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Mike Haynes, a friend of Wayne London's, has been flying gliders (or if you want to use a $100 word, sailplanes) for quite a long time, about 50 years. Mike started flying gliders while serving in the Navy in Florida, and has been hooked ever since. He has been a member of the Midwestern Soaring Society for many years. The club currently flies out of a private airfield northeast of Harrisonville, Missouri. Mike shares that "soaring flight is the purest form of flying... no engine and lots of dependence on your abilities". The Soaring Society of America states on it's website "To fly as the hawk and eagle has been mankind's dream for centuries. Modern sailplanes make soaring flight possible, and with them humans can fly higher, faster, and farther than the greatest of birds, using only an invisible force of nature to stay aloft. The sport is called "soaring" and to pilot as well as spectator, it has universal appeal. The terms gliding and soaring are used interchangeably." ( https://www.ssa.org/WhatIsSoaring) When not at the controls of his sunship, Mike enjoys staying in shape at the gym, woodworking and volunteering in his community. |
