It seems like an eternity now, but about three weeks ago, Anne and I finally went soaring. My Christmas present from Anne was a trip for two to go soaring, but the pilots only fly a certain number of months out of the year so we weren't able to go earlier in the year. Some of you probably know Soaring best from the movie "The Thomas Crown Affair" in which Pierce Brosnan takes Rene Russo up for a beautiful ride. From the first time I saw that scene, I've wanted to go soaring because it looked so fucking bad ass. What's not to love about flying in a plane without an engine at 5,000 feet.
On Saturday, March 29th, Anne and I drove north through SoCal's wine country to Hemet California, about 90 minutes to the northeast of San Diego. Wheels up was scheduled for 12:00 so we got to the airport around 11:30 to get signed up. They offered the "funsaver" package which apparently entitled us to more severe in-flight maneuvers. To clarify, Anne was really excited about the whole idea until I explained to her a few weeks before the flight that the glider flew without an engine. The prospect of intense maneuvering without an engine was probably a little unnerving but like the trooper she is, we both got the funsaver package. Our pilot Raymond showed up a little early, inspected the plane and then asked me if I'd could help him get the plane on the runway. It was at that point I finally got really fired up for the flight. Raymond and I pushed the glider which was surprisingly light onto the runway and then asked me to hop in. Ray attached the rope from the tow plane, a small single engine prop plane, to the glider and after strapping me in, he got in and before I knew it we were airborne! The plane is so light that it actually gets into the air before the tow plane is off the ground. With both planes now in flight, we gained altitude at a reasonable clip, the objects on the ground getting smaller and smaller. At this point I remembered that we indeed had no engine and that if something were to happen, well I've had a pretty good run.
Both planes continued to climb, circling around the airport and out over a massive reservoir that didn't actually look that large from above. We continued to tow up until we reached 5,500 feet at which point Ray tapped my shoulder and said, "Let us loose there fella." I said "really? Now?" He replied "Ohh yeah!" Without further ado, I pulled the nob at the top of the cockpit which released us from the plane in front and wouldn't you know it, we continued to fly at about 80 mph. Gone was the sound of the airplane that towed us up, and all you could hear was the wind rushing by the plane. It was really peaceful and liberating, but my heart was definitely pounding. We completed a couple turns and then he turned the stick over to me. Without hesitation, I took command and at his direction steered the plane up, down, left and right, eventually taking the plane into a full right turn. The plane started drifting back to the left because the winds from the clouds pushed the glider around a little bit. Ray took control and then asked me if I wanted to do the "fun stuff." I was really pumped for this part and he started taking the plane into the clouds to gain altitude and airspeed. Ray explained how turbulence and air pressure work to keep the plane up and how for the most part turbulence isn't that big of a deal. We engaged in several tight circles picking up speed and altitude each time. Once we were back above 5,000 feet, Ray put the plane into a severe left turn. All I could see to my left side was the ground and to my right, blue sky. We leveled out and then went into a severe right turn. The whole maneuver was really awesome and exhilarating. After leveling off again, Ray asked me if I was ready for the next step. I told him yes, and he immediately brought the nose up a little bit bringing the plane into a stall. A feeling of weightlessness came over me for a few seconds before the plane entered into a nose dive. The dive felt like coming over the crest of a roller coaster and I was quickly reminded that gravity does in fact exist. What a thrill! After a few more turns it was unfortunately time to return to earth. Ray pointed out that we could stay up there for the whole day just riding the air movement but Anne was patiently awaiting her turn. We began descending slowly back through the clouds picking out the runway, circling around the airport before getting down and eventually landing softly on the glider runway.
It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever done. I will definitely do it again and I urge all of you to try it, even if you are afraid of flying. Being up there in a such a light aircraft really makes you understand what goes on with a plane. The way I understand turbulence now, all it is the warm air from the ground rising, pushing the plane up while the cooler air above the clouds falls pushing the plane down as the plane flies through the air. I don't know if that's any consolation to my friends who are afraid of flying, most notably Knacke, but really, get up there and try flying in a glider. You won't be disappointed.
After Anne finished her ride, we drove back through wine country, stopping at the Ponte Winery for a phenomenal lunch. We picked up a bottle of wine there before stopping for a tasting at the South Coast winery. Later that night, Carolina beat Louisville for a trip to the Final Four capping a truly memorable day, probably one of the best I've had in the entire time I've been out in San Diego. Check out a video of the whole trip below.
