Meet the US Soaring Team

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USA World Class Team Pilots

Francois Pin
François started soaring at age 13 in the French Alps. Now 48 years old, he lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where he works as a research scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was the program chairman of the 1999 SSA Convention in Knoxville, has written several articles for Soaring magazine, and is the president of the World Class Soaring Association. He has logged about 2,500 hours in gliders, has flown in 15 U.S. Nationals, is the 2004 US World Class National Champion, and has been a member of the U.S. Team for the 1999, 2001, and 2003 World Championships of the World Class. He enjoys the particular strategies and challenges of racing in the monotype World Class. His wife Dottie has been an always-encouraging and gracious crew for many contests over the World. She is looking forward to crewing at the event in Vinon, France, and to supporting top performance of the Team.

A second pilot will be selected in 2005 for the 2006 WGC. See the News section for more.

Pat Tucky

Airline pilot Pat Tuckey has accumulated an estimated 1,400 total gliding hours since his solo at age 16. Now 46, Pat lives in Fort Worth Texas and is a member of the Texas Soaring Association (TSA). Pat has flown in 16 US National Championships including 6 1-26 championships. Pat has been World Class National Champion twice and three times won the 1-26 Championship. Pat has set world records in the World Class for 100k and 300k triangles, and holds the current U.S. National speed records for 100k and 300k triangles in the World Class. Pat is looking forward to the World Class competition in the French Alps, not only for the competitive opportunity in some very challenging terrain, but the chance to see old friends and meet new competitors from all over the world. Pat say's it best, "Competitive soaring provides a unique blend of challenges and benefits, which I have not found in any other activity. There is almost no experience as emotionally "high" as climbing out above one of your competition while you fly on to finish the course, and there is no "low" to match watching one of your rivals climb above while you sit in a field in the middle of nowhere wondering how you are going to get home. And yet, no matter how keen the competition in the air, on the ground soaring builds a camaraderie that is second to none."

Susan McAllister
Team Captain/Manager Susan McAllister has been involved in soaring for the past decade as a glider crew person, commercial operator and contest organizer. A passionate volunteer in many areas of soaring, she is a Contributing Editor for Soaring Magazine and served as Contest Manager for the 2005 Sports Class Nationals in Parowan, Utah. She was Team Captain at the Club Class World Gliding Championships in Norway, 2004 and the First World Sailplane Grand Prix in France, 2005, and has been named Team Captain for the combined Club and World Class team in 2006. She worked as a marketing consultant and freelance writer for the past several years before joining Ursuline Academy of Dallas in 2004 as Communications Associate.

World Class (PW-5) Background

This is the "one-design" class - all pilots must fly the PW-5 "World Class" glider. Tight equipment rules ensure that all gliders are equal in performance. The World Class is a one design class with the PW-5 as the glider of choice. The World Class concept embraces the concept of an affordable, safe and competitive glider. The PW-5 was selected after winning the World Class Glider Competition organized by the FAI. There were forty two designs from twenty countries submitted in the first round and eleven designs made it to prototype. Six designs made it to the final stage in 1992. In the spring of 1993 the IGC declared the PW-5, designed by a team from Warsaw University of Technology the winner and new World class design. As a relatively new class the first FAI World Class championships were held in Inonu, Turkey in 1997. Leszno, Poland was the site for the second World Class WGC. The World Air Games in Spain will be the site of the third World Class FAI World Gliding Championships.

World Class (PW-5) Links

World Class Soaring Association in the USA provides background and information on the World Class. For more team links see the links page.

NOTICE: These pilots are those selected to US Soaring Teams using the US selection procedure. The final number of team members may be limited by the organizers or by funding availability. Team members selected before their respective Pre-Worlds have the incentive to participate or re-qualify for their team position in the year prior to their WGC. Confirmation will be made through the US Team Committee as pertinent information is available.