AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2022 - 53

Coulson greets us in the air-conditioned office,
and we walk toward the runway together. AZ Soaring
has a spacious hangar, with glider after glider carefully
Tetrised in and a few lifted above. Coulson takes
us on a tour and we climb over, under, and around
long, thin wings. He points out purely aerobatic
gliders, sleek as can be, the bulkier trainers, and a lone
Aviat Husky that's the back-up towplane. One of the
single-seat gliders we look at is under 500 pounds-
less than a Harley Sportster or a Triumph Bonneville
motorcycle. Sailplane pilots, he tells me, are obsessed
with weight and drag, and he also points out tape
covering the gaps of control surfaces to reduce drag
just that little bit more.
Coulson tells us the soaring school doesn't have a
typical student. They train all sorts in Maricopa, from
young teens looking for an adventure (you can solo a
glider at 14) to multi-thousand-hour airline pilots and
curious powered-GA pilots. They even conduct some
U.S. Air Force training, and despite the heat they are
open year-round.
" Most people visit in the winter, " he says.
We weave our way back to the front of the hangar
to watch launches and landings. It's instantly clear that
gliding is a team effort. First, we see a landing-someone
on their third solo. As soon as the glider touches
down and comes to a stop, one wing tipping down to
Earth, anyone available scurries out to the aircraft to
help the pilot wheel the glider back toward the hangar.
For the launch, the gliders are towed to altitude
by a single-seat Piper Pawnee. First, the Pawnee
lines up ahead of the glider, and then the tow rope
is attached. Using hand signals and checking a rearview
mirror, the ground crew, glider pilot, and tow
pilot communicate how high to tow the glider. And
then, once everything is set, the glider pilot indicates
with a wave of the flight controls and a thumbs up that
they're ready to go.
The Pawnee begins the takeoff roll and the rope
pulls taut. The ground crew runs along the side of the
wing as the glider gets going to make sure the wings
don't hit the ground. Within just a couple hundred
feet, the glider is off the ground-well before the airplane
is wheels up. Then the aircraft rotates and the
climb begins. This process is quick, smooth, and fascinating
to watch. For so much activity, it's quiet, and
the only sound is the engine of the Pawnee.
Tyler Byron runs the wing of a glider, ensuring it doesn't
touch the ground before the controls are effective.
Operations Manager Shad Coulson goes over tow details
with the pilot of Arizona Soaring's Piper Pawnee. Final
checks involve securing the tow line to the glider and using
hand signals to indicate readiness. In addition to instructing,
Coulson competes in glider aerobatics.
Glider or
sailplane?
Often used interchangeably, there is an
actual difference between gliders and
sailplanes. Gliders only go down-sailplanes
can climb with the right conditions.
According to the FAA:
" A glider is a heavier-than-air aircraft that is
supported in flight by the dynamic reaction
of the air against its lifting surfaces,
and whose free flight does not depend
principally on an engine. "
" A sailplane is a glider (heavier-thanair
fixed-wing aircraft) designed to fly
efficiently and gain altitude solely from
natural forces, such as thermals and ridge
waves. "
A Cessna 172 with an engine failure is a
glider. The ASK 21 is a sailplane.
-AH
Same, same, but different
Most of the tows we watch are of the Schweizer
SGS 2-33, what Coulson says is essentially the
Cessna 150 of the glider world. These high-wing,
solid-looking aircraft are stable, forgiving, and easy
to learn in, he tells me. The glider we'll be flying is
a Schleicher ASK 21, and it is what I had pictured
when I imagined glider flying. It's clean, narrowbodied,
and low-winged, and it looks like it won't
struggle to go upside down. Our plan is to get an
aero tow up to altitude, then I'll see what it's like
to fly a glider before Coulson takes over the controls
for some aerobatics.
We push the ASK 21 out to the runway and get in
line for a tow. Parachutes and a layer of sunscreen are
all the gear we need-we don't need headsets, since
it'll be quiet enough to talk to each other, and there's
no room for a flight bag. In fact, now that I'm actually
getting in, it doesn't look like there's even room for
two pilots, especially not me at 5-foot-11 and Coulson
who is taller than I am.
" Yeah, you wear a glider, " he tells me as I gingerly
step into the front seat and get situated. I'm almost
lying down, and my knees still hit the front panel. I feel
confined, hot, and uncomfortable, and I briefly wonder
how good of an idea this is. The seats are fixed, but
Coulson adjusts my rudder pedals so I have a hair more
room. He climbs in the back with no problem. Tyler
AOPA PILOT / December 2022
53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2022

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