Marta and Chester's Maleficent Adventures

Memory Lane – The first glider

The day after our CFI signed off on my license, I drove through a horrific snowstorm to Red Deer to look at a motor glider.

The APIS was made by AMS, a wing manufacturer for Pipistrel that had the bright idea of making their own glider. After a few years, they sold the design to Pipistrel, which widened the cockpit to fit two people (!), the Taurus.

Gliding Clubs are never short of “helpful” hanger-ons
2 Stroke snowmobile engine (Rotax 447) with a wooden propeller. Surprisingly good design for the manufacturer’s first and only attempt.
10 points if you know where this is

Lots of fun was had on the prairies, including overnight trips to Chipman and Hanna

A motor glider is great for accessing the mountains from CuNim in the summer. Quite often the mountains are still working after the prairies have gone flat for July/August.

The first wave flights. Not a great ship for wave – lightweight, a VNE just over 100 kts, no transponder…

Bye bye
Chester Fitchett