General Membership Meeting and GHSA Board of Directors Election

The membership meeting was well attended. Gordon Wingate provided a detailed update of the Grounds & Runway Improvement Project (GRIP) Team and the team’s recommendation how to proceed with the project. David Coggins reviewed with and reminded all the members how far we have come since the club’s beginning and our long-term vision we should strive for.

Election Results: President - Manolo Guzman, Vice President - Pablo Gonzales, Treasurer - Ken Schmetter, Member at Large - Kurt Krieg, Secretary - Faraidoon Pondole. Congratulation to all of you!

2025 GHSA Annual Banquet

Great turnout, with many members bringing extra food on top of Los Flores Delight Dinner. David shared the impressive 2024 club results, thanks to you all, to the crowd in his nice presentation.

Congratulations Lily Bertrand for “Rookie of the Year”. Lily is shown with Faraidoon Pundole, Secretary of GHSA

Temporary trailer storage area is ready! Ground anchors and steel cable was installed!

Simon, Dan, David, Abhi, Jon, and Uwe struggled quite a bit to straighten out the 1/2 inch steel cable and 6 x 4ft ground anchors. Dawn dishwasher liquid is also good for anchor greasing :)

New Tank Farm is getting closer for pouring concreate. Runway Centerline and Trailer Pad are flagged.

Thanks Ken, David, Kurt, Susan, Bruno, Abhi, Simon, and Cristian for getting it going.

Super Fall Day with 4 passed check rides and successful outlanding... Yaahooo!

Please, congratulate Lance, Nicolas, and Faraidoon to their Private and Pablo to his Commercial Glider License on this beautiful fall weekend at GHSA.

Kurt’s check ride glider in Marfa - Ka7 with old German Registration :). 490 Ka7s were built between 1956-1966 by Alexander Schleicher. Wingspan 16m. L/D: 25:1. Congratulations Kurt to your Glider Certification add-on.

Soaring a Team Sport? At GHSA you bet....!!

One of the things I love about gliding is the spirit of teamwork and mutual assistance. Our workday last week was a great example.

Today at GHSA was another example of that for me personally. The day started with Uwe giving me a ride to the field, because my vehicle was being borrowed by a friend who needed a tow hitch.

I needed to do some maintenance on my glider, and discovered a flat on my tail dolly. Michael Hunter to the rescue with a spare tube. 

I needed to retrieve an O-ring stuck in my total energy probe socket. If only I had a sharp tool like a dental pick. Craig Shoemaker had one. 

Since I was without my Jeep - I needed to move my trailer to a tiedown spot -

Dan Rumley helped me do that. 

Todd Hahn and Pablo Gonzales helped me hang the wings.

Lance Aasletten, Jon Price and Nicolas Penagos gave me multiple lifts around the field and helped me get my ship back in the hangar. Andrew Aasletten launched me, and
Manolo Guzman gave me (2) tows while Connor Tiegs recorded them as dispatcher.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me get in the air today.

Sorry if I missed anyone.

I am reminded that soaring, which is often a solitary activity in the cockpit -

really is a tremendous group effort.

Mike Brooks (CFI-G Chief Instructor)

Hanging out at Las Flores after a beautiful October Soaring day…..