Cadets were putting on their training wings Saturday as Civil Air Patrol gathered at the Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport to give five cadets orientation rides in a glider.
The cadets received five free rides in the glider as part of the CAP cadet program. Present at the airfield were five cadets, a couple of flight instructors, and other senior members of the squadron from Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Retired Air Force Colonel Bryan Jones and Deputy Cadet Commander Mike McClendon were there to provide the cadets with instruction and guidance for piloting the sailplane or glider. Cadets were given a safety
Cadets were given a safety briefing and ground training the Thursday before the flight. On that Saturday morning, two cadets were paired with a senior member and shown how to connect the tow rope and what hand signals to use for communication while on the runway. The cadets started rough, but by the fifth run they were finally in sync with each cadet knowing how to get the job done.
The sailplane, an ASK-22 German-made high performance glider, was connected to a Cessna 172 by a thin rope and towed into the air. Once the cadet piloting the glider found an updraft and felt comfortable, the rope was disconnected.
The powered aircraft that pulls the glider aloft gives the glider a certain amount of potential energy. The glider relies purely on updrafts of air to stay up. Updrafts are created when a wind blowing at a hill or mountain has to rise to climb over it or over dark land masses that absorb heat from the sun. These rising pockets of hot air are called thermals.
“The first thing cadets mention is how quiet it is after the glider is disconnected from the tow plane,”McClendon shared.
Cadet Airman First Class Jackson Lavender said that his favorite part of being in the Civil Air Patrol is getting to fly the glider. Cadet Second Lieutenant Kane Deterding shared that his favorite part is meeting interesting people, especially McClendon.
Cadet Senior Airman Nathaniel Johnson enjoys learning leadership skills while his brother Cadet Technical Sergeant Matthew Johnson shared he likes all the diverse education opportunities
“I love that I’m gaining military experience before actually joining the military,” cadet commander Carmen Ashburn said.
Ashburn will be attending a glider academy in Vermont, and cadet major Skylar Henry will be going with her. Henry is also planning powered flight academy in Alaska.
The local chapter of CAP, the TX-450 composite squadron, consists of 20 cadet and 20 senior members. They meet Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. at the old Sulphur Springs airport terminal building. For more information, visit the Civil Air Patrol’s webpage at gocivilairpatrol.com.