Soar for all

The U.S. Air Force Academy's Soar for All glider program is one of if not the most active in the world, and it's remarkable because 95 percent of the instruction is by cadets. "We fly over 50,000 sorties each year," says Capt Ken Gates of the 94th Flying Training Squadron. "Over 1,300 students are trained here annually, and we solo over 50 percent Both flight and ground training are done by 160 upper-class cadets supervised by only 20 officers."

The sailplanes fly off three parallel runways on the Academy's 18,000-acre campus, and at takeoff, the altimeters are set at 6,527 feet! With the prevailing wind from the west, the airfield sits on the turbulent rotor side of the front range of the Rockies. Pikes Peak-14,100 feet-is practically on the downwind leg.

Mainstays of the Academy's fleet are 11 Schweizer 2-33s-rugged trainers with a 23:1 glide ratio. The fleet also includes three single-place, 1-26 sailplanes, four two-place ASK-21s (for aerobatics), two Stemme S-10 motor gliders and nine TG-7 motor gliders. The TG-7 simulates the flight characteristics of the 2-33 and was designed by Schweizer especially for this program.

For towing, the Academy leases six 180hp Bellanca Scouts, and most of the 15-member towing staff are high-time ex-military pilots.

The avowed goal of the 94th Training Squadron is "... to develop leadership, confidence and self-esteem through solo flight." The graduating cadets who make that quantum leap from the cockpit of a sailplane to a high-performance jet are testament to the program's success.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Feb 1999
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