Boerne Stage Airfield

After leaving Brenham, TX we flew for a little over an hour to arrive over the Boerne Stage Airfield. Gliders were being towed up, so we shut down the engine and joined a gaggle of Grobs. Everyone was on the radio saying "nice plane" and "what is that?" much to our delight. Even though we were totally loaded down with baggage and fuel, we held our own with them.
Nothing like flying 730 miles in one day to join some friends for a little soaring!


Expert glider instructor Dave White joined me for a soaring flight, and we got to taste the last thermals of the day together.

Prop feathered, 550fpm up, life is good!

Dave put the plane through it's paces, stalls in level flight, during turns, spoilers open, shut, flaps every which way. The Phoenix is a docile aircraft, with no bad habits. You can fly slow in a thermal to the point of stall shuddering, and it won't bite. Dave was pleased to see that during stalls at bank angles below 30 degrees the plane wanted to level the wings, while at steeper bank angles it dropped into the direction of the turn - just what he likes in a training glider.

Then we dove for the airfield, and called it a day. Dave took us home to meet his family and show off his great home tucked away from the crowd. And his horses are just as friendly as Dave!

The next morning, we met Ed Babovec, who had flown his Sting Sport to Boerne from Erie, Colorado to get a look at the Phoenix. After a nice morning flight, he said "Thanks for a fantastic flight in the most incredible plane I have ever flown".