Walter Mueller 75 Years Solo

Bruce Friesen

unread,

May 21, 2012, 2:39:40 PM5/21/12

to

Walter Mueller of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, accomplished his first solo flight of 2012, marking 75 years of flying gliders solo.

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=2394967

A symbolic float around the patch, perhaps, but the season is still young. For context, here is the link to Walter's 500km diamond flight in 2011:

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=1846897

Walter's first solo flight was his first glider flight, in (on?) a Zogling 33 at Gersbach, Germany, in May 1937.

Congratulations Walter!

Bob Whelan

unread,

May 21, 2012, 3:29:34 PM5/21/12

to

Majorly cool!!! Even though I'd never "met" Walter Mueller until reading the
above post, he's one of my hee-roes!

Let's none of us ever lose sight of why we love and participate in this silly
sport.

While we're all destined to die some day, I don't believe any of us are
predestined to die in any *particular* way. (Toward that end, I'm "hoping" to
die of natural causes and not accidental physical trauma..and I act accordingly.)

However...if any reader knows of a gliding participant who feels predestined
to die in a sailplane, perhaps you'd be doing said participant a real favor by
suggesting to them some serious re-examination of why that thought persists is
in order. Just sayin'...

Bob W.

Brad

unread,

May 21, 2012, 5:00:42 PM5/21/12

to

-----snip-------

While we're all destined to die some day, I don't believe any of us
are
predestined to die in any *particular* way. (Toward that end, I'm
"hoping" to
die of natural causes and not accidental physical trauma..and I act
accordingly

Bob, you actually stopped flying sailplanes, did you not? If so, then
you have removed yourself as a potential member of the "stupid pilot
tricks/Crunch Alert" community.

Would that be correct?

Brad

Tony

unread,

May 21, 2012, 5:05:22 PM5/21/12

to

Awesome! Here's to many more years of flying for Walter!

Bob Whelan

unread,

May 21, 2012, 11:24:15 PM5/21/12

to

I've not flown as PIC since the summer of 2009, primarily because I no longer
have the energy I'd like to have and view as fundamentally necessary to
participate in soaring "all day" (drive to/from the field, rig/derig, fly
O&R's as far/long as the day permits).

I'm looking forward to participating in a weeklong XC camp in July as I have
most years since 1989, including 2010/2011, and will be happy to be backseat
ballast for any aspiring XC pilot who'll have me.

After I fully retire I may opt to return to some form of PIC activity.

Why do you ask?

Bob W.

P.S. You can research "Soaring" magazine archives for articles under my name
to convince yourself that none of what I've recently been espousing on RAS in
any way reflects a "new attitude" related to whether or not I'm presently
acting as PIC.

philst...@gmail.com

unread,

May 24, 2012, 2:51:25 PM5/24/12

to

Thanks for posting this Bruce. Congratulations to Walter! My soaring hero since 1996 and the source of the voice just behind me that says "Not too much rudder!"
I'm glad you are flying this season again Walter. Based on the photos from ESC it's good you got the flight in before the water started filling up the low spots.
Phil Stade
Cu Nim and ASC