Welcome to Episode #63 of The Thermal. I’m your host Herrie ten Cate.

 In this Episode of The Thermal, fire in the air. Possibly the worst thing that can happen to any pilot.

 Well, that happened to me on May 23rd of this year. The glider caught fire during the climb. My training and Lady Luck got me back to the runway with a burning glider

This is the story of what happened.

In Episode #62 of The Thermal, the global tariff chaos and the impact on American glider pilots. We talk to the man behind gliding supply shop Cumulus Soaring to find out what is and isn’t happening.

Looping a glider is fun when done properly. It’s something that most of us have done at some point or another. But breaking the Guinness Book record for the number of loops is a completely different matter. We speak to the two Australian pilots who now hold the world record.

And what’s it like when there’s far more of your gliding career behind you than in front of you. It’s something that all of us will face at some point. We talk to an octogenarian glider pilot who is processing and contemplating his ability to continue to do what he loves.

That’s all on Episode #62 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, we find out from the man behind Mountain High oxygen systems…why canula is most often better than a mask.

And a group of UK pilots who’ve come up with their own Canopy Flasher. We find out why they didn’t just buy off the shelf.

It’s the time of year when glider pilots are polishing gliders. Either to bring them out of hibernation or put them away for the winter. We find out the tips and tricks to keeping your polyurethane coated glider looking glamorous. Hint…the trick is ceramic.

That’s all on Episode #61 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, expedition flying at its best and a feature interview with pilot Chris Gill. Imagine crossing the Irish Sea, hoping to make the other coast and all you can see is ocean…that’s exactly what Chris and his copilot did earlier this month, flying from Wales to Northern Ireland and back across the Irish Sea to Scotland.

In this Episode of The Thermal, long time gliding blogger Ritz de Luij has put away her keyboard . Ritz talks to us about her love of gliding, her passion for the sport and the triumphs and tragedies she experienced along the way.

 And we go to Australia and speak to an octogenarian glider pilot with over 6000 hours who just keeps on flying.

That’s all on Episode   #59 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, an epic Christmas Day flight that covered most of the eastern Adriatic and 4 countries with a blistering average speed of 160 kmph and a distance of some 1100 kms.

 And hitting it hard with a 50 year old glider. Who says you need the latest hot ship to have fantastic gliding adventures. We talk to a pilot who’s checking all the boxes.

 We also hear from NAV Canada and their concerns about glider traffic conflicting with commercial traffic. We try to unravel how to make uncontrolled airspace safer for everyone.

 That’s all on Episode   #58 of The Thermal.

On Episode #57 of The Thermal, going the distance in an Archaeopteryx. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s a low performance hybrid glider that an intrepid Australian glider pilot just flew for over 600 kilometers.

And wave flying in the Canadian Rockies. We learn why the Cowley Wave Camp is the go to event for Canadian glider pilots looking for their Diamond Heights.

That’s all on Episode   #57 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, a feature interview with Patrick McLaughlin – the man behind the Mountain High Oxygen system. He has won the 2024 OSTIV award for his contribution to gliding safety.

And combining passions. We talk to Tobias Barth about his new book called Framing the Sky and how he combines his love of gliding and photography.

That’s all on Episode   #56 of The Thermal.

In Episode #55 of The Thermal, Dutch racing pilot Jeroen Verkuijl on flying at the World Gliding Championships in Uvalde, Texas. And he tells us about the special day team Orange finished 1st in all three classes.

And a solution to the ever-increasing cost and number of flights for students to solo. We speak to an OSTIV award winner about what the Toronto Metropolitan University’s gliding club has done to get students to solo sooner.

That’s all on Episode   #55 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, we’re devoting a full show to the story of WW2 British combat Glider Pilot Frank Hughes and his role in Operation Market Garden…also known as the Battle of Arnhem.

It’s a remarkable tale of a young man who flew a fully loaded HORSA combat glider into a war zone and survived the ensuing battle.