Mike the Strike's
 Soaring Page

 

Links:

Mike the Strike's Soaring Forecast

Mike the Strike Home

Arizona Soaring Association

Soaring Society of America

Soaring Server

Sailplane Racing Association

US Hang Gliding Association

Commercial Links

Bob Wander's Books & Supplies

Borgelt Instruments

Cambridge Aero-Instruments

Cumulus Soaring Supplies

Eastern Sailplane

Koerner's One-man Rigger

Knauff & Grove

M & H Soaring

Marfa

Soar Minnesota

Naviter (SeeYou)

Wings & Wheels

Winpilot

 



Welcome to Mike the Strike's soaring page.  

Here, you will find links to various soaring and aviation articles and photographs. 

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