2024 SSA Convention

Burt has been flying gliders since 1967. He learned to fly gliders and airplanes at his family gliderport near Miami, Florida, and currently owns “Marfa Gliders Soaring Center” in southwest Texas, a National Landmark of Soaring.

Burt is a Master Flight Instructor, a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner and former Director at Large of the Soaring Society of America. He is a Trustee of the Soaring Safety Foundation and manages the free, no-cost “Site Survey” Program with 144 surveys accomplished to date by the invitation of soaring clubs across the USA.

Burt has flown 93 different types of gliders at 67 soaring sites around the world and is the recipient of the 2010 Warren Eaton Award for his contributions to training and safety, the highest award bestowed by the SSA.

Pat Costello has been the administrator for the SSA’s Group program since 1984 and is a prior president of the Aviation Insurance Association (an international association of aviation insurance professionals). He holds the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor and, in addition to his aviation insurance background, has been flying since 1967. Pat maintains a commercial license with multi engine, instrument, and flight instructor ratings and was a control tower operator for the Naval Air Corps during the Vietnam war era. He considers it a privilege to work with pilots each day.

Rich Carlson began his aviation career in 1978 learning to fly gliders. For the past 17 years he has been an active instructor in the Soaring Safety Foundation FIRC program. In 2003 he was elected as a Trustee of the Soaring Society of America’s Soaring Safety Foundation and became chairman of that foundation in 2004. From 2003 thru 2007, Rich was the assistant chief instructor for the SSF FIRC program. In 2008, he assumed the responsibilities as the chief instructor for that FIRC program. ACR designation from the Baltimore FSDO to allow the SSF to process CFI renewals.

Steve learned to fly in gliders and soloed at age 18. Now a retired Colonel from the USAF and retired Captain from FedEx, he is back to promoting his first love of flying by training glider pilots in Self Launch operations. He also serves as a Designated Pilot Examiner, and a Specialty Aircraft Examiner for light jets.

Ron Ridenour has flown gliders since he was 11 years old, has been an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for 47 years and a glider instructor since 1973. He owned and operated Windy City Soaring, a glider flight school in the Chicago suburbs, for 18 seasons. Ron is a retired captain for United Airlines and an active member of the Chicago Glider Club where he flies an ASW-27 and the clubs Duo-Discus. He has a Gold Badge with 3 Diamonds and has competed in the Seniors Championship and many Regional and National competitions for several years. He is an active A&P aircraft mechanic with an IA designation and has been a trustee of the Soaring Safety Foundation for more than 10 years.

Colin and Brodie Henderson are Vice Presidents South of the Vintage Sailplane Association, fulfill Treasurer and Marketing duties in the National WWII Glider Pilots Association, and are members of the Oklahoma Soaring Association. Both are graduates of the US Air Force Academy; Colin retired from a 20-year, active-duty career as a KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling instructor and evaluator pilot, while Brodie currently serves in the Air Force Reserve as a Logistics Readiness Officer. In civilian life, Colin is a United Airlines Airbus A320 Captain and Brodie is pursuing her Private Pilot Glider rating, as well as an A&P certificate. Together, they share a passion for preserving and sharing the stories of historic aircraft with a specific interest in WWII military training glider operations.

Rex Mayes – Rex is a FAA DPE, A&P/IA and tow pilot at Williams Soaring Center. Rex strives to create an environment for pilots to enjoy all aspects of soaring

Originally from the UK, John has a B.Sc. (1962) Glasgow and a Ph.D. (1971) London. He worked as a research physicist in the UK, USA and Switzerland until his retirement in 2001. Fields of work include particle physics, cancer therapy, accelerator physics and land-mine detection.
John has been a glider pilot since 1963, with over 1,000 hours to date on three continents.

Kristin Farry got her PPL-G in 1981 at the Soaring Society of Princeton University while an engineering graduate student at Princeton’s Flight Research Laboratory. Military service interrupted her glider flying and she transitioned to airplanes in 1982, earning commercial ASEL and AMEL plus IFR. Her engineering work included digital flight control, X-29, Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope deployment, bionics, Space Shuttle upgrades, F-35 Lightning, MQ-4 Triton, aircraft carrier air traffic control, and IFR procedure development. The Women’s Soaring Pilots Association (WSPA) pulled her back into soaring in 2012 and she got her commercial glider rating that year at a WSPA Seminar. The 1-26 Association helped her start cross-country flying in 2013. Kristin now owns two Schweizer SGS-1-26’s.

Leah Condon is a Private Pilot in Gliders but her first introduction to soaring was retrieving now-husband, Tony, from a farmer’s field in 2006 on his first solo cross-country flight. Since then, Leah has crewed for Tony in Regional, National and World Gliding Championships on 3 continents. She has also driven the chase car in numerous downwind dashes and ran the retrieve desk during contests at Sunflower Aerodrome. A member of Kansas Soaring Association and Wichita Soaring Association, her shortest retrieve involved walking a SGU 2-22 along a road back to the gliderport. Her longest was chasing Tony on his Diamond Distance flight of 315 miles. When not pulling a trailer, Leah can be found rowing, riding her horse, or working as an engineering manager.

Mike has been a teacher for over 50 years and a CFI-G for the last 29. He was formerly a college professor in aviation science and an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. Mike currently is the SSA State Governor for Oregon and a current state record holder for records in Oregon and Washington.

Rollin has been an SSA member since 2008 and holds Commercial, pilot glider, single-place and multi-place. He is a past President of Spokane Soaring and has been the Badge and Record guy with the SSA since 2009.

Tony learned to soar in Ames, IA and has since moved to Kansas, earning his Diamond Badge, a National Record, two National Championships, and has flown on the US Team three times. He also provides a bit of instruction and enjoys giving rides in his 2-22. In real life, he works as a Designated Pilot Examiner in Gliders and Airplanes.

Garret soloed on his 14th Birthday in 18 different sailplanes. A few days later, he started a Soaring Safari, trying to get to Hobbs NM from Warner Springs CA, where Sky Sailing, his family’s flight school, is. He earned his private pilot certificate on his 16th birthday and his CFIG on his 18th, beginning to work with students the following day.

Garret taught 7 days a week until taking over Yankee Composites and, more recently, becoming the USA Representative for Schempp-Hirth. Garret has represented the US Soaring team 6 times and won 3 US Nationals. None of that would have been possible without a lot of help along the way as he has raced in the following borrowed gliders: PIK20B, Discus A, Ventus A, ASW27, Nimbus 3, ASW20, ASW19, VentusCA, DG800, LS8, Duo Discus, ASH25, Cirrus, Hornet, ASW22, Ventus 3.

David is a third-generation engineer who has had a lifetime interest in aeronautics and soaring. Aircraft design was an interest begun in Air Force pilot training to keep engineering skills sharp. After 8 years in the Airforce, he entered industry as a product design engineer spending over 35 years in the industry. Now he has resources and time to spend on design to build the aircraft of his dreams.

David is the father of 6 boys and 1 girl and grandfather of 10. Having recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary, he and his wife have traveled extensively for work and leisure. He’s given extensive service throughout his life to his church and Boy Scouting. He’s coached and competed in team and individual sports extensively.

Shawn holds ATP Airplane Single & Multiengine Land, Sea, Rotorcraft-Helicopter/Commercial and Glider privileges in the US and, in Canada, holds ATP Airplane Single & Multiengine Land & Sea (SMELS). He is a FAA DPE/Retired (40 years) in Airplanes, Helicopters & Gliders for all ratings including CFI initial. He developed, wrote and implemented various Aviation Programs for a number of Aviation entities, including assisting in the writing of US Army FM-1-204 Night Flight Manual, primary SME (Subject Matter Expert) Airplane PTS, Airplane Flight Manual, Helicopter Instructor Pilots Handbook, Glider Flying Handbook & Rotorcraft Flying Handbook for FAA instructional manuals. Shawn developed the CAP Glider Pilot Program as was the Program Manager (PM) for the SSA Cross Country Instructor Pilot Program (CCIPP).

Joe serves as a Department Chair/Professor for California State University, San Bernardino’s Educational Leadership and Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in education, flight instructor glider and single engine land ratings, and is privileged to serve as a designated pilot examiner glider and airplane single engine land for the Riverside FSDO in Southern California.

Neal is a Ph.D. engineer who retired from Hawker Beech Aircraft after almost 28 years developing new airplanes. He then became a consultant for many of the general aviation aircraft companies in the US and served three years as the Chief Technical Officer at Mooney International. Neal repairs and restores vintage wood gliders as a hobby at his shop near Wichita, Kansas. He is active in the Vintage Sailplane Association here in the US, and the Vintage Glider Club, an international organization.

Retired and living in Spring, TX, Tony Smolding is President of the Soaring Club of Houston, flying a JS1B FES. Tony has been flying XC and racing sailplanes since 1992 and has a passion for mentoring and coaching pilots in XC and racing. He is SSA Cross-Country Development Chairman.

Holger is a German engineer and sailplane pilot. During his university studies he was a member of the Akaflieg Darmstadt and was involved in the construction and flight testing of the D-43 sailplane. He is working for the German aviation authority in the department of type certification of sailplanes and powered sailplanes.

Luka’s studies include graduating with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. With the idea of Front Electric Sustainer/Self-launch – FES system, he established LZ Design company in 2009. FES systems are now installed on nearly 400 gliders of 30 different types and, in 2017, he was awarded with the OSTIV prize.

Luka was a passionate builder of free flying and RC models from an early age and, when 15 years old, began flying gliders. As a dedicated competition pilot, he has participated in many World Gliding Championships (WGC) as well as the European Gliding Championships (EGC). He was a national champion, has won several other international competitions, has achieved the 1000km diploma, holds national gliding records and has amassed 4500 hours in gliders. His Ventus-3 FES “LZ”, recently become also a FES self-launcher.

Alex holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, a MS in Systems Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School and is a graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School. He is a Civil Service employee of the US Navy, working as a Flight Test Engineer, and a UAS operator with Unmanned Flight Test Squadron UX-24, located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Alex earned his Private Glider rating in 2002, his Commercial Glider rating in 2022 and notched a Sliver Badge in 2014 followed by a Gold Badge in 2023. He currently owns an AC-4KC and an ASW-15b. Alex is a former Airborne and Unmanned Systems Academic and Flight Instructor at the United States Naval Test Pilot School located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

Bill’s first solo flight was made in July of 1962 at the Frederick MD airport. The next year and one half were spent attending college and building time and gathering ratings. After a three-year stint in Army Aviation, Bill ran a flight school near Winston-Salam NC while searching for his airline job, none of which were to be had at that time. He signed up to become an air traffic controller, starting in 1967 in Memphis TN, while continuing to build flying time. Bill bounced around the ATC system chasing the better paying jobs, which included moving on to various management positions, all the while looking for the professional flying job. He retired from his federal job in 1993 and became a full-time air ambulance pilot until being hired by SkyWest Airlines in 1996 as the oldest (fifty-three years old) first officer they had yet to hire. All the while he pursued his other aviation passion, flying sailplanes. During the course of various careers, he was involved in accident investigation (with the FAA), making a video for SkyWest regarding flying in mountain wave conditions and was one of the pilots featured in the movie “Cloud Street, Soaring the American West”. Now, after fifty-seven years with various types (and type ratings) of a number of aircraft strapped to him, and twenty-one thousand hours flying time under his belt, he hopes to share a few thoughts regarding his sordid past.

Chip Bearden learned how to fly in 1965, before he was legally old enough to drink, drive a car, vote, or have sex. A nationally ranked 3,000-hour sailplane racing pilot since the 1970s, he ascended the ranks for over a decade, guided by his flight instructor/mentor/father, before his competitive career was irrevocably altered by a horrific crash. Rebounding, he juggled soaring with the demands of career, family, and another passion–running marathons, including the iconic Boston Marathon.

Chip’s long business career concluded with 20 years as a technology consultant. His writing credits include Soaring magazine and The New York Times. Over the years, the unlikely and dramatic twists and turns of his life caused friends to encourage him with: “you ought to write a book.” So, he did.

Joshua Rieger is a passionate glider pilot who started his gliding career a decade ago. After flying multiple competitions in his junior years and exploring superb gliding areas like Namibia, he now puts his expertise into the daily projects of WeGlide.

The son of an air-force pilot, Brian was fascinated by aviation at an early age. Limited by poor vision, he did not pursue flying. Many years later, while flying remote control gliders with his father, he was introduced to soaring by another RC pilot where he discovered that glider pilots were self-certified medical. At his father’s passing he decided to become a full-size glider pilot. Later, he transitioned to a commercial pilot and instructor for his local club, the North Carolina Soaring Association. Fascinated by Touring Motor Gliders he eventually bought his own Grob 109B.

Colleen earned her glider certificate in 1989 and is currently a Flight Instructor for Albuquerque Soaring Club on the weekends. On weekdays she earns her soaring money as an Engineer for Sandia National Lab. When Colleen isn’t working for the Labs for flying money, she is traveling near and far on her motorcycle.

Alice Palmer began soaring as a teenager at the original Black Forest Gliderport in Colorado and earned her CFIG there in 1984. After retiring from a career as a training project manager, she now instructs at her club, the Black Forest Soaring Society. Alice also serves on the WSPA Scholarship Committee. When not instructing she soars the Colorado and New Mexico skies in her DG-300 or her 1-26A.

After running a successful Arabian horse training facility in Houston, Texas, Lynda LaBerge graduate from Texas A & M with a master’s degree in psychology. She worked on faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical center in chronic pain management and in a private practice for addictive disorders. In 1999 Lynda earned her commercial glider rating and became a commercial King Air and Diamond Jet charter pilot. She opened a glider school with her husband in Concord, Georgia and, for 16 years, has flown over 2500 hours as a tow pilot across the glider competitions on the east coast. Lynda served as Secretary of the Women’s Soaring Pilot Association in 2012-2014, the WSPA Vice President in 2021-2023 and is the current WSPA President. She owns a 301 Libelle in which she practices many of the skills she learned from the XC Camp in Moriarty and her years of participation in the WSPA Seminars and Conventions. Having competed nationally with Arabian horses, Lynda prefers to fly non-competitively, but rather for what she considers to be a personally spiritual experience. She is devoted to passing on her passion for this existential way of viewing the world with youth and the hundreds which she has met while pursuing this sport with clients and friends alike.

Cathy, a retired digital-signal-processing research engineer, flew four seasons with the MIT Soaring Association before taking a 25-year break to raise a family. She resumed her flying endeavors with the Greater Boston Soaring Club, with inspiration coming from WSPA from their booth at the 2018 SSA Convention in Reno and at the Women’s Soaring Seminar in Truckee CA later that same year. At the seminar, she was recruited to become a member of the WSPA Scholarship Committee and has been doing that ever since. She helped organize the 2021 Women’s Soaring Seminar in Springfield, VA, attended the 2022 Women’s XC Camp in Moriarty, NM, edits her club’s weekly newsletter, and organizes her club’s XC mentoring program. Cathy accepted the role of WSPA Scholarship Chair this past summer. Cathy received her Commercial Glider rating early this year and flies XC in New England in her ASG 29 and ASG 32Mi.

Bob started flying gliders in the 1970’s in Miami, Fl. He was an officer in Thermal Research glider club, now known as the Miami Glider Club. Bob has accumulated 3000 plus hours in high performance fiberglass and, as a tow pilot, more than 6000 tows. He was one of the initial founders of TCSC, Treasure Coast Soaring Club, located in Vero Beach, Fl. TCSC is a well-managed club with over 100 members and growing with one of the most successful youth programs in the country.

Simine Short is editor of the Vintage Sailplane Association’s newsletter Bungee Cord and a volunteer for the National Soaring Museum, Elmira, NY. She has written more than 150 articles on early aviation. Her two books on Octave Chanute, “Locomotive to Aeromotive,” published in 2011, and “Flight not Improbable,” published in 2023, combine her interest in aviation, her engineering career, and her interest in researching previously unknown and unpublished material.

Marc is a 38 years old aspiring paraglider pilot. He holds a business engineering degree from Stuttgart University and is founder of Emectric Batteries.

Pete Alexander is a retired Silicon Valley refugee started flying gliders at the age of 14 at Sky Sailing in Fremont, CA where he flew his first solo flight in a SGS 2-33. Since then, he has accumulated over 6300 hours in gliders including a 6.5-year stint as a full-time glider flight instructor at Sky Sailing in Fremont, CA while in college. He started flying competitions in 1986 flying numerous Regional and National contests across the country. His home field is the Williams Soaring Center in Williams, CA where he flies his ASG 32 Mi and AS 33 Es.

Adam is a member of the Utah Soaring Association in Northern Utah. Most of his time in gliders is spent instructing new students. When he has free time, he enjoys flying cross country along the Wasatch Mountain range in his Jantar Standard 2. He achieved a third-place ranking in his first and so far, only, regional soaring contest. Adam is proud to have completed his Gold Badge and is working toward his Diamond Badge. He crewed at the 2015, 13.5-meter world contest in Lithuania and is a Soaring Safety Foundation adviser. He also enjoys working on wooden aircraft but spends more time maintaining five composite gliders for the local soaring club. Adam is an Aerospace Engineer for the U.S. Air Force, specializing in advanced composite materials and their sustainment including fabrication, materials and processes, composite repairs, personnel training, structural engineering, and analysis.

Rus Howard holds commercial pilot and CFI licenses in gliders and powered aircraft with MEL, IFR and other ratings. He flies a Duo Discus FES, a Ventus, a Mooney, and a Pitts S2C and enjoys glider and aerobatic competitions. Rus has refinished numerous composite gliders and has learned something of the mistakes that unsuspecting pilots have made doing their own repairs on composite structures. Raised in Jackson Hole, Rus was an Idaho potato farmer and a biotech company founder. He enjoys skiing, flying, basketball, diving, his wife, four children and eleven grandchildren, working with his hands, and the creative component of business formation and strategic growth.

Ken Sorenson has been a member of the Soaring Club of Houston since 1979 during which time the club has grown from a few dozen members to 190. SCOH has built its own airfield with a nice clubhouse, has a nice fleet of club gliders and tow planes and has developed active training and cross-country programs. He has been actively involved in the club’s leadership, is an instructor and tow pilot and is an active cross-country & competition pilot. Ken was previously a member of the Adrian Soaring Club in Michigan and Mohawk Soaring Club in New York.

Jaroslav Potmesil is an aviation enthusiast and has been flying and building sport composite aircraft and sailplanes all his life.

Dr Dan is a notorious speaker at SSA conventions, a retired Sr. AME and internist, and a more-active glider pilot in retirement. He hopes to teach you something that you don’t know yet, something that will help you avoid the confident crash.

Thomas Lingenberg has recently joined the elfin.aero – team to support Dr Stemme in realizing the ELFIN project. After managing manufacturing business in Europe, US and China he now contributes with engineering and economics experience, paired with his lifelong passion being a glider pilot and flight instructor.

Kempton Izuno began soaring at age 14, captivated by tales of long cross-country flights. He earned his Gold badge at age 17 in a 1-26 and later held a National record for a 1,024 mile wave flight in 2004. Today he has 2700 hours, with 900 as a partner in an ASH-25 based at Williams, California. Beyond writing and lecturing about soaring, he mentors other soaring pilots on better cross-country technique, including point to point wave XC. When not flying, he works at SpaceX getting rockets ready and enjoys spending time with his family.

Uys Jonker is the managing director of Jonker Sailplanes (Pty) Ltd. and co-founder of the company along with his brother, Attie Jonker and aerodynamicist, Johann Bosman. He completed college-prep studies in 1989 as the top student in his graduating class and went on to the North West University where he completed a B.Sc. degree (Mathematics) in 1992 and a B. Eng degree in 1995, both cum laude. From 1995 to 1999 he did engineering work on the Rooivalk attack helicopter and Cheetah programs at Denel Aviation. Uys (pronounced “Ace”) holds commercial and instructor pilot certificates and is currently the Class I Certification Test Pilot at Jonker Sailplanes. Ace has represented South Africa over 10 times at World Gliding Championships.

Götz Bramesfeld is a professor of aerospace engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada where he researches applied aerodynamics and aircraft design. For the last few years, his research group has been exploring ultra-long flight times with solar-electric drones. Götz’s real passion, however, is soaring. He has over 1,000 hours in over 40 different types of sailplanes including a flying-wing design.

Don started flying gliders in 1969 and has held a private pilot rating in both SEL and Glider since 1972. He is also an A&P mechanic and tow pilot. Don has three decades of contest flying (with mixed results) and has earned numerous Illinois State Triangle Speed Records. He has recently become a firm believer in the value of training in Condor Simulators.

Walter Rogers is a retired forecaster from the National Weather Service with over 42 years of experience. Mr. Rogers started flying gliders in 1968 and is an active racing pilot in his Discus 2A with over 4700 hours in gliders. Forecasting experience includes the 1983, 1991, 2012, and 2024 World Gliding Championships, support for the Voyager aircraft non-stop around the world flight in 1986, and the Perlan II World Record attempts in Argentina during 2018 and 2019. He is the 2008 Western Barron Hilton Cup winner. Currently Walt Rogers is the Region 12 SSA Director for Southern California. Mr. Rogers is a member of the American Meteorological Society and an active National Weather Association member serving on the aviation committee. He resides in Palmdale, CA.

Paul Anklam – Paul studied mechanical engineering, specializing in aerospace engineering, in Dresden and is a member of the Akaflieg Dresden. He has been a development engineer at Alexander Schleicher since 2013, responsible for the “Es” and “Me” propulsion systems, among other things such as propellers, the “B”-version of the ASK 21 and topics of the existing fleet.

Patrick Wenzeck – Patrick was almost born on the airfield and spent every free minute gliding. As a junior, he flew in many championships and was able to achieve the title of “German Junior Vice Champion”. He has been in Marketing & Sales at Alexander Schleicher, responsible for customer relations, since 2021.

Paul Remde has been flying sailplanes since 1990. He is a very technical person who loves talking about soaring, badge flying, sailplane racing, vintage sailplanes, record flying, aerobatics, and soaring instruments. Paul works hard to help soaring pilots select, install, update, and get the most from their soaring instruments. He has owned shares in several sailplanes, including a Schempp-Hirth Ventus b, and a lovely red Schweizer 1-35c. He currently owns a share of a DG-1000S 2-seat, 20m sailplane. He is an active member of the Minnesota Soaring Club, and has been supporting the soaring community through his company, Cumulus Soaring, Inc., since 2002 (22+ years). His best soaring flight so far was an 805 km flight in 2015 in the Nephi, Utah area.

Matthew Scutter is the lead developer of SkySight, the premier global soaring weather forecasting platform. He has over 4000 hours gliding, with gold and bronze medals from World Championships. He enjoys distance flying in his Diana 2.

Bill is a retired aerospace engineer who spent most of his career in the computer industry. He first flew gliders 60 years ago from a winch. Since then, he has acquired more than 6,000 hours in gliders and another 6,000 in airplanes. He holds a FAI Diamond Badge and FAA pilot certificates for Commercial Glider and Airplane Multi-Engine with an Instrument rating. He has written extensively on winch launching with many articles published in Soaring Magazine.

Chris Axten received his Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in June 2024 and is beginning post-doctoral work at Penn State this fall. He also completed M.S. and B.S. degrees in aerospace engineering at Penn State. Chris’s work includes internships with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and The Boeing Company.

Toni Sibanc has been an integral part of LXNAV since 2015, where he serves as Sales and Marketing Manager. In addition to this primary role, he also contributes as a test pilot as well as collaborating on development ideas with the team.

Toni’s journey in aviation began in 2006 with gliding, accumulating 2000 hours to date. He is also a gliding instructor and a tow plane pilot, sharing his expertise and passion for flying with others. As a dedicated competition pilot, Toni has participated in the World Gliding Championships (WGC) and the European Gliding Championships (EGC). He was a national champion and has won several other international competitions.

Patrick McMahon is a Canadian cross country and competition pilot as well as a glider flight instructor. He is one of the co-founders of Mollymawk Software – the makers of the Proving Grounds and Take Up Slack. and has been a board member of his respective gliding clubs since 2009. He is as passionate about the sport as he is about simplifying club operations to extract more enjoyment from free flight by reducing the burden on critical volunteers of the club. Patrick is a partial owner of an LS6-b and an ASW-20 and recently finished 2nd in Club Class at the SSA Region 8 in Ephrata, WA.

Dr. Maughmer received degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and Princeton. He has been on the faculty in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Penn State since 1984. His research activities are in the areas of aerodynamics, aircraft design, flight mechanics, and stability and control. He has served as the Chairman of the Configuration and Design Technical Board for the SSA and has been on the Board of the Collegiate Soaring Association. He is the Vice-President of OSTIV, as well as the Technical Chairman and the U.S. Representative. He has been an active glider pilot since 1972, a CFIG since 1976, and is the faculty advisor of the Penn State Soaring Club. He has participated in design activities for Schempp-Hirth since 2001 and owns and flies a Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2bx.

Eugen Fetsch is head of sales for Schempp-Hirth.

Tilo took over management of SH company with his family in 1995 after the tragic death of his father Klaus. Under his management, the company has released, to date, Ventus-2c, Discus-2c, Duo Discus XL, Arcus, Quintus and Ventus-3 with many variants and innovative engine solutions.

Tilo is involved in coaching of German Juniors for competition and take parts in flying camps in Namibia along with the “Fly with the Champions” event. He has won multiple international and national championships and is the World Champion 2019 in Grand-Prix, flying the Ventus-3. His best IGC ranking is 7th position on 2019 and 2020.

If you follow Tilo’s flights on WeGlide/OLC and on live tracking during a competition, you will notice one trend: his goal is and remains flying adventures and exploration where Schempp-Hirth sailplanes deliver best in class performance with legendary feedback in the cockpit.

Cadet Second Class Alexander Sick is an instructor pilot for the 94th Flying Training Squadron, United States Air Force. A member of the 2026 USAF Sailplane Racing Team, Alexander has recently finished his rookie season in competition soaring. Alexander maintains qualifications in the DG-1001 Club (TG-16A) and Duo Discus (TG-15A). Hailing from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Alexander is attending the Academy to pursue a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Cadet Second Class Griffin Phillips is an instructor pilot for the 94th Flying Training Squadron, United States Air Force. A member of the 2026 USAF Sailplane Racing Team, Griffin has recently finished his rookie season in competition soaring. Griffin maintains qualifications in the DG-1001 Club (TG-16A) and Duo Discus (TG-15A). Hailing from Clifton, Texas, Griffin is attending the Academy to pursue a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

Mike Zidziunas, aka “Mike Z”, has been President of the Lakeland Aero Club for the past 12 years. Lakeland Aero Club is a high school flying club located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland Florida. The high school students build, restore, maintain and fly the club’s aircraft under Mike’s supervision. The fleet currently consists of three Cubs, a Champ and five gliders, with a L-19 Bird Dog/towplane currently under restoration. Mike has been flying since high school in general aviation aircraft, mostly taildraggers and is also an A&P/IA with many restorations under his belt. He is currently building his 5th homebuilt airplane, an RV-9.

John DeRosa has been a glider pilot for 25-ish years and owns a Schleicher ASW-27B. He holds a BS in electrical engineering and an MS in computer science. John is the past president of Sky Soaring Glider Club in Hampshire, IL (http://skysoaring.com) and the past president of the Chicagoland Glider Council (http://chicagolandglidercouncil.com). His aviation, and soaring, presentation web site can be found at http://aviation.derosaweb.net/presentations where you can find his 2024 SSA convention presentations, and others that may be of interest to glider pilots.

Sarah is an FAA DPE, A&P/IA and together with her husband Jason own/operator at Chilhowee Gliderport. She is a three-time US National Champion, Women’s World Champion (2020) and, together with Karl Striedieck, 2024 World Gliding Champion in the 20-meter class.

Karl has been gliding since 1964 and competing since 1970 with a total time in gliders of just under 10,000 hours. He flies in a number of contests annually, usually 4 regionals and one or two nationals. Total to date: 145 regionals, 74 nationals, 15 WGC, 3 Smirnoff’s and 2 foreign nationals. Karl has earned 17 World distance records and the Lilienthal Medal in 1971. In 2024 he, along with Sarah Arnold, won the World Gliding Championship in the 20-meter class.

Jason Adriaan serves as the Quality Assurance Manager at Jonker Sailplanes, ensuring the highest standards in the design, manufacturing, and performance of cutting-edge sailplanes. With over 12 years of experience in aviation, Jason is an accomplished glider, motorglider, and fixed-wing pilot, holding instructor and test pilot ratings. He is also a competitive pilot, currently reigning as the South African Club Class Champion. His commitment to quality and safety, coupled with his technical expertise, positions him as a leader in the South African aviation industry.

Gordon soloed in gliders on his 14th Birthday and joined the US Navy at age 21, serving as a naval aviator with two deployments on the USS Ranger. After 8 years in the Navy, Gordon signed on with FedEx where he has been employed for 28 years and is currently a Boeing 777 Captain.

Gordon holds several Junior Class and National Soaring Records. His accomplishments in soaring also include being a Kolstad Junior Scholarship recipient, winning the Barron Hilton Cup, the Berringer Trophy and being the 2023 Online Contest distance and speed champion. He has also been the champion for distance on WeGlide. In 2023, Gordon and his copilot, Bruce Campbell, flew 2 flights which exceeded 3000 kilometers, the longest being 3144km.

He is married with three children and resides in Minden, Nevada.