Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross Country
Author:  Phil Petmecky
From Bob Wander's "Gliding Mentor" series
Paperback, many illustrations and black and white photos, 52 pages, Copyright 2005
Dimensions: 8.31 x 11.0 inches (211 x 280 mm)

Author's Notes by Phil Petmecky
I remember back to that day in August 1979 when I took my first cross country flight in a glider. I didn't decide to go all by myself. In fact the idea hadn't even crossed my mind. I had recently completed the dreaded five hour flight without ever getting more than three or four miles from home. I had no idea how far the glider I was flying would go. It was just past noon when the owner of the commercial operation were I was flying walked up to me and said, "It looks like a Silver Distance day. Why don't you jump in the Jantar and fly up to Brenham?" The color drained from my face, but not wanting to appear timid (read: scared S ) I glanced up at the sky and said, "Do you think I m really ready for it?" "Sure", he said, "piece of cake".

It took me over two hours to get there. I was only lost four or five times. I worked every cloud that had ½ knot or better lift. I only got low once, right after release from tow. I arrived over what I hoped was my goal at 4000 feet AGL. I won't talk about my first landing on a paved runway in a glider, except to say I missed all the runway lights.

Needless to say I was not prepared to make this flight. I now have been a glider flight instructor for over eight years. In my first few years as an instructor, the students I turned out usually reached my level of ignorance on cross country flight by the time they were rated. One good thing that I can say about myself during this period is that I knew my weaknesses and constantly worked to improve myself. Slowly over the years I have developed a cross country training syllabus that I use with my students. I know that they are much better prepared to break the apron strings than I was.

One of the problems I had in teaching myself to fly cross country was that I read everything I could lay my hands on and tried to use it in flight. I found myself overloaded with information I did not thoroughly understand. Much of what I read was really written for contest pilots and not applicable for beginner cross country pilots. The approach to a Silver Distance flight is much different than that for a contest task. For example, on a Silver Distance flight speed should not be nearly as important as altitude. There is no additional reward for finishing the task in less than an hour. Once we have successfully done our Silver Distance we will then begin to work on improving our speed during cross country flights. Every local flight should have several goals laid out prior to flight. I like to work my way upwind as far as altitude permits and practice final glides back home. I frequently set a short task and try to fly it as fast as possible.

My preflight planning was never adequate and consequently my in-flight decisions were poor. Even when I made a good decision the time it took to make it was so long that I frequently lost large amounts of altitude in the process!

One of the first things I tell my students about cross country flight is that the better prepared they are prior to flight, the more likely they are to have a successful outcome. They begin carrying, and using, a sectional chart early in their training. As soon as they develop decent control of the glider I begin their pilot-in-command training. They must constantly be aware of their location and altitude, and be able to get back to the pattern entry point with as little coaching as possible.

This manual is designed to give beginners the information they need to break the bonds of the local gliderport. I hope this book can help you become more confident when you take that first big step away from your home gliderport.

Phil Petmecky
Houston, Texas

Phil Petmecky has been flying for more than forty years. He started flight training at Lackland AFB Aeroclub in 1960 during his final year of service in the U.S. Air Force. After marrying and settling down, the arrival of children deterred him from flying for a while. As the kids got into their teens, Phil went right back into aviation, not only for himself but to enjoy soaring with his children. 

Phil enjoyed gliding so much that he became a key member of his local soaring club in Houston and became a Glider Flight Instructor. He participated in primary instruction, recurrent training, and cross country soaring instruction. He also raced, and placed well, in national glider races in the USA. He was named an FAA Pilot Examiner and administered oral and flight tests to prospective pilots on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration for the better part of two decades. He was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Soaring Society of America and served in that capacity for many years. 

Phil’s pilot logbook reveals nearly 30,000 glider flights and many thousands of flight hours in gliders. His current favorite glider is his 60:1 ASH25M motorglider which he shares with a partner. 

Breaking The Apron Strings is Phil’s first contribution to the Gliding Mentor series.

Write a review

Note: HTML is not translated!
    Bad           Good

Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross Country

  • Brand: books
  • Product Code: Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross Country
  • Availability: In Stock
  • $12.95


Available Options


Related Products

Advanced Soaring Made Easy

Advanced Soaring Made Easy

Advanced Soaring Made Easy - 4.1th EditionAuthor:  Bernard EckeyHard Cover, 187 illustrati..

$79.95 $95.00

The Art of Thermaling ...Made Easy!

The Art of Thermaling ...Made Easy!

The Art of Thermaling ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Finding and Using Thermals and Ther..

$12.95

Badge Soaring: The ABC Badges ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The ABC Badges ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The ABC Badges ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Earning Your A, B, and C So..

$9.95

Badge Soaring: The Bronze Badge ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The Bronze Badge ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The Bronze Badge ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Earning Your Bronze Soari..

$12.95

Badge Soaring: The Silver Badge ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The Silver Badge ...Made Easy!

Badge Soaring: The Silver Badge ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Earning Your FAI Silver B..

$12.95

Beyond gliding distance

Beyond gliding distance

Beyond gliding distance - stepping out of your comfort zoneAuthor:  Flavio FormosaEnglish Langu..

$0.00

Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross Country

Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross Country

Breaking The Apron Strings - Soaring Cross CountryAuthor:  Phil PetmeckyFrom Bob Wander's "Glid..

$12.95

Commercial Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Commercial Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Commercial Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Your FAA Commercial Pil..

$16.95

Cross-Country Manual - For Glider Pilots

Cross-Country Manual - For Glider Pilots

Cross-Country Manual - For Glider PilotsAuthor:  Dean CarswellFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding Mentor..

$17.95

Cross-Country Soaring

Cross-Country Soaring

Cross-Country Soaring - A Handbook for Performance and Competition SoaringAuthor:  Helmut Reich..

$36.00

Dancing with the Wind

Dancing with the Wind

Dancing with the WindAuthor:  Jean-Marie ClémentPaperback, 304 pages, full color, 211 images an..

$78.00

Desperate to Fly

Desperate to Fly

Desperate to Flyby Kai GertsenPaperback, 201 pages, 64 black & white images and many drawings, C..

$19.95 $23.00

End of the Line

End of the Line

End of the Line - Glider Pilot's Aerotow ManualAuthor:  Murray ShainFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding ..

$12.95

Everybody's First Gliding Book!

Everybody's First Gliding Book!

Everybody's First Gliding Book!45 Bite-Size Articles To Help You Start GlidingFrom the Gliding ..

$15.95

Flight Instructor Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Flight Instructor Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Flight Instructor Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide To Your FAA Glider Flight..

$16.95

Flying Faster and Further

Flying Faster and Further

Flying Faster and Further - Parts 1 and 2Compiled by  Maurie Bradney from Original and numerous..

$29.00

Glider BFR And Spring Checkout ...Made Easy!

Glider BFR And Spring Checkout ...Made Easy!

Glider BFR And Spring Checkout ...Made Easy!A Self-Study Guide To Help You Get the Most Out Of ..

$10.95

Glider Polars and Speed-To-Fly ...Made Easy!

Glider Polars and Speed-To-Fly ...Made Easy!

Glider Polars and Speed-To-Fly ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide to Glider Performance Polar A..

$9.95

Introduction to Cross-Country Soaring

Introduction to Cross-Country Soaring

Introduction to Cross-Country SoaringAuthor:  Kai GertsenPublished: 1999, Updated: 200537 pages..

$8.00

Landing Out - The Final Four Minutes

Landing Out - The Final Four Minutes

Landing Out - The Final Four MinutesAuthors:  Don Ingraham and Bob WanderFrom Bob Wander's "Gli..

$12.95

Learning to Fly Gliders - A Flight Training Handbook and Syllabus

Learning to Fly Gliders - A Flight Training Handbook and Syllabus

Learning to Fly Gliders - A Flight Training Handbook and SyllabusAuthor:  Bob WanderPaperback, ..

$19.95

Off-Airport Landings

Off-Airport Landings

Off-Airport LandingsAuthor:  Kai GertsenPublished: 1999, Updated: 200524 pagesFree download lin..

$5.00

Power Pilot's Guide To Soaring

Power Pilot's Guide To Soaring

Power Pilot's Guide To SoaringAuthor:  Murray ShainFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding Mentor" seriesPap..

$16.95

Practical Wave Flying

Practical Wave Flying

Practical Wave FlyingAuthor:  Mark PalmerFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding Mentor" seriesPaperback, 80..

$17.95

Private Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Private Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!

Private Pilot Glider Checkride ...Made Easy!A User-Friendly Guide To Your FAA Private Pilot Gli..

$16.95

Riding On Air: Ridge, Wave, & Convergence Lift

Riding On Air: Ridge, Wave, & Convergence Lift

Riding On Air: Ridge, Wave, & Convergence LiftAuthor:  Rolf Hertenstein, Ph.D., Meteorology..

$19.95

Safer Soaring ...Made Easy!

Safer Soaring ...Made Easy!

Safer Soaring ...Made Easy!Author:  Bob WanderFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding ...Made Easy..

$14.95

Sky Full of Heat

Sky Full of Heat

Sky Full of HeatAuthor: Sebastian KawaTranslated by Nicholas RattenburyIllustrated by Zbigniew ..

$50.00

SRA (Sailplane Racing Association) Guide to Soaring Competition

SRA (Sailplane Racing Association) Guide to Soaring Competition

SRA (Sailplane Racing Association) Guide to Soaring CompetitionAuthor:  Sailplane Racing Associ..

$5.00

Thermals

Thermals

ThermalsAuthor:  Rolf Hertenstein, Ph.D., Meteorology, Triple Diamond Glider PilotFrom Bob Wand..

$19.95

Towpilot Manual

Towpilot Manual

Towpilot ManualAuthor:  Burt ComptonFrom Bob Wander's "Gliding Mentor" seriesPaperback, 44 page..

$14.95

Transition To Single Seat Gliders ...Made Easy!

Transition To Single Seat Gliders ...Made Easy!

Transition To Single Seat Gliders ...Made Easy!A Comprehensive Guide To Flying Single Seat Glid..

$10.95

Tags: book, wander, Petmecky