Head in the Clouds
On Friday night, while playing board games, our friend, P, asked us if anyone wanted to go on a glider ride with him. Apparently, he had received a gift certificate for a free ride, but wasn't able to find anyone who was willing. Up in air in a bunch of metal and fiber glass and no engine... who wouldn't balk at the idea?
Well, I didn't!
So on Saturday morning, P picked up Chuk and me and we drove out to McMinnville, a city about an hour south west of Portland, Oregon. Along the way, we stopped for coffee and enjoyed some of the fall colors visible on the highway. The traffic was a little congested as we were cutting through Wine Country. Yeah, they have Wine Country in Oregon too. I enjoyed the drive because it was our first time going in this direction.
We arrived at Cascade Soaring, which was a small air tower next to a decommissioned landing strip. There were several gliders and a couple of propeller airplanes park on the grass nearby. We were greeted by a sturdy old man and his dog. He explained we could not take any cameras or cell phones up into the air, so I handed those over to Chuk who took some pictures. He weighed us to make sure we could ride in the glider together and we were just under the wire I believe. He led us to the glider and it was connected to an airplane with a very long tow rope.
When I first looked at the glider, there were only two seats, but there was just barely enough room for P and I to sit very close together in the back seat. The old man buckled us in one at a time making it clear not to touch anything at all except a bar that would be available once the canopy was brought down. The old man was to be our pilot so he got in and a lady whom I assume was his wife started up the airplane and began towing us.
Since the runway was being repaved, we took off from the ground. It wasn't especially bumpy and we were aloft more quickly than I expected. Except for us talking, the air blowing against the glider was the only noise as we climbed higher and higher in wide circles. The trees, house, cars became smaller and smaller. Soon we could see very far away. On the horizon was Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Adams and Mr. Rainier. To the west were the hills but they were shrouded in mist.
When we reached 4,000 feet high, it was time for the pilot to make the glider let go of the tow rope. He warned us that it would sort of like getting to the top of a roller coaster ride, so we held onto the bar. The glider climbed up steeply and then pointed down quickly. The tow line was released and the airplane flew back to the airport while we enjoyed gliding around all the way back down.
Our pilot pointed out other things. The Willamette River is very narrow in this part of valley due to the large amount of nurseries. On the other side of the river was the town of St. Paul, which has a rodeo each 4th of July weekend. We could see really see the fall colors all over the place. The weather was partly cloudy and the sun came out only one to shine on us briefly during our flight.
Too soon, we found ourselves circling closer to the airport and finally coming in for a landing on the same grassy runway we had started from. It was one of the softest landings I ever experienced. After the pilot got out, he and his wife help extricate P and I from our seats.
After stretching our legs, the pilot's wife suggested we visit the air museum and see the Spruce Goose.
I enjoyed the opportunity to try something new, see the world from a different vantage point and meet some interesting people. If you enjoy riding in a airplane but hate craning your neck to look through that window outside, you will really enjoy a glider as the canopy is completely see-through. Be sure to do it with some one you don't mind being close to.
Well, I didn't!
So on Saturday morning, P picked up Chuk and me and we drove out to McMinnville, a city about an hour south west of Portland, Oregon. Along the way, we stopped for coffee and enjoyed some of the fall colors visible on the highway. The traffic was a little congested as we were cutting through Wine Country. Yeah, they have Wine Country in Oregon too. I enjoyed the drive because it was our first time going in this direction.
We arrived at Cascade Soaring, which was a small air tower next to a decommissioned landing strip. There were several gliders and a couple of propeller airplanes park on the grass nearby. We were greeted by a sturdy old man and his dog. He explained we could not take any cameras or cell phones up into the air, so I handed those over to Chuk who took some pictures. He weighed us to make sure we could ride in the glider together and we were just under the wire I believe. He led us to the glider and it was connected to an airplane with a very long tow rope.
When I first looked at the glider, there were only two seats, but there was just barely enough room for P and I to sit very close together in the back seat. The old man buckled us in one at a time making it clear not to touch anything at all except a bar that would be available once the canopy was brought down. The old man was to be our pilot so he got in and a lady whom I assume was his wife started up the airplane and began towing us.
Since the runway was being repaved, we took off from the ground. It wasn't especially bumpy and we were aloft more quickly than I expected. Except for us talking, the air blowing against the glider was the only noise as we climbed higher and higher in wide circles. The trees, house, cars became smaller and smaller. Soon we could see very far away. On the horizon was Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Adams and Mr. Rainier. To the west were the hills but they were shrouded in mist.
When we reached 4,000 feet high, it was time for the pilot to make the glider let go of the tow rope. He warned us that it would sort of like getting to the top of a roller coaster ride, so we held onto the bar. The glider climbed up steeply and then pointed down quickly. The tow line was released and the airplane flew back to the airport while we enjoyed gliding around all the way back down.
Our pilot pointed out other things. The Willamette River is very narrow in this part of valley due to the large amount of nurseries. On the other side of the river was the town of St. Paul, which has a rodeo each 4th of July weekend. We could see really see the fall colors all over the place. The weather was partly cloudy and the sun came out only one to shine on us briefly during our flight.
Too soon, we found ourselves circling closer to the airport and finally coming in for a landing on the same grassy runway we had started from. It was one of the softest landings I ever experienced. After the pilot got out, he and his wife help extricate P and I from our seats.
After stretching our legs, the pilot's wife suggested we visit the air museum and see the Spruce Goose.
I enjoyed the opportunity to try something new, see the world from a different vantage point and meet some interesting people. If you enjoy riding in a airplane but hate craning your neck to look through that window outside, you will really enjoy a glider as the canopy is completely see-through. Be sure to do it with some one you don't mind being close to.