September 2000

CAP Encampment

Dear Dave:

I think the following information would be of interest to the members of the Utah Soaring Association.

We have just completed a very successful National Civil Air Patrol Encampment at Cedar Valley Airport. There were 10 Cadets ranging in age from 14 to 16. Each had paid $700.00 to participate. They were housed at Camp Williams and bussed to the airport each morning at 7:00 AM for intensive training. Each cadet received 3 to 4 flights each morning. Each instructor (there were 5 or 6 of us each day) was assigned 2 or 3 cadets. We flew while the air was fairly calm and by noon or 1:00 we broke for lunch which was brought from Camp Williams or brought to us from one of the fast food places in Lehi. After lunch there was ground school instructions for a couple of hours then the cadets would return to Camp Williams to swim and study before dinner. After dinner it was usually more study.

The encampment began Friday August 11th and ran through Sunday August 20th.

Each instructor worked from the same sylabus using Tom Knauf’s “First Flight to Solo” so we were all teaching the same method. The students would be mixed so that each student flew with several instructors. Each Cadet received a minimum of 20 flights. All were able to perform a pre-Solo flight. (The instructor would sit in the back seat and make no comments or offer any advise.).

At the end of the course each Cadet received $150.00 to continue their education at home. One cadet received the AOPA Scholarship as “Top Pilot” award of $500.00 Two cadets received their “B” and “C” badges one soloed in an ASK-21 the other in a SGS 2-33. This was the first Cadet to have soloed an ASK-21.

The statistics are rather impressive: The total flights made were 222. There were 9 instructors (not all at the same time) 2 instructors from Colorado - Jer Eberharadt, and Dr. John Campbell 1 Instructor from Alaska - Al Hazelton 6 Instructors from Salt Lake - Jim Ralph, Dave Robinson, Ruthann Povinelli, CraigTeerlink, Craig Thomas and Lee Steorts.

We had 2 Schweizer 2-33 2 ASK 21 1 Schweizer 1-26 I t was a great bunch of kids and gave me great pleasure to see youngsters eager to learn to soar.

It is my hope that the Utah Soaring Association will see fit to participate in the Young Eagles Program and give some youngsters an opportunity to see what a great sport soaring is.

Lee Steorts

2000 Calendar

The USA Fall Picnic will be Saturday, September 16. Feel free to bring a dish which does not require heating. There will be hot dogs, burgers, chips, soda and beer and we’ll get the grill going around 1:00.

Duty Officers