Condor Corner
Using glider simulator training to thrive under adverse conditions.
This is the second of this series to appear in the New RC Soaring Digest. The original version of this article first appeared in the March 2022 issue of Soaring magazine. — Ed.
Prologue
In the introductory article for Condor Corner in the New RC Soaring Digest (see Resources, below), I invited SSA members, clubs, and commercial operations to contribute to the article by submitting narratives of their positive experiences using glider flight simulation. The following account was provided by John Duke, an active member and recent past president of the Texas Soaring Association (TSA). I had the pleasure of working with John on his initial private pilot glider certificate, providing him with the simulation-based flight training that set the stage for his aircraft-based training and certificate completion at a commercial glider operation.
How Condor Helped Our Soaring Community Thrive During COVID
As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt normal operations at the TSA (see Resources, below), we began ‘mutating’ to adapt to this new reality.
At first, we were most concerned with the safety and well-being of our club members. As time passed, we also became more aware of and involved with our community neighborhood.
We were not alone in suffering reduced operations and the economic effects of this pandemic. One of our neighbors, the Salvation Army’s Camp Hoblitzelle (see Resources) was having a tough time as well. The camp is the Salvation Army’s largest, offering summer day camp and other year-round event services to their community. Their program focus is educational and restorative events for youth, including archery, fishing, horseback riding, team building and similar activities
Like TSA, the pandemic had vastly altered the Camp’s capacity and revenue, and they too were searching for ways to adapt. One of those adaptive measures was an agreement with an area home school co-op program to provide activities for students of middle and high school age.
TSA shares a property line with Camp Hoblitzelle, and while meeting with camp director Casey Bilbrey and his staff on other issues, we began sharing how our respective organizations were not only coping with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in fact fighting back against it to continue our missions successfully and safely.
As our conversation continued, the topic of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education came up, as the Camp’s staff had begun to see a role in providing these types of programs to their community. We mentioned the growing need within the larger aviation industry for professionals with STEM expertise and how that might fit into their developing vision. This line of thought lead to a suggestion that our two organizations work together to develop an aviation-related course that would accomplish the Camp’s goal of exploring STEM-related courses and TSA’s goal of introducing soaring to a youthful audience. As you know, the soaring community has been concerned with this objective for quite some time as the average age of soaring pilots increases and participation in the sport dwindles.
The new course would be a semester-long adaptation of Scott Manley’s well-developed simulation-based glider flight training curriculum. Having done all my initial flight training using this system, I knew this offering would not only be what Camp Hoblitzelle needed, but also represented an opportunity for young adults to pursue an interest in aviation through soaring, and quite possibly entice them to become youth members of our club.
The TSA board approved the idea, and I went about recruiting several interested and talented volunteers who, despite many of them having little or no experience with Condor, offered to teach sessions of the course weekly over the semester. My hat is off to them for mustering the enthusiasm and bravery to face a group of teenagers in a classroom environment.
There were several obstacles to overcome. Neither of our organizations had the resources to purchase the equipment and materials needed. There were technical issues that needed to be solved with the computers and video equipment. Course instructors needed to arrange their professional work schedules to be available on the days they would teach . We needed instructional space, and the training itself had to comply with Salvation Army policies and procedures to protect the kids and the teachers. Each of these challenges was met with enthusiasm and good will.
At our request, Scott Manley provided advice and direction regarding course content and arranged for the use of four glider simulation workstations (laptop computer, joystick, rudder pedals) available from the SSA for exactly this type of training.
We recently completed our first semester-long course. Working with an initial cohort of four students (thinking big, starting small) helped us understand how to scale up the program, and we are now committing to class sizes of 8–12 students per semester. Camp Hoblitzelle is enthusiastically behind our efforts and is now offering the course as part of their regular curriculum.
The course concluded with a field trip to our club during which our graduates received recognition for their accomplishments, including completion the Civil Air Patrol Wing Runner Course and mastery of the knowledge and skills required to make a complete simulation-based flight in a glider, that is takeoff, aerotow, free flight, traffic pattern, and landing. After learning to preflight the ASK-21 and observing ground handling operations, the graduation event culminated with each student receiving a demonstration flight.
Another really interesting note: one of the kids in the first class at Camp Hoblitzelle is currently interviewing for college with the ambition of becoming a professional pilot as a direct result of the course. What an accomplishment!
Our initial experience has taught this observer a few important things. Willing partners and club members are critical to the success of such a program. There is not only a compelling need for this type of program but a real appetite for it as well. When well supported, this initiative will not only meet the goals of both Camp Hoblitzelle and TSA, but as importantly promises to provide scores of young people with an immersive, hands-on, cost-effective, and positive introduction to aviation through soaring.
I am deeply indebted to the following for their very significant contributions to the successful implementation of this program. Scott Manley for his guidance and curriculum support, the Soaring Society of America for its support and generosity, Camp Hoblitzelle Director Casey Bilbrey and his staff for their support and encouragement, and the Board of Directors of the Texas Soaring Association. Last, but certainly not least, my gratitude to the TSA members who taught the course. Their efforts not only made the course possible but ensured its success. They are Colin Agor, Dan Porter, Steve Penca, Jan Martin, Robert Grimm, Jacob Fairbairn, and Greg Carr.
Next Month
Once again I want to offer my thanks to John Duke for such a compelling description of the program. Next month, I return with the story of three generations of simulator pilots — all from the same family. It’s an interesting and inspiring story you’re absolutely going to want to read. Until next time!
©2022, 2023 Scott Manley
Resources
- Condor Corner: Introduction — The first article in this series as it appeared in the New RC Soaring Digest.
- Texas Soaring Association — “Founded in 1947, TSA promotes the sport of soaring and a love of aviation in the Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas area. We currently have more than 150 members, making us one of the largest glider clubs in the US…”
- Camp Hoblitzelle — “Located just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Camp Hoblitzelle provides quality services and facilities for retreats and conferences in a peaceful setting that fosters unique opportunities for fun, learning, adventure, inspiration and fellowship…”
- Simulation-based Glider Flight Education, the author’s website. — “to provide you with the information and resources you need to self-manage the flight training and aeronautical knowledge development required to qualify for a Private Pilot Certificate with a Glider Category…”
- Condor — “simulates the complete gliding experience on your computer. With it you can learn to fly gliders and progress up to a high level of competition skill. The core of the simulator is the state of the art physics model and advanced weather model aimed at soaring flight.”
- Soaring Magazine, the official publication of the Soaring Society of America. — “each issue brings you the latest developments on safety issues, delightful accounts of individual soaring accomplishments, a sharing of ideas and experiences, tips from the great soaring pilots of our times, and…”
Read the next article in this issue, return to the previous article in this issue or go to the table of contents. A PDF version of this article, or the entire issue, is available upon request.
