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Looks like a big bird...
Reprinted from the Kemmerer Gazette:Looks like a big bird, but no, it's a glider plane
June 15 2000 12:00AM By Janet
On Sunday, during most of late afternoon, you might have observed a glider hanging over Oyster Back Ridge above the towers over to Oakley. This sight, quiet and soaring like a bird, is highly unusual around here. Parke Byron from Heber City was the glider operator and he was in trouble but just didn't quite want to land here.
Byron was told Alpine would be a good place but he couldn't quite get the altitude to get over the ridge. He continued to try for over an hour, contemplating whether to land or not.
Byron is a member of Soaring Society of Utah and was supposed to be flying to Evanston from Heber to get his badge from the Soaring Society of America. Byron said he lost altitude and got down to around 10 to 15 feet above the ground at one point over the Uinta Mountains.
Byron said that during other times he used oxygen because of the lack of air at higher altitudes.
Curious spectators followed the glider to the airport in time to watch the plane being pushed down the runway, parked and chained down because of high winds. The winds caused the plane to bounce from one wing tip to the other until it was chained down.
Byron explained that he had no means of communication to contact his pilot to pick him up and return him and his glider to the airport in Heber City, Utah. There were no pay phones and his cell phone signal would not reach to pick up the driver.
The glider has a 49-foot wingspan and its body is just shy of 20 feet long. The glider is bright yellow in color and has a bright blue name on the nose that reads, "Buzzard Wings."
Byron stated that he had reached speeds up to 100 miles an hour. It took him four and a half hours to arrive in Kemmerer. He said that he had lost the cumulus clouds that are necessary to climb in altitude and maintain height and speed.
Byron also explained he was in his second childhood and wanted to learn to glide as well as going back to school at the University of Utah. Byron's mentor and ground crew consists of Walt Konecny, who is also Byron's instructor, friend and pick-up driver. Konecny was pulling a trailer resembling a large silver bullet, pulled by a Suburban looking vehicle.
Byron stated that gliding is a real freedom that you never realize. There is a solitude and beauty beyond comparison with any adventure in life so far, he said.
2000
Calendar
September 16 - Fall Picnic
| May 6 - Parke Byron May 13 - Tracy Livingston May 20 - Matt Zimmer May 27 - Jerry Hartshorn June 3 - Fred Wright June 10 - Dale Taylor June 17 -Stan Misiewicz June 24 - Paul Eastman July 1 - Mark Williams July 8 - Ned Dolan July 15 - Jim Krog July 22 - John Mildon July 29 - Frank Davis August 5 - Kory Branham |
August 12 - Carl Redlin August 19 - Gary Petersen August 26 - Rich Goodloe September 2 - Ron Bridge September 9 - Paul Cushman September 16 - Chris Haerter September 23 - William Hill September 30 - Pete Kintner October 7 - Matt McNamara October 14 - Jack Corneveaux October 21 - Bob Briggs October 28 - Chris Steinman |
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