A Fine Week of Soaring

Ever wonder what its like to fly Pennsylvania's fabled Allegheny ridges at high speed and low altitude? How about a chance to climb in a thermal up close and personal with a Nimbus 4, its enormous wingspan somehow made delicate in circling flight? Want to know how soaring competitions work? How tasks are set? Where to hunt for lift on blue days or how to fly cloud streets? Or, best of all, how a master like Karl Striedieck plies his craft, getting the most out of glider and weather with keen decision making and flawless flying technique, whistling his way across the sky?

Well, you're in for a treat. Juan Mandelbaum's new and exquisitely photographed film A FINE WEEK OF SOARING shows you a Mifflin, PA regional contest from the perspective of the participants and organizers. Plus, it puts you in the back seat of a Duo Discus with Karl at the controls. Shot from all conceivable angles from cameras mounted both inside and outside the cockpit, this film is part soaring essay, part documentary, part instructional work, and all soaring enjoyment.

You'll not only get Karl's insights, but hear from two time World Champion George Moffat, the dean of American competition soaring, as he reflects on the development of the sport over many decades. And adding to the educational value of what you see on film are interspersed GPS flight trace excerpts, masterfully displayed by the 3D terrain mapping features of the marvelous SeeYou Flight Information Software, including head to head comparisons of multiple sailplanes hurtling down the ridges.

Whether you're new to gliding, a beginning cross country pilot, or an old competition soaring dog, you'll get a heady dose of information, pleasure and inspiration from this fine film, and end up counting the days, hours and minutes until you can get back in the air. Enjoy!

DOUG JACOBS, 1985 World Champion

Total Run Time: 1hr 50min

Written, Produced and Directed
by Juan Mandelbaum