Mike the Strike

I learned to fly cross-country from the Magalies Gliding Club, that operates from the Orient airfield near Johannesburg, South Africa. The area is a high savannah-like plain (Highveld) about 4,500 feet above sea level, and the soaring lift is almost exclusively thermals ( I found light shear wave once on a winter's day). The first glider I owned was a Jantar-1 (19 meter), in which I achieved my Silver and Gold badges and Diamond goal there.

Mike the Strike and Jantar at Orient

During my travels, I have also been a member of the Atlanta Soaring Association (now part of the Mid-Georgia Soaring Association) and Utah Soaring Association.

For five years I owned and flew a Schleicher ASW 20, N24WA. Originally owned by Wally Scott of Odessa, Texas, it was flown by him on many long-distance cross-country including one-way Barringer Trophy flights. I owned it from July 1999 to April 2005 1999 and flew around 500 hours in it. In July 2005, I bought a Discus 2B. You'll find a description of my ships here.

I fly cross-country with the Arizona Soaring Association (ASA) and have participated in a number of races, including the ASA A and B series, and three Region 9 contests (two in Hobbs and one in Arizona). Here are a few traces from a typical task I flew recently: Arizona Cross-Country Soaring

A brief history of my soaring career is here.

If you'd like to contact me personally, my private e-mail address is Stringmike@msn.com