Two metro pilots are still flying high after beating out eight contenders last week to claim a national soaring championship.
Richard Andrews, 70, of Hastings and Barry Jaeger, 62, of Inver Grove Heights placed first overall after four days of racing Jaeger’s Arcus M two-seater glider around multiple courses ranging up to 200 miles in the Soaring Society of America’s 20 Meter Multi-Seat Nationals in Albert Lea, Minn.
Barry Jaeger, 62, of Inver Grove Heights and Richard Andrews, 70, of Hastings won the Soaring Society of America’s 20 Meter Multi-Seat Nationals in Albert Lea, Minn on Friday, May 17, 2019. (Courtesy of Barry Jaeger)”We’re both in shock that we were able to do this,” said Jaeger, who owns a construction company in Mendota Heights.
The sport involves maneuvering an engine-less glider with a nearly 66-foot wingspan through the air. Jaeger’s glider is self-launching, which means it has a small motor in it to get it off the ground, but most gliders must be towed airborne by a motorized airplane.
The contest, which ran May 11-18 at the Albert Lea Municipal Airport, was scheduled to have seven flights but was pared down to four because of weather. Of those four flights, the two men came in third, first, third and first (after the second-place team had to land early), ending with the highest overall points.
“I never expected we’d win,” said Andrews, a retired physician. “This really came as a total surprise. I still can’t believe it. I’m still flying high with what’s happened in the last few days.”
ALL ABOUT THE POINTS
Stephen Nesser, president of the Minnesota Soaring Club, thinks their title might be a first for Minnesota.
“I can’t think of a single Minnesotan who’s ever been in the world championships,” he said.
Jaeger and Andrews said they would love to attend the World Air Sports Federation Championship in Prievidza, Slovakia, in July, but Jaeger said it’s more complicated than winning one national contest.
“We would need to do well in at least one more race to have a chance to make it there,” he said. “It’s about the maximum points you can get.”
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
The two men hadn’t flown together much but said working together was easy.
“We just hit a very good chemistry, a similar mind-set about competition,” Andrews explained. “He’s had more experiences, I’ve had more hours. The two of us worked very well together.”
They also think home-court advantage had something to do with their win against pilots from warmer states who fly year-round and have won multiple national championships.
“We were very familiar with the territory,” said Andrews, who’s been flying gliders for 35 years.
He remembers when he had to develop camera film in a darkroom to prove he’d flown the route. Now a GPS keeps track of his location.
“It has changed so dramatically,” he said.
RISING WITH THE HOT AIR
In all his experience, Andrews said he’s only had one time he considers a close call.
“I got low over a forested area and scared myself real good,” he said. “As I was getting down lower and lower over this huge forest, there was no place to go. I said out loud to myself that I’m gonna die.”
He prayed for help. It was then that he noticed the forest was sloping, so he followed it downhill, hoping to buy himself some time. Suddenly he saw a road cut through the woods that led to a field where he was able to land.
“God gave me a nudge,” he said.
Pilots of gliders rely on rising warm air — thermals — to keep them flying. They look for hints, such as small clouds or dark patches of land where the temperature might be higher, to show them where the thermals are. They adjust their heading by moving spoilers on the wings.
“You’re in harmony with the elements you’re flying in,” Andrews said. “It’s such an incredible thing to be up in the sky playing for hours without an engine.”