Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981


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Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981

Edited by David Barth December 2015. Photos were taken by David Barth.

These pictures were taken in 1981 of glider operations at Boulder and Salida, Colorado by the Denver Soaring Council (DSC).

DSC owned a Blanik sailplane made in Czechoslovakia and a Piper PA-150, 180 HP Super Cub tow plane was wrecked, blown off of its tie-downs, by high winds in January 1982. In 1982 DSC members coordinated an effort to repair the tow plane.

Members of DSC:
  • Bill Williams was the chief pilot
  • Mark Klee was the pilot of the DSC Super Cub
  • Bob Keith
  • Marv Hicks
  • Jack Buschmann
  • Jim Snow
  • Dave Davis
  • Vince Lawrence
  • Harry Valas
  • Fred Hooper

Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
A glider pilot prepares a glider
tow rope at Boulder, Colorado, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Zuni Sailplane at Boulder, Colorado, 1981.
Several people prepare to park a single-place, high-performance Zuni Sailplane following a flight.

It appears that the people walking the wings (to keep them from hitting the ground or striking something else) are a guy and his girlfriend or wife, owners of the sailplane. The older gentlemen lifting the tail are probably glider enthusisasts who happend by to assist.

In the background, a tow plane prepares to tow a three-place Schweizer 2-32 glider aloft.

On the glider line, everyone was always helpful and ready to assist others.

Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Zuni Sailplane at Boulder, Colorado, 1981.
Here the Zuni sailplane is rolled back into its parking spot while the guy and his girl ensure that the long wings don't hit anything.

Although all glider-type aircraft are sailplanes, the high-performance articles are usually called sailplanes and the lower-performance trainers are called gliders.

Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Bill Williams, right, chief pilot of the Denver
Soaring Council (DSC) talking with Mark Klee, pilot of the
DSC Piper Super Cub tow plane.
DSC's Piper Super Cub with a 180hp engine is in the background at Boulder, Colorado airport, 1981.

Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Bill Williams, right, chief pilot of the Denver
Soaring Council (DSC) talking with Mark Klee, pilot of the
DSC Piper Super Cub tow plane.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
High-peformance sailplane at Boulder,
Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
High-peformance sailplane at Boulder,
Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
High-peformance sailplane at Boulder,
Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
High-peformance sailplane at Boulder,
Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
High-peformance sailplane at Boulder,
Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Single-place glider landing at Boulder, Colorado airport, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Tow plane circling to the left.
Tow planes generally circled in the Boulder area to keep from going too far away from the Boulder airport so the glider pilot could easily return after releasing the tow line if there was no lift available to stay aloft.

In this picture, the tow plane is turning to the northwest, heading for the Boulder Reservoir. The road that is barely visible this side of the reservoir is the "Diagonal", a road that runs diagonally between Boulder and Longmont.

Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Sailplane landing at Boulder, Colorado, 1981.


Sailplanes (Gliders) at Boulder, Colorado, 1981
Swiss Diamont sailplane part-owned by
Jim Snow who is flying it.