Glider Pilot Ron Clarke (video)

Imagine soaring through the air like a bird, wings outstretched, with only the gentle beat of the wind whooshing by as you glide through the clear, blue sky.This is the stuff of our dreams. But for Geist resident Ron Clarke, it’s reality. And understandably, it’s become his addiction.

Now retired from Eli Lilly, the 65-year-old Masthead resident spends as much time as he can sailing through the air in his glider plane. Motorless flight is a sport he’s been enamored with for nearly 40 years, ever since attaining his pilot’s license at age 28 in his native South Africa.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/QgBDQBFORz4" width="300" height="250" wmode="transparent" /]Unlike powered flying, gliding is not about getting from “point A to point B;” it’s the ride itself that matters.

“It’s easily the closest thing to being a bird as possible,” he says. “It really is very beautiful. It’s very silent.”

Growing up in Johannesburg, Ron Clarke remembers being fascinated with aviation and learning to build model aircraft, just like most American boys of that time. He initially chose glider flying because it was much less expensive than learning to fly a powered aircraft (and still is about ¼ the cost, he estimates).

But once he experienced the serenity of flying without the constant buzz of a motor, Clarke was hooked. And he loved the challenge of mastering the skills required to stay in the air and land where you intend.

””It’s more of a sport than flying powered aircraft,” he said. “Gliding is more fun. You go up and fly where you want to and hopefully make it home in the end.”

And sometimes, you don’t. Clarke has many stories of times when he couldn’t find a “thermal” (heat pocket) strong enough to carry him up and on his way to the airport. When they get below 2,000 feet, glider pilots are trained to look for an alternate place to land. Over the years, Clarke has had to land in various wheat, bean or alfalfa fields across the globe and once on a golf course fairway. Then he calls his wife, Thea – or another buddy – to meet him with the trailer. Without any motor power, you only get one chance to land in a glider.

“My wife has long since lost interest in spending all day in the car (to meet him where he lands),” Clarke jokes, noting that Thea’s passion lies in watercolor painting.

But these days, Clarke rarely winds up in trouble. He holds more than 100 Indiana records with the Soaring Society of America (SSA), making him easily the top glider pilot in the state.

“Often I have to go out and break my own records,” said Clarke, who just last month won a week-long race in Michigan. “It’s fun to be up there with other gliders,” he adds.

He’s flown across the nation twice, the first time in 1994 in an event he created for himself and the second time in 2003 with a larger group commemorating the 100-year anniversary of flight. They covered about 300 miles a day, from Los Angeles to the East Coast, finishing at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

“It was a really big thrill to say we landed on the same area the Wright Brothers had taken off from,” Clarke said.

From Indianapolis, Clarke has flown as far as St. Louis to the west and Pittsburgh, Pa., to the east in a single day in his sleek, German-built glider with its 60-foot wingspan. In Indiana, gliders can usually soar up to 5,000 feet or even as high as 10,000 feet on a really good day. In the arid climate of the western U.S., glider planes have soared up to 49,000 feet over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

“The secret is to get into air that is going up more than you are going down,” he said.

To take off, gliders get some help from “tow planes” that pull them on a cable up to 2,000 feet, before releasing. Then, it’s up to the glider pilot to find the thermals. Once the glider gets into that warm, rising air, the plane swirls around much like you might see a turkey vulture circling over Geist Lake, until it reaches a higher altitude and can glide toward the desired destination.

Although farmers don’t like it, the hot, dry weather like we’ve been having lately is great for gliders. In this part of the country, a successful flight is completely dependent on the sun. Wind isn’t really necessary and can even be an obstacle, unless it happens to be blowing in the direction you’re headed, Clarke said.

The sport is similar to sailboat racing but adds the dimension of altitude, said Clarke, who also enjoys sailing from his home on the reservoir. Many glider pilots are also sailors, and some convert from hang gliding, which is quite similar to flying glider planes but is harsher on the body.

Glider aviation is truly a sport for all ages. The Central Indiana Soaring Society, of which Clarke is the longest-standing member, has had members ranging from age 14 (the earliest age one can be licensed) to over 80.

And that’s how long Clarke plans on flying his glider. Visit www.atGeist.com to view a video clip of Ron Clarke talking about glider aviation from his plane at Knotts Field in Alexandria. If you’d like to join him and see what gliding is all about, check out www.centralindianasoaringsociety.org or call 849-8983 to schedule an introductory ride for $99. You can also stop by the airport at 1577 (900 N at 200 E), Alexandria, Ind., on any fair-weather weekend. It’s a good bet you’ll find Clarke or another member of the Soaring Society who’s willing to take you for a glide.