, and dewpoints here drop below 30F.  Our afternoon (4 PM) temperatures rises to about 93F.   Because our airport elevation is about 5,000' msl we are not as hot as the rest of Texas, and we enjoy very high cloudbases, sometimes exceeding 17,000' msl.  You gotta see this place - 100 mile visibility - few airspace concerns - a big quiet airport with three runways - strong thermals - wonderful mountain scenery nearby and our new soaring facility at the Marfa Gliders hangar.   

May 2005  Guest Instructors at Marfa.   Leon Zeug of Minnesota and Barry Barkman of Florida will join us at Marfa as our "guest instructors" this month.  Roger Amis, our resident CFIG, has a new camper so he and Jeanne are taking some days off this year to visit relatives and enjoy reunions with his retired Border Patrol pilot pals.  

If YOU are interested in coming to Marfa as Guest Instructor for a few days, I have a wonderful deal that includes free soaring and a free guest cottage.  Low-time CFIG's are especially welcome, as we can share some teaching techniques with you.  Free use of our Schweizer 1-36 for your local flying is included.  Endorsements for towing, renewing or reinstating CFI certificates can be part of your visit.  "Master" SSA Instructor course available for qualifying SSA Instructors.  Your jobs may include  giving glider rides in our Blanik L-23's, preparing glider pilot applicants for a FAA checkride with me, flying our tricycle gear 180 HP Cessna 150 towplane, and light maintenance work around our hangar.  Email me at marfagliders@aol.com to discuss this opportunity, and the 2005 / 2006 dates we will need a Guest Instructor at Marfa.

Tim & Chet Collins visited Marfa to achieve their soaring goals, and they came well-prepared, having studied my recommended textbooks and reviewing my handouts on flying our Blanik L-23's at Marfa.  Tim, a USAF Colonel and F-16 pilot, "reinstated" his expired Glider Flight Instructor certificate, and young Chet earned his Private Glider certificate.  This was their second trip in a year to Marfa, driving the scenic route from Oklahoma City, proving that Marfa may be remote, but we can make your soaring dreams come true in beautiful west Texas! 

Darrel Mullins, CFIG and President of the "Silent Knights" Soaring Club in Ames, Iowa visited Marfa for a week, along with his father, Bob.   Bob Mullins is an airplane pilot and writer, with several articles published in AOPA Pilot and EAA Sport Aviation magazines.  Darrel had a "personal best" flight of over 10,000' msl at Marfa in our Schweizer 1-36 (complete with oxygen, barograph and relief tube!).  They visited the Donald Judd exhibit at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, and they really enjoyed their drive up to the McDonald Observatory telescopes one evening to the weekly "Star-Party".

Mike Graves of Littlefield, TX purchased John Byrd's legendary Discus sailplane.   Mike earned his Private glider rating at Marfa earlier this year, and has embraced soaring with gusto!   He will hangar the Discus at the Caprock Soaring Club, and will also accompany Matt Michael in Matt's Lark two-seat sailplane at the Regional Contest at Albert Lea, Minnesota this summer.  

John & Ann Byrd have embraced the World Class PW-5 Sailplane group as their new soaring class.  John & Ann enjoy the camaraderie of the PW-5 enthusiasts and a new "Three-Zero" PW-5 will compete this May at Bermuda High in the 2005 World Class Nationals.  Ann is taking Marfa Chamber of Commerce envelopes full of visitor information, as we will host the 2006 World Class Nationals at Marfa  June 20-29.  Coincidentally, I am now the President of the Marfa Chamber of Commerce. 

Saturday, May 28 - Wings & Wheels in West Texas is our annual fly-in / drive-in event for airplanes, gliders, motorcycles, classic cars and vintage tractors at Marfa Airport on highway 17.  We will give free EAA "Young Eagles" flights for qualified youngsters, and welcome the people of Presidio County, as Marfa Airport is their community educational and economic asset.  Breakfast and lunch will be served.  The soaring weather will be terrific!

April 2005  Dick Johnson's annual "Wave Camp" was a huge success, with 25 visiting gliders, along with pilots and crews.  Our ATC "window" allowed climbs to over 22,000' msl, after thermaling up to wave near the Davis Mountains.  The BBQ at our hangar was fun, and our first annual "Marfa Soaring Film Festival" was held at the historic Paisano Hotel ballroom, featuring "The Sun Ship Game" movie of 1969 and vintage film of Bill Shurley towing four gliders at once from Marfa Airport at the start of the Mexico to Canada trans-continental soaring event.  Mike Brooks edited his soaring videos from the 2004 Camp into a terrific DVD.  Steve Leonard showed slides of the legendary soaring meets at Marfa in the 1960's / '70's, and the memories and stories from us "old-timers" were shared with all.  I've become the keeper of the soaring archives for Marfa, and welcome copies of any old photos, posters or memorabilia anyone can loan us. 

18 year old Jonathan Aronoff visited Marfa to upgrade his FAA Glider Pilot Certificate with me from Private to Commercial.  Afterwards, Jonathan enjoyed flying my Standard Cirrus, while I flew my Open Class Cirrus.  We shared several strong thermals to 15,000' msl and cruised the Marfa plateau in every direction.  Jonathan graduates from high school in Miami this May and has been accepted into the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs.  He will likely enjoy a fine career as an Air Force pilot.  

Dennis Callas visited Marfa from Atlanta - we've been boyhood friends since 1960.  He enjoyed soaring with me and flying our classic 1959 Cessna 150, along with helping on the launch grid.  Our trip to Dallas to visit my Dad, Fritz Compton, was a nice break.  Dad celebrates 90 years this month.  What a wonderful flying career he had - from the 1930's to the 1990's.  He still has stories to tell me, as he recalls his flying experiences in sailplanes and airliners.  

Made a quick dash to Miami to see friends and family.  Had a hilarious reunion with bandmates Noel, Dane and Phil, recalling our rather successful music career.  Highlight was our feast of tasty stone crab claws and conch fritters at Scotty's restaurant by beautiful Biscayne Bay.  Enjoyed visiting with Kathie's son Steven Magner, Karla & John Ayer, Lloyd Aronoff, Carol & Dick Miller, and sneaking in a visit to Miami landmark "Frankie's Pizza".  Driving around Miami has become hazardous - the drivers are outright hostile - so we were quite ready to fly back to Texas after just three days!   Did you know there are no stoplights in or around Marfa for 75 miles?   Folks rarely honk their horns, and always wave "howdy" on the road.  Yep, west Texas is a nice place to live.  Y'all come visit.  

March 2005  We had a wonderful time at the Soaring Society of America Convention in California!  Kathie SOLD-OUT of her silver glider jewelry on the second day.  Record setting pilot Steve Fossett bought a nice piece from her, gave us an autograph, then went out and flew around the world, non-stop, solo, without refueling!  Congrats to Steve!   X-Prize glider-spaceship pilot Mike Melville spoke at the banquet.    Every soaring enthusiast should attend the SSA Convention, just to see who you might meet!   My seminar on Soaring at Marfa was very well-attended.  George Moffat spoke on his winning the 1970 World Soaring Contest at Marfa, and announced the publication of his new book, "Winning II", available soon from Knauff & Grove soaring supplies.  Of course, we will attend the SSA Convention next February 1 - 4, 2006 in Arlington, TX (near DFW).

Matt Michael will be our Guest Instructor this month.  He is also bringing a student with him from Iowa to finish his glider rating and take a checkride with me.  Jolly Roger Amis is our local staff instructor and so both of our Blanik training gliders should be airborne every day!  Perhaps I'll get a chance to fly my Cirrus solo for a change.  Really good soaring conditions become consistent this time of year, and will continue into the fall.  

Dick Johnson's Wave Camp returns to Marfa - March 19-26.  We expect about 25 private sailplanes to attend, who will thermal up to the wave lift during this windy time of spring.  Southwest winds from the mountains of Mexico seem to create a standing wave - sometimes overhead Marfa.  Our ATC Wave Window allows badge qualifying climbs up to 30,000' msl.  (Marfa Airport elevation is 5,000' msl - that's why it is not terribly hot here in the summertime!)

Fritz Compton (my Dad) celebrates his 90th Birthday soon.  Kathie and I will visit him in Dallas, then make a quick dash to Miami to visit friends, so Marfa Gliders will be closed March 28 through April 2.  For future scheduling of rides, instruction and aerotows, call us on the road - on our cellphone at 800-667-9464.

February 2005  Kathie and I and Cozy-the-Yorkie dog will spend much of February in California, attending the Soaring Society of America Convention February 8 - 12 at Ontario, just east of Los Angeles.  It is our annual worldwide gathering of glider enthusiasts, so we will have a booth promoting soaring at Marfa, and Kathie will sell the silver glider jewelry she creates.  I will present a seminar on the 1970 World Soaring Contest at Marfa, and the winner of that event, George Moffat, has agreed to speak about his winning soaring strategy.  John Byrd, our resident soaring champion and mentor at Marfa, will be inducted into the Soaring Hall of Fame at the SSA Convention.  A trip up to San Francisco is part of our post-convention vacation route before returning to Marfa around February 23.  To find us on the road, or schedule flying with us later in the month, try our cellphone at 800-667-9464.  We will also check email at marfagliders@aol.com every morning.  

West Texas soaring will be excellent this spring and summer, according to the Climate Prediction Center - a little more dry - a bit warmer - so we expect thermals to 17,000' + msl.  Our Wave Window with ATC extends to 30,000' msl.  Keep in mind that Marfa Airport (MRF) elevation is almost 5,000' msl - so our summer temperatures are not as hot as the flatter, lower areas of the southwest.  Yeehaw!

January 2005   The new year begins with Marfa Gliders mentioned in the widely-read "Texas Highways" magazine.  They wrote a short , informative article that included our 800-667-9464 telephone number and our website www.flygliders.com    Priceless, and the emails are steady from folks considering a glider ride or lessons when they next visit the Big Bend area.  Our guest instructor for two weeks was Matt Michael of Ames, Iowa.  Matt is a Master SSA Instructor and mentored Dr. Michael Graves to his Private add-on glider rating with me giving the FAA checkride.  We also renewed Matt's CFIG, and got him (a glider-only pilot) soloed in our 1959 Cessna 150.  Matt flew over 14 hours in the little Cessna, including night landings, dual and solo cross countries.  He enjoyed flying around the rugged Davis Mountains and basically following the task courses of the legendary 1967 - 1972 National Contests at Marfa.  Local CFI Roger Amis returned from his long vacation and is back in the CFIG chair at the Marfa Gliders hangar. 

December 2004   Burt's FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) appointment was upgraded this month so we may give glider Practical Tests (checkrides) for Glider Flight Instructor "add-on" ratings and CFIG renewals.  We also can conduct checkrides for Private and Commercial Glider ratings.  So if the flying weather is cold in your neighborhood, finish your glider rating this winter at Marfa!   Christmas is around the corner and the houses in Marfa are decorated with lights and tumbleweed snowmen.  This community sure enjoys the holidays, and our friendly neighbors make us glad we live in such a small town.  "Stress" is simply not in our vocabulary!

We have applied to SSA to host the 2006 World Class (PW-5 sailplane) National Contest in June, 2006.  Stand by for details!

November 2004   UFO Reports in west Texas!  Beside the "Marfa Lights", one explanation is that every day at sunrise and sunset I launch large hydrogen filled balloons (remember the Hindenberg!) with sophisticated payloads that track data from oil pipelines and pumping stations for Space Data Corp. of Chandler, Arizona.  The balloon ascends at 1,000 feet per minute into the jet stream, then upwards to 80,000 feet where it drifts slowly eastward in the calmer air to provide a high antenna for communications.  Each balloon floats across Texas for about 12 hours while the "Skysite" payload is controlled from ground stations.  On command, a parachute brings the payload to a soft landing, somewhere in east Texas.  See the photos of my daily balloon launch activities on this website at Burt's Balloons

Our drive to the SSA / SSF meetings in Denver and back through the Colorado high country was scenic, and we enjoyed a rendezvous with our former towpilot Jim Corder.  Jim is still carving custom wooden propellers in the tradition of his grandfather, Ray Hegy.  Returning to Marfa, I attended my first meeting as a member of the new Airport Board.  We have a good group of folks (including aviation legend Bill Shurley) who will help manage the two airports in Presidio County.  Local issues are minor compared to the mandates from State and Federal agencies regarding storm water runoff and security concerns.  We will also promote our airports as fly-in destinations for pilots and as educational resources for youngsters.  Our Marfa Airport "Wings and Wheels" event is planned again for Memorial Day weekend in May, 2005.  

October 2004  My column in "Soaring" magazine this month discussed the "Co-Pilot Program" - a method of keeping older pilots flying by offering to go with them - rather than turn them out to pasture.  My father gave me this idea, when he commanded me one day a few years ago to "get in the back" of our Blanik L-23 two seat sailplane, so I could look for traffic and help him find the gliderport.  That last flight was a special and emotional ride with Dad, just like when I was just a child.  He would read the cumulus clouds, then fly so smoothly and bracket the thermals precisely.  Like all my flights with Dad, it was a wonderful experience.  Anyhow, I have received more e-mails about this article than any other, and I appreciate the kind comments.  Some folks detected how much of my heart and soul went into those words.  Thank you all.  Thank you Dad.

The Soaring Safety Foundation and the SSA Directors meetings are in Denver, so Kathie, Cozy Dog, and I will drive to Colorado. The leaves should be changing colors in the Rockies, and it will be a good getaway for us.  We will be gone from Marfa October 12-24, so no soaring here until we return.

September 2004  By the telephone calls and e-mails, I expect to be busy conducting FAA Practical Tests (checkrides) as a new FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.  The mild fall-winter weather will be excellent for glider training and flight tests.  Roger Amis, recently retired from flying helicopters and Super-Cubs for the US Border Patrol, has added his glider flight instructor rating to help me develop an efficient training course at Marfa Gliders.  Roger prepared Ed Luckie of Houston for a Commercial Glider checkride with me in the Blanik L-23.   Roger sharpens his soaring skills by flying our Schweizer 1-36.

Visiting pilots soaring at Marfa this month included Steve Dee (with his DG-400), who instructs and gives checkrides in self-launch sailplanes near Memphis, when he isn't flying for FedEx.   Jim Hardy of Oklahoma parked a beautiful Discus in our hangar at Marfa, along with his "airport car", and will fly back and forth to Marfa in his Cessna 172 airplane.  

In September Kathie, Cozy (our little Yorkie dog) and I flew to Washington, DC to conduct two SSF "Site Surveys" of area soaring clubs.  We had good weather, in between hurricanes Ivan and Francis, and enjoyed talking with glider pilots and making new friends.  Soaring legends Bernald Smith and Gene Hammond accompanied me on the Site Surveys.  "Smith and Hammond" - sounds like a gun maker - or a law firm!   While at Dulles airport I made a quick dash to the new Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.  It is terrific and features several sailplanes hanging from the huge hangar ceiling, including a 1930 Bowlus Super Albatross, flown by SSA founder Warren Eaton.  We also enjoyed a wonderful visit with Ken Hyde and his "Wright Experience" shop in rural Virginia.  He's the guy who built (and is building) and flew the Wright Brother glider and airplane reproductions. They are very accurate, down to the method of creating many of the parts!  My Dad and Ken Hyde's father were good friends back in the 1930's in Manassas, VA.  Ken Hyde's father built a Heath Parasol airplane and my Dad, Fritz Compton, test flew it.  On our way back through Dallas, we visited Dad.  He's doing fine at 89, although moving a bit slow.

While we were traveling, Ron and James Lewis, our resident airplane / glider mechanics (along with helper Rudy) got our towplane inspected and running sweet!  (Ron's Tip:  Change spark plugs often and time the mags for max performance.)   Jim Corder, formerly of Marfa and the grandson of aviation legend Ray Hegy (Jim still carves wooden propellers like his grandfather) stopped by to get current and then head back to his new home and prop shop in Olathe, Colorado.  Nice folks visit Marfa.  Nice folks live here.  Nice weather and great scenery. We love it!  Come visit!

August 2004  Visitors from the soaring world this month included the new SSA Executive Director Dennis Wright.  He visited for two days and after a checkout in one of our Blanik L-23's, he took our Schweizer 1-36 aloft to sample the legendary Marfa soaring weather and the view of the mountains around the Marfa Plateau.  Actually what he saw was a bit like Ireland, as the nighttime rains have "greened-up" the grasslands around Marfa and the Big Bend area.  Soaring remains good - just take a look at Dr. Jack's "Blipmap" soaring forecasts every morning and get excited about our strong thermals and high cloudbases.  After a rain, it dries up quickly out here!  

Along with Dennis Wright we were visited by soaring legend Charlie Spratt as he rested up for a week between the Hobbs, NM contest and the Uvalde, TX soaring contest.  Ray Gimmey, who won the last US National Contest held here at Marfa in 1991, flew with us for the week along with John Good, John Byrd, Tom Kelly and other notable soaring pilots.  

We also had a great time with young Chet Collins and his father Tim Collins of Oklahoma.  They visited for a week so Chet could solo new sailplanes (our L-23's and our single-seat 1-36).  See the new pictures in our photo section.  Tim got some good flights in our 1-36 as well.  They came prepared, studied my groundschool handouts and briefing books and as a result, exceeded their goals.  (If YOU are coming to fly with me at Marfa, or bringing your own sailplane - ask me to e-mail my attached files about flying at Marfa and your "Pre-Marfa Projects" to prepare for our strong, challenging weather conditions and high terrain.)

We conducted two Commercial Glider FAA Practical tests for Bob De Leon and Mike Brooks of Houston.  Their club needs more instructors so the club pays $500. for them to upgrade their ratings to Commercial so they can begin study for their Flight Instructor-Glider certificates!   What a brilliant idea!  A "win-win" situation for everyone!  After some dual with our new CFIG Roger Amis and their successful checkrides with me, they pulled their Genesis sailplane out for three more days of good soaring.

Several pilots have left their gliders here in trailers in order to commute back to Marfa to soar, including Steven Dee of Memphis and "Smilin'" Jim Hardy of Oklahoma.  I bet we'll see Bill Snead soon to position his PW-5 here for the winter.  He commutes in a very nice Cessna 182 from Georgetown, TX.  And for a good reason:  We plan to host the 2006 World Class (PW-5 sailplane) Nationals here at Marfa as a "stand-alone" contest for this class.  Bill has competed at Marfa at many of the classic contests of the 1960's and '70's with Nancy as his faithful crew.  He will have a good shot at placing well in 2006.  Two-time Standard Class Champion Johnny Byrd is acquiring a PW-5 of his own and will also compete here in 2006.

Back to Dennis Wright, the SSA Executive Director.  We got to talk with him under our hangar picnic area and at supper at the Paisano Hotel.  He listens well.  He swept our hangar, ran wingtips and was our main "glider wrangler" during his visit to Marfa.  He got a good look at how a commercial soaring site operates, and we sure enjoyed his company.  He's a nice person.  He is intelligent.  A fresh change for the SSA.  He has managed his first year well, and we all need to give him our support.  Please realize two aspects about his job:  He gets a ton of e-mail everyday (much of which he delegates to his staff which in turn may request responses by the appropriate SSA Committee persons), and he has to answer to 28 bosses (our 28 SSA Regional Directors).  It is a tough job, and he is the clean-up guy that will bring the SSA back as a viable representative of soaring in the USA.

July 2004  I am now a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.  I will be authorized to conduct Practical Tests for Glider Pilot Certificates at Marfa and throughout the Lubbock FAA FSDO area, which covers most of west Texas and Hobbs, New Mexico.  We soar year-round at Marfa, so you "snowbirds" that need to finish your glider rating should consider a trip down to sunny west Texas this winter!    Call me (best in the mornings) to discuss your needs at (800) 667-9464.

June 2004  Kathie's son Steven, who lives in Miami, hopped on American Airlines to El Paso and visited us in Marfa for six weeks.  Steven is 17, soloed our Blanik glider on his 14th birthday a few years ago, reacquired those skills and more at Marfa flying our Blanik L-23 and our Schweizer 1-36.  He accomplished his 5 hour Silver (and Gold) duration flight and achieved the Silver altitude, blasting skyward to over 13,000' msl in 10 knot thermals.  (Marfa Airport elevation is 5,000' msl - that's why our summer temperatures are so nice!)   Steven also soloed in airplanes at Marfa, making several flights and "greaser" landings in my good ol' 1959 "straight-tail" Cessna 150, the same airplane his Mom (Kathie) soloed in 2002!   Steven agrees that flying at Marfa makes you a better pilot, especially when challenged with landing around the dust-devils that mark our strong thermal updrafts!

Our newly-acquired Schweizer 1-36 is a relatively rare single-seat sailplane, with only 35 in the USA.  Strong and easy to fly, it is much like a 1-26 with longer wings and a T-Tail.  It was SSA Director Bob Ball's personal glider and in very nice condition with a glide performance of 31 to 1.  Steven calls it his "skateboard of the sky"!

Jonathan Aronoff also visited "Uncle Burt's Soaring Camp" at Marfa for 10 days, flying my Standard Cirrus sailplane to achieve his Silver / Gold duration and altitude with a flight to over 16,000' msl.  Jonathan also soloed in gliders with us back in Miami a few years ago on his 14th birthday.  He is 17, much taller now, entering his senior year in high school, and aiming high for college at the USAF Academy in Colorado.  Jonathan also soloed my 1959 Cessna 150 and he and Steven had a "perfect landing" contest going in spite of the dust-devils!   Noting the strong thermals and very high cloudbases, the boys planned a Silver distance course to fly in their respective gliders, but the clouds overdeveloped a bit, and I chickened-out!  Next time - I promise!  Steven and Jonathan are back in Miami now, and Kathie sure misses the extra line help the boys provided, especially when several other visiting pilots are at Marfa with their private gliders trying for their badges and "personal best" soaring flights.  

May 2004  The FAA approved my application to become a Designated Pilot Examiner, so we closed the hangar for nine days and drove to Oklahoma City for a week-long course on the responsibilities and privileges of this special job.  I learned a lot in the course, and scored well on the three tests.  The FAA instructors were very good, and the week passed quickly.  I visited Fritz in Dallas on the way back home to Marfa - he is still sharp at 89.    

Our "Wings & Wheels" event on May 29-30 / Memorial Day Weekend saw a gathering of airplanes, motorcycles, classic cars and tractors at Marfa Airport.  We had a good turnout for our "first annual" try at a old-fashioned "Fly or Drive-In".  Consensus is that we do it again - every Memorial Day / the last weekend in May!   

April 2004   Soaring legend Dick Johnson returned to Marfa to host his annual Spring Thermal and Wave Camp.  An unusual period of rain in March has "greened up" (a wonderful west Texas expression) the grasslands of the Marfa Plateau, bringing out the yellow and purple wildflowers and greatly reducing the dry season dust on the airport.  Indeed, we had to do quite a lot of mowing of the tall infield grass to make tiedown room for the 24 sailplanes (and trailers) that attended the Camp.  A terrific group of pilots and crews attended from as far away as Canada, New York, Virginia, Mississippi, Colorado, Arizona and California.  Wave lift was elusive this year, but after a rainy start the famous thermal updrafts of Marfa cooperated.  Rolf Siebert flew distance tasks of 425 and 505 kilometers, while Dave Raspet found wave near Mount Livermore to 21,600' msl.  (Marfa Airport elevation is 4,850' msl, and a "wave window" with Air Traffic Control allows soaring flights to 30,000' msl.)

   So, the really fantastic soaring at Marfa has begun.  Plan your trip now - contact us for information and advice at (800) 667-9464.

March 2004  It's maintenance month, and all 6 of our aircraft are cleaned up and ready for the season.  My "other" towplane, the 1959 Cessna 150, had a top overhaul and is runnin' smooth as ever, thanks to our skillful mechanics Ron & James.  This classic "straight-tail" C-150 was serial number 100 off the Cessna production line in December of 1958.  It is quite original and were happy to see it flying again.  Just for fun, I flew it up to 12,200' msl last week, but I'm sure I had some help from our winter wave that morning!  Kathie soloed this airplane February 1, 2002, as did our ol' buddy John Ayer.  

Kathie has established her jewelry-making workshop / studio, and the orders for her original glider jewelry are pouring in.  See her website by clicking up from this page.

The Marfa airport is lookin' good, with the resurfacing completed on runway 03-21, and the mowing by the county folks.   

Yep, the future's so bright - I gotta wear shades!

February 2004   Happily home in Marfa after a wonderful time at the SSA Convention in Atlanta.  Met dozens of folks that plan to fly with us in the spring and summer.  We saw several beautiful sailplanes at the convention including the big DG-1000.  It sure would be appropriate in Marfa . . .  perhaps when the Euro / Dollar makes it feasible!  The next SSA Convention will be in Ontario, California, just east of LA, Feb. 9-12, 2005.  Don't miss it.

January 2004    Our first Christmas and New Year's in our Marfa home!  January 1st saw a continuation of the mild winter weather as we made four tows into a deep blue sky with distant lenticular clouds.  Sure enough, we found weak but smooth lift in wide areas over the Marfa Plateau.  We're looking forward to Dick Johnson's visit in early April for his annual Wave Camp.  Surely we will learn more about the wave lift around Marfa.  The strong southwest winds in the spring produce wave off the mountain range along the Rio Grande, about 60 miles away.  And then there is the "bounce" lift.  Very interesting!

We will be traveling to Houston to assist Bob Wander at a Soaring Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic on Jan 24 - 25.  Then we fly to Miami for three days before heading to Atlanta for the annual SSA Convention Feb 3 - 7.   We will have our "Marfa Gliders" booth there, and look forward to seeing our soaring comrades and making new friends.  If you have the chance, visit the SSA Convention - dozens of assembled gliders in the Cobb Galleria convention center, surrounded by 40 vendor booths representing soaring equipment and soaring sites.  Seminars on every soaring topic are ongoing, and the SSF Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic in Atlanta is open to anyone - not just CFI's.  To register, go to  www.ssa.org  or call SSA:  888-335-SOAR.

December 2003   Still soaring - the morning temps are cold but it warms up quickly under the blue sky by noon.  Bill Snead has left his PW-5 sailplane here.  He flies out from east Texas in his Cessna 182 to fly with us on the weekends.  Johnny Byrd has Jayne and Frank Reid's PW-5 here to practice flying it for next summer's World Class Contest.  I finally have time to fly my Cirrus.  Good to fly solo once in a while!  

Kathie now has time to paint with her water colors - she is very talented and is creating some stunning landscapes.  We've decorated our home for our first Christmas in Marfa.  Dad's 1937 Lionel train is chugging around the tree, with Cozy Dog (our 6 month old Yorkie) close behind.  Kathie has made our house a home - very little aviation decor (it is displayed in the hangar office where it belongs.)  We enjoy our fireplace and the neighbors drop by with "special" egg nog or invitations to parties.  The modest houses on Third Street are fully decorated with holiday lights.  Folks here are so neighborly and supportive.  It's called "Texas Friendly".  It is very nice in Marfa.  Come visit us in 2004!

November 2003   Soaring into fall, we enjoy the cooler temperatures and clear blue skies.  Thermals are still poppin' but without cumulus clouds as the air is so dry.  Some lenticular clouds stand to the southwest signaling the beginning of our wave season, which peaks in early April when Dick Johnson brings his annual Wave Camp to Marfa  (see our Calendar page).  We visited Dad in Dallas over Thanksgiving - he's 88 years old and still doing fine.   

In Texas, you should have a horse or a tractor.  After two years of searching, I found a restored 1949 red Farmall Cub tractor with a good mower.  I learned to drive on Dad's 1951 Cub and mowed hundreds of miles of his grass airport in Miami when I was a kid.  That tractor rusted away, and I was lucky to find a good runnin' Cub tractor in east Texas.  The mower is handy to keep the range grass trimmed around our hangar and the airport RV park.  (See Burt's vintage Cub tractor on our Photos page).

October 2003    Bob Wander, renowned glider instructor and author of numerous soaring books brought his "Bottom Feeder" tour group from Minneapolis to Marfa to fly our Blanik L-23's and Standard Cirrus sailplanes.   Towpilot Jim Corder (creator of custom wood props -  continuing the tradition of his grandpa Ray Hegy) and the "margarita lady" provided the Texas style Brisket and margaritas for a welcome BBQ at our hangar.  By their comments, Wander and the guys from the cold north sure enjoyed themselves in our mild weather of the high country of west Texas.  Our evening trip up to the McDonald Observatory telescopes for some excellent clear sky universe viewing was a highlight, and a good time was had by all.

September 2003    Great soaring conditions continue into the Fall.  John Byrd has completed his move to the Marfa area and is ripping around the Big Bend in his Discus A.  You can team fly with John anytime by appointment.  Fritz Compton visited with us for 3 weeks and enjoyed watching us fly his old Open Cirrus.  Dad is 88 years old and still offers sage advice about soaring and reading the sky.  Kathie and I traveled to Dallas to attend the SSA Board Meeting and SSF Trustees Meeting.  I was encouraged by the new tone of the SSA Board and the progress being made to promote soaring.  We met new SSA Executive Director Dennis Wright and were impressed with his congeniality and "take-charge" attitude.  The SSA staff at Hobbs seems motivated. 

New addition to our soaring family: Cozy Dog is our 3 month old Yorkie puppy.  She has taken charge of the glider hangar and the duties of "meeting-and-greeting" our friends and customers.  

August 2003    Our trip to manage the SSA booth at EAA Oshkosh was combined with 7 Soaring Safety Foundation Site Surveys in the Mid-west.  Clubs may request an SSF Site Survey for 2004 by contacting me at 1-800-667-9464.

July 2003    Classic soaring with 10 knot thermals enticed visiting pilots to try cross-country flights.  Other pilots took dual instruction with me to better read the sky, center the narrow but strong thermals, and climb efficiently.  We have oxygen in our two-seat gliders so we were able to get high and stay high.  I really enjoy sharing the secrets of thermaling that my father, Fritz Compton, taught me.  Those old timers really knew how to bracket thermals.  Hangar improvements included a water supply, bathroom, large picnic shelter, and lots of concrete out to the taxiway.  Moving the gliders around is much easier, and we have seeded grass around the hangar area.  Beginning July 20 until August 20, we are on the road to manage the SSA booth at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh and to conduct Soaring Safety Foundation Site Surveys by the invitation of several soaring clubs in the Mid-west.  While on the road we can be reached at 800-667-9464.

June 2003    Kathie and I arrived in Marfa to find our 6400 square foot hangar completed.  It is a huge space and we can store at least 8 gliders along with two tow planes and a glider trailer.  Many thanks to our pal Dennis Callas for driving the second vehicle and glider trailer so we could complete our move from Miami to Marfa in one trip. We had many visiting pilots this month who brought their own gliders.  A couple of them stopped to soar Marfa on their way to California for the Race to Kitty Hawk.  We had pilots from Missouri, Indiana, Georgia, Michigan, and California.  Cloud bases reached 17,000 ft MSL.   But then, a week of isolated rain showers lowered cloud bases a bit but didn't prevent us from enjoying good soaring.  The Marfa Plateau is a nice shade of green and the ranchers are quite happy.

May 2003    We sold our Miami House and are packing the gliders for our permanent move to our new home at Marfa, in southwest Texas.  Come visit us and fly year-round at the legendary site of the World Soaring Championships.  Amazing thermal updrafts and wonderful mountain scenery near Big Bend National Park.

Building A Hangar On Marfa Airport  (hangar completed summer 2003) 

Unique circumstances have presented us with an opportunity to build a spacious hangar for our gliders and towplane on Marfa Airport.  Those of you living near the "big city" know that sport aviation is often looked upon as a nuisance by the taxpayers and the bureaucrats.  However, the good people of Presidio County and Marfa here in west Texas relied upon their usual common sense and graciously welcomed us as an asset to the community.   After living with the Miami-Dade County "Anti-Aviation" Department for most of my life, the friendly, supportive attitudes of the people and businesses of west Texas are sometimes hard to imagine.   We like it here, and Kathie and I are better people for it.  

The construction of a large 80' by 80' steel hangar is a new undertaking.  I have asked dozens of questions of our old and new friends and I now have the answers.  We have received formal approval from the county commissioners and the state of Texas.  As soon as the engineering blueprints arrive, we can dig the footers and pour a 6,400 square foot concrete slab.  We plan to have the hangar finished by April 2003.   We watch it go up - from a short distance - as I have found many skilled and talented people in west Texas who will make this dream a reality.  Kathie will post some hangar photos on this website.   Right now, it is just a staked out square on the grasslands close to a mile-long runway on Marfa Airport.  The 60' door opening will face northwest for a view of Mount Livermore, about 25 miles away. Four hangar doors on 8 inch wheels will roll shut easily for security.  They will roll well for many years on sealed bearings and because rust is not a problem here.  Sunsets will be spectacular.  Come enjoy our hangar with us!

Our Marfa House. 

We've purchased "The Compton Home for Wayward Aviators" on the very north edge of the City of Marfa, with a fantastic view to the northwest of the big sky.  Nothing but a giant windmill out on the grassy rangeland, from our backyard to the Davis Mountains, some 25 miles distant. The airport is just 3 miles north of our house.

The view from our backyard is of the rangelands and the Davis Mountains.  Cows and antelope quietly graze - the big sky beckons.  Look at a map and plan your trip out here!

Our mailing address:   P.O. Box 516,  Marfa, TX  79843   Telephone: 800-667-9464

Soaring in west Texas.

Soaring at Marfa is fantastic.  Well worth the long drive and months of planning.  The new climb prop on our C-150 / 180 HP towplane works very well, and the Aerox portable oxygen system is installed in our Cirrus and Blanik L-23.   We're getting strong 10+ knot thermals and climbing through 15,000' (over 10,000' above the Marfa Airport.)

Marfa was the site of several US National Contests in the 1960's and '70's and the 1970 World Soaring Championships.   This is also where "The Sun Ship Game" soaring movie was filmed.

Bring your sailplane, or fly with me for improving your thermaling techniques in our Blanik.  Enjoy our fantastic thermal lift over the Marfa Plateau, between Carlsbad Caverns and Big Bend National Parks. 

The scenery is wonderful. Mt. Livermore and the Davis Mountains beckon.   Something keeps calling me back here, since my first visit during the 1967 US National Contest.  We will always have a spot in our hearts for this special place of big sky and friendly folks.  

On the road for the last time, Miami to Marfa.  

With the long Blanik glider trailer behind our Ford Van, sporting logos and toll-free numbers, we depart Miami via the Florida Turnpike, drive 15 miles and realize once again we are going to get blown around the interstates by every passing vehicle larger than a Volkswagen.  At Okeechobee Road a decision is made to shuck the interstates for US Highway 27 and commit to driving the 2000 miles to Marfa, Texas via the "back roads of America".  Surprisingly, we make good time on the four-lane US 27, averaging 40 mph with the stops.  The key to this trip therefore, is to get up early, drive during the daylight hours, and keep our pit stops short.  Staying faithful to US 27 we cross the Florida/Georgia line and intercept US 84 at Bainbridge.  Westbound at last, US 84 reminds us of Route 66 with goofy signs, old barns, Dairy Queens, and funky diners.  The road is smooth and not bumpy like the overcrowded interstates.  The van and trailer ride in harmony as time and miles pass quickly.  Long-time friend Dennis Callas follows us with the pickup truck and our Cirrus trailer.  A day or two behind us is the huge moving van with all our possessions that we didn't sell at the yard sale or give away.  At least we have our big hangar on Marfa Airport to store this stuff.  

I enjoy being on the road.  It reminds me of the many soaring contests my father and I drove to starting in the 1950's.   In Dad's '57 Chevy and later the '66 Plymouth wagon we drove cautiously, wondering if the trailer wheel bearings were overheating, and took railroad tracks and swales at an angle to give the glider a smooth ride.  This summer, having just replaced wheel bearings and tires, I'm confident that we won't break down.  Nevertheless, with two hands on the wheel, I try to remain alert and stop at sunset to find Kathie a good restaurant and a comfortable place to stay.  Kathie is a terrific co-pilot, and with her GPS plugged into her laptop computer, she keeps me on track and on the scenic route westbound.   You should make the drive sometime - it is worth it.

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